Top 10 Plane Nations That Dominate Air Combat in War Thunder in 2024

Find out which nations boast the best planes in War Thunder and start dominating the skies!

War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat multiplayer game made by Gaijin Entertainment. The game is filled to the brim with aviation, armored vehicles, and naval vessels from the early 20th century to the modern-day combat units. Buckle up and ready yourself to face major battles on land, sea, and of course, air.

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In War Thunder, all kinds of aircraft, ground forces, and naval units controlled by players all over the world take part in epic competitive battles. You have over 2,000 units to choose from and an extensive variety of combat situations, many of which were inspired by real-world history. So strap in and take part in the battles that are to come!

However, when deciding which nation has the best planes, many factors need to be considered. Some nations have planes that are better for turn-fighting, some specialize in bombing, and some in energy fighting.

So, there are a lot of factors that affect the answer to this question. However, keep reading to make that decision for yourself! We’ll provide you with everything you need to know.

Best Plane Nations in War Thunder 2024

Here are the 10 nations you can choose from for aerial combat in War Thunder, going from worst to best:

10. Israel

Pros:

1. Has viable tier 4 and 5 planes like B-17G and Spitfire MkIX
2. Their Planes are somewhat good at taking out ground targets.

Cons:

1. Has an extremely small selection of planes.

2. Not a beginner friendly nation to start with.

3.Only playable when you have another nation at Tier 4 or you buy the premium.

Israel comes last in this list as their selection of planes is the smallest in number. And whatever planes they do boast are nothing more than the ordinary. The lack of diversity and the copy and paste aircraft design make it tough for us to rank Israel any higher up this list. Moreover, you can’t play Israel without another nation already being at Tier 4 so there’s that as well.

9. France

Pros:

1. Decend endgame
2. Has the Lautour bombers, which are decent jets.

Cons:

1. Planes are abysmal at low ranks.
2. 7.5mms does barely anything.
3. 60 rounds of 20mms run out fairly fast in a fight.
4. Mediocre jet lineups.
5. Bad engines

We would generally advise you to avoid France if you’re completely new to the game. While the nation is not unplayable, you really should have a good grasp of the main nations before you decide to test out France. Also, it is very difficult to get a decent lineup of planes in BR 4 or above. One plane we can recommend is the Potez 631 because of its well-rounded traits overall. However, a couple of decent planes can’t lift France any higher up this ranking.

8. China

Pros:

1. Good selection of planes early on.
2. Decent tech tree.
3. Has the F-104G Starfighter with the M61 Vulcan Gatling gun.

Cons:

1. Difficult to form a good lineup in the later tiers.
2. Whatever line they do have are planes borrowed from other nations, so they lack originality.
3. Tier 7, 8 planes are nothing too impressive.

China is somewhat decent in a way since it can borrow planes from countries like the US. Their tech tree lineup is a mix of all the other countries like the USA, USSR, and Japan. However, the later BR steps are difficult to deal with. They don’t offer a lot in terms of a well-rounded lineup of planes.

7. Sweden

Pros:

1. Planes carry great firepower.
2. Higher-tier planes are not bad.
3. Bombers are great.

Cons:

1. Overall, their planes are generally slow.
2. It is not beginner-friendly.
3. Higher-ranked players can easily outplay them.
4. Ammunition is outclassed easily.

Sweden’s aircraft are somewhat easily over-tiered because of their 13mm HEF ammo. Although the planes boast good firepower, almost every other flying vehicle out there can and will outspeed them. Their finish planes and the B-18 do hold them up a bit, but they’re nothing too special.

6. Italy

Pros:

1. Superb german guns
2. Great german engines
3. Good enough belts
4. Planes have good maneuverability.
5. Later props come with three 20mm MG151/20s along with 2x 12.7s.
6. Has some great planes like G.55 Serie 1 and C.205 Serie 3.

Cons:

1. Lackluster jets.
2. Very high repair costs on later props.
3. Some of their engines overheat quickly.
4. Not a vast lineup of planes.

