War Thunder

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the online military shooter War Thunder will receive the “Firebirds” major content update in early November. Its main stars are the American F-117 stealth attack aircraft, the Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber and its American competitor – the F-15E Strike Eagle. In addition, dozens of other military vehicles will debut in it, such as the British FV107 Scimitar light tank and the French battleship Dunkerque.

Watch the ‘Firebirds’ Update Trailer HERE.

The F-117A Nighthawk is the first aircraft in War Thunder to implement stealth technology. As in reality, it will have reduced IR and radar signatures, which makes interception much more difficult (but, as practice has shown, does not make it impossible). The aircraft looks futuristic, and the design is dictated precisely by reducing visibility: the geometry of the fuselage and wing is designed to reflect electromagnetic waves away from the radiation source. In addition, the F-117 uses radar-absorbing materials and ferromagnetic paint, and the engine nozzles are hidden by complex shielding mechanisms. Today, the aircraft has already been withdrawn from service, but during Operation Desert Storm, the F-117As made more than 1,200 combat sorties and did not suffer a single loss.

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a strike version of the F-15 fighter. The payload has increased by almost 50%, a ground target detection radar has been added, and the arsenal of available weapons has expanded. The F-15E Strike Eagle can use AGM-65 Maverick missiles, various types of laser and conventional guided bombs, bombs with navigation and guidance modules (JDAM), and new GBU-39 satellite-guided bombs (up to 20 at a time!). The F-15E remains one of the main strike aircraft of the US Air Force to this day.

You can learn more about the new content and other features of the “Firebirds” update from the devblogs on the official website of the game, or on its Steam page.

New update brings latest German IFV, first Swiss military aircraft and more

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the “Dance of Dragons” major content update for the online military action game War Thunder. It is named after the Chinese-made J-10 and JF-17 fighters, while dozens of other new interesting military vehicles have been added to the games, such as the famous Soviet Su-24M bomber, the state-of-the-art German Puma IFV with Spike missiles, and the heavily armed Japanese battlecruiser Amagi. In addition, the first domestically designed Swiss jet in the game, the P-16 attack aircraft, a model of which was created by players, debuts in the game as well.

Watch the ‘Dance of Dragons’ Trailer HERE.

The Su-24M frontline bomber with variable wing sweep was designed primarily to destroy ground targets, although it can also stand up for itself in an air battle. The aircraft is equipped with a six-barreled GSh-6-23M cannon with a rate of fire of up to 9,000 rounds per minute. There are 8 suspension points under the fuselage and wings capable of carrying a total of up to 8,000 kg of payload. It will rain fire on ground targets using Kh-23, Kh-25 and Kh-29 families of guided missiles (including the laser-guided Kh-29L and TV-guided Kh-29TE) and the KAB-500Kr and KAB-1500Kr guided bombs, the KAB-500S ( new for War Thunder), as well as the laser KAB-500L and the new large-caliber KAB-1500L, plus unguided bombs and rockets.

PUMA VJTF differs from the basic Puma by the presence of a launcher with two Spike-LR ATGMs. Missiles and an automatic target tracking system significantly increase the combat range of this IFV, allowing it to destroy even top MBTs at long distances, as well as try to shoot down low-flying aircraft and helicopters with a decent chance of success.

The update improves many aspects of the game ranging from the improved interface of suspended weapons to the customizable aiming grid. In addition, the damage model of individual helicopter modules has been improved, meaning that it now takes into account damage dealt specifically to the avionics system, weapons control, night vision devices, countermeasures and radar equipment. The separation of the tail boom during strong impacts of the fuselage and tail on the ground and other objects is now also calculated more accurately.

You can learn more about the new vehicles and other features of the “Dance of Dragons” update on the official website of the game.

New update also brings French coastal fleet tech tree

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the online military shooter War Thunder will receive the “Dance of Dragons” update in September. It will bring two iconic Chinese-made fighters – the J-10 and JF-17. Closed beta testing of the French coastal fleet will also begin. War Thunder is going to receive dozens of other naval, ground and air military vehicles as well, i.e.the Pakistani Al-Khalid-I tank developed in China.

Watch the “Dance of Dragons” update Trailer HERE.

The JF-17 is a fighter developed in China for the Pakistan Air Force. It has been in service with this country since 2007 and has repeatedly participated in military operations. The aircraft’s power plant is a Russian turbojet twin-circuit RD-93 engine, the same as on the MiG-29. JF-17 features a modern radar system as well as radar and missile approach warning systems closely integrated with the aircraft’s countermeasures.

The J-10A is a Chinese 4+ generation fighter, developed in the late 90s and utilizing all the advanced technologies of its time. It is produced and used in China today. The powerful AL-31FN turbofan engine is capable of very quickly accelerating the aircraft to speeds of around Mach 2 at high altitudes, and the large-area tail allows for excellent controllability, which is especially important at high speeds. The pilot will be able to place an impressive arsenal on 11 external weapon hardpoints, including the maneuverable PL-5E close-range air-to-air missiles, new to War Thunder.

