I agree with the general idea, and I would like bombers to be more useful, but for now current Air RB doesn’t allow that, but maybe a long, strategical gamemode similar to what Gaijin is currently testing with Nuclear Escalation. There needs to be an enconomical insentive to protect bombers in War Thunder: something like an escort bonus mechanic. I have an idea on this:
[Suggestion] Escort and Defensive Interception Bonuses for Air Battles
Introduction: Air RB currently offers little incentive for fighters to actively protect allied bombers and attackers. A “bomber saver” bonus already exists in the game, but it is too marginal to influence player behavior. Meanwhile, passive play at the edge of the map carries no economic consequence. This suggestion proposes a structured reward system that incentivizes active escort behavior and defensive interception, built around two simultaneous conditions that must both be met to generate any reward.
All numerical values below are indicative and intended as a starting point for discussion. They should be validated through live testing before any final implementation.
PART 1: THE TWO-CONDITION SYSTEM
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1.1 Eligible Aircraft Combinations
The bonus system applies to the following pairings:
- Fighter escorting a Bomber
- Fighter escorting an Attacker
- Bomber flying in formation with another Bomber
- Attacker flying in formation with another Attacker
A fighter flying alone, away from any allied bomber or attacker, generates no escort reward regardless of its position on the map.
1.2 The Two Simultaneous Conditions
Rewards are only generated when both of the following conditions are met at the same time:
- Condition A — Proximity to a vulnerable ally: The escorting aircraft is within the passive escort radius of an eligible allied aircraft (bomber or attacker) currently in flight toward or returning from an objective.
- Condition B — Proximity to a threat: An enemy aircraft has been detected within the active threat radius, either through direct visual contact or via a scouting ping on the tactical map.
When only one condition is met, no reward is generated. This eliminates passive farming at a safe distance and ensures that rewards reflect genuine tactical risk.
1.3 Reward Structure
Two types of rewards are available depending on the level of engagement:
- Passive Escort Reward: A continuous, modest SL and RP gain while both conditions are simultaneously active. This rewards the fighter for staying close to a vulnerable ally in a dangerous environment, even without firing a shot.
- Defensive Interception Reward: A multiplied SL and RP bonus triggered when the escorting fighter destroys an enemy aircraft within the active interception radius. This rewards direct action in defense of an ally.
The exact SL and RP values for both reward tiers are deliberately left open here, as they require careful balancing to avoid exploitation while remaining meaningful enough to influence player behavior.
PART 2: RADII BY RANK
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The escort and interception radii scale with Rank to reflect the increasing speed and engagement distances of each era. All values below are a basis for discussion and should be tested in live conditions.
| Rank | Passive Escort Radius | Defensive Interception Radius |
|---|---|---|
| I – IV | 2 km | 3 km |
| V – VI | 3 km | 5 km |
| VII+ | 3 km | 8 km |
The passive escort radius intentionally remains compact. A fighter that genuinely intends to protect a bomber will naturally stay close. Extending this radius too far would allow passive players to collect rewards without meaningful engagement.
The defensive interception radius is wider to account for the reaction time required to intercept a threat before it reaches the protected aircraft.
PART 3: ALLY VULNERABILITY WEIGHTING
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Not all bombers are equally dependent on fighter escort. A B-17 with multiple 12.7 mm defensive turrets covering most approach angles is meaningfully more capable of self-defense than a Wellington equipped with .303 turrets. Applying the same escort reward regardless of the protected aircraft’s defensive capability would be an oversimplification.
A more refined system could weight the passive escort reward based on the vulnerability of the protected aircraft, factoring in elements such as turret caliber, coverage sectors, and crew count. The higher the vulnerability of the protected aircraft, the higher the reward for the escorting fighter.
The technical implementation of this weighting is deliberately left to Gaijin’s discretion. This section is intended to signal the concept as a worthwhile refinement, not to define the formula.
Conclusion: This system does not require new assets or major engine changes. It reuses existing proximity detection and economy logic to create a reward structure that finally makes escort a tactically and economically rational choice.
A note on compatibility: As with the active scouting suggestion, this mechanic would have limited impact in standard Air RB given the short match duration. It is primarily designed for longer, objective-based formats such as a reworked Air RB EC or a Nuclear Thunder-style mode adapted for propeller aircraft. In those contexts, the time and space required for meaningful escort play actually exist.
What do you think?
Do you think Air RB needs a dedicated escort reward system?
- Yes — the full two-condition system with vulnerability weighting.
- Partially — the two-condition system without vulnerability weighting.
- A simpler version would be enough.
- No — the current bomber saver bonus is sufficient.
Which aspect of this suggestion interests you the most?
- The two simultaneous conditions to prevent passive farming.
- The passive escort reward for staying close under threat.
- The defensive interception multiplier.
- The scaled radii by Rank.
- The ally vulnerability weighting concept.
