A new addition to the Soviet fleet – the Project 7U Destroyer. Ships of this class served in defense of the Soviet Union from the earliest days of its involvement in the Second World War. In the early 1930s, the young yet ambitious and fast-developing Soviet state decided to commission new destroyers to defend its territorial waters. The new ships were intended to replace the outdated ships of this class, which had put in a poor showing during the First World War. A special design bureau was established to meet this need, and the cutting-edge Italian Maestrale-class destroyers were selected as prototypes. Along with many fine qualities, the Project 7 destroyers (as the new warships were called) also came with a host of weaknesses. One of these was the linear placement of the engines – this became the rationale for the complete redesign of the whole series. This was prompted by the withdrawal of the British Hunter destroyer from service, which had the same engine placement – a single mine was enough to render the British ship completely immobile. This move compelled the shipbuilders to fully review the placement of the power system in Project 7 destroyers. As a result, all finished ships were fitted with engines using an echelon layout. The modernized version was designated with the letter “U” for “upgraded.” The ship’s silhouette changed from single-funnel to twin-funnel, while the deck superstructure and armament remained unchanged. By improving the survivability of the powertrain and considerably tightening the arrangement of the destroyer’s sections, the engineers sacrificed both the speed and travel range, and changed the placement of the large-calibre anti-air guns to something far less practical. The series was launched despite these shortcomings – by the time Germany invaded the USSR, seven 7U units had been built, and another 11 ships were completed throughout the war.

Naval commanders can look forward to experiencing all the advantages and disadvantages of the Project 7U destroyers in War Thunder. The Project 7U is a comparatively slow, highly resilient and superbly armed vessel. Her main power system consists of two engine rooms and two boiler rooms. This Soviet giant has a nominal output of around 60,000 hp and can reach a respectable speed of 36–38 knots (up to 70 km/h). The destroyer has a crew of 271, most of whom service the ship’s enormous arsenal. The destroyer features four 130mm cannons, two on the bow and two on the stern. The four cannons are supplemented with torpedo armament in the form of two three-barrel automatic weapons, as well as depth charges. The anti-air armament includes several calibres: two 76mm guns on the stern, three 45mm semi-automatic guns behind the first funnel, and four 12.7mm DShK machine guns placed at the front of the destroyer. [quote]For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums![/quote]