Best ammunition — tank shells, aircraft ammo, bombs, rockets · War Thunder

Tank shellsWhat players recommend loading first, by shell family.

APFSDS — high rank

1

DM53 120 mm Consensus

Very often named the best APFSDS in the game: among the highest penetration. A few players complain about unexpected ricochets. · Germany
2

M829A2 120 mm Consensus

One of the most penetrating APFSDS in the community's comparison tables. · USA
3

KE-W 120 mm Consensus

Good penetration and good post-penetration damage. Easy to use: no risk of overpenetrating without damage. Fired by the Leopard 2A4M CAN (German tree). · Germany
4

3BM46 125 mm Consensus

Recommended for the same reasons as the KE-W: decent penetration and big damage behind the armour. · USSR
5

3BM60 125 mm Mixed opinions

The most penetrating Soviet APFSDS, but its in-game penetration is often disputed on the forum. · USSR

AP explosive (APHE / APCBC) — Second World War

1

PzGr 39/43 88 mm (KwK 43) Consensus

Big explosive filler: destroys most targets in a single shot. · Germany
2

PzGr 39 75 / 88 mm Consensus

The right balance of penetration and explosive filler; the recommended base shell from the Pz.IV F2 on. · Germany
3

Pzgr. (Tiger I) 88 mm (KwK 36) Mixed opinions

About 10 mm less penetration than the PzGr 39, but much more explosive: some prefer it for the damage. · Germany

General rule at this rank: take the most penetrating APHE, keep 5 to 7 HE shells and a few smoke rounds.

Shaped charge and HESH

1

HEAT-FS (e.g. M456) 105 mm Consensus

Penetrates most tanks from the front at its rank. Players prefer it to HESH in the vast majority of cases. · USA
2

HESH (e.g. L31) 105 / 120 mm Mixed opinions

Ignores armour angle, but considered unreliable for several years. Keep it as a complement (hull-down tanks, helicopters). · Great Britain

Anti-tank missiles (ATGM)

1

9M123 (Khrizantema-S) 152 mm Consensus

Radar guidance that works through smoke; much faster than the Spike and TOW, with more penetration and damage. · USSR
2

Kornet 152 mm Consensus

Fast and consistent; some BMPs fire it on the move. · USSR
3

Spike Mixed opinions

Fire-and-forget and long range, but slow, hampered by smoke and with inconsistent damage. · Israel

Against helicopters

1

Proximity-fuzed shells (HE-VT) Consensus

Explodes a few metres from the target (triggered at about 3 m): no need to hit the helicopter, passing close is enough.
2

Regular shell on a direct hit (APFSDS, HEAT-FS) Mixed opinions

More reliable than a time fuze on a moving target, but you have to hit the helicopter.
3

Time-fuzed shells (HE-TF, e.g. DM11) Consensus

Avoid against helicopters without anti-air fire control: set to the rangefinder distance, it explodes where the aircraft was, not where it is.

A hovering helicopter is the easiest target: fire as soon as it stops to aim.

Aircraft ammoThe most liked cannons, ammo belts and missiles.

Cannons — prop aircraft

1

MG 151/20 20 mm Consensus

Its "Minengeschoß" HE shell probably makes it the best 20 mm against aircraft. The reference German cannon, from the Bf 109 F-4 up to the top props. · Germany
2

Hispano (American / late ammo) 20 mm Consensus

With the right ammo, goes from an average cannon to one of the most formidable; more reliable than the base Hispano. · USA
3

MK 108 30 mm Mixed opinions

Huge damage: one shell is often enough. But very low muzzle velocity, hard to place, especially from a jet. · Germany

Cannons — jets

1

M61A1 Vulcan 20 mm Consensus

Ballistics, accuracy, rate of fire (~6,000 rounds/min) and ammo capacity: considered the strongest fighter gun, against aircraft as well as ground targets. · USA
2

ADEN (Mk.4) 30 mm Consensus

Very powerful revolver cannon, good rate of fire and muzzle velocity: among the best 30 mm against aircraft. · Great Britain
3

DEFA 552 30 mm Consensus

Named with the ADEN among the best cannons against aircraft. · France
4

GSh-30-1 30 mm Consensus

Easy to use: good velocity, flat trajectory, no spin-up time. Lower rate of fire than the Vulcan, made up for by the power of each shell. · USSR

Ammo belts

1

Stealth all Consensus

The best choice most of the time: like the Universal but without tracers, the enemy doesn't see the fire coming.
2

Universal (Omni) all Consensus

The all-round choice; tracers help correct your aim.
3

Stealth on the Hispano 20 mm Mixed opinions

Some rate it the worst Hispano belt, others like its AP rounds against big aircraft.

