American Plane Tree in War Thunder: USA Air Guide

The American plane tree in War Thunder is the USA aviation catalog: begin with Filters > Country > USA, then choose a game mode and aircraft role before comparing Battle Ratings. The U.S. tree includes fighters, jet fighters, bombers, strike aircraft, and aircraft with different availability statuses, so the best route depends on what you want to fly rather than on a single “best” plane. This guide shows how to filter the live tree, build a sensible research plan, and avoid comparing aircraft in the wrong context.

What the USA Air Tree Shows

The USA aviation tree is the part of War Thunder’s aircraft catalog devoted to American aircraft. It is not just a list of planes to unlock in order; it is also a planning tool for comparing aircraft by role, manufacturer, family, availability, and Battle Rating.

Use the official War Thunder Aviation catalog rather than an old screenshot, a fan-made proposal, or a recommendation aimed at a different game mode. The live catalog can be displayed as either Tree or List:

• Tree is best for seeing where an aircraft sits in the wider U.S. progression path.
• List is best for narrowing the catalog with filters and comparing a group of aircraft with a shared role or feature.

The important distinction is that a Battle Rating is tied to a mode. An aircraft that makes sense for one mode may have a different Battle Rating context in another.

A useful U.S. route is a matched set of decisions: one mode, one main role, and aircraft you can actually research or obtain.

How to Plan American Plane Progression

Start with the role you want to play most often. This choice keeps you from researching an aircraft that looks appealing on paper but does not fit your usual battles.

Your Main Goal	Use This Catalogue Filter	What to Compare
Fly piston-engine air-to-air fighters	Filters > Roles > Fighter	Battle Rating in your chosen air mode, status, and vehicle family
Fly early or advanced jet fighters	Filters > Roles > Jet fighter	Battle Rating in the chosen mode, progression position, and status
Attack ground targets or support ground battles	Filters > Roles > Strike aircraft	Weapons, intended mission, and Battle Rating for tank-related modes
Focus on payload and bombing missions	Filters > Roles > Bomber	Bombing role, Battle Rating, and access within the tree

Step 1: Set the Country and Battle Mode

1. Open the Aviation catalog.
2. Select Filters > Country > USA before browsing aircraft names.
3. Choose the battle-mode context you actually play before using Battle Rating as a comparison tool.

The available Battle Rating labels are:

• Arcade Battles
• Realistic Battles
• Realistic Battles (tanks)
• Simulator Battles
• Simulator Battles (tanks)

Use Realistic Battles when planning for air Realistic Battles, for example. If you want aircraft for tank battles, compare them under Realistic Battles (tanks) instead. The same rule applies to the two Simulator labels.

Do not treat a Battle Rating as a universal score for an aircraft. It is a matchmaking value within the selected mode.

Step 2: Choose One Primary Role

Pick the role that matches the battles you expect to play most.

For propeller-driven air combat, use Filters > Roles > Fighter. For jet progression, use Filters > Roles > Jet fighter. These filters prevent bombers, attackers, and other aircraft types from filling the results when you are trying to make a focused fighter route.

For ground attack, select Filters > Roles > Strike aircraft. These aircraft are the better place to start if your goal is supporting tanks or attacking map targets rather than primarily hunting enemy fighters.

For bombing, use Filters > Roles > Bomber. That gives you a route built around bomb load, mission role, and survivability considerations instead of fighter handling.

It is fine to research more than one branch over time. The practical approach is to make one branch your main route and treat the others as side projects.

Step 3: Check Availability Before Planning Around an Aircraft

Use Filters > Status to see whether an aircraft is classified as a:

• Regular vehicle
• Premium vehicle
• Squadron vehicle
• Collections

This check matters before you invest time mapping out a route. A regular vehicle is the natural foundation for a standard research path, while premium, squadron, and collection aircraft belong to different availability categories.

Do not assume that an aircraft shown in a video, guide, or old lineup belongs in the ordinary research path. Filter by status first, then decide whether it fits your access and goals.

Step 4: Switch Between Tree and List Views

Use the Tree display to understand where a prospective aircraft sits relative to the rest of the American aviation progression. This is the view to use when you want to avoid dead-end planning or see the broader direction of a branch.

Then switch to List when you need a cleaner comparison. The list view is especially useful after applying several filters, such as USA, Fighter, a specific mode, and regular vehicles.

A simple planning routine is:

1. Use Tree view to identify the part of the U.S. tree you want to enter.
2. Use List view to narrow that area by role and availability.
3. Return to Tree view before committing to a research direction.

Step 5: Make a Short, Flexible Research Route

Choose the next aircraft that moves you toward your preferred role rather than trying to plan the entire tree at once. Keep a route focused on aircraft you can use now, aircraft that lead toward your intended gameplay, and aircraft available through your preferred status category.

For example, a player who wants air-to-air combat can keep the catalog on USA, select Fighter, choose the appropriate air mode, and look for regular vehicles that continue the type of flying they enjoy. A player building a tank lineup can instead use Strike aircraft and compare them in the Realistic Battles (tanks) context.

This approach makes your next unlock useful even if your long-term interests change from props to jets, or from air battles to combined battles.

