- Yes
- No
With the addition of stealth aircraft (F117 Nighthawk, RAH66 Comanche) and 5th gen fighters probably coming to War Thunder in the future, I believe the game would benefit from a dedicated Radar Cross Section (RCS) Analysis Viewer** available directly from the hangar.
The purpose of this tool would be educational and informational, allowing players to better understand the capabilities of their aircraft and how viewing angles influence radar detectability.
This would function similarly to the existing Armor Viewer and X-Ray modes, but focused on radar signature instead of armor layout or internal modules.
Chapter 1 – Overview
The proposed viewer would display the selected aircraft surrounded by a semi-transparent RCS visualization generated from the aircraft’s current orientation – this is similar to what other software already do.
Players could freely rotate the aircraft, with the visualization updating in real time or with a click (like the armor penetration colouring tool does) as different aspects are exposed to the radar.
Chapter 2 – Proposed Features
– Interactive RCS Visualization
Display a semi-transparent RCS isosurface or a RCS sphere around the aircraft. To keep in line with other software, the regions could be coloured as following:
- Blue – Very Low Return
- Green – Low Return
- Yellow – Moderate Return
- Orange – High Return
- Red – Very High Return
This allows players to immediately identify which angles are desirable/undesirable.
– Radar Parameters
The traditional side panel could allow the player to configure the radar environment:
Radar Frequency Band
- L Band
- S Band
- C Band
- X Band
- Ku Band
- Radar Unit (setting the radar band automatically)
- Altitude
Potentially, additional parameters such as polarization or weather effects could be added when they are modeled.
Chapter 3 – Current Aspect Information
Since RCS changes significantly with aspect angle, a small information panel could display the other traditional way of visualizing RCS:
- Aircraft azimuth
- Aircraft elevation
- Current measured RCS at that aspect
This would make it much easier to compare frontal, side and rear signatures, no need to rotate the camera all the time.
Chapter 4 – Detection Probability Graph
Another useful addition would be a graph showing estimated radar detection probability versus distance.
For example:
- Horizontal axis:
- Distance
- Vertical axis:
- Probability of Detection
Using the cursor on top of the graph could show more accurate numbers, or a movable marker could indicate the aircraft’s current estimated detection range using the selected radar parameters. This would provide an intuitive way to understand how radar detection changes with range, aspect angle and radar band.
Chapter 5 – Why this would benefit the game
War Thunder already provides several visualization tools:
- Armor Viewer
- X-Ray
- Protection Analysis
Adding an RCS viewer would extend the same philosophy to radar-equipped vehicles.
It would help players:
- Better understand stealth-oriented aircraft designs.
- Learn why aircraft are easier or harder to detect from certain different angles.
- Compare radar signatures between different aircraft.
- Learn radar mechanics through visualization rather than trial and error.
Concept illustration showing a proposed hangar interface with a semi-transparent RCS visualization, configurable radar parameters, current aspect information, and a detection probability graph. This is intended only as a UI mock-up to illustrate the suggestion.
An RCS / Radar Analysis Viewer would be a natural addition to War Thunder’s existing suite of vehicle analysis tools. By presenting radar signature information in a clear and interactive way, it would help players better understand modern radar mechanics without affecting gameplay balance.
I believe such a tool would be valuable for both experienced players interested in aircraft survivability and newer players learning how radar detection works.