Reconnaissance aircraft has been an important source of battlefield intelligence since the early 20th century. In the early days of World War I, the German offensive had the advantage and was on the outskirts of Paris. On September 3, 1914, a French reconnaissance plane found that the German right flank lacked cover. Based on the intelligence provided by this plane, France took the opportunity to launch a counterattack, which culminated in the Battle of the Marne, and a significant victory for the Allied forces. In World War II, reconnaissance aircraft were widely used. High-altitude aerial cameras and radar recon equipment and photography appeared, while electronic recon aircraft appeared at the end of the war. In Iron Conflict, it is necessary to obtain intel on the battle situation through the use of reconnaissance aircraft. Spotting enemy units is key to taking the lead early on and maintaining an advantage, which makes these recon aircraft critical to winning battles. As part of the upcoming update, the Bear Faction will get its own series of recon aircraft, which will assist the faction’s heavy tanks and rocket launchers secure wins.
Tier 4 - Tu-123
The Tu-123 Yastreb is a type of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed by the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau in the early 1960s. Launched with JATO boosting and powered in flight by a KR-15 afterburning turbojet, it also carries multiple aerial cameras which can be used for reconnaissance and photography at an altitude of 20,000 meters. It took its first flight in 1960 and was officially used from 1964 until 1980, making it the first generation of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in the Soviet Union.
Tier 5 - Tu-143
The Tu-143 Reys is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft designed and manufactured with the needs of the Russian Air Force in mind, but is also still in use by the Russian Army. This UAV was put into production in 1973 and a total of 950 aircraft were produced by 1989. During this time period, it served in the Soviet army, mainly deployed on the Western border areas and used in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Mongolia.
Tier 6 - M-55
The M-55 reconnaissance aircraft was designed and developed by OKB Myasishchev for the Russian Air Force to conduct high-altitude reconnaissance. Compared with the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft of the United States, the M-55 has stronger maneuverability at high altitudes and can complete aerial surveying and mapping, videography, radar reconnaissance, and other defensive tasks. It flew for the first time on August 16, 1988, setting 16 world records, but its basic development and technical performance were kept top secret until the end of the Cold War.
Tier 7 - Tu-214R
The Tu-214R is a strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by the Russian Tupolev Design Bureau. Originally based on the Tu-214 commercial transport aircraft, the Tu-214R uses two Soloviev PS-90A turbofan engines with a single thrust of 156.9kN. There are 6 integral fuel tanks in the aircraft and 1 tank in the rear wing, with a total fuel capacity of 30,000 liters. The cockpit is manned by a pilot, co-pilot, and fight engineer. It adopts a digital fly-by-wire control system as well as three independent hydraulic systems. In includes electronic intelligence sensors, side-looking Synthetic Aperture Radar, and other signals intelligence.
Tier 8 - Altius-M
The Altius-M was developed by Russia’s OKB Sokol. The UAV is a high-altitude unmanned platform capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance. It is planned to be an important weapon and equipment system to prevent possible military operations by the United States against Russia. The Altius-M has the typical overall structure of a large reconnaissance UAV. It has a long and straight wing to meet range and high-altitude lift requirements. It also uses a large number of composite materials to reduce weight and has two 500-horsepower high efficiency diesel engines driving its large propeller to ensure effective flight capability at medium speeds.
Now that we’ve taken a look at some of the Bear Faction’s aircraft, we’ll next take a look at the fighting vehicles it uses to protect against enemy air threats. Stay tuned!
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