War Thunder News

This is the Canadian Leopard 2A4, specially prepared for combat in Afghanistan. And from today, we’re introducing it in a pack that’s now available to pre-order, giving special bonuses!

[h2]Leopard 2A4M CAN: A Premium MBT for Germany at Rank VII [/h2]

Features:

• Additional composite armor protection.
  
• High resolution thermal imager!
  
• Available modifications in the form of slat armor and/or a camouflage net.
  

Vehicle History
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The Leopard 2A4M CAN modification was developed to modernize 20 Canadian Army Leopard 2A4 tanks for use in combat operations in Afghanistan. They were equipped with additional composite armor packages, placed to protect the front and sides of the turret and hull, plus slat armor at the back of the turret and around the engine compartment to help protect against shaped charge ammunition. In addition to this, the fire control system was modernized with a brand-new thermal imager and commander sight. Due to the extra armor, the weight of the tank increased, which meant that the brakes and suspension were modified as well. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) developed this modification and by 2010 all 20 tanks were modernized. Between 2010 and 2011, 5 Leopard 2A4M CAN tanks were deployed in Afghanistan.
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Pre-order — Leopard 2A4M CAN Pack
69.99

• Leopard 2A4M CAN (Rank 7, Germany)
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique “Royal Canadian” title
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique Lord Strathcona's Horse badge decal
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique forest camouflage
  

[h2]Meet the Leopard 2A4M CAN[/h2]

With the release of the next major War Thunder update, this interesting Canadian modification of the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank will arrive in the game! This variant features additional composite armor modules, an advanced thermal imager and the ability to equip slat armor and a camouflage net. Today we’ll be telling you more about this tank that can be pre-ordered starting from now!



At first glance, you may notice that the Leopard 2A4M CAN has modern modifications from the all so familiar German Leopard! This is true to some extent, as the additional composite armor modules on the Canadian Leopard are an almost exact copy of the types of armor found on the 2A7 series tanks. By order of the Canadian military, Leopard 2A4M CAN tanks are equipped with composite armor modules at the front of the turret and hull, which qualitatively increases its protection against hits from any type of ammunition. With the exception of the typical weaker areas at the front, such as around the sight and turret ring, the Leopard 2A4M CAN is able to withstand most kinetic shells and ATGMs from enemies around its rank to the front.



In addition to this, the underside of this tank has additional mine protection, which means there’s increased protection at the lower frontal part of the hull. Plus, you’re able to equip slat armor as a modification, helping to protect against shaped-charge shells to the sides and rear of the turret and engine compartment. There’s also a camouflage net that breaks the silhouette of the turret, gun mantlet and the gun itself, which looks cool too!

Interesting: The black lines that are scattered on the Leopard 2A4M CAN’s armor are actually Velcro strips for attaching a camouflage net, specially designed to camouflage the tank during missions in Afghanistan.



Additional armor means additional weight and therefore modifications to the braking system and suspension were required to help. Ultimately, it does mean that since this Leopard is heavier, its maximum speed is slightly less. Despite this, the driving characteristics are still great, as it will always be one of the first to reach capture points, and copes well with roads and any poor terrain. In addition to the enhanced armor that the Leopard 2A4M CAN received, there’s also an improved sighting system with a modern high-res thermal imager. However, the gun is the identical 120 mm L/44 cannon found on the 2A4.



That’s today’s blog done! The Leopard 2A4M CAN can be pre-ordered from today and will be available to play in the game when the next major update is released. Pre-ordering this pack will give you special pre-order bonuses as well, to be sure to follow the link to check it out.

USS Des Moines was the lead ship of the Des Moines class of American heavy cruisers, laid down on May 28th 1945. She was the first ship to carry semi-automatic 8-inch Mark 16 guns, and instead of aircraft catapults, Sikorsky HO3S-1 multi-role helicopters could land on her deck.


You can get this heavy cruiser for 8,020 Golden Eagles.



[h3]

When: From May 28th (11:00 GMT) until May 31st (07:00 GMT).
Where: USA > Bluewater fleet > Premium vehicles.

[/h3]

[h3]About this heavy cruiser[/h3]

• USS Des Moines is slow and not that durable, but her rate of fire will make you gasp! Its broadside can deal enormous amounts of damage to the enemy. Stay out of range of enemy torpedoes, and take care of yourself — when you see the enemy, greet them with a barrage of shells!
  

We’ve been made aware of many of your requests for smaller teams in Air Realistic Battles as 16v16 teams are sometimes overwhelming in terms of the number of missiles at once.