Against aircraft, a belt with more HE and incendiary rounds generally works better.

Infrared air-to-air missiles

1

AIM-9M Consensus

The best all-rounder: smokeless motor (you don't see it coming) and effective flare protection. · USA
2

Magic 2 Consensus

Unbeatable acceleration and agility under 3 km. Little range once the motor burns out. · France
3

R-73 Consensus

Thrust vectoring and long acquisition range, but depends a lot on distance and angle. · USSR

Radar air-to-air missiles

1

MICA EM Consensus

Dominates close combat thanks to its exceptional manoeuvrability. · France
2

PL-12 Consensus

Goes far and turns well; reliable on head-on shots at 7-8 km. · China
3

R-77 / Derby / Darter Mixed opinions

Decent at medium range, less versatile than the first two.
4

AIM-120 Mixed opinions

Only good against a distant target; considered not manoeuvrable up close. · USA

Air-to-ground missiles

1

Kh-38MT Consensus

IR guidance up to 40 km (vs 23 km for the AGM-65); rated among the strongest in the game. · USSR
2

AGM-65G Consensus

Very accurate; its penetrating warhead isn't hampered by reactive armour (ERA), everywhere at high rank. · USA
3

Vikhr Mixed opinions

Named with the Khrizantema as better than the equivalent NATO missiles. · USSR

Bombs & rocketsWhich bomb and which rockets to carry to destroy tanks in Ground RB.

What bomb size to carry?

1

1,500 kg and more (3,000 lb, FAB-5000…) radius 19 to 43 m Consensus

Armour destruction radius from 19 m (1,500 kg) to 29 m (3,000 kg) and 43 m (FAB-5000): kills even when landing next to it, often several tanks at once.
2

500 to 1,000 kg (1,000 – 2,000 lb) radius 12 to 13 m Consensus

Must land close to the tank. The 1,000 kg gains only one metre of radius over the 500 kg: if the aircraft can carry two 500 kg instead of one 1,000 kg, that's two chances instead of one.
3

250 kg (500 lb) radius 7 m Consensus

The useful minimum against a tank: needs a near-direct hit. Below that (100 kg / 250 lb, radius 3 m), direct hits only.

The destruction radius grows much more slowly than the bomb's weight: doubling the load adds only 25 to 50% to the radius. In a dive, release when the sight is just past the target, around 500 m.

Guided bombs

1

KAB-500KR 500 kg Consensus

TV guidance: lock at about 5-8 km (out of SPAA range), drop at about 3-4 km, an almost guaranteed kill. · USSR
2

KAB-500L / laser GBU Consensus

Laser guidance: same use, the SPAA stays at a distance.
3

GBU-8 / Walleye Mixed opinions

Can target a moving vehicle, but only up close (2.5 km or less). · USA

The further you drop, the longer you must keep the target locked to update the image.

Rockets

1

Tiny Tim 298 mm Consensus

The most forgiving rocket: a direct or very close hit destroys a tank. One player reports about 70 tanks destroyed with the Hellcat's. · USA
2

S-21 / S-24 (« Tiny Ivan ») 210 – 240 mm Consensus

The Soviet equivalents of the Tiny Tim, used the same way: a direct hit almost always kills. · USSR
3

HVAR 127 mm Consensus

Powerful enough to kill a tank in one hit with good aim; several per aircraft, so several tanks per sortie. · USA

Small rockets (RP-3, FFAR…) rarely kill a tank: they need a direct hit on the roof or side. Many players prefer bombs, which are more forgiving.

SourcesDiscussions and guides consulted

Images: official game icons (official wiki and game files).