War Thunder Will Let Players Choose Aircraft Battle Ratings by Loadout
Gaijin's examples give the Tiger UHT ratings of 11.0 and 12.7, and the MiG-21 Bison ratings of 12.3 and 13.3, but those initial values may change.
War Thunder’s upcoming custom Battle Rating system will let players choose a rating for selected aircraft and helicopters based on their weapon loadouts. Researching a stronger weapon will not automatically force a vehicle into a higher-rated battle. Gaijin outlined the system in its Steam announcement.
The mechanic differs from the Battle Rating adjustments that went into effect in Update 2.59.0.92. Those revised existing ratings, while custom Battle Ratings will give some aircraft alternate options tied to their armament.
Unlocking a relevant modification will add another configuration choice in the hangar. Players can select which rating to take into battle, and weapons incompatible with that setup will no longer be available. A researched weapon can stay in the hangar if the player prefers to use the aircraft at its lower rating.
How the Tiger UHT and MiG-21 Bison configurations differ
Gaijin’s Tiger UHT example starts at Battle Rating 11.0. Researching PARS 3 LR fire-and-forget missiles unlocks a 12.7 option, where the helicopter can launch an attack and retreat behind cover. At 11.0, those missiles are unavailable, but other air-to-ground guided weapons with semi-automatic or laser guidance remain accessible.
The premium MiG-21 Bison shows how the same aircraft can serve different roles. Its 12.3 configuration lacks active radar-homing air-to-air missiles, but includes a helmet-mounted display for target designation and laser-guided bombs. Equipping RVV-AE missiles raises its rating to 13.3, adding beyond-visual-range engagements with active radar homing while retaining the previous configuration’s arsenal. Premium vehicles have all modifications unlocked upon purchase, so the Bison’s options are available immediately.
The example ratings and armament options are preliminary and may change during development.
Aircraft come first
Gaijin plans to introduce the mechanic with selected aircraft and helicopters in War Thunder’s next major update. The update changelog will name the first vehicles, and the hangar will display each configuration’s rating and unavailable weapons. Applying custom Battle Ratings to ground vehicles, including some top-tier tanks, is under consideration for a future update, but the initial rollout is focused on aircraft.
Which aircraft would you like to see get alternate Battle Ratings? Follow us for more on the first roster and its weapon options on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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