[2022] B-26 Marauder: Into the Fray

A lil somethin somethin: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page here.

Developed at the dawn of WWII, the B-26 Marauder was an iconic American medium bomber that recorded an illustrious service career with Allied forces right up until the end of the war. Soon, pilots may look forward to getting the chance to take control of this much anticipated American bomber as it arrives to War Thunder as part of the next major update!

Briefly: A fast American medium bomber, highly regarded for its good payload, superb durability and formidable defensive arsenal.
B-26 Marauder, medium bomber, USA, rank III Features

• High speed
  
• Heavily armed
  
• Resilient against battle damage
  
• Vulnerable lower hemisphere

In War Thunder, the highly anticipated B-26 Marauder is arriving to the mid ranks of the American aviation tree as part of the upcoming major update. Fans of the B-26 Marauder will only have to wait a little while longer before they’re able to take to the skies behind the controls of not just one, but two variants of this iconic American medium bomber! In this devblog, we’d like to give you a first look at the B-26B and B-26C Marauder, arriving soon to the battlefields of War Thunder. Let’s begin!

Being conceived from the very beginning for speed, the B-26 Marauder is outfitted with a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Twin Wasp radial engines, producing a peak power output of 1,920 horsepower on take-off. Thus, the aircraft is able to attain a maximum speed of 282 mph (454 km/h) at medium altitudes. Consequently, the B-26 will be everything but a sitting duck to hostile fighters and will often require enemy pilots to attack from above in order to catch up to it.

Interesting Fact: Due to the numerous accidents early on in its service career, the B-26 Marauder quickly gained the infamous reputation of being a “widowmaker” aircraft: a stigma it would carry up to the end of WWII, despite its excellent late war track record.
While fast indeed, the Marauder isn’t fast enough to outrun every pursuer in the skies. Inevitably, some fighters will catch up to it and for this occasion, the B-26 is equipped with just the right tools: defensive .50 calibre machine guns, and plenty of them at that! Namely, the Marauder is equipped with up to seven 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, covering the aircraft’s front, rear and upper hemisphere. Only the lower hemisphere is less well protected and this gap in the aircraft’s protective sphere is a weak point which bold fighter pilots can take advantage of in order to launch an attack run.



However, the Marauder’s arsenal doesn’t just stop at its defensive turrets - it’s a bomber aircraft after all. Apart from the defensive turrets, the B-26 is also fitted with a further five .50 cal machine guns, fixed in position in the aircraft’s nose section. This allows the Marauder to perform strafing attacks on soft ground targets or even actively engage other hostile aircraft. But the Marauder’s core arsenal really lies within its payload, and rest assured, it’s quite a sizable one! Being able to carry a payload in excess of 4,000 lbs, the B-26 can be loaded with bombs of various calibers, ranging from 100 to 2,000 lbs and as a result, the types of targets the Marauder can take on with these bombs is just as diverse.

The highly anticipated B-26B and B-26C Marauder will soon take to the skies in War Thunder as they arrive to the game as part of the next major update. In the meantime, make sure to stay tuned to the news as we continue revealing which other exciting new additions and features await you in the upcoming update. Until then, clear skies pilots!