The Soviet Union has always had inferior carrier-based aircraft compared to the West. While the United States used all the might of its aircraft carriers in World War 2 and Vietnam and the United Kingdom showcased theirs during the Falklands War, the Soviet Union was still busy rebuilding its fleet to fit its new doctrines.
The Storm Warning update brings the roar of jet turbines, and with them, several new high-rank aircraft! And a special role among them is reserved for a couple of multirole European fighters that look a lot like twins. Please welcome the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon, a fighter that made its maiden flight in 1994 and is still in production. In War Thunder, this plane is the new top for the aircraft tech trees of Germany, Italy, and Great Britain!
The 1950s were a groundbreaking period in aviation history. By the late 1940s, pilots had transitioned from propeller-driven aircraft to jets, and the sound barrier had just been broken. Yet engineers were already working on a new generation of aircraft that would make even the most recent designs look obsolete.
In the late 1980s, after extensive experimentation, Soviet engineers equipped a prototype BMP-3 with a dual weapon configuration consisting of a 100-mm gun/launcher and a 30-mm 2A72 autocannon. While the 2A72 shared the caliber of the BMP-2’s gun, its simplified design and reduced rate of fire made it a better fit for light vehicles. Once the BMP-3 entered mass production, many of its innovative features sparked debates, but the dual weapon system definitely stood the test of time. By the late 1990s, China acquired the license for this successful design, and in the 2000s, Russian engineers developed the modern ‘Bakhcha-U’ combat module for a new generation of BMPs, with improved fire control systems.
In the early days of aviation, as the field of aircraft design was just beginning to take shape, engineers were constantly experimenting with new airframe concepts. Aerodynamic layouts ranged from groundbreaking innovations to outright oddities. Many were quickly tested, and while some faded into obscurity, others laid the groundwork for future advancements. Among these was the twin-boom design, which offered several advantages: streamlined engine placement, efficient landing gear configuration with a nose wheel for easier takeoffs and landings, and the ability to mount heavy armaments without gun synchronizers. This design also allowed gunners in the central nacelle a wide range of fire coverage.
Since the dawn of aviation, the power plant has always been a key component of any aircraft. Sometimes, engineers would even design not an engine for a plane, but a plane for an engine — like with the very first jet fighters. Today, we’re here to tell you about the most outstanding aircraft engines in our game.
Germany started the Second World War with no heavy combat aircraft at hand. Still, they’d been trying to build a long-range bomber capable of reaching targets in Great Britain and the Soviet Union since 1934. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the He-177 Greif took to the skies on November 19, 1939.
In the early history of tanks, engineers would often use layouts with multiple cannons to improve the total firepower. But the recent War Thunder addition stands out even among those designs since it has no less than three barrels side by side! We’re talking about a Soviet heavy tank destroyer, the KV-7.