Getting started on Bomber Crew can initially be a little daunting due to the complex upgrading system. Constantly managing your weight and upgrades can be challenging, but you’ll soon find a play style that you can use to your advantage.

To help you get there quicker, here are the upgrades you should earn first to help make your missions run smoother and sustain fewer casualties in your missions. 

10. Electrical Systems

Your electrical system is very important to the crew, allowing your radar to function properly and identify enemy aircraft in your area. Electrical systems also allow your radio operator to call for backup during intense combat, so make sure it works efficiently. 

Cost Requirements: 

• 1,000 Research points
• £1,250

Pros:

Your electrics onboard will run much better, with less time spent fixing it when it breaks.

Does not break as often.

Cons:

Your engineer will spend more time fixing things when they could do other things around the bomber.

Heavier electric systems will make you unable to install other upgrades around the bomber.

9. Engine Fire Extinguishers

Engine fire extinguishers really come into their own when in combat. Regardless of how good you are or how armored you may be, you will encounter engine fires, and these need to be put out quickly to make them run smoothly again. 

Cost Requirements: 

• 250 Research Points
• £1,000

Pros:

This will allow you to put out more engine fires per flight without sending someone onto the wing to put it out.

Cons: 

You must send someone out to extinguish engine fires or risk losing the entire engine if you do not install this.

8. Armored or Lightweight Engines

Upgrading your engines is very important. Armored engines help you soak up more damage, while lightweight engines help you save weight so you can upgrade more demanding systems.

Cost Requirements: 

• 750 Research points
• £1,750

Pros:

This will allow you to install other upgrades that require more weight if you’re using lightweight engines or toughen up your engines to take more damage if they are armored.

Cons:

You’ll be very limited in the amount of upgrades you can purchase for your bomber, leaving you technologically behind.

7. Equipment Rack Capacity

Your equipment is your best friend, whether it be a parachute in case of emergencies, a fire extinguisher, or a simple medkit to revive injured crew members. You should get this upgrade so you can carry more life-saving items.

Cost Requirements:

• Available immediately 
• £1,000 

Pros:

You will be much more suited to deal with emergencies such as your crew being wounded, fires inside the bomber, and bailing out with a parachute.

Cons:

You will have limited options in the event of an emergency and have a much higher possibility of your crew dying due to injury.

6. Armored or Lightweight Tail Fuselage

Your friends at the back of the bomber are the most likely to suffer damage from attacking aircraft, so you should ensure their protection. Better armor also helps you stay safe in times of extreme punishment and hold the aircraft together when you’ve taken too much damage.

Cost Requirements:

• 200 Research points
• £500

Pros:

Armored fuselage protects the key members of your crew from bullets and rockets. Meanwhile, lightweight armor can keep the weight down in other areas, allowing you to upgrade other parts of your bomber.

Cons:

You will be limited in what you can put on your bomber due to weight constraints.

5. Hydraulics

Your hydraulics is essential to running smoothly. Without this, everything can suddenly stop working while you’re in the middle of combat. This isn’t a good situation for anyone; not even your bomb bay will open, nor your landing gear.

Cost Requirements:

• 2,000 research points
• £1,000

Pros:

You will be able to use your turrets, landing gear, and bomb bay without incident due to the upgrades, and it will run smoother.

Cons:

Your turrets, landing gear, and bomb bay will often break, requiring repairs when your engineer can be busy on a turret.

4. Radar

Up there, the radar is your best friend. It helps you identify threats and helps the radar sweep run a lot faster. You’ll have a longer range to identify enemy aircraft faster so you can deal with them quicker.

Cost Requirements: 

• 500 research points
• £1,500

Pros:

Your radar range increases and sweep time will decrease, giving you more time to react upon seeing enemy targets.

Does not break as frequently.

Cons:

You will spend more time searching for aircraft and notice them much closer than you might like, which could prove fatal if they hit the correct part of your bomber.

3. Crew Armor

Your crew has needs, too; they need to be well-equipped for the job they're doing. A simple uniform doesn’t offer much protection, but a flak jacket or helmet will surely help them perform their job better while taking less damage.

Cost Requirements:

• 750 Research Points
• £100 per crew member

Pros:

Your crew will become much more durable for every mission, taking much more damage than if you didn’t give them better jackets and helmets.

You can give them heated clothing and oxygen tanks to help them at much higher altitudes. 

Cons:

You will be extremely vulnerable at later missions in the game and will be unable to deal with later fighters. If you’re too cold at high altitude, you get hyperthermia and eventually die. Same with oxygen: not enough, and you’ll die.

2. Ventral Turret

More guns equals better, yeah? Of course, it does! This ventral turret gives you another gun at the bottom of your aircraft, which is extremely helpful to the entire crew. Put a crew member you don’t use too often, like the engineer, give them the gun, and watch him flourish.

Cost Requirements:

• Available immediately 
• £1,750

Pros:

You obtain another turret that your crew can use at their whim. 

It's another turret; of course, you’ll use it. You can’t go wrong with another turret.

Cons:

You’re one turret down, leaving your underbelly very vulnerable. I hope you’re not flying in high altitude.

1. Ammo Feed Guns

Ammo feed is the most essential upgrade you can get. You don’t want to manually send your crew back for ammunition during a fight, do you? If so, then you should upgrade to ammo feed and let the ammo come to you forever. 

Cost Requirements:

• 1,250 Research points
• £2,600

Pros:

You spend absolutely no time going back and forth for ammunition. This means that your gunners can keep shooting the enemy aircraft 100 percent of the time.

You’d be a fool not to get this, as this saves you so much time, and time equals lives.

Cons:

You will spend much time going back and forth, picking up ammo in the heat of battle. That leaves the crew exposed to gunfire with nothing to answer.

Final Thoughts

As long as you keep doing missions and better your aircraft further, you will prevail over the enemy and bring your bomber and her crew home safely. You may not be able to do the upgrades immediately, but working through it can only improve your survivability. With an upgraded crew and an improved bomber, you will smash your way through the enemy defenses and blow up your targets. Come home, lads, your country needs you!

You may also be interested in:

• Top 5 Bomber Crew Best Plane Setups
• Bomber Crews Best Guns (Ranked)
• Bomber Crew Best Crew Gear For Each Role