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You’ve been there. You’re flying a Pe-8 or maybe a Lancaster, lumbering through the clouds while hoping a Bf 109 doesn't decide you’re an easy snack. You line up the reticle, drop your entire payload on a strategic base, and... nothing. The base is still standing with a sliver of health, and you’re stuck heading back to the airfield empty-handed. It’s frustrating. It feels like the game is cheating you, but honestly, you’re probably just victims of outdated information. That’s where a reliable War Thunder bombing chart comes into play. Without one, you’re basically just guessing, and in high-tier matches, guessing gets you killed.
The mechanics of base destruction in War Thunder aren't as simple as "big bomb equals boom." It’s a math game hidden under layers of engine grease and aluminum.
The Math Behind the Mayhem
War Thunder uses a "TNT equivalent" system. If you look at your bomb’s stat card, you’ll see the total weight, but what actually matters is the explosive mass. A 1,000lb American bomb doesn't hit the same way a 1,000kg German bomb does. They have different filler types like Amatol, Composition B, or Minengeschoss.
The game calculates damage based on the TNT equivalent required to "kill" a base’s health pool. Here is the kicker: that health pool changes. It scales based on the Battle Rating (BR) of the match. A base at BR 3.0 is a wet paper bag compared to the reinforced concrete fortresses you encounter at BR 11.0. If you are using a War Thunder bombing chart from 2022, you are going to fail. Gaijin Entertainment tweaks these durability values constantly, often without putting the specific numbers in the patch notes.
Why the "Number of Bombs" Logic Fails
Most players think in terms of "I need three 500kg bombs for this." That’s dangerous thinking. Bases in Air Realistic Battles (ARB) have significantly more health than those in Arcade Battles (AB). Furthermore, there is a respawn timer on bases now in certain maps. If you drop too much, you’re wasting ordnance that could have gone to a second base. If you drop too little, you’ve alerted the entire enemy team to your position for zero reward.
It’s about efficiency. Carrying extra weight slows you down, kills your climb rate, and makes you an easy target for interceptors. You want to carry exactly what you need and not a gram more.
Navigating the BR Brackets
The community-led War Thunder bombing chart projects—usually hosted on Google Sheets or Reddit—break things down by BR brackets. Usually, these are split into 1.0–2.0, 2.3–3.3, 3.7–4.7, and so on.
At the lower tiers, you can usually destroy a base with roughly 1.5 tons of TNT equivalent. By the time you hit the "Jet Age," that number climbs significantly. In top-tier matches, bases are incredibly tanky. You might need multiple passes or a coordinated strike with a wingman.
- Rank I-II: Low health. Even small attackers can be effective.
- Rank III-IV: This is where the heavy bombers like the B-17 or the Me 264 shine. You need to know the exact count for 500kg vs 1000kg loads.
- Rank V-VII: Jets move fast. You have less time to aim. Precision is everything because if you miss by ten meters, the splash damage might not be enough to finish the job.
The Payload Trap
Don't trust the default loadouts blindly. Some planes have "custom loadouts" now. This is a godsend. Instead of taking the pre-set 250lb x 12, you might find that a mix of 1000lb and 500lb bombs allows you to kill two bases exactly.
Napalm is another weird variable. Ever since its introduction, players have tried to use it for base burning. It works, but it’s a "Damage over Time" (DoT) mechanic. If you drop napalm and a teammate drops a conventional bomb five seconds later, they get the credit, and you get an "assist." It's annoying. Unless you’re playing a specific strike craft designed for area denial, stick to high explosives.
Real Data vs. Tooltip Lies
The stat cards in the hangar are notorious for being... let's say "optimistic." They don't account for drag properly, and they certainly don't tell you how much health a base has on the "Ruhr" map versus "Vietnam."
The most accurate War Thunder bombing chart data is actually mined from the game files (the BLK files). Expert players like those on the War Thunder Wiki and dedicated Discord servers track these changes. For instance, did you know that bases in "Operation" maps often have different health scaling than "Ground Strike" maps? Most people don't. They just fly in, drop, and wonder why the base is at 10% health.
High-Altitude vs. Suicidal Diving
Strategy matters as much as the chart. If you're in a Ju 288 C—which is basically the "printing press" for Silver Lions—you have the speed to dive, drop, and run. But if you’re in a slow B-29, you’re forced to stay at 8,000 meters.
At high altitudes, the air is thinner. Your bombs actually fall differently. It’s subtle, but the "time to impact" is longer, giving the base more time to... well, not move, but giving enemies more time to intercept you. If you’re using a bombing chart, make sure you also understand your plane's optimal release speed. Ripping your flaps off because you were going 600km/h in a dive just to reach a base first is a classic "rookie" mistake.
Actionable Intelligence for Your Next Sortie
To actually see results and stop wasting your repair costs, follow these steps:
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Check the latest spreadsheet. Look for the "War Thunder Chart" often updated by community members like Lord_of_Snaails or the Red Skies contributors. Ensure it is dated within the last three months. Anything older is likely wrong due to the "Sky Guardians" or "Sons of Attila" updates which tweaked base health.
Know your TNT Equivalent. Open your secondary weapons menu in the hangar. Hover over your bomb. Look for the "Equivalent mass of TNT" line. Do not look at the total weight. Total weight includes the metal casing, which does nothing to a base.
Test in Custom Battles. If you’re unsure if your F-4 Phantom can one-shot a base with its current rocket/bomb loadout, start a custom match on an "Operation" map. It costs nothing. No repair fees. Just pure testing.
Account for the "Small Base" bug. Occasionally, small hits don't register correctly if the server is lagging. Always drop about 5% more than the chart says if you want to be absolutely sure. It’s better to "overkill" a base by a few kilograms than to leave it at 1% and let a vulture teammate swoop in for the kill.
Watch the map. If three other bombers are heading for bases, call yours out using the map ping (Alt + Click). Communication prevents three people from wasting their bombs on the same target while leaving the others untouched.
The meta shifts. Gaijin changes things. But if you stop guessing and start using the actual numbers, you’ll find your Silver Lion balance climbing a lot faster. Efficiency isn't just for try-hards; it’s for anyone who doesn't want to spend half their game time staring at a "Crew Will Be On Mission For..." timer. Keep the chart open on a second monitor or your phone. It's the difference between being a strategic asset and being a flaming wreck in a field.
Stop guessing. Start calculating. Clear skies.