War Thunder News

Today we’ll be taking a look at the most modern and heavily armed modification of the Mi-8 military transport helicopter, which will be arriving to the game in the Firebirds major update!

[h2]Mi-8AMTSh-VN “Sapsan”: An Attack Helicopter for the USSR at rank VII[/h2]
At a glance:

• Ataka ATGMs, not found on the Mi-8s already in the game.
  
• Verba air-to-air missiles.
  
• RWR with MAWS.
  
• Thermal imager for the gunner sight.
  

Vehicle History
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In 2017 at the MAKS exhibition, a new transport and assault modification of the Mi-8, developed at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant and retrofitted at the Mil and Kamov National Helicopter Manufacturing Center, was shown to the general public for the first time. The new Mi-8AMTSh-VN Sapsan was a further development of the Mi-8AMTSh Terminator version, taking into account the experience of their combat use, including in Syria. The main differences of this new variant were new Russian-made engines and a new four-bladed tail rotor, which was used on the Mi-28N and Mi-35 helicopters. Modernized electronics made it possible to use Ataka anti-tank guided missiles, and the troop compartment was modified. In 2019, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract for the supply of ten Mi-8AMTSh-VN helicopters.
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[h2]Meet the Mi-8AMTSh-VN![/h2]

Who would’ve thought that the old Mi-8 would transform from a transport aircraft into an incredible attack helicopter with the most modern weapons and advanced electronics? Meet the Mi-8AMTSh-VN “Sapsan”, a direct successor to the War Thunder record holder for the number of rockets, the Mi-8AMTSh. This new helicopter is better than its predecessor, perhaps in all aspects of combat effectiveness. Let’s take a look!



Combat operations in Syria showed areas where the Mi-8AMTSh attack helicopter could be improved. The Mi-8AMTSh-VN now has better vision in all weather conditions, all while reducing its vulnerability to air-to-air missiles! This is thanks to a new and advanced sighting system with a high-quality thermal imager and improved optics, shielding devices on the exhaust grilles and an automatic system (MAW) for firing flares and chaff when exposed to missile systems.

Thanks to new onboard electronics and a sight with good zoom, the Mi-8AMTSh-VN can fire the Ataka tandem-head ATGM with a firing range of up to 6 km, which is the main armament for this helicopter in Ground Battles. And last but not least, a radar, capable of detecting and tracking both air and ground targets, greatly increasing awareness of surrounding threats.



The Mi-8AMTSh-VN has a new four-bladed tail rotor, the same found on the Mi-28N and Mi-35M. Other important modifications include improved armor and new built-in weapons — a pair of large-caliber machine guns on the weapon suspension wings.

Despite significant improvements, the Mi-8AMTSh-VN has retained the important qualities of its predecessor that are valued by those who play this helicopter family! Firstly, it has a good number of rockets — up to 80 x S-8KO rockets with a HEAT warhead that can be aimed accurately with the help of the ballistic computer. Secondly, Verba air-to-air missiles are among the best in their class, meaning this helicopter still poses a threat to fighter aircraft that are hoping for an easy frag! And lastly, this helicopter has a large supply of countermeasures that are fired automatically if a threat is detected.



That’s it for today! The Mi-8AMTSh-VN will be coming to War Thunder with the release of the Firebirds major update. Until then, keep an eye on our website for more dev blogs coming your way!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

We’re continuing to celebrate War Thunder’s 12th anniversary and are pleased to offer you special discounts in the Gaijin.Net store, with almost three dozen packs being half price.

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When: From October 29th (11:00 GMT) until November 4th (11:00 GMT).

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To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store!

[h3]F-4S Phantom II Pack -50%[/h3]
This pack includes:

• F-4S Phantom II (Rank 7, USA);
  
• Premium account for 20 days;
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles.
  

[h3]M1A1 HC "Click-Bait" Pack -50%[/h3]
This pack includes:

• M1A1 HC "Click-Bait" (Rank 7, USA);
  
• Premium account for 20 days;
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles.
  

