We present to you a new type of aircraft in War Thunder - an aircraft with variable sweep wings! We are going to discuss the first such aircraft today, the Soviet Su-17M2 jet fighter-bomber that is going to appear in the game with the release of the next major update “Ixwa Strike”.

Su-17M2, strike fighter, USSR, VI rank    

Pros

• Variable swept wings.
• Huge variety of suspended weaponry.
• Destructive air-to-surface missiles

Cons

• No flares

So, let’s meet an aircraft with variable swept-wings in War Thunder. This is a fairly popular technical solution in combat aircraft with a high take-off weight, which should have good performance characteristics both at subsonic and at supersonic speeds. The first such aircraft in our game is the Soviet Su-17M2 fighter-bomber, the successor to one of the best attack aircraft in the game, the Su-7BKL. The maximum take-off weight of this aircraft exceeds 18 tons, so the sweep-wing is almost the only solution that allows you to achieve the take-off and landing characteristics necessary for this combat aircraft. Only the end sections of the wings are moveable here, while the root area stays fixed. Thus, the increased wing area and additional flaps on the swinging surfaces facilitate takeoff and landing, and also give better controllability at subsonic speeds. After reaching sonic speed, the moveable parts of the wing surfaces are moved back, contributing to the ability to gain and maintain high speeds.

At the time of release, the Su-17M2 will become the top attack aircraft in the USSR aviation research tree and represents a further development of the Sukhoi jet fighter line. Despite its large mass, the variable sweep of the wing makes it sufficiently maneuverable at low speeds and fast enough for a top-tier attack aircraft - at altitude and with minimal load, the aircraft can reach speeds of almost Mach 2. Compared to the Su-7BKL, defensive capabilities have increased due to an installed radar warning system.The offensive armament remains the same - a pair of 30mm autocannons, but the suspended weaponry has increased.

The payload of the Su-17M2 is 4,000 kg, amongst other things, it is possible to install cannon pods, bombs of 100 to 500 kg calibres, S-5, S-8, S-3 or S-24 rockets, as well as guided missiles: the R-60 air-to-air; as well as Kh-23M, Kh-25 and Kh-29L air to surface class missiles. The last two are worth looking at in detail. This was a further development of the Kh-23M missiles, already familiar to the masters of air combat from the Yak-38 series, but a laser seeker is used here instead of radar. The Kh-25 has a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 136 kg, the Kh-29L has an armor-piercing high-explosive warhead weighing 317 kg. The launch range of these missiles is greater than that of the Kh-23M, but when the missiles are guided to the target, the tank's laser warning system may alert a crew to the attack.

The Su-17M2 opens a new page in War Thunder's combat aviation! Stay tuned for the next big update “Ixwa Strike” to find out what else is coming soon!

The War Thunder Team