War Thunder News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Nikolay Ilyich Kamov was born on September 14th 1902. In 1940, he became the head of his own design bureau, where he designed the Ka-8, Ka-10, Ka-15, Ka-18, Ka-25 and Ka-26 helicopters. After Kamov’s death in 1973, the bureau continued to use his name and produced further Ka series aircraft, including the Ka-50.[/p][p] [/p][h3]The Ka-50 has a 30% discount![/h3][p]The Ka-50 attack helicopter, designed by Kamov’s company, can be purchased with a 30% discount in the Gaijin Store![/p][p] [/p][p]When: From September 12th (09:00 GMT) until September 15th (09:00 GMT).[/p][p]Where: USSR > Helicopters > Premium vehicles.[/p][p] [/p][p]To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]About this helicopter[/p]

• [p]The Ka-50, nicknamed the “Black Shark” is a highly effective helicopter. It features the potent 9K121 Vikhr air-to-ground missile that can be used effectively against both ground targets and aircraft. Once you’ve fired them all you can then rely on the 30 mm 2A42 cannon, capable of significant vertical traverse, located on the right side of the helicopter. Thanks to the coaxial-rotor design, the Ka-50 offers high speed and maneuverability.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin was born on September 11th 1900. In 1939-40, together with V.P. Gorbunov and M.I. Gudkov, they developed the LaGG-3 fighter, which was widely used at the beginning of the Second World War. This aircraft led to the creation of its successors: the La-5, one of the most widely produced fighter aircraft during the war, and its further development, the La-7.[/p][p] [/p][h3]The La-11 and Dolgushin’s La-7 are temporarily available for Golden Eagles![/h3][p]Dolgushin’s La-7 and the La-11 (rank IV) are temporarily available for purchase for 3850 and 4880 Golden Eagles respectively.[/p][p] [/p][p]When: From September 11th (11:00 GMT) until September 15th (11:00 GMT).[/p][p]Where: USSR > Aviation > Premium vehicles.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]About these aircraft[/p]

• [p]S.F Dolgushin was a Soviet ace with 28 aerial victories to his name. This number is emblazoned on the side of the La-7 that Dolgushin flew in the final days of the Second World War. At low altitudes, the La-7 retains excellent speed, maneuverability and rate of climb, and is armed with two 20 mm ShVAK cannons with 340 rounds of ammunition.[/p]
• [p]The La-11 was one of the last Soviet piston fighters, a development of the La-9 with an increased fuel capacity. It’s a fairly heavy aircraft, equipped with three 23 mm NS-23 cannons that can easily deal with fighters and bombers.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]The Tusk Force major update is not complete without interface refinements! Today, we’d like to tell you about improvements made to aircraft radars, helping you to interact with them in a more visual and convenient way, regardless of whether you are already familiar with them or are just learning. Let’s start![/p][p][/p][h3]How it will work[/h3][p]Before the changes we’re talking about today, players had to use and remember a large number of key binds to use radars. To simplify this, part of the radar control logic will be accessible from the HUD, similar to how it was done for ground-based anti-aircraft vehicles when we added the Radar Control Screen.[/p][p][/p][p]The radar on the screen for aircraft in the Tusk Force major update will be interactive, making it possible to click it using the mouse cursor (when activating the “Show mouse cursor” button). You’ll be able to select targets on the radar by simply clicking on them, double-click to immediately capture the desired target, change the mode and range of the radar by clicking on the inscriptions, and when holding the mouse button down, move the radar’s scan area and/or acquisition cursor (with “Cyclic target switching” turned off).[/p][p][/p][p]In addition to this, separate buttons can be displayed around the radar screen, which can be used to activate many radar functions (changing mode, scale, etc) with the click of your mouse.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To enable these buttons around the radar, click “Switch the radar control type” in the action bar. Once enabled, and by default, the assigned keybinds will be displayed above the buttons that appear. When clicking the button on the action bar again it will hide the keybinds above the buttons, and then clicking it again will hide the buttons altogether.[/p][p]There’s also two more actions in the action bar: “Lock Radar/IRST on target” and “Select Radar/IRST target to lock” (which only works when the “Cyclic target switching of aircraft radar” option is enabled in the settings).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]These improvements are intended to allow newcomers to quickly master the complexity of how radars work, and for experienced players to use the radar to its maximum ability — and even free up a few keybinds.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for today, we have some more dev blogs still to come, so make sure to be on the look out for those![/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Today we’re checking out the USS Charles F. Adams destroyer that has something unique up its sleeve: RIM-24 Tartar anti-aircraft missiles![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]Charles F. Adams-class destroyers became iconic ships during the Cold War, combining traditional gunfire with cutting-edge missile technology. The lead ship of the class, USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), entered service in 1960 and immediately found itself at the epicenter of history, participating in the Mercury 8 mission and then in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, where it was involved in enforcing a naval blockade of Cuba. USS Charles F. Adams later served in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, escorting the aircraft carrier USS Independence.