War Thunder News

The Swedish Home Guard was founded on May 29th, 1940, as World War II was heating up. Sweden managed to remain neutral, so the Home Guard never participated in battles. Today 20 000 people are still ready to join the ranks by the Command’s decree — and sometimes help out with rescue missions and police work.

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From May 26th (12:00 GMT) until May 30th (12:00 GMT)

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[h3]Play 3 battles using Swedish vehicles (rank III or higher, with an activity of not less than 70%) to receive the “Coat of Arms of the Swedish Home Guard” decal.[/h3]

“Coat of Arms of the Swedish Home Guard” decal.

Complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions and [Assault] mode.

Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Swedish Home Guard Day.

You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customisation menu.



[h2]SAV 20.12.48 temporarily on sale[/h2]


To commemorate this day, experimental Swedish SPG SAV 20.12.48 will be back for sale for Golden Eagles for the duration of the event. It’s very mobile, able to put up a smokescreen to retreat safely, and its 120 mm cannon reloads in a blink of an eye — in merely 1.2 seconds!

The Israel Defense Forces were created on May 26th, 1948, during the Arab-Israeli War, uniting the existing paramilitary groups. They began with no aircraft and with merely three tanks, but soon evolved into one of the most professional and well-armed armies in the world. In all conflicts involving Israel Defense Forces they emerged victorious.

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From May 26th (9:00 GMT) until May 30th (9:00 GMT)

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[h3]Play 3 battles using Israeli vehicles (rank III or higher, with an activity of not less than 70%) to receive the “Israel Defense Forces” decal.[/h3]

“Israel Defense Forces” decal.

Complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions and [Assault] mode.

Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Israel Defense Forces Anniversary.

You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customisation menu.



[h2]Discounts on Israeli vehicles[/h2]


Israel Defense Forces Day bundle: 30% off

• Ezer Weizman's Spitfire Pack;
  
• M-51 Pack.
  

We prepared a discounted bundle of a tank and a fighter plane to commemorate this anniversary! Ground vehicles are represented by the Super Sherman — a medium tank on a reliable M4A3 chassis equipped with a 105 mm gun with AP shells capable of piercing 400 mm of armor! And for aircraft fans there’s a Spitfire LF Mk.IX that was flown in the 1940s by Ezer Weizman, an ace pilot who later led the Israeli Air Force and even became the country’s President. This fighter with powerful 20 mm autocannons is capable of impressive vertical maneuvers and also boasts decent suspended weaponry.

[h2]To purchase, click Shop > Online Store whilst in the in-game hangar.[/h2]

The new J-8F is an upgraded version of the famous Chinese jet fighter, equipped with helmet-mounted sight and advanced weapons! Meet one of the champions of the upcoming La Royale update!

[h2]J-8F, jet fighter, China, rank VIII[/h2]

Features:

• New fire control system
  
• High max speed and climb rate
  
• Deadly all-aspect PL-8 missiles
  
• Drains energy in turn-fighting
  

The modern J-8F jet fighter will become China's new top-tier aircraft, which will be available in the upcoming La Royale major update. Today we will tell you about this wonderful aircraft, and also reveal the plans of the War Thunder development team for long-range air combat missiles.

So, the new J-8 series aircraft comes as a remedy for those imperfections the previous model the J-8B had. The J-8F received modern avionics - a new, more reliable and sensitive radar, as well as a new fire control system, which includes not only the HUD, but also the pilot's visor. From the previous model, the new J-8F receives very good PL-5B missiles, however, the new all-aspect PL-8 with a launch range of up to 18 km will become the main weapon for air combat. The high G-tolerance of the PL-8 missiles, combined with convenient sight via a helmet-mounted targeting system, make the J-8F one of the best interceptors in War Thunder.

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The J-8F is known to carry the PL-12 BVRAAMs (beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles), but adding them to the game would mean the J-8F has a significant advantage over all opponents on the battlefield. Our team also had the idea to equip the fighter with PL-11 missiles as a placeholder, but such missiles could not be used on the J-8F due to lack of the target illumination radar. Therefore, we decided to introduce a set of 6 PL-8 missiles for the J-8F, which make the aircraft an excellent duellist at medium and close distances. The PL-12 missiles, same as other medium-range active seeker missiles for fighters of other game nations, will appear in War Thunder at the same time in one of the future game updates.

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The J-8F is also equipped with new engines with slightly better thrust ratings. The fast fighter becomes a little faster - now its maximum speed at high altitude is about 2350 km/h (~M 2.25). In the La Royale update, both J-8 aircraft will also receive differential elevator deflection, which significantly improves roll speed. Excellent maneuverability for its weight, one of the distinguishing features of the series, has become even better! It is worth remembering however that the aircraft tends to bleed speed quickly in sharp turns, so altitude and speed are still the key to success for the J-8F.

Despite its primary purpose as an interceptor, the J-8F can also be used in mixed battles. To kill armored vehicles, the fighter is equipped with new high drag bombs and Type 90-1 HEAT rocket pods. As usual, the weapon configurator will help the pilot to configure the aircraft for any combat mission!



The J-8F fighter, nicknamed “Handsome Sky Lad” in China, will be added to rank VIII of the Chinese aviation tech tree in the La Royale update, which is almost ready. We can’t wait, just like you!

[h2]Aircraft SB [Enduring Confrontation][/h2]

• The accuracy of SPAA vehicles in vehicle convoys and in the fields of ground battles has been reduced.
  

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

The BTR-80A armored personnel carrier is one of the iconic vehicles originating from the Soviet army. Meet the workhorse of the Russian motorized infantry in the incoming La Royale update!

[h2]BTR-80A, light tank, USSR, rank IV[/h2]

Features:

• 30mm auto-cannon
  
• High max speed
  
• Amphibious
  
• Huge profile
  
• Poor armor
  

The BTR-80A comes to the game as a new Soviet mid-rank light tank. The iconic profile of the APC will appear in the hangars of Soviet tankers with the La Royale update!

The BTR-80A armored personnel carrier was designed for delivering troops to the combat area and providing them with fire support, including against lightly armored vehicles. The vehicle is armed with a 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon and armor-piercing shells with a maximum penetration of about 60mm. The gun has a good rate of fire, heats up slowly and is fed by belts.



The 8x8 design allows the BTR-80A to perform well even on soft terrain. On paved roads the BTR-80A can reach speeds of up to 87 km/h.

The cons of this APC are its size and poor protection. The long hull and high profile make the BTR-80A visible from afar and hard to hide - and hiding is vital for this vehicle, since its armor can only protect against shrapnel and light machine guns. Any .50 machine-gun with armor-piercing bullets would pierce this giant quite easily.



However, the charisma of the legendary BTR-80A is much stronger than its shortcomings! In the La Royale update, we invite you to test the BTR-80A, as well as dozens of other new vehicles, in which you will be able to see new locations, new game features and improvements to your favorite game!