Building a Fighter-Focused USA Path

The U.S. tree is often attractive to players who want fighter aircraft, but “fighter” is still a broad category. A prop-fighter path and a jet-fighter path should be planned separately.

For piston-engine aircraft, begin with Filters > Roles > Fighter. Compare only aircraft shown for the battle mode you play, then look for a progression route that gives you repeated practice with the kind of engagements you enjoy. If you prefer energy fighting, climbing, diving attacks, and disengaging, choose fighters that fit that approach rather than forcing a turn-fighting style onto every aircraft.

For jet aircraft, switch to Filters > Roles > Jet fighter. Jet battles place different demands on speed management, awareness, weapons, and positioning, so a prop-fighter favorite is not automatically the right reason to choose a jet route.

Finding the P-51 Mustang Line

If you specifically want Mustangs, use Vehicle families > P-51 “Mustang.” This is the quickest way to compare aircraft grouped under the Mustang family rather than scrolling through the full U.S. catalog.

A vehicle-family filter answers a narrow question: “Which Mustangs are available?” It does not answer the broader question of which U.S. fighter is best for your mode, lineup, or experience level.

Finding North American Aviation Aircraft

Use Manufacturers > North American Aviation when you want to compare aircraft by maker rather than nickname.

The manufacturer filter is broader than the Mustang filter. Vehicle families > P-51 “Mustang” isolates that family; Manufacturers > North American Aviation can show a wider group of aircraft from the same manufacturer.

Choosing Bombers and Strike Aircraft

Bombers and strike aircraft deserve their own research plan because their success is tied closely to mission type. A fighter route is centered on air combat; a bomber or strike route is centered on target selection, payload use, timing, and surviving long enough to complete the mission.

Use Filters > Roles > Bomber if you want aircraft intended primarily for bombing tasks. Compare them in the same mode you plan to play, because a bomber’s matchmaking context can differ between Arcade, Realistic, and Simulator modes.

Use Filters > Roles > Strike aircraft if ground attack is your priority. This is the more useful starting point for players who mainly want to support tanks, attack bases or vehicles, or build an aircraft slot for combined battles.

Set the Battle Rating context to Realistic Battles (tanks) before deciding whether an aircraft belongs in your lineup. For simulator-oriented tank battles, use Simulator Battles (tanks) instead.

A strike aircraft does not need to replace your fighter progression. Many players get more value from keeping one air-to-air route and one ground-attack route available, then choosing between them based on the battle type they want to play.

Avoiding Common USA Tree Planning Mistakes

The biggest mistake is comparing aircraft without matching the filters first. A recommendation can sound convincing but still be irrelevant if it was made for a different game mode, a premium aircraft, or a different mission.

Avoid these problems:

• Comparing Battle Ratings across different modes.
• Treating a premium, squadron, or collection aircraft as if it were part of a regular research route.
• Picking a plane solely because a guide calls it the best. The best choice changes with your mode, role, current lineup, and preferred playstyle.
• Searching manually for every aircraft nickname. Use vehicle-family and manufacturer filters when they match your question.
• Planning from a static image of the tree. The live catalogue’s Tree and List views are better for checking what is currently shown.

A good U.S. route does not need to be perfect. It needs to give you aircraft you want to fly now while leaving a clear direction for the role you want next.

Confirming Your Research Route

Before spending research effort on the next aircraft, run through this short check:

• The country filter is set to USA.
• The Battle Rating context matches the mode you normally play.
• The role filter matches your mission: Fighter, Jet fighter, Bomber, or Strike aircraft.
• The aircraft status matches how you intend to obtain it.
• Tree view shows that the aircraft fits the direction you want to take.
• List view lets you compare it with nearby alternatives under the same filters.

When you change from air battles to tank battles, move from props to jets, or start a bomber or attacker branch, confirm that the country, Battle Rating context, role, and aircraft status fit the new route. The official catalog is most useful when you use its filters to answer one clear question at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best American Plane in War Thunder?

There is no single best American plane for every player or mode. The strongest choice depends on the battle mode you play and whether you want a fighter, jet fighter, bomber, or strike aircraft. Start by narrowing the catalog with Filters > Country > USA and the role that fits your mission.

How Should I Progress Through the American Plane Tree?

Start with Filters > Country > USA, choose one Battle Rating mode, and select your main role under Roles. Build around regular vehicles if you want a standard research route, then use Tree view to see progression direction and List view to compare choices. Add a second branch later if you want a bomber or ground-attack option.

What Is the Difference Between Tree and List View?

Tree view shows the broader shape and direction of American aviation progression. List view is for filtered comparisons, such as USA fighters in one mode or North American Aviation aircraft with a particular status. Use Tree to plan the route and List to narrow the choices.

Is the P-51 Mustang the Best U.S. Fighter?

The P-51 Mustang is a major American aircraft family, but it is not automatically the best choice for every mode or pilot. Use Vehicle families > P-51 “Mustang” to compare aircraft in that family, then select a Battle Rating mode. A Mustang route is most useful when you want that family specifically, not simply because it is famous.

What Is the Weakest American Plane in War Thunder?

There is no fixed weakest American plane across the whole tree. An aircraft can be difficult in one Battle Rating mode, mission type, or lineup and useful in another. Compare aircraft within the same mode and role before judging them.