#vehicle_family
When somebody says “wheeled tanks”, the first vehicles most people think of are probably the Italian Centauro or the South-African Rooikat, both of which are pretty recent designs. In reality though, the first vehicles of this type appeared as early as the first half of the 20th century. John Walter Christie, a talented American engineer, came forward with the idea for a design that made them possible, and the Soviet military were daredevil enough to roll with it. And so, in the interwar period, the Red Army received their first highly mobile “convertible” tanks with a unique wheels-and-tracks system. They were known as BT tanks, with “BT” standing for “Bystra-khodnyy Tank”, or “high-speed tank”.
The Tiger heavy tank is one of the symbols of the Wehrmacht. This massive vehicle, with its sturdy armour and a deadly gun, left quite an impression on people – especially when it made its debut on the frontlines. As you know, Tigers were unable to save Germany from defeat, but the work of German engineers had a lasting impact on the global tank industry. Naturally, Tiger tanks are available in War Thunder as well; they can be found at Rank III and Rank IV of the Ground forces tech tree. Today we’re going to talk about the ways you can unlock the full potential of these tanks!
Panzerkampfwagen V Panther is a legendary WW2 era German medium tank. All major production models of the Panther family are present in our game. The chassis of the Panther was used to build quite a few combat vehicles of other types, many of which can also be found in War Thunder… But let’s start from the very beginning!
The T-34 was and remains a legend. Thousands of these tanks were instrumental in defending the Soviet Union from the German invasion and became famous worldwide thanks to their exceptional capabilities. Today we’re going to tell you how to unlock the true potential of the T-34 and bring your team to victory.
The M60 MBT was in service for many decades. It was first employed in the late 1950s, when the US was in dire need of a tank that could fight the newest generation of Soviet armour. Now, more than half of a century later, we can clearly see that American engineers created a combat vehicle with almost infinite potential for modernization. This video is all about the venerable M60 and its progeny: from the earliest models to the most modern ones. Let’s go!
After WW2, the UK introduced the first ever main battle tank – the legendary Centurion. British engineers managed to combine the best qualities of several classes of tanks: sturdy armour, decent mobility and good firepower, all in one neat package. Thanks to its outstanding performance, the Centurion remained in service all around the globe till the very end of the century. In War Thunder, there are several Centurion variants that can be found in the British, the Swedish and the Israeli tech trees. But what’s their designated combat role?
In the middle of the 20th century, legendary designs like the Huey, the Cobra and the Mi-24 heralded the start of the new era, the era of helicopters: combat vehicles perfectly suited for the purposes of lightning-fast air support. New helicopter designs were being developed by superpower states as well as many other countries with advanced defence capabilities, like West Germany, France and, naturally, the United Kingdom… which is perfect, because today we’re going to speak specifically about British helicopters.
The battles of WW2 made dozens of combat vehicles into legends. Tankers achieved insane feats on their Shermans, T-34s and Panthers, while the skies were set ablaze by mighty Mustangs and Spitfires. But one iconic vehicle of that era is standing out even in this extraordinary company. We’re talking, of course, about the Il-2 Shturmovik, the most-produced military aircraft in history.
The English Electric Lightning was the RAF’s primary front-line interceptor from its introduction in 1959 up until the mid-1970s when it began to be replaced by the Phantom FGR.2. Even so, the Lightning would continue to serve in the interceptor role with the RAF until 1988, leaving RAF service less than two years before the first Phantoms began to be retired from service. Although the Lightning was primarily used to intercept Soviet bombers entering UK airspace, it was also stationed outside the UK, most notably in Germany; the Lightning also saw service at RAF Tengah in Singapore and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Despite serving in the RAF for 29 years, the Lightning never once shot down a hostile aircraft. Officially, the only aircraft ever shot down by a Lightning was a pilotless Harrier; the pilot had ejected, however the Harrier kept flying. It was decided to shoot it down rather than risk it entering Soviet territory.
