War Thunder News

[p][/p][p]On October 16th 1952, the French Vautour II aircraft made its maiden flight. Its derivative, the Vautour IIN, an all-weather interceptor, served for a long time as France’s air defense aircraft. In Israeli service, it saw combat from 1967 to 1972. Today, eight Vautour IINs can be found in museums across France, and another one is in the Israeli Air Force Museum.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Vautour IIN is temporarily available for Golden Eagles and has a 30% discount![/h3][p] [/p][p]When: From October 16th (11:00 GMT) until October 20th (11:00 GMT).[/p][p]Where: France > Aviation > Premium vehicles.[/p]

• [p]The Vautour IIN (rank VI) is available for 5,992 Golden Eagles.[/p]

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[/p][p][/p][p]About this aircraft[/p]

• [p]The Vautour IIN is ready to surprise you with its payload! It can carry up to 4,400 kg, from 5 kg SNEB Type 23 rockets to the huge 520 kg AS-30 Nord guided missiles and bombs of various calibers. Despite being a bomber by class, it’s well armed for air defense too. It also has four 30 mm cannons![/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Meet this experimental variant of the legendary T-34-85 with a vertical gun stabilizer![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]In April 1944, Soviet leaders attempted to radically improve the effectiveness of the T-34-85 medium tank. State Defense Committee Resolution No. 5595s, signed by Molotov, authorized the development of the STP-S-53 “Taran” gyroscopic stabilizer for the S-53 85 mm gun. This design was a development of the earlier STP-34 stabilizer, developed by the Special Design Bureau of the People’s Commissariat of the Shipbuilding Industry.[/p][p][/p][p]Tests of both stabilizers conducted in 1944 yielded impressive results. With the vertical stabilizer on, firing accuracy on the move increased approximately twofold compared to firing without stabilization. However, despite successful testing, the “Taran” stabilizer was never put into mass production. The reasons for this included both the technical difficulties of mass-producing precision gyroscopic systems during wartime and concerns about the T-34-85’s overall reliability.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing the T-34-85 (STP)![/h3][p]A timeless classic can still surprise! Today we’re introducing an experimental variant of the Soviet T-34-85 medium tank with a 85 mm cannon and the “Taran” vertical stabilizer, which improves the tank’s capabilities when firing from short stops and in urban duels. Let’s take a closer look at this vehicle, coming in the next major update![/p][p][/p][p]The key feature of the T-34-85 (STP) is its vertical stabilizer system for the main gun, offering two significant advantages! Firstly, using this gun while driving slowly will be excellent since the sight will remain perfectly stable, great for urban duels or fighting at capture points. And secondly, when driving at higher speeds and coming to a stop, the vertical stabilizer snaps the sight into place at an instant, making aiming at targets when coming to a sudden stop much quicker and easier, giving you a great advantage in battle! For comparison, if you’ve already played one of the stabilized Sherman models, the stabilizer on this new T-34 will kick in at a similar speed, so it should feel very familiar.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Other than the stabilizer, the T-34-85 (STP) is just the good old classic T-34-85 that we’ve all come to know and love in the Soviet tree. A versatile medium tank that is strong at its rank with a solid 85 mm gun with excellent APHE rounds and good mobility, and not to mention reliable armor thanks to the sloping of the upper plate and curved turret (and of course the dreaded driver’s hatch, which we’ve all come up against). In short, it’s one of the best medium tanks from the Second World War period in the game![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]That’s it for this one! Keep an eye out for more dev blogs that we’ve got coming your way, make sure to check out our website or follow our social media accounts so that you don’t miss a thing. See you around![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Aircraft[/h3]

• [p]F-111F, Su-24M — the countermeasures filling has been adjusted to include an equal number of flares/chaff.[/p]
• [p]A bug that sometimes allowed players to fly through cliffs has been fixed. This was possible on the Rocky Pillars and African Island locations, for example.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Ground Vehicles[/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused HEAT shells and their variants to ignore the armor of tanks that were reversing from the player that was shooting shells at them has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Mark V, Beutepanzer IV — a bug that caused the tank to shake has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Locations and Missions[/h3]

