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.
Soon after World War 2, the Soviet Union created the T-54 tank. It was such a successful project and set such a high bar that the machine stayed in production for decades. Designing a better replacement turned out to be a hard task. Soviet engineers spent ages trying to make a radically new vehicle. One of those attempts was a tank known as the Object 140.
History remembers a lot of great aircraft, but there’s a special place reserved for machines that managed to pull off a revolution. One of those aircraft is the American F-117 Nighthawk. As soon as it took off, it sparked a lot of myths and became a true legend.
Self-propelled artillery systems with large cannons and devastating high-explosive shells have long become popular with our players thanks to their unique gameplay. Our recent update added one of the most modern tank destroyers of this type to the Chinese tech tree: the PLZ05.