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The Chinese air tree in War Thunder has a mix of aircraft from different nations like the USA, Japan, and the USSR. This trend continues till the mid-tiers, and after that, Chinese made variants of other planes or authentic Chinese-designed aircrafts start to emerge. Just like the Chinese ground tree, the air tree has some of the best aircraft that you can get in War Thunder.
So without further adieu, let's take a look at the five best Chinese planes in this free-to-play vehicle combat MMO.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer. We have not taken premium or event vehicles into account.
What are the best five Chinese planes in War Thunder?
1) J-2
The J-2 is a Chinese license-produced version of the MiG-15bis that you can find in the Russian air tree. Therefore, the performance is the same as the MiG-15bis.
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The plane sits at Rank V, Battle Rating 8.3, and is one of the best-performing planes in that BR bracket. When it comes to flight performance, it has good acceleration and can easily reach speeds of over 900 kmph. However, it compresses a lot after 800-850 kmph, so, you need to keep an eye on your speed so that you do not crash while diving or lose maneuverability in a dogfight.
The J-2 is a great dogfighter in general and is able to outturn most of its opponents. It also has good energy retention, giving you a better chance of winning a stall fight. However, the roll rate of the aircraft is not that good.
The plane is equipped with one 37 mm Type 37-1 cannon and two 23 mm Type 23-1 cannons. The rounds fired from both these types of cannons are low velocity, making them a bit hard to aim. However, the shells can dish out heavy damage, and you can shoot most planes down with just a couple of good hits.
Also read: How to get Golden Eagles in War Thunder
2) J-7E
The J-7E is a supersonic jet fighter that sits at Rank VII, BR 11.0. It is a heavily modified variant of the Russian MiG-21. The engine is more powerful when compared to other MiG-21s and as a result, provides a much better thrust-to-weight ratio to the J-7E. A stronger engine, coupled with the double-delta wing with slats design, makes the J-7E have much better performance than any of the MiG-21s.
The plane has high acceleration and good maneuverability, even at low speeds, unlike the MiG-21s. It is extremely dominant at close quarters engagements and can outperform most of the planes it faces.
The fighter jet is equipped with a 30 mm Type 30-1 cannon that only gets 60 rounds of ammo. But its high maneuverability makes it effortless to aim. The PL-5B IR guided missiles perform similarly to the Russian R-60 but have longer range and are much more flare resistant.
You can also take the J-7E to ground battles for Combat Air Patrol or for limited Close Air Support as it can only carry a small loadout of unguided bombs and rockets.
Read more: Top 5 SPAA vehicles in War Thunder
3) JH-7A
The JH-7A is an authentic Chinese-built supersonic strike aircraft in War Thunder. It sits at Rank VIII, BR 12.3, and is one of the best strikers in the tech tree. The plane has good acceleration and maneuverability, and can also fill in CAP roles if needed.
Being a strike aircraft, it can bring a good loadout of guided bombs and AGMs. It can carry the GB series of laser/IOG guided bombs, the LS-6 series of satellite guided bombs, and the Kh-29T TV-guided AGMs. Apart from that, it can also carry a number of unguided bombs and rockets.
When it comes to air defense, the JH-7A can carry two PL-5C and two PL-8 air-to-air missiles. Both are highly capable missiles and have all-aspect locking, giving you an extra layer of defense when faced with enemy aircraft.
Also check out: 5 best helicopters in War Thunder
4) J-11A
The J-11A is a license built Chinese version of the iconic Russian Su-27, and as such, their flight performance is very similar. The plane sits at Rank VIII, BR 13.7, and is one of the two top-tier Chinese jets.
Even though the plane is fairly large, it is one of the fastest and most maneuverable jets in War Thunder. It can easily pull off high-G maneuvers and can out-dogfight most of the planes it faces. The J-11A is equipped with a Russian GSh-30-1 cannon, which has high velocity shells and a decent damage output.
The missile kit on the plane is very potent, and it can carry a total of 10 air-to-air missiles. The missiles include the Russian IR guided R-73E, R-27T1, and R-27ET1, the SARH R-27R1 and R-27ER1, as well as the ARH RVV-AE missiles. All of these missiles are very effective in air battles and make the J-11A a precarious opponent to fight.
For ground strike, the J-11A can carry a decent loadout of unguided bombs and rockets.
5) J-10A
The J-10A is the second top-tier aircraft of the Chinese tech tree. It was added in the latest War Thunder update 'Dance of Dragons', and sits at Rank VIII, BR 13.7. It is a completely Chinese-designed aircraft, and it exclusively carries Chinese-made weapons.
In air battles, the J-10A is highly effective, with a delta-wing with canards design, making it very maneuverable. However, it is a bit slower than the J-11A and loses speed more quickly. This can be a little detrimental in the current meta, where speed is a crucial factor for survivability and effectiveness.
It is equipped with a 23 mm Type 23-3 cannon. The cannon has a high fire rate, but the shells are low velocity, making it a little difficult to lead. The air-to-air missile kit on the plane includes the IR guided PL-5EII and PL-8 missiles, as well as the ARH PL-12 missiles. However, the number of missiles that you can carry peaks out at eight.
The J-10A has decent ground-strike capability as well. It can carry a wide range of unguided as well as guided ordinances, making it one of the best multirole aircraft in the Chinese tech tree.
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