Dozens of new vehicles and visual improvements for the maps are a part of the new update

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the “Hornet’s Sting” major content update for the military online shooter War Thunder will be released in mid-March. Three iconic maps will receive massive visual updates, and dozens of new military vehicles will join the fight. Some of the most interesting additions are the F/A-18 fighter jet, Hopkins Mk.I light tank, and HMS Warspite battleship.

The F/A-18 Hornet carrier-based fighter jet that has been used in most military conflicts where the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been involved in, including Libya, the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm, the Balkans and Afghanistan. In addition to the United States, other countries have operated the F/A-18 Hornet, including Canada, Finland, Australia, Kuwait and some more. It was also widely featured in popular culture, including blockbuster movies.

The Hornet’s Sting update will bring American F/A-18A and F/A-18C variants, as well as Finnish F/A-18C, all of them featuring a bit different set of available weapons and combat systems. One of those is the Walleye II ER/DL guided bomb equipped with a thermal imaging homing head.

The Mk VIII Light Tank, the Harry Hopkins, was designed in late 1941 in order to replace the Mk VII Tetrarch, with the primary goal of increasing the overall armor protection. It features 38 mm of armor on the turret and hull, with the latter having some decent sloping, enough to stop hits from some of the weaker shells, which is more than most light tanks can boast. AP shells of its fast-firing 40 mm cannon can get through a max of 89 mm of armor, and the APHE can be similarly destructive.

Advance to the Rhine, Sinai and Jungle have all undergone major visual overhauls. Artists have replaced the models with better looking and more authentic ones, updated the textures, added more vegetation and decorative elements, while preserving the overall layout and design. For example, a railway and telegraph line have been added between the main combat areas and the water channel in Sinai. The Jungle map also received gameplay improvements, offering more balanced terrain traversal options.

Watch the ‘Hornet’s Sting’ Update Trailer HERE.

More information on Hornet’s Sting update is available on the official website of the game.