War Thunder News

The Black Hawk is an American utility helicopter developed as the successor to the prolific UH-1 Huey. Arriving to the game in the upcoming War Thunder update in one of its later modifications, the MH-60L expands upon the strengths of its predecessor and will soon reinforce the American helicopter trees!

[h2]MH-60L Black Hawk: A Helicopter for the USA at Rank VII[/h2]

Features:

• Advanced ordnance options.
  
• Good survivability.
  
• HIRSS and IRCM
  

[h2]Meet the MH-60L Black Hawk![/h2]

In War Thunder, the MH-60L Black Hawk will arrive as one of the top additions to the American research tree with the release of the upcoming major update! Being introduced in one of its later modifications, the MH-60L features overall design improvements which most notably allow it to carry a powerful weapons arsenal. Let’s dive into the details!

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Interesting: The MH-60L was given the name “Black Hawk”, from Black Hawk who was a Native American Sauk leader in the 19th century.

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Arriving to the game in its special “Direct Action Penetrator” modification, the MH-60L features provisions to carry a wide range of ordnance. This includes advanced air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles in the form of Hellfire, AGR-20A and A and Stingers respectively, but also more conventional weapons such as unguided Hydra rocket pods! In short, the Black Hawk’s arsenal can be adapted to any mission scenario and will allow you to engage the enemy from a distance with missiles as well as get in up close and personal with unguided rockets and gunpods.



While the Black Hawk is quite fast for a helicopter and possesses exceptional armament to both engage aerial and surface targets, it remains easy prey to vigilant enemy anti-air units as well as pilots, not least because of the MH-60L’s comparably large size. To assist you in surviving the many dangers of the modern battlefield, the MH-60L comes equipped with modern RWR, heat suppression and IRCM systems as well as flares and chaff! This is all in an effort to make target acquisition for enemy forces more challenging and give the Black Hawk better odds of escaping a dangerous situation unscathed.



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In your matches: Pro-tips when using the MH-60L Black Hawk by Tom (Oxy), WT Community Manager (TL): “It’s known for being quite robust as far as helicopters go, but only relatively — it can take a beating but it’s far from invulnerable, so make sure you aren’t treating it like it's invulnerable with how you play it. Like most helicopters, try to stick around cover and avoid sitting out in the open. It also comes with a wide array of weaponry, so I’d suggest making a few different presets tailored to different maps.”

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The MH-60L Black Hawk will soon bolster the top ranks of the American helicopter tree upon its arrival to War Thunder as part of the next major update. In the meantime, make sure to keep a close watch on the news as we continue unveiling more interesting new features awaiting you in the upcoming update. Until then, see you soon!

[h3]In this month's Pages of History, you'll find yourself at the centre of events that happened at numerous battlefronts. From North Africa and the Mediterranean, to Moscow and the Middle East — participate in battles using the vehicles that were used in these historic events and receive prizes![/h3]

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From November 1st until November 30th, you’ll be offered 8 tasks consecutively. Completing each will reward you with a trophy, completing all of them earns you a unique player icon.

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[h2]Reward for completing all 8 tasks[/h2]

[h3]John Campbell[/h3]
John "Jock" Campbell was a British Army officer who served in North Africa at the beginning of World War II. He favored rapid attacks on Axis forces using small groups of artillery, armored vehicles and motorized infantry: anecdotally called "Jock Columns". During Operation Crusader, Campbell's brigade defended Sidi Rezegh airport, south of Tobruk, for two days. Campbell personally led the battle, constantly being at the epicenter of events inspiring his subordinates with his courage. For his heroism he was awarded the highest military award in Britain — the Victoria Cross.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until December 3rd, 11:30 GMT without completing tasks. Click Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History (November).

[h2]Trophy reward for each task[/h2]
Completion of each individual task will bring you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backup vehicles;
  
• 1 day of premium account;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).
  

[h2]Other terms[/h2]

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles, except for “Assault” mode.
  

[h2]November 1st — November 4th[/h2]
[h3]Barbara Line[/h3]
The Barbara Line was Germany's second line of defense in central Italy. In early October 1943, the Allies overran the southernmost Volturno Line, and by early November they decided to storm the Barbara Line. It lasted only two days: after the breakthrough German forces retreated to the Bernhardt Line.