Coming in at six is Italy. Italian aircraft are a hit or miss. They’re pretty decent if you can aim without tracers. And the stealth belts packing the .50 are a force to reckon with. However, there is a lack of good bombers and also strike planes, especially above BR 3 and 4. Additionally, their early fighters aren’t anything spectacular, either.

5. UK

Pros:

1. Their Spitfires are great.
2. Boasts pretty good guns overall
3. High maneuverability on plans.
4. Viable late props like Mk.22 and 24 Spitfires.
5. Good climb rate.
6. Good for multiple playstyles

Cons:

1. Speed of their planes is subpar.
2. Weird BR placement.
3. Mid-tier jet lineup.

Next up is the UK. The UK is a very beginner-friendly option with some excellent fighters once you get past the biplanes. Their Hurricanes can very easily carry you early, their Spitfires are highly maneuverable and their Typhoons and Tempests have decent firepower and speed. But a major downside is that their 7mm is all over the plane’s wing and the 20mm often lacks ammo and also overheats irritatingly quickly.

4. Japan

Pros:

1. Majority of their planes can outturn you.
2. Great planes like the Ki-84 with 4x 20mm guns.
3. Great fighters.
4. Good climb rate.
5. Decent at most altitudes.

Cons:

1. Notoriously weak for not being able to stand too much damage.
2. Low start-off ammunition.
3. Bad belts on a few of their planes.
4. Very high repair costs.
5. Inferior engines.

Japan has the most agile aircraft in the entire game, with its lineup consisting of the nimble Ki-43 and A6M Zero line. They also boast heavier options with the big cannon with the Ki-45 and 102 heavy fighters. But one big downside is that their planes are generally really up-tiered. While the planes do take a fair bit of skill to really master, we assure you that it will be worth your while if you decide to do so.

3. USSR

Pros:

1. Planes are generally good at turning.
2. Decent firepower.
3. Very decent lineup of planes.
4. Can outspeed planes from other nations in many cases.

Cons:

1. Low ammo count all over the board.
2. Subpar roll rate later on.
3. Underwhelming jet lineup.
4. Bad belts for 20mms.

Coming in third is the Soviet Union. The USSR certainly has a wide range of planes that don’t really excel at anything but do a good enough job at everything. Their planes are decent at vertical and horizontal fighting or with Boom and Zoom tactics. Moreover, their selection of bombers and attackers is quite good early on, and their late-game lineup isn’t terrible either. Overall, it is a very well-rounded nation in terms of aviation.

2. Germany

Pros:

1. Great at energy fighting and boom and zoom tactics.
2. Bf 109s are terrific planes overall.
3. Great engines.
4. Decent climb rate.
5. Great at high altitudes.
6. Above average belts.
7. Has the best lineup of jets in the game.

Cons:

1. Not the best at turn-fighting tactics.
2. Tier 3 and 4 planes are outperformed.

Ranking second in this list is Germany. Although the Rank I options that they boast really tend to be sluggish, their mid-to-late game fighters are one of the, if not the best in the game. Moreover, Germany has the widest range of jet fighters and rockets as well. One mentionable downside is their bombers, we do advise you to avoid using them if you can. Also, the difficulty in upgrading the planes makes the nation take second place instead of the first.

1. USA

Pros:

1. The 12.7mm M2 and M3 machine guns are fantastic.
2. Good ammo count and velocity.
3. The F8F-1b Bearcats with 4x 20mm guns are phenomenal
4. Great endgame jets.
5. Great firepower overall.

Cons:

1. Some planes later on have relatively high repair costs.
2. Not great at turn-fighting.

The best nation to pick when focusing on aviation is the US. When it comes to aircraft, the United States has more than 150. What’s more, is that almost all of them carry .50 caliber or 12.7mm machine guns and missiles. Also, incendiary rounds can make for some deadly ammunition for the later stages. Additionally, the switch to Boom and Zoom-style planes with a lot of .50s can shred the opponent. Therefore, although the USA has a few noticeable flaws when you really dig in, it firmly positions itself as the best nation for planes in War Thunder.

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