• [p]Poland (all variants) — a bug where it was possible to go inside of some buildings when driving at full speed has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Today we’ll be taking a look at the Chieftain 900, an improved modification of the Chieftain Mk 5 carried out by Royal Ordnance Factories in an attempt for export orders.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]In the 1980s, 20 years after the first Chieftains appeared, Royal Ordnance Factories (ROF) looked to improve and modernize the aging Chieftain tank for potential domestic use in the UK and as an option for export. They focused on improving the weakest areas of the Chieftain: its overall mobility, engine power and armor. To do this, they looked to add Chobham armor and improve the mobility with a 900 HP Rolls Royce Condor engine. They also added a better transmission and suspension, and topped it off with some updated electronics.[/p][p][/p][p]Two Chieftain tanks, which were built for an Iranian order but were cancelled due to the fall of the Shah of Iran, were modified for the project. The pair of prototypes were completed in 1982 and shown at the British Army Equipment Exhibition (BAEE). Despite the ROF marketing brochure material suggesting the addition of new Chobham armour, the two modified tanks were never actually fitted with it. The tanks had mock-up metal cladding to show how the Chobham armor package might look like had the armor actually been mounted. [/p][p][/p][p]Ultimately, ROF received no orders for the Chieftain 900, leading to the failure of this private venture and the cancellation of the project in 1986. Of the two Chieftain 900 prototypes built, one (serial 56 MS 09) was sent to Marconi who carried out internal modifications, which now resides at The Tank Museum. The other (serial 56 MS 78) went to Lulworth Ranges as a practice target. Part of it survived however, and was used later by BAE Systems to test other Chieftain improvements. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing the Chieftain 900![/h3][p]Meet the Chieftain 900, a new Chieftain variant coming to Great Britain in the next major update! This was a private venture by Royal Ordnance Factories, who sought to improve the base Chieftain Mk 5 and export it to other nations. Coming in with a new engine and a different turret and hull shape, you will feel right at home when playing this tank. Let’s take a closer look![/p][p][/p][p]Right off the bat, the Chieftain 900 is a modified and improved Chieftain Mk 5 tank. One of the disadvantages of the Chieftain Mk 5 is its mobility, at least compared to contemporary tanks. The Chieftain 900 improves on this, coming in with a 900 HP Rolls Royce engine compared to the Mk 5’s 760 HP. Thanks to this, the Chieftain 900’s max speed has increased to 52 km/h, which might not seem like much — however, every little helps in terms of mobility for a Chieftain tank. This will allow the tank to get around more effectively on both hard and rough terrain![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Interesting: The “900” in “Chieftain 900” is named after the 900 HP Rolls Royce Condor engine.[/p][p][/p][p]The Chieftain Mk 5’s potent 120 mm cannon and its ammunition are retained on the Chieftain 900, however with the addition of the L23 APFSDS round alongside the APDS, HESH, a smoke round, and the same gun traverse speeds found on the previous Chieftains. Another new addition is a laser rangefinder, not found on Chieftain Mk 3 / 5, helping you find the distance in an instant. Overall this is excellent firepower, and paired with the typical Chieftain reload speed means you should have no problem taking out enemy tanks effectively. In addition, there’s four crew members, a 7.62 mm MG on the turret roof, and a coaxial 7.62 mm MG above the main gun, with the 12.7 mm from the Mk 5 being removed. Smoke canisters on the turret cheeks have also been retained from the Mk 5.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Visually, the Chieftain 900’s armor layout looks quite different compared to the Mk 5. The hull is reminiscent of a T-10M and the turret looks unique in itself. ROF marketed this tank with Chobham armor, however in reality the two built prototypes never had this fitted. Instead of the rounder turret typical of Chieftain tanks, the turret and front hull are covered in metal-cladding which gives off a sharp look to simulate how the tank would change had Chobham armor been installed. This will be the case in game too, as it will not have the proposed Chobham armor package. Instead, it will have the previously mentioned metal-cladding, providing slight protection improvements, but in reality it is nothing to write home about. Underneath is the classic Chieftain Mk 5 turret and hull, which remain the same — pretty good armor against a variety of rounds, however the hull and lower plate are still large weak spots.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s the Chieftain 900 for you! In summary, this is a Chieftain Mk 5 with a laser rangefinder, a  better engine and some extra metal plates on the turret and hull. That’s it for now, keep an eye on the news for more dev blogs coming your way![/p][p][/p][p]Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Hey everyone, we’re back with another Community Update. Today we wanted to respond to the recent announcement we made here, go over some of the additions to the upcoming major update and the next vehicle event.