[h2]November 5th — November 8th[/h2]
[h3]Apatin-Kaposvar operation[/h3]
The Budapest operation, which began in late October 1944, was not easy for the Soviet forces. The command decided to transfer troops from Yugoslavia (putting it under the control of the local army) to southern Hungary. The operation was successful: from the outset, the Red Army captured a bridgehead near the town of Apatin on November 7th, and a month later took Kaposvár where it moved in to set up defenses.

[h2]November 9th — November 12th[/h2]
[h3]Battle of Taranto[/h3]
On November 12th, 1940, British carrier aircraft attacked the Italian fleet at Taranto. The attack was carried out by 21 torpedo-bomber aircraft and resulted in the sinking of three battleships, half of those at Taranto Itself. The rebalance of naval might between Britain and Italy in the Mediterranean Sea demonstrated the effectiveness of torpedo aircraft. Consequently, non-participants of the conflict in the Japanese delegation studied the events in Taranto, and made a plan for a similar attack on Pearl Harbor.

[h2]November 12th — November 15th[/h2]
[h3]Klinsko-Solnechnogorsk defensive operation[/h3]
On November 15th, 1941, the last defensive operation of the Red Army in the Battle of Moscow began. Soviet troops managed to hold off the enemy offensive — the front line was halted 14 kilometers from the capital. In December, the USSR launched a counter-offensive, and the Axis forces, thanks to the halt near Moscow, additionally had to defend in that direction.

[h2]November 16th — November 19th[/h2]
[h3]Operation Crusader[/h3]
On November 18th, 1941, Allied forces under British leadership launched an operation to prevent the Axis forces from advancing to the Suez Canal into Egypt. It was successful: Britain defeated Wehrmacht forces for the first time, and New Zealand forces were able to lift the seven and a half month long siege of Tobruk.

[h2]November 19th — November 22nd[/h2]
[h3]Operation Uranus[/h3]
On November 19th, 1942, the final operation of the Battle of Stalingrad began. Through the efforts of three fronts, Soviet forces surrounded, defeated and later forced surrender of about 20 German divisions. The victory at Stalingrad became a turning point in the course of the Second World War.

[h2]November 23rd — November 26th[/h2]
[h3]Formation of the fighter regiment "Normandie-Niemen"[/h3]
On November 25th, 1942, the USSR and France concluded an agreement on the formation of a French aviation squadron on the territory of the USSR. It was named in honor of the French province of Normandy, and on November 28th, 1944, the unit, which by that time had already become a regiment, was named “Normandy-Neman” for its combat merits during the crossing of the Neman River during the liberation of Lithuania.

[h2]November 27th — November 30th[/h2]
[h3]Operation Tariq al-Qods[/h3]
On November 29th, 1981, Iran launched an operation to liberate the city of Bostan, previously captured by Iraq. The Iranians suffered significant casualties as they relied heavily on massive frontal attacks, but they managed to dislodge the Iraqis from their positions and liberate one of their cities for the first time in the war. Subsequently, the offensive continued until southern Iran was completely liberated.

The spOoOoky season is upon us, which means beasts of the night — black cats, bats and killer snails have arrived in War Thunder to celebrate Halloween! Participate in Halloween themed events, get unique decals and decorate your vehicles to get into the holiday spirit.

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When: From October 27th (12:00 GMT) until November 1st (7:00 GMT)!

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The Dead Man’s Chest and Witch’s Cauldron trophies are once again available to purchase in the in-game store! In them, you’ll be able to get Halloween decals and decorations. Two new decals have arrived too: the “Angry Black Cat” decal and “The Bat” decal!

[h2]Decals in the Dead Man’s Chest[/h2]



[h2]Ground event: “Through creepy places”[/h2]
Decals from the Dead Man’s Chest can also be obtained in the M18 “Witch tank” event for 300 rating points! Take a quick ride through creepy places in this creepy vehicle and claim your prize!

[h2]Air event: “Witch Hunt”[/h2]
Decals can be earned in the Po-2 “Night Witch” aircraft race as well. Maneuver between rocky cliffs and try to survive: 300 rating points will not earn themselves!

