War Thunder News

One of the main national holidays of Italy is dedicated to the capitulation of Austria-Hungary in the First World War, which took place on November 4th, 1918. As a result of the peace treaty, Italy annexed South Tyrol, the Austrian Littoral, Trieste and part of Dalmatia, thus completing the unification of all the lands that it considered its own. For this purpose, Italy entered the First World War, so the victory over Austria-Hungary is also celebrated as the Day of Armed Forces of Italy.

[h2]The P40 “G.C. Leoncello” and M43 “G.C. Leoncello” are temporarily available at a 50% discount for Golden Eagles![/h2]
In honor of the holiday, the Italian P40 and M43 from the Leoncello armored squadron group are temporarily available at a 50% discount for 575 and 650 Golden Eagles respectively.

When: From today until November 7th (07:00 GMT).
Where: Italy > Army > Premium Vehicles.

About these vehicles

• The P40 “G.C. Leoncello” is well suited for medium-range combat and ambush attacks. It’s quite mobile and can penetrate up to 100 mm of armor with its HEAT shell. The sloped armor of this tank often caused ricochets, especially when it’s positioned in a diamond shape. Smoke grenades also allow you to hide from the enemy when needed!
  

• The M43 “G.C.Leoncello” is a tank destroyer armed with a 105 mm gun, whose HEAT shell has armor penetration of up to 120 mm. However, due to its mediocre ballistics, it’s best used at medium ranges. This tank has a smaller profile, allowing it to be placed in unexpected positions to surprise the enemy.
  

[h2]Get the “Italian Unity” decal! [/h2]
Available for this day!

“Italian Unity” decal

When: From today until November 7th (07:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using Italian vehicles at rank III or above to receive the “Italian Unity” decal!

Additional details:

• 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 → National Unity Day of Italy.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customization menu.
  

Today we’ll be taking a look at the KV-7, an experimental three-barreled tank destroyer and the main reward for the Dreams Come True event!

[h2]KV-7 U-13: A Premium Tank Destroyer for the USSR at Rank III[/h2]
At a glance:

• Three guns (one 76 mm, two 45 mm).
  
• Excellent armor!
  
• Great APHE shells.
  
• Average mobility.
  
• Poor gun elevation/depression.
  

Vehicle History
[expand]
The design team at the Chelyabinsk plant aimed to create an assault tank on the KV-1 chassis and considered multi-barrel layout schemes. One of these options was a prototype with the U-13 gun system for placing one 76 mm F-34 gun and two 45 mm 20-K guns into the turret. In view of the difficult situation at the front and the urgent need for an armored vehicle with increased firepower, work proceeded rapidly.

The first prototype was produced in December 1941, and the assembly of a test batch began almost immediately afterward. Field tests were conducted on January 5th 1942 in Mytishchi near Moscow. The three-barreled KV-7 demonstrated low accuracy due to the poor design of the breech frame and the inaccuracy of the sight, which did not take into account the significant difference between the ballistics of the guns. As a result, having received the test results, Joseph Stalin himself personally ordered that further development of the three-barreled version be abandoned. The rest is history.
[/expand]



[h2]Meet the KV-7![/h2]

For War Thunder’s birthday, we’ve selected a suitable and special vehicle, the three-barreled Soviet KV-7 U-13 premium tank as the main reward in the Dreams Come True event! Let’s dive into the strengths and weaknesses of this interesting monstrosity.



A quick look at the KV-7 will reveal that its main difference from regular tank destroyers lies in its armament. The KV-7 is equipped with a 76 mm F-34 cannon, familiar from early T-34 tanks, along with a pair of 45 mm 20-K cannons which were used in pre-war light tanks of the USSR, such as the BT-7, BT-5, and T-26. All three cannons can fire simultaneously, and despite the differences in ballistics, at short and medium ranges the shells from the three cannons still group together quite well.

If you’re an experienced Soviet ground forces player, you’ve likely mastered the excellent BR-350 rounds fired from the 76 mm cannon. Yeah, sometimes they might not have enough armor penetration for the heavier tanks, but any penetration causes a large explosion and significant damage to internal modules and crew. Because of this, it would be a wise idea to prioritize these shells as the main ammunition type for the KV-7, and load the 45 mm guns with, say, APCR or APBC rounds. The KV-7 features a variety of ammunition options for taking out various opponents, from lightly armored targets to the more heavily armored beasts, so make sure to select the right rounds for the job as some may not be as effective as others depending on the situation.