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h2]Following up on our recent nations announcement[/h2][p][/p][p]We recently spoke about how we implement subtrees into War Thunder. After carefully reading your responses we decided to go back to the drawing board and discussed it thoroughly within the team. Firstly, we wanted to thank everyone for their feedback and detailed discussion with regards to the topic at hand. We appreciate the passion and involvement of our entire community and will always be following along with all major subjects discussed here. [/p][p][/p][p]We had considered adding Singaporean vehicles to the Chinese tree to provide it with greater variety and gameplay diversity with some vehicles that were not previously possible there. As mentioned in the previous post, this was a consideration and that all our current ideas will not necessarily be implemented. Ultimately these plans were and are not set in stone. We’ve now gone over your feedback and considered it within our plans. We’ll be looking to place Singaporean vehicles in a number of trees, most likely with their vehicles going to whatever tree is most applicable and relevant on a case by case basis and best suits each specific vehicle.[/p][p][/p][p]We also saw your comments about suggestions for the Israeli tree. We currently plan to expand the Israeli tree to include Greece and Cyprus to increase its gameplay diversity. We’re also considering including some of these Singaporean vehicles to Israel as well. This will include many interesting vehicles to play and strengthen line-ups within the Israeli tree, as well as include a potential number of future aircraft that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. The Japanese tree will welcome more Indonesian vehicles, and shortly after, we also plan to introduce some aircraft from Malaysia to strengthen the aviation tree more too.[/p][p][/p][p]For China, our current priority will be to add domestic vehicles to help bolster the existing, available roster. We can share that we’re working on a new SAM system for China as well as new top jet aircraft, among various other vehicle developments that you’ll see in the short term. We’ll also be expanding upon options provided by Pakistani vehicles to help expand the tree alongside the planned domestic vehicles. Plus, a popular US made main battle tank to also bolster the ranks.[/p][p][/p][p]We also have plans to implement a standalone Korean research tree nation with vehicles from South Korea and North Korea.[/p][p][/p][p]We would like to once again thank you for your comments. Your feedback is valuable, and we discuss it and incorporate much of it into our plans very regularly. We’ll keep you updated with any developments as and when they happen in future news articles![/p][p][/p][h2]A Preview of the Major Update[/h2][p][/p][p]We’re now in the final three months of the year, with two major updates planned before 2026 on the horizon. Today we wanted to go over what’s planned for the upcoming major update.[/p][p][/p][h2]Vehicles[/h2][p]We’ve got some unique vehicles planned for the upcoming major update. Here, we picked out a few that have either been known or spoken about for a while. There’s more, so be sure to keep an eye on our upcoming dev blogs.[/p][p][/p][p]There will be a vehicle coming with a name relating to Native American tribes, it is also the capital of a large American state. Can you guess what it is?[/p][p][/p][p]Next up, with the addition of several Mosquito variants in the previous major update, today we’re happy to announce that a highly anticipated variant, the modified Mosquito B Mk XVI that can carry a 4,000 lb bomb is coming for Great Britain as a squadron vehicle! We’re excited to see players use this in battle, especially as it has been requested for many years now. [/p][p][/p][p]Back in April of this year, we briefly mentioned a T-34-85 with a stabilizer in the Legend of Victory news post, and ever since we know many of you have been wondering where on earth it is. So today we’re finally able to confirm that it’ll finally be coming to the game in the upcoming  major update![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In the previous major update, we updated the Tiger II (Nr.1-50)’s visual model and mentioned that the Tiger II would also receive one in the future. We’re happy to announce that the regular Tiger II will also get a newly updated model, making it look more beautiful than ever. We saw the reaction to the updated Tiger II names and refined model, and we know many of you will appreciate this newly updated model, now coming for the legendary Tiger II.[/p][p][/p][p]And lastly, we’re happy to be finally bringing in Italy’s first squadron vehicle, something that has been requested for quite a while now. Meet the С13 TUA![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The Damage Control Window for Naval[/h2][p][/p][p]Without a doubt if you play naval battles, trying to survive after being hit by salvos can be a struggle. You’re constantly trying to activate fire extinguishing systems, pump out water and perform repairs as efficiently as possible. Adding to the fact that the damage model (especially fires and critical magazine fires) has also changed in recent months, reacting quickly is essential to save your ship from being quickly destroyed.