In addition to the announcement of IL-2: Battle of Normandy, the latest IL-2 Collector Planes are up for pre-order sale today with the Yak-9, Yak-9T and Hurricane Mark II all available on the store for pre-order. Let’s have a look at the details!

Yak-9’s and a Hurricane II

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1CGS has elected to separate out the two Yak-9 Collector Planes with both a Yak-9 and Yak-9T being offered as part of the collection. Fans of the Yak series of fighters will probably be excited to see these both while others may be a bit mystified as to why the two are being separated.

While I can’t speak to the business case, Jason Williams did say that they would have to split them up in-game and not make the Yak-9T a modification.

The Yak-9 to Yak-9T is probably about the same kind of jump as a Bf109G-2 to a G-6. The two are arguably the same aircraft but there are some big differences along the way. The Yak-9T saw the installation of a large 37mm cannon in the nose which required a major redesign, the movement of the canopy, and multiple structural changes. Apparently this was originally armed with the 11P cannon – though I know nothing about this weapon. Most versions were armed with the NS-37 cannon and a single UBS 12.7mm nose gun. Some versions, including the Yak-9K, were armed with the NS-45… which predictably was a 45mm cannon though this variant proved far less popular.

If you’re a Yak fan like myself, you probably want both though I can see some picking and choosing. Both will be excellent fighters that improve on the Yak-7 and will be able to stand toe to toe with most German fighters of the 1943 and even 1944 era.

The Hurricane Mark II needs little introduction though it remains unclear just what variants of armament will be available on release. The description on the IL-2 store does mention all variants from IIa through IId which would potentially include the Vickers S 40mm anti-tank cannons. 250lb and 500lb bombs are mentioned and the developers have previously talked about including as many Russian field modification weapon options as well. There is a disclaimer on the store warning that not all armament variations may be possible – though it does sound like they are under consideration.

Ready to pre-order?

If you’re psyched to pre-order, you can do that starting today on the IL-2 store. These aircraft are expected to arrive in the first few months of the new year and should provide for some interesting additions to the series while we wait for IL-2: Battle of Normandy content to kick-off.