The military MMO War Thunder lets you control tanks, planes, and in the beta also ships. However, this is not enough for the developers at Gaijin. Soon, a new class of vehicles will be introduced with combat helicopters.
When I was preparing my visit to the War Thunder developer Gaijin before Gamescom 2018, there was talk of a new vehicle class. This made me curious, as I couldn’t imagine what could be missing in War Thunder. Perhaps jeeps and armored transports?
But then I entered the presentation room at the Gaijin booth and there was a monitor with a presentation: The title was “Ride of the Valkyries” and I knew what it was about: combat helicopters!
The feared air cavalry
What can the helicopters? In the game, the helicopters are highly mobile and agile flying devices. Unlike airplanes, they can hover in place and take cover behind mountains or forests.
Why are helis so dangerous? The armament with heavy machine guns, masses of unguided rockets, and deadly guided missiles enables devastating surprise attacks. Helicopters appear lightning-fast behind cover and rain down a true barrage on their poor ground targets.
What are the weaknesses of helicopters? Despite all their power, helis are still glass cannons. Even massive machines like the mighty MI-24 cannot withstand concentrated flak fire for long. Lightweight machines like the Cobra are blown out of the sky even faster. So, anyone wanting to be successful as a heli pilot must proceed cautiously.
How do I get the helicopters? To obtain a helicopter, you first need to have at least one aircraft or tank or be at rank 5. In battle, you unlock the helis like aircraft by earning enough kills and points. However, since they are slower than planes, helis start closer to the chaos of battle.
Do helicopters threaten the balancing?
Flying tank destroyers: Combat helicopters emerged in the 1950s, and by the Vietnam War, the “air cavalry” became an extremely effective weapon type. In addition to troop transport and supply in difficult terrain, helicopters armed with cannons and rockets soon became the terror of armored vehicles.
A threat to game balance? Entire columns of tanks were swept away by combat helicopters back then. So, I was initially skeptical when I heard about the helicopters. Will they wipe out tanks in droves? Could helicopters possibly ruin the balance?
According to Gaijin, this will not happen. The helicopters have enough disadvantages:
- They are not as fast as planes and can be easily hit. Even with anti-tank guns. Flak vehicles and surface-to-air missiles deal swiftly with helis.
- Aircraft can sweep helicopters from the sky in hit-and-run attacks.
- Other helicopters are lurking for careless helis.
No pure air combat mode? Gaijin is not yet sure if there will be a pure air combat mode with helicopters. After all, there have been hardly any battles between heli squadrons in the real world.
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Which helis will there be?
At the beginning, Gaijin wants to offer helicopters for the USA and the Soviet Union. During the presentation, I could see four machines:
- UH-1C and Mi-4AV: These heavyweights are actually converted transports, but with the subsequently mounted rockets and cannons, they can deal considerable damage.
- AH-1F “Cobra”: A fully-fledged attack helicopter that is small, agile, and deadly.
- Mi-24V: This massive machine is a heavy Russian attack heli. It is heavily armored and armed. Additionally, it is very fast, though not particularly agile.
When are the helis coming? The attack helicopters are coming with the next update of War Thunder. To get you in the mood for the helis, there is already an impressive trailer that references the legendary helicopter scene from the film Apocalypse Now with the “Ride of the Valkyries” theme.