The tech tree of the French coastal navy begins with nimble light artillery and torpedo boats, such as the VTB-8, VTB-9, and VTB-11. Fans of military history will be interested to look at the Vedette-type 40K, which changed three flags – France, Britain and Germany – and in each case was equipped with different weapons and equipment. Another intriguing boat is the Arras sub-chaser disguised as a merchant ship, or as the French often called this class, “Aviso”. This relatively slow boat with artillery armament is almost like a mini destroyer!

More information on the “Dance of Dragons” update content will be published on the official website of the game in the coming weeks.

You can read more about War Thunder on the games official website.

New update brings a new missile class, dozens of vehicles and damage model upgrades

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the “Seek & Destroy” update for the online military shooter War Thunder. The update brings dozens of new military vehicles, including the British battlecruiser Queen Mary, the French VLT-2 torpedo boat, the German F-4F KWS LV (ICE) fighter jet and the Kuwaiti Desert Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. The central theme of “Seek & Destroy” is FOX-3 missiles, but there are numerous other updates, i.e. new models of modern aircraft pilots, detailed helicopter cockpits, improved damage mechanics for modern armored vehicles and much more.

Watch the Seek & Destroy Update Trailer HERE.

The damage model for modern tanks and anti-aircraft systems in War Thunder has become even more accurate. Now enemy shells can damage modules such as the autoloader, fire control system, driver controls and electronic equipment, immediately affecting relevant vehicle capabilities. Luckily, the crew can fix it all on site using the tools at hand to get the modules working again. In addition, a direct hit from shells or a near explosion of a bomb can now lead to damage to the chassis of wheeled vehicles with an animation of one or more wheels being torn off.

The game now features detailed cockpits for a dozen and a half helicopters. Models of crews of German armored vehicles from the WW2 era, tank crews of Soviet equipment of the post-war period and pilots of modern combat aviation such as A-10 attack aircraft, as well as fighters of the F-14, F-16, F-15, J-11, MiG-29, Su-27 and Yak-141 have also been updated for all gaming nations.

VLT-2 is a rare French torpedo boat that saw limited use at the end of World War II. In War Thunder, it has become the first representative of the French coastal fleet, which will be added to the game in one of the next major updates. Those who purchase the VLT-2 pack will be the first to have access to the CBT for the entire tech tree. The boat is armed with two 40-mm Bofors cannons and two quick-firing 20-mm Oerlikon autocannons, plus 550-mm torpedoes in two torpedo tubes will send even the largest ships to the bottom if successfully hit.

You can learn more about the new vehicles and other update content on the official War Thunder website.

Air battles in War Thunder will reach a new level

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the online military shooter War Thunder will receive the “Seek & Destroy” major content update in June. It will bring medium-range air-to-air missiles with active radar guidance (also known as FOX-3), Belgium and the Netherlands aviation, the Canadian version of the Leopard 2 MBT and dozens of other ground, sea and air military vehicles.

FOX-3 missiles operate autonomously and do not require constant “illumination” of the target, though when launching from longer ranges, it’s most optimal to track a target in TWS (Track-While-Scan) mode to provide radio correction. The Radiation Warning Receiver (RWR), however, will warn the target of the approaching missile and give the pilot time to take evasive action. The first medium-range missiles with ARH seekers in War Thunder will be the French MICA, Chinese PL-12, American AIM-120, Russian R-77, Japanese AAM-4, Israeli Derby and South African R-Darter.

One of the carriers of the new class of missiles will be the Su-27SM, the most advanced version of the Su-27 fighter currently in the game. In addition, it will receive TV guided KAB-500Kr and a completely new, destructive one and a half ton KAB-1500Kr, the largest caliber of Russian bombs of this type in the game, as well as Kh-29TD guided missiles. All this is in addition to the already extensive arsenal of the basic Su-27.

Belgian and Dutch aviation will debut in the game as a Benelux branch in the tech tree of neighboring France, increasing the variety of options for players who choose that country. The line starts with the old Gladiator Mk I, which entered combat duty back in the late 30s, and ends with the modern F-16AM Block 15 MLU! There will also be a place here for the French Mirage 5BA, developed for the needs of the Belgian Air Force, as well as the Fokker G.1A, a Dutch-designed aircraft.

New ground-based equipment includes a Canadian modification of the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank with additional composite armor modules, an advanced thermal imager and the ability to install anti-cumulative screens and a masking net, while fans of naval battles will probably be interested in trying the Kondor II – a minesweeper of the GDR fleet, armed with three twin 25 mm autocannons and a FASTA 4M2 launcher with Strela-2M anti-aircraft missiles.