[h3]Leopard 2A4 Pack -50%[/h3]
This pack includes:

• Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) (Rank 7, Germany);
  
• Premium account for 15 days;
  
• 2000 Golden Eagless.
  

[h3]Su-39 Pack -50%[/h3]
This pack includes:

• Su-39 (Rank 7, USSR);
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles
  

[h2]And many more![/h2]

Please note! The following packs will be removed from the store after the sale (on all platforms):

• A-6E TRAM Intruder Pack
  
• XM-1 General Motors Pack
  
• Dora Pack
  
• Tu-1 Pack
  
• F-104S TAF Pack
  

[h2]Steam DLC Packs at 50% Discount![/h2]

When: From October 29th (11:00 GMT) until November 4th (11:00 GMT).

M1A1 HC "Click-Bait" Pack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2690300/War_Thunder__M1A1_HC_ClickBait_Pack/

Black Shark Pack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557850/War_Thunder__Black_Shark_Pack/

F-4S Phantom II Pack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2315421/War_Thunder__F4S_Phantom_II_Pack/?snr=1_5_9__405

AH-64A Apache Pack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2199220/War_Thunder__AH64A_Apache_Pack/

Leopard 2A4 Pack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2054412/War_Thunder__Leopard_2A4_Pack/

The highly advanced Su-34 is coming to War Thunder as the top ranking strike aircraft for the USSR/Russian tree in the Firebirds major update!

[h2]Su-34: A Strike Aircraft for the USSR at Rank VIII[/h2]
At a glance:

• Advanced air-to-surface weaponry.
  
• Decent flight performance.
  
• A wide variety of air-to-air missiles.
  
• Large-caliber countermeasures.
  

 
Vehicle History
[expand]
This 4th generation strike aircraft is a further development of the Su-27 family, with the first prototype taking to the skies in 1990. After several upgrades and the installation of cutting-edge electronics, rigorous flight tests of the pre-production model began in 1993. Following this however, development of the pre-production batch was delayed until 2005. In 2008, The Russian Ministry of Defense signed its first large contract for the Su-34. As serial production continued, the aircraft itself improved significantly in tandem, with improvements to its onboard systems and even its engines.
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[h2]Meet the Su-34![/h2]

Introducing the Su-34 — one of the most modern strike aircraft in the world is coming to War Thunder. Originally developed as a platform for high-precision air-to-surface weaponry, the Su-34 will become the most advanced aircraft of its class in the USSR/Russian aviation tree. Let’s take a closer look!



Since the primary role of strike aircraft in the game is to destroy ground targets, in addition to its impressive overall payload capacity (over 7 tons!), the Su-34 has one of the richest arsenals of precision weaponry in War Thunder. Most interestingly, it can equip a new weapon type coming to the game, the “Grom-2” — a satellite-guided glide bomb, which can even be targeted at enemies behind where the Su-34 is facing!



The Su-34 can equip fan-favorite guided missiles and bombs, such as the Kh-38ML and Kh-38MT missiles with internal guidance systems, satellite guided KAB-500S bombs, and the new UPAB-1500B. Also included are a large array of laser-guided weapons, including the huge KAB-1500LG with a gyro-stabilized semi-active laser seeker, as well as various TV guided examples. For air battle modes, the wide variety of standard and incendiary bombs will be useful for bases and larger targets, while rockets from the small S-8 type to the large S-25 type as well as retarded bombs can be used for more precise strikes.

In addition to ground threats, the Su-34 is well prepared for air combat. Besides its trusty R-73 missiles for closer range dogfights, this aircraft can also use the R-27 family of missiles (including all-aspect variants) and even long-range R-77 missiles with active radar guidance. If required, the Su-34 is more than capable of filling the fighter role — its advanced radar, RWR, “Rita” voice warning system and large caliber flares and chaff will help detect and evade missile threats with relative ease.



Fun fact: Due to the distinctive shape of the nose, the Su-34 has affectionately earned the nickname “Duckling” from pilots.

While the Su-34 is hardly impressive regarding speed and climb rate — falling behind most top tier rank VIII aircraft regarding speed — it handles exceptionally well at effectively all speeds and altitudes making it highly maneuverable across the board, a vital asset especially for air battles.



