After playing a lot of Soviet BR3 and falling in love with their huge variety of planes, I was ready to try out some higher tier stuff when I noticed a problem. How is it possible that the Soviets don’t have a single BR4 plane in the tech tree? That lead me down a rabbit hole of figuring out how to fill that gap and round out the high-BR offering of planes for the USSR.
After researching dozens of options, I think I found a good solution that I want to discuss. The goal is to have a good variety of planes for each BR (3 fighters & 3 attackers seems good?) with a mix of ordnance. This should leave enough options for Event and Premium planes in the future.
The solution involves lowering the BR of two planes and adding 7 new ones. In order to keep things simple, I limited my choices to planes that already exist in War Thunder, and only equipped with ordnance listed on the wiki.
BR and Stat Changes
IL-10: BR5 → BR4
IL-10: (Suspended Armament) Added RBS-82 Rocket x4
I-185 (M-82): BR5 → BR4
I-185 (M-82): 250kg FAB-250sv bomb x2 → 100kg FAB-100sv (forged) bomb x2
La-7: (Max Speed) 696.95 → 714.46
IL-10: Both the flying stats and ordnance are not BR5 material in 2026. By dropping it to BR4 and adding (albeit weak) rockets, it would immediately become an attractive upgrade to the BR3 IL-2M with a similar weapon loadout. I also want to find an excuse to use the BP skin we got last month!
I-185 (M-82): This plane is okay in BR5, but it fits better in BR4 with reduced ordnance. Its stats would be comparable to the Italian Fiat G.55, which is a nicely balanced fighter-bomber.
La-7: The weaponry on this plane is weak, but the Soviets struggle with good BR5 fighter options so it probably needs to stay here. Its speed on War Thunder is a bit higher, so it would be reasonable to give it a moderate boost to solidify its role as the premiere agile fighter.
New Planes
I-225 [BR4 - Fighter]:
One of the best prop fighters of the era. Has incredible speed and maneuvering, plus 4 20mm cannons with just enough ammo to shred a couple planes before returning to rearm. Due to the fact that it cannot carry any suspended armament, I think that BR4 is a reasonable home for it. The other two fighter options have different bomb loads to round out the lineup.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 20mm ShVAK Cannon x4 | 400 | 720 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 744.58 | 26.97 | 16.06 | L/T | 3.42 |
Photos
Yak-9B [BR4 - Fighter]:
While it has similar stats to a BR2/3 fighter, this variant of the Yak was fitted with four tubes that could hold a 100kg bomb in each. This complements the other BR4 planes discussed here by offering a heavier fighter-bomber option.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 20mm ShVAK Cannon x1 | 120 | 720 |
| 12.7mm Berezin UBS Machine Gun x1 | 200 | 996 |
| 100 kg FAB-100sv (forged) bomb x4 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 608.77 | 19.42 | 17.41 | L | 2.66 |
Photos
Su-6 (AM-42) [BR4 - Attacker]:
A nice alternative to the downtiered IL-10. The IL-10 would have a heavier bomb load with very small rockets. The Su-6 has much stronger rockets and the improved agility needed to deliver them to the battlefield. It still carries a couple medium bombs to deal with tanks.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 23mm VYa-23 Cannon x2 | 240 | 600 |
| 7.62mm ShKAS Machine Gun x2 | 1500 | 1800 |
| 12.7mm Berezin UBT Machine Gun (Dorsal Gunner) x1 | 196 | 1026 |
| RBS-132 Rocket x10 | ||
| 100kg FAB-100sv (forged) bomb x2 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 533.82 | 17.15 | 18.04 | L/T/C | 4.77 |
Photos
Pe-2-205 [BR4 - Attacker]:
A direct upgrade to the Pe2, Pe3, and A-20 Boston bombers of BR3. A no-frills medium bomber. Comparable to the American BR4 A-20G-25.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 12.7mm Berezin UB Machine Gun x1 | 150 | 1026 |
| 7.62mm ShKAS Machine Gun x1 | 450 | 1800 |
| 12.7mm Berezin UBT Machine Gun (Dorsal Gunner) x2 | 430 | 1026 |
| 7.62mm ShKAS Machine Gun (Tail Gunner) x2 | 450 | 1800 |
| 250 kg FAB-250M-43 bomb x4 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 531.49 | 14.38 | 21.81 | L/T/C | 6.81 |
Photos
I-185 (M-71) [BR5 - Fighter]:
With the M-82 variant moving down to BR4, the M-71 slots in to perfectly fill the gap. It has the same cannons and original 250kg bomb loadout, but is a significant upgrade in speed and agility. Compared to the La-7, this plane sacrifices a bit of speed and maneuverability for heavier bombs.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 20mm ShVAK Cannon x3 | 560 | 720 |
| 250kg FAB-250sv bomb x2 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 707.19 | 26.95 | 17.72 | L/T/C | 3.29 |
Photos
TIS MA [BR5 - Attacker]:
The late-war Soviet ROFS rockets aren’t in Enlisted yet, but are present in War Thunder. These rockets are similar to British RP-3 rockets, making this configuration a lot like the Beaufighter X. However, the TIS MA upgrades two of the 20mm cannons to 45mm, providing up to 73mm of armor penetration at 100 meters. A HEFI-T/HVAP/APHE mixed belt could be interesting to explore.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 45mm NS-45 cannon x2 | 100 | 258 |
| 20mm ShVAK Cannon x2 | 240 | 800 |
| 12.7mm Berezin UBT Machine Gun (Dorsal Gunner) x1 | 200 | 1026 |
| ROFS-132 Rocket x8 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 569.42 | 17.29 | 18.22 | L/T/C | 7.14 |
Photos
Su-8 [BR5 - Attacker]:
This is a Soviet-style P-47D-28. While the American plane leans into a powerful engine and stronger rockets, the Su-8 puts heavy cannons and bombs in an attacker frame. It’s a good midpoint between the TIS MA dedicated rocket plane and the Tu-2 heavy bomb loadout. A truly terrifying combination of ordnance.
Stats
| Armament | Ammo Count | Rate of Fire (RPM) |
|---|---|---|
| 45mm NS-45 cannon x4 | 200 | 258 |
| 7.62mm ShKAS Machine Gun x8 | 4800 | 1800 |
| 12.7mm Berezin UBT Machine Gun (Dorsal Gunner) x2 | 400 | 1026 |
| RBS-82 Rocket x10 | ||
| 250kg FAB-250sv (forged) x3 |
| Crew | Max Speed | Climb Rate | Turn Time | Flaps | Weight (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 579.40 | 17.81 | 18.65 | L/T/C | 9.67 |
Photos
Full Comparison Table
Key:
Red Highlights - Changes to individual stats or BR
Green Highlights - New planes to add
Orange Highlights - Existing Premium plane
Purple Highlights - Existing Event / Silver Chest plane
What do you think? I thought it would be good to discuss before making any suggestion posts, especially since there’s a lot here.