Watch the ‘Seek & Destroy’ Update Trailer HERE.

You can read more about new vehicles and other content of the “Seek & Destroy” update on the official website of the game.

New update brings the most up to date Chinese IFV and dozens of other military vehicles

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the “Alpha Strike” major content update for the online military action game War Thunder. It brings dozens of new military vehicles, including the European Alpha Jet attack aircraft, the “Frankenstein” M60 120S tank, the most up to date Chinese infantry fighting vehicle – the ZBD-04A, the American F-20A Tigershark fighter jet, the Hungarian aviation subtree, as well as the North Holland map and other content and improvements.

The Alpha Jet is a compact two-seat attack and trainer jet created by European designers in the 1970s for the local Air Forces. It was exported to a couple of dozen countries, is still in service with France and is actively used by the Nigerian Air Force in missions against Boko Haram. Two SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac engines accelerate the aircraft to speeds of over 1000 km/h, and a ballistic computer allows precise strikes with unguided missiles and bombs.

The M60 120S tank is a prototype that combines the Abrams tank turret and the M60 hull. This is a mixture of the past and the present: outdated homogeneous hull armor is combined here with composite materials and advanced turret electronics, as well as a powerful modern 120 mm cannon and a heavy machine gun that can cope with any opponent.

The Chinese BMP ZBD-04A uses a combat module equipped with a 100-mm cannon-launcher and a coaxial 30-mm autocannon. The latter got very effective APFSDS rounds, and the commander and gunner received modern thermal imagers that help to see the enemy at dusk and in bad weather.

Watch the “Alpha Strike” update trailer HERE.

You can read more about these and other new features in the update on the official website of the game.

New update will bring signature British helicopter & dozens of other vehicles

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the online military action game War Thunder will receive a new major update, Alpha Strike, in March. It will bring the Hungarian aviation tech subtree and dozens of other new vehicles, including the French four-barreled anti-aircraft gun VTT DCA, the British multirole helicopter Wessex HU.5, the Japanese battleship Mutsu and the wheeled tank destroyer Centauro RGO that serves in the personal guard of the Sultan of Oman.

Watch the War Thunder Alpha Strike update trailer HERE.

The Hungarian Air Force was equipped mainly with German-made equipment during WW2 and used Soviet equipment after 1945, which is also reflected in the composition of the Hungarian subtree in War Thunder. The top aircraft here is the Swedish-made JAS39C multi-role fighter, which entered service in the early 2000s.

The VTT DCA is an anti-aircraft gun with four 12.7 mm machine guns on a light tracked armored personnel carrier platform that can fire direct fire along the direction of travel. Such a vehicle can not only cope with aircraft, but also with light tanks and armored vehicles, and on ‘thicker’ targets can, at a minimum, knock down a track or damage a gun.

The Wessex HU.5 is one of the UK’s most famous helicopters. It was in service for more than 42 years and performed amphibious and anti-submarine missions, participated in rescue operations, served as a special forces “bird” and even transported members of the British royal family. This is a large vehicle that can take a good arsenal of weapons into battle, including two AS.11 and AS.12 guided missiles at a time.

More information on the Alpha Strike update is available on the official War Thunder website.

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the new major content update “Air Superiority” for the online military action game War Thunder will be released in mid-December. The game will bring the famous twin-engine fighters Su-27 and F-15, the most modern tanks T-90M and M1A2 SEP V2 TUSK II, as well as dozens of other new ground, naval and air military vehicles.

Watch the ‘Air Superiority’ Update Trailer HERE.

The American F-15 fighter, nicknamed Eagle, is one of the most famous aircraft of the late 20th century. In 1979, early versions successfully fought aerial duels with Soviet-made jets in the Lebanon War, and in the early nineties, the F-15 played a critical role in gaining air superiority in the first Iraq War. The F-15 is currently in service in the United States, Japan, Israel (all three of these countries will receive local versions of the aircraft in War Thunder) and Saudi Arabia, while modernization and production of new aircraft continues.

The Su-27 (NATO designation: Flanker) was created in the USSR as a complement to the lighter and cheaper MiG-29 and entered combat duty in the mid-eighties. The Su-27s took part in various local conflicts – for example, in the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea they shot down three enemy aircraft without suffering losses. The original Su-27 is in service with 11 countries, and China uses a local version of the aircraft called the Shenyang J-11 (which will also appear in War Thunder).

M1A2 SEP V2 TUSK II is the latest version of the Abrams main battle tank with additional armor for urban combat and modern electronics. A remote-controlled module with a large-caliber machine gun with its own sighting system has been added to the turret, and the turret and the hull sides are covered by modules of the new ARAT II dynamic protection.

