Lots of mods will require UE4 itself for at least some steps of the process. Remember that you have to match the version of UE4 you're using with the one the game is using. At time of writing, that's UE 4.24.
The recommended/official method of installing UE4 is using the Epic Games Launcher which will allow you install any number of different versions. If you have trouble with large downloads or accessing the EGL, Rythus has made modified (unoffical) light builds of UE 4.18 and 4.24 available for download here.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| u4pak | Simple Python script to pack/unpack UE4 files, most useful for packing/unpacking mods |
| Python | Required in order to use u4pak |
UE Viewer (umodel) |
Graphical tool for exploring resources, excellent for exploring and extracting files from the base game as well as checking mods |
john-wick-parse |
Parser for UE4 asset files, good way to parse cooked blueprint files |
| QuickBMS | An absolute swiss army knife of packing and unpacking for basically any file format, including UE4's pak files |
This is basically up to personal preference but you're going to need an image editor. Common choices include Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET (PDN), but there are also more advanced offerings like Substance Painter.
Blender is also very useful to have to preview your skin on the actual aircraft model.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
blender3d_import_psk_psa |
Required if using Blender to work with psk and pskx meshes |
Universal Unreal Engine 4 Unlocker (UUU) |
Tool for free camera usage within Project Wingman, particularly helpful for screenshot purposes |
| Project REMIX | Repository of texture templates for Project Wingman's playable aircraft |
| Notepad++ | Good to have in general, if you don't already have it |
Some specific modding activities (like subtitles or Sicario patches) require more specialized tools but the guides and docs for those processes will generally indicate what tools are required and/or recommended.