[/p][p]Despite its active service, USS Charles F. Adams’ fate after its decommissioning in 1990 was dramatic. Years of efforts by veterans and historians to preserve it as a museum in Jacksonville, Florida ran into financial and bureaucratic hurdles. The U.S. Navy refused to hand over the ship, and in 2020 it was sent to Texas for scrapping.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing USS Charles F. Adams![/h3][p]Meet a truly rare gem: a ship with missile weapons! We’d like to introduce the destroyer USS Charles F. Adams today, one of the more unique ships that features both traditional guns, torpedoes as well as guided missiles! Let’s take a further look.[/p][p][/p][p]USS Charles F. Adams will be the second Bluewater fleet ship in the game that features missiles, after the Soviet Bravy destroyer. This ship is armed with the RIM-24 Tartar anti-aircraft missile system, already familiar to those who know about USS Douglas, a Coastal fleet boat. These missiles can not only be used against aircraft, but also against enemy ships! The ammunition count for these missiles is a solid 42, so you’ll be able to fire as many as you want without worrying about running out too soon![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Despite the guided missiles, USS Charles F. Adams remains a destroyer with armament typical for this class. The two main 127 mm Mark 18 guns with rapid-fire capabilities are excellent for destroying those lighter sea targets, and the HE-VT shells make these guns great against aircraft as well. There’s also two triple-tube rotating torpedo tubes on each side of the ship that fire anti-submarine torpedoes, which means they have limited effectiveness against ships.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In most battles, USS Charles F. Adams will specialize against aircraft, which comes in handy as many ships at its rank don’t have any air defense capabilities, making this ship helpful to the team. Despite this, the main guns and RIM-24 missiles are also particularly good at taking out smaller boats that are maneuvering sharply while trying to capture points, and enemy destroyers that have weaker armor.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Look out for USS Charles F. Adams at rank IV in the USA’s Bluewater fleet tree, coming to the game in the Tusk Force major update very soon![/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]Meet the 203 mm M55 self-propelled howitzer, coming to the game for the USA, Germany, China, Italy and France![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]Development of the 203.2 mm M55 self-propelled howitzer began in 1948, when Pacific Car & Foundry received a contract to produce a new self-propelled artillery piece as part of the U.S. Army rearmament program. Built on a chassis with a front-mounted engine and transmission, two prototypes were created: one mounting a 155 mm gun and the other a 203.2 mm howitzer.[/p][p]The first prototype was completed in July 1952 and soon entered serial production as the M55. However, even after deliveries began, the design required further improvements. In total, 550 M55 units were produced. They served with the U.S. Army until the 1960s, later being exported to allies, including Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Turkey.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing the M55![/h3][p]Say hello to the M55 self-propelled howitzer, coming to Rank III for five nations at once: the USA, Germany, China, Italy and France! The firepower of this monster is almost unmatched, so let’s take a closer look![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The M55 is armed with the 203.2 mm (8-inch) M47 howitzer, a rifled gun offering excellent ballistics for a weapon of its size. It fires only one type of round, the staggeringly heavy M106 HE shell, weighing in at 104 kg! The size and weight of this projectile limits the total capacity to only 10 shells, which really isn’t too many. A well trained crew will be able to reload in just under 30 seconds. While it may not look like it, the M55 is turreted, and while it can’t traverse around completely it can still manage 30 degrees to the left and right.[/p][p]Using a redesigned chassis and new tracks, the M55 shares several components with the M47 tank. Despite its size, the M55 is actually lighter than the M47, and can reach a higher top speed of 56 km/h. That said, this vehicle is poorly suited for frontline fighting, its armor is thin and only just bulletproof. The front-mounted engine and transmission may occasionally absorb hits into the hull, but as the turret is packed with crew and ammunition, any penetration here is usually fatal.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Due to the thin armor and long reload, the M55 is a vehicle that relies on support to work effectively, helping the team behind the frontline by supplying devastating supporting fire from a safer position. The benefit of a cannon this size is that accuracy doesn’t need to be perfect, as long as the shell connects it will more than likely be game over for your target![/p][p]That’s it for this one! Look out for this new addition coming to several nations in the next major update Tusk Force. Stay tuned for more dev blogs, as we have many more new additions to show you![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.[/p]