In addition to this, 1,000 pilots with the highest rating in the “Witch Hunt” aircraft racing event will be rewarded with the Po-2 aircraft for the USSR. This reward will be given out 48 hours after the event ends. You can track your rating by clicking on the “Reward” button in the “Events” window. The update time for the leaderboard is around every 15 minutes.

So, get playing and celebrate the spooky season with style in War Thunder!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In 1919, a war broke out between the Turkish military led by Mustafa Kemal and the countries that laid claim to the territory of the former Ottoman Empire. In the summer of 1923, it came to an end, and on October 29th of the same year, Mustafa Kemal proclaimed the formation of the Turkish Republic.



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When: From October 27th (10:00 GMT).
Where: Italy > Helicopters > Premium vehicles.

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[h3]About the helicopter[/h3]

• This version of the A129 Mangusta attack helicopter is designed specifically for the needs of the Turkish Army, and is assembled in Turkey. The T129 is fast, maneuverable and compact and is equipped with a fire protection system, a flight control system, thermal imager and a telematic tracking device. This helicopter is armed with a three-barreled 20 mm cannon on a rotating mount — however, the most interesting weapon for this helicopter is the Turkish L-UMTAS and CIRIT air-to-ground missiles, which cannot be found on any other vehicle in the game!
  

“100 years of the Turkish Republic” decal

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When: From October 27th (10:00 GMT) until October 30th (07:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using any vehicle to receive the “100 years of the Turkish Republic” decal!

Additional details:

• You must use a minimum of rank III.
  
• Your activity must not be below 70%.
  
• You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, [Assault] mode and Helicopter PVE battles.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → 100 years of the Turkish Republic.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customisation menu.
  

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The Chinese aviation research tree will receive the outstanding JH-7A jet-bomber, which features advanced avionics and excellent ordnance capabilities, enough to strike fear into any enemy it encounters!

[h2]JH-7A: A Jet Fighter-Bomber for China at rank VIII[/h2]

Features:

• High speed!
  
• Large selection of secondary weapons.
  
• Laser-guided bombs.
  

[h2]Meet the JH-7A![/h2]

Coming to War Thunder as part of the “Kings of Battle” major update, the JH-7A will be a Chinese top-of-the-line jet fighter-bomber that features weapons to use in air and ground battles. Let’s take a closer look at the details!

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Interesting: The JH-7A is also known as the FBC-1 “Flying Leopard” (Fei Bao in Chinese) as an export variant. FBC is an abbreviation for Fighter-Bomber Supersonic (the C stands for Chāo in Chinese, meaning supersonic in English)!

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Originally designed to replace the aging fleet of Q-5 of aircraft, the JH-7A was designed as a versatile fighter-bomber, capable of carrying fantastic ordnance options in the form of laser-guided bombs and air-to-air missiles. In-game, the JH-7A will carry the PL-5С short-range air-to-air missile with improved target sensors. To top it all off, the JH-7A will also be able to carry the great all-rounder PL-8 air-to-air missile, which features one of the best overloads and is one of the best performing missiles in the game!

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Did you know? The appearance of the JH-7A may seem rather outdated, but modern materials and alloys are widely used in this aircraft’s design!

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One factor of the JH-7A modernization program was to increase the number of weapon hardpoints and to introduce a new type of weapon system. Thus, in addition to bombs, unguided rockets and air-to-air missiles, the JH-7A can also carry LS500J and the heaviest in the Chinese lineup, the LS1000J laser-guided bomb thanks to the addition of a targeting pod. To make aiming with bombs and unguided rockets easier, the JH-7A also has a very useful ballistic computer.



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In your matches: Pro-tips when using the JH-7A by Jan (Copsi), WT Marketing Manager: “As the JH-7A is quite big, it might be a good idea to keep yourself from dogfighting the first enemy plane you see. But afterwards, as it’s able to carry the PL-5 (the Formula 1 car of missiles) and the PL-8, the Chinese licence build of the Python 3, you’ll not have much of a problem in dogfighting! A good amount of flares is great to see, make sure to pre-flare enemies when they come close. Being able to use high altitude precision bombs is a massive step up from the Q-5's, so use this to your advantage to avoid anti-air vehicles as much as possible.”

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This outstanding jet fighter-bomber will arrive to the game in the Chinese aviation tree as part of the “Kings of Battle” major update. Until then, keep a look out for other dev blogs, enjoy your matches and see you soon!