[/p][p][/p][p]All of the above in mind makes the current damage system quite difficult to manage, as you’re generally distracted from the core gameplay, which is to shoot at targets and take them out. Next to this, it’s not always as balanced as it could be, and as we would like it to be. This is because a player who does everything correctly still might not, for example prioritize the repair system in time because of the need to hold down the hotkey for a few seconds, leading to their ship still being destroyed, which can be frustrating.[/p][p][/p][p]So today, we’re announcing the new Damage Control System for Naval, giving players the opportunity to introduce automation elements. Players can plan their priorities in advance, choosing what’s most important at a given moment: be it firefighting, repairs or water pumping and can then quickly switch between them.[/p][p][/p][p]Let’s take a quick look at how it will work. While in the hangar, you can access the damage control menu through the modifications window by clicking on the “Damage control” button at the bottom right:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In this window, you’ll be able to put together a “Damage Control” build from available options and assign each one to one of the three buttons on the action bar, which were previously responsible for firefighting, repairs and water pumping.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Note: this window and text is heavily work-in-progress and the names, explanations and numbers will likely change.[/p][p][/p][p]Each damage control build has a primary process, a secondary process and an additional process.[/p][p][/p][p]Any of the three types of damage control options operate at full speed if only one is running. In addition, you no longer need to press buttons to begin the process, as it starts automatically as soon as the ship takes damage. You can switch between three presets, changing the priority process based on the tactical situation you find yourself in.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re currently working on the values for each and fine tuning it, and you’ll be able to test it for yourself on the dev server in the near future and leave your feedback there.[/p][p] [/p][h2]Extended information about the parameters of weapons and vehicles inside the game[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]The game features highly complex vehicles, sensors and weapons, and we know that most of their parameters are currently hidden from players. This isn’t because we don’t want to disclose this data however, but because it’s a major challenge to figure out how to display it conveniently and clearly, especially for new players. We’re currently working on a mechanism that allows us to display complex features in the game interface, as well as developing a design for displaying certain parameters.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll start with the easiest to implement, and then gradually add similar features for other areas. First up will be more detailed data on armor penetration and shell ballistics. Next, we’ll likely try to implement useful information on the properties of guided missiles and aircraft flight models. However, this will take quite some time as we work on designing and implementing a mechanism (as mentioned above), so please don’t expect it in the near future.[/p][p][/p][p]Here are some mock-up windows of a design for what we have planned, which are heavily work in progress:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Free Daily Backups[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]In Ground, Naval and Air Arcade Battles, War Thunder is a game that requires a lineup for you to reach your full potential in the battle. However, some players may not have a full line-up — one way to help with this is by using backups, however they themselves can only be received as a random reward or have to be purchased. Because of this we want to make them more widespread and easier to use in order to introduce and teach more players about this useful (for both the player and their team) mechanic. So, soon we’ll be adding a few backups that players can use for free in battle. This will just be one shared number of backups that can be used across all nations, all ranks and all modes. These free backups are not added to your inventory, instead they will simply be something you can use while in a battle. Once you’ve used them up, you’ll need to wait until the next day, where they will then reset and be replenished.[/p][p][/p][p]We plan to add this in the near future, perhaps not in the upcoming major. But it is in development and when it’s ready for release, we will announce it, so keep an eye out![/p][p][/p][h2]Upcoming Events[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’ve now reached the final three months of the year, which is typically War Thunder’s busiest time with major updates, events and the game’s anniversary. After the EFV event, we’ll be having our typical Dreams Come True event, this time for an aircraft. [/p][p][/p][h2]That’s it for now! [/h2][p]We have more information coming out regarding the next major soon via dev blogs and announcements.[/p][p][/p][p]Haven’t purchased the Community Update pack yet? Check it out![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]The War Thunder Team[/p]