What about armor? The KV-7 inherits its hull protection from the KV-1. This means it has well-protected sides, and frontal hull armor over 100 mm thick with the additional plating. The front of the casemate itself is also 100 mm thick, comprised of a 25 mm plate on top of a 75 mm plate, along with a sturdy gun mantlet. Having said this, the KV-1’s weakpoints are still present on the KV-7, primarily the drivers port and flat casemate front. Like the KV-1, the KV-7 benefits from angling its chassis to increase survivability — however unlike a regular tank, doing this will make it harder to fire back as the KV-7 has limited firing angles. This tactic though can be used effectively to bait a shot before turning back and bearing down all three guns upon your enemy.



In terms of mobility the KV-7 performs as expected, being similar to the KV-1. The speed is average but sufficient enough to allow it to get into positions and fight the enemy aggressively when needed.

The premium KV-7 U-13 is the main reward for the Dreams Come True event which begins today! Overall the KV-7 is going to fit in well with Soviet ground forces lineups at ranks II-III. For players who would like to start their research of Soviet vehicles, the KV-7 presents the perfect opportunity to research ranks I to IV.

[h3]Click here to find out more details about the Dreams Come True event[/h3]

Boo! Happy Halloween! Thanks for submitting your screenshots - They looked fantastic. A lot has been going on, and there is more to come! This week- take a picture of something with a piston-powered engine! This can be a picture of an early biplane, or even a few modern vehicles- but nothing with a jet or turbine engine. The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 144th edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen144. You have time until the 8th of November 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 feature a vehicle with a piston engine.
You must add the #WTscreen144 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 143rd edition – Quite a Fright![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354907105
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354940231
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3355864750

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3357511627
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3355157712
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3356115725

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

A unique take on the Mi-24 from South Africa — meet a new attack helicopter landing in the British helicopter tree, the Super Hind!

[h2]Super Hind: A Squadron Vehicle Attack Helicopter for Great Britain at Rank VI[/h2]
At a glance:

• Ingwe Tandem ATGMs!
  
• Optical-electronic countermeasures.
  
• Exhaust screen suppressors.
  
• Traversable 20 mm cannon.
  
• No air-to-air missiles.
  

Vehicle History
[expand]
The Super Hind modernization program for the Mi-24 family of helicopters was developed by South African company Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE). The goal of the program was to extensively upgrade and retrofit the helicopter in order to equip it with advanced weaponry and improve its adaptability on the modern battlefield. It received extensive enhancements to its navigation systems, which enabled all-weather round-the-clock operation. 

First in line for the Super Hind was the Algerian Air Force, which signed a contract in 1999 to modernize 40 of their Mi-24V models. Later, helicopters from Bulgaria and Azerbaijan were also modernized under the Super Hind program.
[/expand]

[h2]Meet the Super Hind![/h2]

The legendary Mi-24 “Crocodile” has received a noticeable upgrade in the form of the new Super Hind and is especially optimized for Ground Battles, featuring all new tandem ATGMs. In addition to this, South African engineers completely redesigned the front part of the Mi-24, where a sighting system and 20 mm autocannon with boxes for belts are located. Let’s take a look at this new squadron vehicle coming to the Firebirds major update!



After starting out with familiar rockets found on the Mi-24, such as the default S-8KO (of which there are 80) and S-24, the Super Hind is able to unlock up to eight INGWE anti-tank guided missiles. If you’ve ever used the South African ZT3A2 Ratel vehicle, you’ll be familiar with these missiles. They’re powerful and are located under the Super Hind’s wings and can engage targets up to 5 km away with pinpoint accuracy thanks to the help of excellent optics, speed and resistance to jamming. So, once they hit, what kind of damage can you expect? A lot! This missile can punch through 1000 mm of armor, and combining this with the tandem warhead means there’s not much that can withstand a hit from the INGWE.

Did you know? INGWE is the Zulu word for Leopard, it’s quite a rare sight to see a Leopard and a Crocodile working together in harmony!



The standard machine gun mounted in the nose of many Soviet Mi-24 models has been replaced with a rapid-firing 20 mm GI2 cannon equipped with AP rounds. These are highly effective for destroying light targets at close range, and can even punch through the roof of many MBTs. The cannon is fully traversable and can lock onto targets accurately even while performing maneuvers.