That’s it for this blog! The Su-34 will be available for research with the release of the Firebirds major update! Make sure to check in soon for more news, until then, clear skies!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game. 

The Spähpanzer 2 Luchs is a German wheeled reconnaissance vehicle developed in the late 1960s, set to replace the aging American and French light tanks serving the same role at the time.

[h2]Luchs A2: A Light Tank for Germany at Rank V[/h2]
At a glance:

• Excellent mobility!
  
• Light protection overall.
  
• Powerful autocannon with great gun depression!
  
• Thermal imager.
  
• Amphibious.
  

 
Vehicle History
[expand]
In the 1960s, the Bundeswehr sought to develop a new wheeled reconnaissance vehicle, intended to replace the dated American M41 Walker Bulldog and French SP1A. The German Ministry of Defence outlined the need for a reconnaissance vehicle that featured exceptional mobility, a long cruising range, day and night scouting capability as well being logistically and economically efficient to produce and maintain. By 1968, two leading designs were put forward for evaluation. One from a conglomerate of companies including Thyssen-Henschel, MAN and Krupp among others, while the second design was presented by Daimler-Benz. Rigorous testing of these designs took place throughout the early 1970s, leading to improvements to both designs along the way.

Ultimately the Daimler-Benz design ended up winning, it was picked by the Bundeswehr for production in 1973 under the name “Spähpanzer 2 Luchs”. The first production models rolled off the assembly line in 1975, with the last of the 408 Luchs models ordered being completed in 1977. The Luchs served with the Bundeswehr well into the early 2000s, receiving several upgrades and modernizations throughout its server life. By 2009 however, it was recognized that the Luchs had fallen into obsolescence, and the 68 vehicles that remained were finally retired.
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[h2]Meet the Luchs A2![/h2]

The Luchs will soon be joining rank V of the German ground forces tree in the Firebirds major update, adding a versatile light support vehicle for the cold war lineups. Ready to take a look at what this beast can do? Then join us for the details below!



Being a unique wheeled reconnaissance vehicle, the Luchs will complement the German lineup of post-war machines nicely. Being even lighter and far more agile than the Marder IFV, the Luchs is poised to become the new vehicle of choice for those who prefer the flanks. Weighing in at just under 20 tons, the Luchs can get to 90 km/h on roads and can cruise around 50 km/h off-road with ease. In addition, the Luchs is also completely amphibious and can reach speeds of 10 km/h on water, which expands its tactical options further.

On the other hand however, the Luchs is only able to boast mobility of this degree by limiting its armor protection. The Luchs is able to withstand shrapnel and small-arms fire but anything else will spell trouble, even heavy machine guns can pose a threat from the sides. Luckily though, the great mobility of the Luchs can keep it out of danger for the most part, it can quickly hit the flanks and reach strong positions before the enemy even notices!



Once engaged in combat, the Luchs can rely on its Rh 202 20 mm autocannon to shred through lightly armored vehicles or low flying aircraft thanks to its high elevation. Due to only having autocannon armament however, the Luchs will struggle to get through MBTs and stronger targets from the front. To deal with tougher opponents, the Luchs will need to get up close and personal! The autocannon is stronger at close range, but this puts the Luchs in a more vulnerable position, so you’ll have to pick your moment to strike! Sticking with friendly tanks will be important here, as the autocannon can easily tear off tracks and damage barrels, which will make combating them much easier for your teammates.



Get ready to give the Luchs A2 a warm welcome as it arrives in the higher ranks of the German ground forces tree in the Firebirds major update! In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news and keep up to date on all the latest developments regarding the next major update, until then, happy hunting!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game. 

[h2]Other[/h2]

• A very spooky hangar has been enabled in time for the holiday season.
  

[h2]Interface[/h2]

• A bug that sometimes caused the Research Points reward in the “Other awards” category in the battle results message to display a negative value has been fixed. Please note that this bug was purely visual and didn’t affect the actual amount of earned RP.
  
• A bug that caused the measured distance display to move upwards when measuring the distance in a zoomed in scope and then zooming out has been fixed.
  

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.