The T-90M is the most advanced representative of the T-90 family with a new welded turret with a built-in modular Relict ERA, a new fire control system and a safer ammunition rack location. The tank commander received a new panoramic sight, and a thermal imager has been added to the sights of both the commander and the gunner.

Among the new warships, the light cruiser USS Roanoke stands out. Its twelve rapid-fire 152 mm guns are capable of hitting both naval targets and aircraft! The ship also has a massive 88mm thick internal armored deck, making it quite durable by light cruiser standards.

You can read more about the new features of the “Air Superiority” update on the official website of the game.

The new update brings dozens of vehicles and features for military action fans

Gaijin Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of the Kings of Battle update for the online military action game War Thunder. There are plenty of new legendary vehicles for everyone like the American helicopter MH-60L Black Hawk, experimental Soviet missile tank “Objekt 775″, Chinese JH-7A fighter-bomber, as well as modern self-propelled howitzers from NATO and China (the new ‘kings of battle!’) and dozens of other types of real world military hardware.

Watch the new Kings of Battle update video HERE.

War Thunder is getting the MH-60L DAP variant of the famous Black Hawk, designed for special operations (such as in Somalia in 1993). It is an attack version of the helicopter, equipped with Hellfire, AGR-20A and AGR-20B guided anti-tank missiles, Stinger anti-air missiles and Hydra unguided rockets. Although the Black Hawk is a rather large helicopter, its survival is aided by defense systems such as modern RWR, heat suppression and IRCM systems as well as flares and chaff!

The Soviet Object 775 tank is one of the designs for a guided missile tank that was actually built and tested. The tank appears flat, and indeed it is: with a width like other Soviet MBTs, it has a very low profile, which greatly helps survivability on the battlefield. The upper and lower frontal parts of the hull converge at a large angle, and the very flat rounded turret will allow you to ricochet enemy shells.

In addition to new equipment, the game features several new interesting mechanics. For example, the planes have a new type of armament – armor-piercing bombs. They detonate after overcoming a certain thickness of armor, which allows you to more effectively hit especially protected targets – for example, large warships. The game is now taking into account the damage dealt by parts of discarding sabot of the APFSDS and APDS tank shells, and not only the core dart. This is important when firing at lightly armored targets, in which case the hail of metal parts works like a sheaf of buckshot from a shotgun barrel. Finally, the game adds a highly sophisticated and detailed Multi-function Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) system called the JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System) which is used on the F-16C Block 50 and F-16D Block 40 (Barak II).

In addition, a new ground map, Flanders, has been added to the game. Its design changes depending on the vehicles used. For example, if you’re using WWII vehicles, you’ll see a fallen airship and other older buildings. If you’re using more modern vehicles, you’ll instead see fallen modern troop transport aircraft and tourist center buildings. Check it out!

You can read more about the update on the game’s official website.

The new update bring tons of new content, including Hungarian tanks and helicopters

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the major update “Sons of Attila” for the online military action game War Thunder. In addition to the Hungarian ground vehicles line-up, dozens of other combat vehicles have been added to the game – for example, Leclerc AZUR and Leopard 2 PSO tanks, Super Etendard carrier-based attack aircraft, MiG-29SMT multi-role fighter, Improved Chaparral SAM system, Arkansas battleship and Norwegian VIDAR SPG. New visual effects and game features include wind-bending trees and the ability to shoot off external ammunition from enemy vehicles. A new “Rocky Pillars” map based on the landscapes of Southeast Asia have also been added to the game.

Watch the ‘Sons of Attila’ Update trailer HERE.

There is something special about each of the new vehicles in the game. Leopard 2 PSO and Leclerc AZUR are versions of the famous modern tanks, created specifically for urban warfare. French Super Etendard attack aircraft became famous during the Falklands War – it was these machines in the service of the Argentine Air Force that sank the British destroyer Sheffield. The VIDAR SPG is an export version of the modern South Korean K9 Thunder, which in recent years has been in great demand on the arms market.

“Sons of Attila” brings seven new helicopters for various game nations: OH-58D for the U.S. and China, Mi-8TV for the USSR and Germany and a line-up of Hungarian helicopters (three modifications of the Mi-24, including premium Mi-24P). The Mi-8TV is especially interesting as it’s an assault version of the popular transport helicopter that carries the largest payload in the game.

Finally, authentic voice informant warnings appear on modern airplanes and helicopters. “Rita” or “Bitchin’ Betty”, as they are usually called by Russian and American pilots respectively, will warn of dangerous altitude, critical overload, duplicate the signal of the irradiation warning station, and inform about the readiness of guided weapons. “Rita” will be received by the Ka-50, Ka-52, Mi-28N, Mi-28NM, Mi-24V, Mi-24P and MiG-29, while “Betty” will be available on the F-16 and AH-64D.

You can read more about the new Sons of Attila content on the game’s official website.