With the B-52H and Tu-95M just dropping as permanent tech tree additions through the Nuclear Thunder event, this feels like the best time in years to have this conversation. And honestly, Nuclear Thunder itself deserves recognition — the escalation system, the strategic bombing gameplay, the anti-radiation missiles shaking up the meta. It’s one of the best events Gaijin has put out in a long time. Credit where it’s due.
But it’s also put a massive spotlight on a problem that’s been sitting unaddressed since the game’s open beta in 2012. Bomber cockpits and models are unfinished. Have been for over a decade. And with two of the most iconic strategic bombers ever built now permanently in the game, it’s harder than ever to ignore.
Some of these aircraft have been in the game since day one and still don’t have a properly modeled interior. New players get pulled in by ads showing ultra-detailed fighter cockpits, jump into a bomber, and find a hollow black box that hasn’t been meaningfully touched since 2014. For a game that markets itself on realism, that’s a hard thing to defend. Simulator Battles exist precisely because a huge part of this playerbase wants genuine immersion — and a placeholder cockpit kills that completely. You can’t claim to be a realistic game and ask players to fly the most iconic Cold War strategic bombers from what amounts to an empty shell.
The B-52H and Tu-95M
These are the two most high-profile examples right now. Brand new additions, centerpiece of a massive event, and still no finished cockpits. The B-52H alone is one of the most documented aircraft in aviation history — reference material is everywhere. The Tu-95M is the same story. There’s no shortage of photos, manuals, or museum examples to work from. The issue has never been access to references. It’s just never been made a priority.
The rest of the bomber tree isn’t doing much better
The problem runs a lot deeper than just these two. A bunch of bombers across multiple nations have been left behind:
B-17 Flying Fortress & B-29 Superfortress — This one is particularly frustrating because Gaijin actually went back and reworked the B-17’s external model — it looks genuinely great now. But the cockpit was left completely untouched. So you have a beautifully detailed aircraft on the outside and the same hollow placeholder interior it’s had since 2012 on the inside. That’s the definition of a half-finished job. The B-29 is in the same boat. Both are among the most documented and photographed aircraft in history. There’s no excuse for the interiors to still look like this.
Lancaster & Halifax — The backbone of the British bomber tree. The Lancaster is one of the most celebrated aircraft of WWII and one of the most documented. It deserves far better than a generic interior.
Do 217 variants — The whole family shares similar enough cockpit layouts that one properly modeled interior could carry across all variants with minimal extra work. The fact that it still hasn’t happened is genuinely baffling.
Mosquito B Mk 16 — This one stings the most because it’s a recent addition and it still launched with a cockpit the community immediately called unacceptable. This isn’t just a legacy problem left over from the early days — it’s actively still happening.
He 111 variants — Some variants received cockpit work, others didn’t, leaving the family in a strange half-finished state that feels inconsistent.
Why this matters
War Thunder’s entire identity is built around realism and authenticity. That’s what separates it from other games in the genre. Simulator Battles, realistic flight models, detailed damage modeling — all of it exists because the playerbase genuinely cares about how accurate and immersive the experience is. Bomber cockpits are not a minor cosmetic issue. They are a core part of that experience, especially for sim players who spend entire matches inside the cockpit view. A hollow placeholder doesn’t just look bad — it actively undermines everything the game stands for.
The B-52H and Tu-95M are meant to feel like a big deal. Nuclear Thunder built an entire event around the weight and significance of these aircraft. They should look like a big deal from the inside too.
