'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMvnxz//xAAfEAACAgIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEAAUREiFTgdH/2gAIAQEAAT8A1e1h1VS+tmqs1mGophkXgCMt0t77Nj7ZA7AROQD5G+5//8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQD/2gAIAQIBAT8AG//EABcRAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAhH/2gAIAQMBAT8ApZTR/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Russian planes in War Thunder are some of the most iconic all around the world. With planes such as the MiG-29 and the Su-27, the Russian tech tree boasts very iconic and powerful aircraft in the entire game. Although they lack the sheer amount of weaponry that American planes have, they still have the second most powerful air tree in this cross-platform vehicle combat MMO.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer.
Which are the five best Russian planes in War Thunder?
1) Yak-3
The Yak-3 is a rank III, BR 4.3 dedicated fighter plane and, as a result, does not have any ground attack ordnance. What it does have is one 20 mm ShVAK cannon that can shoot down planes with just a couple of hits, as well as two 12.7 mm machine guns.
Trending
Maneuverability is another aspect that the Yak-3 is very good at. It is decent at boom-and-zoom attacks but is very good at turn-fighting. It can outturn most planes, except maybe Japanese ones and Spitfires. On top of that, it also has excellent low to mid-altitude performance.
2) Pe-8
The Pe-8 is a long-range bomber that sits at rank III, BR 4.3. It is neither the biggest nor the best bomber in the game. It is the FAB-5000 that makes the Pe-8 one of the most useful and fun planes to play from the Russian tech tree.
The FAB-5000 is a 5000 kg bomb and is the second largest bomb in the game. The blast radius of the bomb is so large that you can kill multiple targets with one FAB-5000 in ground battles if you drop it at the right spot.
3) Su-25SM3
The Su-25SM3 is a rank VIII, BR 12.3 strike aircraft. The Su-25 series is the direct rival of the American A-10 'Warthog', and hence carries an extensive loadout of ground attack ordnance.
The Su-25SM3 is equipped with a 30 mm GSh-30-2 cannon, that can fire APHE shells that tear through tank armor. Being a strike aircraft, it has a wide range of guided and unguided missiles and bombs, as well as the powerful R-73 air-to-air missiles for air defense.
4) MiG-29SMT
The MiG-29SMT is one of the two top-tier Russian multi-role fighters in the game. Although similar in performance, it carries better air-to-air armament than its German counterpart, the MiG-29G. It sits at rank VIII, Br 13.3, 0.3 BR higher than the MiG-29G.
The SMT gets access to the most modern radar missiles in the game, namely the R-77 for Russian planes. Apart from that, the MiG-29SMT carries other air-to-air missiles like the R-73 and the R-27 series, along with a few different guided and unguided ground attack weapons, and is extremely maneuverable in dogfights.
5) Su-27SM
The Su-27SM 'Flanker' is the current flagship plane of the Russian tech tree. It sits at rank VIII, BR 13.7, and is as capable and carries around as many weapons as the American F-15.
The Flanker is equipped with a 30 mm cannon that is extremely accurate and carries an extensive loadout of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordinances. The Su-27SM is arguably the most maneuverable plane in the game. It can perform gravity-defying maneuvers and outperform virtually every other plane in the game.
For more War Thunder-related content, check out:
