Air recon would be a really cool addition
Yes.
F-14s with TRAPs.
That’s not how those photo reconnaissance cameras work though, the plane has to RTB and have the film developed to be analyzed, usually under magnifying glasses to see any detail. The Pilot can’t just pull it up in flight.
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I know, but I cant think of any other way to add PR to war thunder without it either being a total waste of time or extremely OP.
I mean a PR feature doesn’t really need to be useful, the main thing you’d fly planes out would still be for CAS and CAP, and any “recon” would be an added bonus.
Taking the point about RTB-ing first, it could be workable enough.
Flight run where the camera “scans” (takes pictures) the ground under it.
Return to base, and upon landing the positions of any vehicles seen by the camera are marked on the minimap.
So while not very useful you can use it to root out a camper or two.
It would be useful in something like the SEAD event where Rec planes could overfly the general area, RTB and provide exact SAM/ Radar site locations for the SEAD aircraft. For ground RB, as it is currently, I’m a bit more skeptical of it, if it provided info on location when they where “scanned” along with direction of travel it wouldn’t be un-balanced and useful for off the map flankers, the markers would have to be distinct from the normal enemy markers though to avoid confusion.
Naval EC could be a place they would be useful as BBs are slow enough the info would actually be still be useful and CAS isn’t as oppressive as it is at most ground BRs.
Air RB and SB could have a system where you recon an area and RTB to trigger ground target/ base spawns that the rec plane gets points for finding and a cut of the rewards when they are destroyed.
EDIT: I meant to say it would not be un-balanced having time late markers in GRB
Yeah, I think that last part about recon triggering base spawns in Air RB and SB is actually a really cool concept. It gives recon aircraft a unique and purposeful role without being overpowered — you’re not directly spotting enemies, but you’re enabling objectives for your team. Plus, getting a cut of the rewards adds some incentive without making it a grindy meta-pick.
If Gaijin ever wants to push Air SB or dynamic mission design further, stuff like that could really freshen up the experience. Would love to see recon flights matter in a way that’s subtle but rewarding.
I would add it to a large EC mode with minimal markers for ground targets, utilising recon platforms to find the lil beans to smite. Perhaps some would consider it dull, but I think it would be neat.
the base respawn times have been a complaint for a while in ARB, so I think it could be a good way to do something about it.
And “according to intelligence” is already a reward in the game so it should be simple enough to apply it to stuff found by the recon plane.
Exactly — base respawn times have been a complaint in Air RB for ages, and tying them to recon flights could be a smart way to make that mechanic more dynamic. It not only gives recon aircraft a proper job, but also helps smooth out the pacing of matches.
And yeah, the “according to intelligence” reward already exists, so the groundwork’s basically there. It’d just be a matter of connecting that system to whatever the recon plane spots or triggers. Feels like a small step that could add a lot of depth.
That could work and wouldn’t be stupidly OP
This makes little sense, it’s not a “real time recon” plane like say, a Fw 189 or OV-10. It has cameras in the nose which record images into film and that later gets analyzed after landing. It would be wholly useless in a setting like WT.
Even in Sim EC this is useless as every worthwhile target shows up in the map anyway.
Drone scouting would work great
That’d be cool. It should only get rewarded when a scout target dies so it can’t just farm infinite rewards off backline tanks.
I’ve always just peppered enemies with my MGs in hope that friendlies would figured it out(and get me a assist)
Maybe they could add scouting if you get close enough to the target?(this was you have to expose yourself to danger in order to get the scout off)
True, in a historical sense the FR.9 wasn’t a real-time recon platform like the OV-10 or Fw 189, and yeah — it recorded to film for post-mission analysis. But I think the idea behind adding a recon mechanic isn’t to simulate photo development or make it fully realistic, but to give those aircraft some unique, gameplay-relevant utility.
Even in Sim, sure, most targets already show up — but if recon flights could influence base spawns, mark passive objectives, or trigger bonuses through a “return with data” mechanic, it’d at least give the FR.9 something to do other than be a downgraded Meteor.
Not saying it’s perfect, but I’d rather see some creative use for these jets than have them sit around underperforming.
It’s a Meteor Mk8 copy, there’s nothing wrong with its performance. If scout mechanics for aircraft do show up I’d much rather it be in proper scout planes instead of “fighter with a film camera”.
Because suddenly you have every single 109, P-51, the Ki-83 and the likes, which could ALSO be fitted with cameras in this style (and some have a second seat), doing the exact same thing. It’s just too much.
That’s fair — the FR.9 does fly pretty much like a Meteor 8, and performance-wise it’s not bad at all. I totally get the concern about opening the floodgates if they give recon mechanics to any aircraft that ever had a camera variant. It’d definitely need clear boundaries.
If they ever did go down that road, I think it’d make the most sense to reserve those mechanics for dedicated or semi-dedicated recon platforms — things like the OV-10, Fw 189, maybe some two-seaters that were explicitly built for recon roles.
FR.9 was more of a light recon/strike aircraft in practice, so I just thought it might be a decent candidate for lightweight gameplay features. But yeah, if it risks diluting role clarity across the board, it might not be worth it.
I mean you can already fly over the battle and “Attention to the designated grid square”
Especially now that you can toggle between the two maps
That is different though than a 30 second moving marker that highlights your exact position both on the map and in the world.
Map marks arent always 100% accurate, especially when coming from someone flying over in an aircraft