While the Super Hind is an adept hunter when it comes to ground vehicles, it can’t boast as much ability when confronted with airborne threats. This helicopter can’t carry any air-to-air missiles, so it must rely on its vast array of countermeasure systems and autocannon with automatic target tracker to fend off enemies in the air. While it lacks offense in this area, it’s thankfully not lacking in defense, being equipped with a large number of chaff and flares, exhaust screen suppressors, and optical-electronic jamming systems.



Like other squadron vehicles, the Super Hind can be obtained for free by playing the game while in a squadron and earning activity points. Though, if you can’t wait to fly this South African Croc, you can always purchase it directly with Golden Eagles. The Super Hind will be available in the next major update at rank VI in the British helicopter tree, where it will complement IFVs and the early Challenger 1 MBTs nicely in lineups.



That’s all for today! We hope you look forward to giving this helicopter a spin in the Firebirds update, until then, keep checking in for more devblogs and happy hunting!

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

Today, the Dreams Come True event featuring the KV-7 as the main reward has started! While exciting as it is, it’s War Thunder’s 12th birthday this year, so we wanted to spice it up a bit for you. We’re happy to announce a few side activities related to the KV-7 and the game’s anniversary!

[h3]KV-7 Dreams Come True Event Details[/h3]

Your eyes don’t deceive you — there’s now a chance to win the famous IS-7. As it’s War Thunder’s 12th anniversary, we’re giving away IS-7 heavy tanks during our anniversary stream to 12 lucky winners through earned tickets during a new event. Read on!

[h2]Introducing the “Chasing the Older Brother” Event![/h2]

When: From November 15th (11:00 GMT) until November 18th (11:00 GMT), earn mission points in the “Chasing the Older Brother” event and get tickets for a chance to win the famous IS-7, added directly to your account.

The “Chasing the Older Brother” is an event with arcade levels of difficulty where everyone plays in a KV-7 vs KV-7 mode with no aircraft set on “classic” small maps: [Domination] Kuban, [Domination] Poland, [Domination] Eastern Europe, [Domination] Abandoned Factory, [Domination] Karelia, [Domination #1] Mozdok, [Domination] Advance to the Rhine, [Domination] Sinai, [Domination] Volokolamsk. Everyone has 3 respawns.

To participate in the Chasing the Older Brother event you need to own the KV-7, which is obtainable during the Dreams Come True event.

You can find this event under Events & Tournaments from the hangar.

[h2]Tickets[/h2]
Let’s see what tickets are. 1 ticket is given for every 5,000 mission points earned in the “Chasing the Older Brother” event. Tickets are limited to 5 per day (a new day starts at 11:00 GMT), so the maximum amount of tickets you can acquire is 15.

You can track your daily progress by heading to your Profile > Achievements > “Chasing the older brother” section. Each ticket that you earn will have its own unique ID in your inventory.

A link to the full list of player IDs and ticket IDs will be added to this news after the event ends and before the anniversary stream starts. It will be removed after two weeks.

Read below to see how tickets give you a chance to win the IS-7.

[h2]Tickets & How they can win you the IS-7 on the Anniversary Stream[/h2]

How do earned tickets convert into a chance to win the IS-7? On November 22nd (16:00 GMT), we’re going to host an anniversary stream where among other things, this giveaway will take place with Mike and Tom being the hosts.

[h3]OFFICIAL TWITCH CHANNEL[/h3]

Each ticket that you have will enter you into the giveaway draw. The more tickets you have, the higher chance you have of winning.

[h3]12 different winners will be drawn on stream — each will win the IS-7, added directly to their account! If a winner already owns the IS-7, we’ll contact them later to choose any pack from the Gaijin Store and another winner for the IS-7 will be redrawn on the stream.[/h3]

[h2]Twitch Drops![/h2]
Twitch Drops will be available for the entire weekend on a select amount of content creator Twitch channels as well as the Official WT Channel during the anniversary giveaway stream. The exact channels can be seen on Twitch under the “Drops & Rewards” section. Be sure to watch to earn yourself some goodies!

Login to your Twitch account → link your Gaijin account → click “Allow” to be able to receive Twitch Drops!