The long journey of a useless plane in a video game with good realism
So, the realism part alone stands out as War Thunder is extremely realistic yet filled with bugs that make the game feel the oposite. That aside it’s a video game and it’s expected to have that.
I made a post before reffering to upgrades for the Su-22M3: Possible Su-22M3 upgrades based on real life
The stupidest thing I did in that post was not support any sourses AT ALL. Which made me look like a fool because “I made those up”. I didn’t but for the dev’s sake its not trustable.
That said and the title talking trash about the plane, the plane in real life was actualy very capable at its peak era.
Real life lodout:
Unguided bombs:
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FAB series (50, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 3000) + A1*
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OFAB series (100, 250, 500) + a few modified/upgraded versions
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ZAB series (50, 105-105, 250-200, 500-400)
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RBK series (250, 500) + A2*
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BetAB-500 (Anti-runway)
A1*:
FAB-250Sh, FAB-500Sh (High-Explosive Fragmentation)
FAB-500M-62P, FAB-1500M-46P (Penetrating)
ODAB-500PM (Fuel-Air Explosive)
A2*:
RBK being a cluster munition has a few bomblet variants.
RBK-250: PTAB-2.5 (anti-armor), AO-2.5RT (anti-personnel), ZAB-2.5 (incendiary)
RBK-500: PTAB-1M (anti-armor), AO-1SCh and AO-2.5RTM (anti-personnel fragmentation), ShOAB-0.5 (anti-personnel), and ZAB-2.5SM (incendiary)
Guided bombs:
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KAB-500L
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KAB-500Kr
Air-to-Ground Missiles
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Kh-23
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Kh-25ML/MP
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Kh-28
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Kh-29L/T
Air-to-Air Missiles
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R-3S
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R-13M
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R-60M
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R-60MK
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R-73
Unguided Rockets
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S-5 (57 mm)
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S-8 (180 mm)
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S-13 (122 mm)
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S-24 (240 mm)
Utility and Electronic warfare Pods
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UPK-23-250 Gun Pods
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SPS-141/142 ECM Pods (Electronic Countermeasure, was used in radar jamming)
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Klen-54 (External laser designator system)
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Chaff and Flare Dispensers
Reconnaissance Pods
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KKR-1/2 (Tactical reconnaissance)
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Tucha Smoke Dispensers (various smoke dispensers for battlefield obscuration)
Furthermore, many of these items/weaponry are missing. Germany just recently got the new Su22M4 premium aircraft, which does include the TV-guided missiles. The Syrian/Russian Su22M3 does not, even though it uses them in real life. I think it should be fair for the Sryian Su22M3 to have them as of now it’s almost useless in air battles, as you can only point and click with missiles (rarely gun pod a head-on). It is a brick designed to withstand some damage which it does but not like the Su25 can (logical). Its only good thing is speed. But the acceleration is still slow (from my experience, as I have over 500 battles with it). Rocketing bases isn’t as good anymore, same with napalm, and bombs are heavy and make you a building out of a brick to move (energy retention is also really bad). With that im going to count all the sources/pics that we can see some of these weapons being used. Also to note: cluster munition should be limited if at all not added due to complexity. But missiles and bombs should be added in full to make the aircraft good in ground rb/sim battles.
Text nm. 7 and 8: Su-22 FITTER (SUKHOI)
Janes All The World’s Aircraft 1995-1996 (Page 369): Janes All The World’s Aircraft 1995-96 : Taylor, John W. R. (John William Ransom), 1922-1999 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Screenshots of additional countermeasure pods on the fuselage above the engine:
All planes are Su22M3 variants and are a part of the Syrian air force. I have many more screenshots but these are just to show they do exist and in my opinion, should be extra pods (can be installed by option) as they actually can be taken on/off the fuselage.
Many more to explore:
- War Is Boring discusses the operational history and armament of the Su-22 in Syria, highlighting its use of FAB-500 bombs and B-8M rocket pods during the civil war. It also mentions local adaptations like chaff and flare dispensers for countermeasures.
- Aeropedia: Sukhoi Su-22 provides a comprehensive overview of the Su-22 variants, including the M3 and M4, detailing its standard and potential armament such as guided bombs, rockets, and air-to-air missiles like the AA-8 Aphid.
- Military Factory outlines the Su-17/22’s capabilities, including compatibility with the AS-7, AS-10, AS-14 missiles, various bomb types, and ECM pods. It confirms export-specific armaments available to Syrian variants.
- AirVectors discusses the broader operational history of Su-17/22 variants, including their weapons configurations, countermeasures, and deployment in countries like Syria.
- The Aviationist offers insights into specific Syrian missions and armament configurations used by their Su-22M3s during recent conflicts.
- Modern Warfare Blog provides accounts of the Su-22M3’s use in Syria, particularly focusing on its loadout adjustments for local conditions.
- Encyclopedia of Modern Warplanes includes technical specifications and armament details for the Su-22M3, focusing on its multirole capabilities and export configurations.
- Warplane Magazine Archives (available through certain military libraries) contains articles on the Su-22’s deployment and loadouts in Syrian service, detailing adaptations for regional conflicts.
I provided some quick sources and 2 detailed ones, just to show that im ready to explain (beg) the devs to fix the all-mighty Su22M3. The funniest thing is, that it’s capable of carrying nuclear/thermobaric weapons, yet we don’t see a normal amount of countermeasures and its actual loadout in-game.
Also don’t take my word as my “lodout” is most likely missing a few wepeons.
As I said im ready to provide more detailed info and since im also new to this any help regarding the fix (update at least) would be very much appreciated (I spent over 20 hours on research gimme good news Gaijin).
Side note: my GPU is fried in the new firebirds update XD