How is everyone? Im great. Working on something at the moment, haha.
When it comes to War Thunder,Bombs are one of the most common weapons in the game. Whether playing them from high in the sky, or from diving straight onto your enemy: each bomb is unique, and positioned in a way that (hopefully) it kills your enemy.
For starters; how does a bomb work?
Well, a bomb is attached to your plane in some way, shape, or form. Some have them on the outside; others have a bomb bay. Some are round, some more square. Some travel far, others stay close. After pressing a button (or two, if you have a bomb bay set), the bomb is released, whether just dropped or thrown forward by some sort of arm mechanism. When it reaches the ground, the fuse starts, and after the fuse has reached its time limit, the bomb detonates, releasing shrapnel that has a chance to kill enemies in a certain radius of the bomb drop.
How should I set up my bombs?
There are two different things you may have to do. First, set a fuse. I personally like a 2 second fuse, as. it gives the bombs some time to hit the ground, and because I am lazy and if I am flying low I don't want to destroy myself. If you have that done, you may also want to consider a bomb series (assuming you want one), and seeing if the right amount of bombs drop on command.
How do my bombs drop?
This may not seem important, but it really is. You should always bring a vehicle out for a test drive, and practice dropping the bombs. Sometimes bombs drop in pairs, sometimes 1 by 1. Sometimes, on vehicles like the A4E, it is a mix. Learning the patterns and ways they drop is key to helping you understand whats the most effective way to use your bombs. They also may drop from an arm, which sort of "launches" the bomb forward. That will be explained later.
What are the different kind of ways I can use my bombs?
Great question! There are several different ways you can use your bombs.
The first way is, obviously, to destroy enemy air bases. This is simple; drop either 3,000 or 6,000 lbs, 1000 or 2000 kgs of bombs on enemy bases to destroy them, and on some maps, destroy the Airfield. You can either do this from way high up or from down low.
The second way is to destroy enemy AI units. This is simple, you approach from generally down low, pull some manuevers to avoid AI AAA and then drop your bombs. Generally, aim ahead of your target.
The third way is much different; Destroy enemy planes with large type bombs. I know, it's not very easy. But it's possible. You do this by flying low to the ground, setting a decently long timer on your bomb (maybe 2, 3 seconds), and then, when someone gets on your tail, dropping it so it blows up and destroys them. You have to make sure that the bomb is straight, and that they will fly over the bomb as well. Any turns or sudden movements are heavily discouraged and will more than likely ruin your chance of "Surprise"ing the enemy. Again, this isn't easy, again, but it's plausible.
What different types of bombs are there?
This is a good question, and one that if improperly answered, could lead to your death. Or error. I don't really know.
The first thing to cover is UNITS! I know, conversions aresofun. I payed 0 attention in my old science classes, so don't take me 100% here.
100lbs-->45kgs
250lbs-->113kgs
500lbs-->226kgs
1000lbs-->453kgs
2000lbs-->907kgs
3000lbs-->1360kgs
4000lbs--> To many kgs
These are the independent weights, not the actual explosive mass. That varies significantly from bomb to bomb (And no, I don't have the time to make a spreadsheet for it sadly, though I am sure someone else does). But, generally, thats how much weight it adds to your plane, and how many bombs you need to drop to destroy a base. So. Just keep that in mind.
The bigger the bomb is, the more effective it is at destroying stuff (except for some exceptions, like the 800kg Anti Ship bomb, but thats for another day). The more you want to destroy an enemy in 1 shot, the bigger a bomb you should use.
That was really it for that section; I don't know why I put "first thing to cover" when that was the only thing to cover.
Finally- How does a Sling work?
This is the last big point I have to make; but, here is how a sling works.
The button is activated, and the arm is thrown forward. Then, the bomb releases. Generally, slings are only found on dive bombers. So.
But, the Arm is thrown forward, and the bomb is released withExtra forward momentumso that it gives you the ability to dive farther down and/or pull away without actually hitting the bomb.This mechanism is helpful when dive bombing, but can often seem like a shortcoming when you are flying straight at a ground target. So, how do I deal with that? Lets take a look at
How should you aim a sling?
Very simple. If you are straight, aim about 20 feet (or 6 meters) ahead of your target. If you are approaching at a 45 degree angle, aim 10 feet(or 3 meters) ahead. And finally, if you are at a 90 degree angle, you should aim at your target. It definitely takes some practice- but once you get used to it, you can shock the AI enemy (or real enemy in GRB) and take them out with any truly well placed bomb.
If I forgot anything, please, let me know! And any other words of advice or fixes, also, let me know.
Thanks!
CmdrVince
