War Thunder currently treats radar and IRST too much like alternative sensor modes. On modern aircraft that were designed to use multiple sensors together, radar and IRST should be able to operate simultaneously and contribute to a combined tactical picture.
This is not simply about giving aircraft a stronger detection system. It is about properly representing how modern sensor suites are designed to work.
Radar and IRST have fundamentally different characteristics:
- Radar provides active detection and tracking, but emits electromagnetic energy.
- IRST provides passive detection and tracking without emitting radar energy.
- Using both allows the aircraft to obtain information from different sensors at the same time.
- Modern aircraft can correlate information from multiple sensors instead of forcing the pilot to choose only one.
Aircraft That Should Be Able to Use Radar + IRST Simultaneously
The following War Thunder aircraft have both radar and IRST capabilities and should be reviewed for simultaneous operation and sensor fusion:
France
- Rafale C F3 — RBE2 + OSF
- Rafale M F3-R — RBE2 + OSF
- Rafale EG — RBE2 + OSF
United Kingdom / Italy
- Typhoon FGR.4 — CAPTOR + PIRATE
- F-2000A — CAPTOR + PIRATE
Sweden
- JAS39E Gripen E — ES-05 AESA + IRST
China
- J-10C — AESA radar + IRST
- J-16 — AESA radar + IRST
- J-15T — AESA radar + IRST
Russia
- Su-30SM — N011M + OLS
- Su-30SM2 — radar + OLS
- Su-35S — Irbis-E + OLS-35
- MiG-35 — radar + IRST
The important point is not that every aircraft should receive identical functionality. Each aircraft should be modeled according to the capabilities of its actual avionics and sensor architecture.
How It Could Work in War Thunder
The implementation does not need to be complicated.
For compatible aircraft, the game could allow:
1. Radar + IRST
Both sensors search independently. Their detections can be correlated into the same contact when appropriate.
2. Radar OFF + IRST
The aircraft can remain completely passive while using the IRST for detection and tracking.
Sensor Fusion
The biggest missing element is sensor fusion.
A modern aircraft should not necessarily present radar and IRST contacts as two completely unrelated systems. When both sensors detect the same target, the aircraft’s avionics can correlate the information and maintain a single track.
For example:
Radar detects → IRST confirms → avionics correlate → single target track
Or:
IRST detects → radar searches the same area → radar establishes a track
This would also create meaningful gameplay differences between aircraft generations.
Older aircraft with less integrated avionics could continue to require switching between sensors, while modern aircraft with integrated sensor suites could exploit simultaneous operation and fusion.
Why This Matters for Gameplay
This would not simply be a buff.
It would create more realistic tactical choices.
A player could:
- Use radar for long-range search while IRST remains passive.
- Use IRST to obtain a passive track while radar continues searching.
- Keep the radar active while using IRST to identify or track targets.
- Turn the radar off while maintaining passive detection through IRST.
- Combine information from multiple sensors to improve situational awareness.
This would make modern aircraft feel fundamentally different from older generations instead of simply giving every aircraft another sensor that has to be manually switched to.
Suggested Implementation
I suggest that Gaijin review the sensor architecture of each aircraft individually and divide them into two categories:
Aircraft with integrated multi-sensor capability:
Radar and IRST should be able to operate simultaneously, with appropriate sensor fusion.
Aircraft without this capability:
Radar and IRST should remain mutually exclusive and require switching.
The exact behavior should therefore depend on the aircraft’s real avionics rather than using the same limitation for every aircraft.