In this article we will talk about how to choose your first aircraft for RB (realistic battles) in War Thunder.
For starters, let’s say why even switch from arcade battles to Belarus. The main aspect here is material. This is easy to see if you go to Research, select Arcade Battles, and then compare to Realistic. So, on average, bonuses and rewards for realistic battles are three times more!
But apart from the financial aspect, there is one more feature. If in the arcade you are constantly shooting, explosions are heard everywhere, in a word – trash, then realistic battles are more like a chess game – either you are an enemy or your enemy. In realistic battles, you need to think a lot more and shoot a lot less – and this is also very interesting in its own way. This is a real intellectual struggle.
The article is devoted to the aircraft of the first era. Since realistic battles are most profitable to conquer at the first rank. It is at the first rank that most beginners fly, which means it will be easier for you to win.
Next, we will talk about the most interesting – which aircraft in war thunder are the best for each nation when conquering realistic battles, or, more simply, which aircraft to swing for RB .
USA
F2A-3 Buffalo
This nation has two of the best aircraft for conquering realistic combat, the F2A-3 Buffalo and the P-36-G Hawk. They have a similar rating.
The F2A-3 is more suitable for boom-zoom tactics (hit and run), and we can delight in it with four large-caliber Browning machine guns with good ammunition – 1300 rounds.
The main advantage of this aircraft is its good dive speed, good rate of climb, good maneuverability and very powerful armament. Four Browning machine guns not only rip apart their targets, but also set them on fire quite well.
The main thing on this plane is not to get involved in firefights, but to strike and quickly unwind. Chasing Buffalo is pretty good too, thanks to its powerful air-cooled engine that doesn’t tend to overheat.
P-36-G Hawk
If we talk about Hock, then we have four rifle-caliber machine guns, 2,000 rounds and two large-caliber Browning 200 rounds each.
The main difference between this aircraft and Buffolo is that it can fight not only vertically (up and down), but also can be very good at maneuvering horizontally, which makes it a very versatile machine, although not without its drawbacks. And in terms of maneuverability against the Soviet Seagull or the Japanese Hayabusa, he can do little.
In general, the plane spins quite well, which is very important in combat.
Germany
Heinkel-112-B0
Let’s move on to the most difficult nation in terms of conquering realistic battles, because it has practically no nagibator aircraft. The only aircraft that deserves attention at rank 1 is the Heinkel-112-B0.
The aircraft is distinguished primarily by two 20 mm cannons with poor ballistics and two rifle machine guns. Of the advantages, one can single out good maneuverability, good dive speed and still guns, if, of course, you can hit them (his accuracy is so-so).
It is worth noting that this machine is clearly a bit complicated for beginners. Nevertheless, it has a pretty good rate of climb and after that a good dive speed. Shoot from it only in short bursts. Fortunately, for the first era, your weapons are very powerful, and in the event of a hit, they often blow enemy aircraft to pieces.
Henkel maneuvers worse than Hock, but if you hit the enemy, you can somehow spin with him and gradually finish off. If he has no damage, then you have little chance in a duel with a competent opponent. Catching up with the enemy at the ground is just as difficult, since Henkel’s engine power leaves much to be desired. Trust in tactics and weapons.
USSR
Legendary Seagull
Most of them begin their first battle in the War Thunder in the Soviet Union. And here the premium I-153-M62 Zhukovsky (Zhuk) is very good. If you do not have this, then you can take a free analogue of this aircraft – I-153-M-62 (Chaika). They are no different, but the premium has more earnings.
Unlike other planes, you can take missiles. You can take as many as 8 missiles – that’s four volleys of rockets. It is very convenient to destroy bombers with rockets.
The aircraft is very well suited for those who love maneuverable air combat. Seagull is the real king of mobile battles near the ground. On it, you can even twist the Japanese. You can rush into a crowd of three or four fighters on this plane and create a commotion. His short bursts saw, pierce, and burn opponents with great efficiency. Among the shortcomings of Chaika, one can single out extreme vulnerability to incendiary projectiles, from which it burns like a torch.
The Seagull is a fun airplane by definition, so if you want exactly agile combat and you are tired of boom-zoom, this is the best choice!
Great Britain
Hurricane MK-1
You might think that at the first rank, the best aircraft among the British is the Gladiator, but it pales against the background of the legendary Hurricane MK-1 aircraft. This is a workhorse. It was she who for the most part reflected the German raids – there were much fewer Speedfires.
Although Hurricane has as many as 8 machine guns, this does not mean that quantity must necessarily translate into quality. However, at their level, they can bring a lot of problems to the enemy. Harikane climbs very well in the top variant and can dive quite well from there, tearing up opponents, even if it is the Soviets. However, it will not be easy for Harikeinu with the Seagulls, but you can always get away from them due to the maximum speed and dive.
Japan
Hayabusa Ki-43
The Hayabusa Ki-43 is a lightweight fighter with the steepest maneuverability, but it certainly has its drawbacks. And the main drawback can be called the ammunition – only 500 large-caliber bullets for two machine guns. But on the whole, the plane performs quite well compared to its opponents, and is well suited for beginners.
Hayabusa stands out for its maneuverability and rate of climb, due to which you often turn out to be higher than your opponents and can attack them with impunity while they cannot do anything with you.
Given the extremely small ammunition load, we shoot in short bursts, with maximum aiming from close distances – no more than 300 meters, and we try to set fire to the enemy. If we managed to set it on fire, we immediately release it, because spending ammunition is an unaffordable luxury for Hayabusa. Moreover, Japanese machine guns are not American Browning for you.
Another drawback of this aircraft is that it is very fragile. No armor – falls apart from multiple hits, so we don’t substitute.
Due to the small mass, you can fight both vertically and horizontally with many opponents. The only serious opponent here will be the Seagull, who will join you in a maneuverable battle. But you can boom it due to the superiority in speed. Hayabusa’s engine practically does not overheat.