With the release of the upcoming major update, we’ll be adding an option to the Air Realistic Battles game selection window where you’ll be able to turn on smaller team sizes.



This mechanic works in the same way as turning on the option for night battles: if there’s enough players in the queue with this option enabled, you’ll have a chance of getting into an air battle with smaller team sizes.

When this option is enabled, you’ll have the chance of getting into a battle with smaller team sizes (min - max: 6 - 12) instead of a regular battle (min - max: 6 - 16). Further adjustments in the future are possible depending on how sessions go.

This will only be for aircraft with a Battle Rating of 10.0 or higher, where high-end air-to-air missiles are far more prevalent.



Thank you for your feedback on this and we hope that this option for smaller teams will make your experience in Air Realistic Battles more enjoyable. Be sure to enable this option with the release of the major update!

We loved getting to see the screenshots that you captured last week! More durable vehicles can take an impressive number of hits, but the more fragile vehicles can make spectacular wreckages. The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 121st edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen121. You have time until the 31st of May to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

[h3]Terms:[/h3]

Your screenshot must include a reserve or BR 1.0 vehicle.
You must add the #WTscreen121 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
Artists may only win by popular vote once per four screenshot competitions.
• Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.
  
• You need to be the author of the screenshot.
  
• Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.
  
• We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).
  
• You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.
  
• You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.
  
• Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 14 working days.
  

[h2]And now, time for the winners of the competition’s 120th edition – Under Fire![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3243233394
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250025401
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3249854297

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3249620531
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250215160
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250132787

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!

Meet an interesting new reconnaissance vehicle coming to the US ground forces tree: the XM800T light vehicle!

[h2]XM800T: A Light Tank for the USA at Rank V[/h2]

Features:

• Stabilized 20 mm cannon.
  
• High mobility.
  
• Amphibious capability.
  
• Low survivability.
  

Vehicle History
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In the summer of 1974, as part of the ARSV (Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle) program to create a new command and reconnaissance vehicle to replace the M114, FMC Corporation presented a prototype of a new generation of scout vehicle on a tracked chassis for testing. Despite satisfactory performance, the tracked version did not meet the required weight limits and was not accepted for production. In total, FMC built 3 XM800T experimental prototypes, one of which was designed as a tank destroyer and equipped with a TOW anti-tank guided missile launcher.
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[h2]Meet the XM800T![/h2]

Today we’ll be showing you the interesting XM800T, which is an experimental tracked amphibious reconnaissance vehicle armed with a 20 mm autocannon. Let’s jump into the details and take a look!



This new vehicle will arrive to the game in the next major update at rank V in the US ground forces research tree. Overall the USA is famous for its excellent light vehicles, and the new XM800T is certainly no exception to this. With fairly compact dimensions and a height of just over 2 meters, this vehicle is distinguished by its high power. A 285 HP engine, the same found on the M551 Sheridan, means the XM800T can accelerate to 83.5 km/h on paved surfaces and provides the vehicle with great driving characteristics!

Featured in the turret is a 20 mm cannon for use against enemy vehicles and a 7.62 mm machine gun for all your fence and bush destroying needs. The 20 mm cannon is the main star of the show here, which is automatic, stabilized, and belt-fed with the belts consisting of high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing incendiary tracer shells. The gun is controlled using an effective sighting system, which includes a laser rangefinder!



Interesting: All 3 built examples of the XM800T have survived to this day! One vehicle is located at Fort Moore, Georgia, the second is in a private collection in California, and the third is in Danbury, Connecticut.

The XM800T’s armor is light and provides protection against fragmentation, but since it’s made of aluminum alloy it does not provide reliable cover for three crew members, even against heavy machine guns. This vehicle is also amphibious and can float on water, although there’s no separate engine for this, it instead uses its tracks to traverse around on water.

In your matches by Tom, Lead Community Manager: “There’s a lot of ways you can use a tank like this effectively so there’s not really an ideal way to approach it, it’s mostly dependent on the map and what your goal is. If you can find a road into the map from the offset the XM800T can absolutely rush in and disrupt the first wave of enemy vehicles by getting into unpredictable spots quickly (alternatively it’s also a good late-game spawn as there’s often softer targets and more low flying aircraft around). Aside from that you’re a reliable support tank — stick with your team, use your cannon to damage barrels and tracks and scout enemies for some cheap air spawns.”

That’s today’s blog! The XM800T will be arriving in the next major update and will be sure to provide you with a good scout vehicle in your lineups. Be sure to stay in touch and keep an eye on our website for more dev blogs coming soon. Until then see you around and enjoy your battles!