War Thunder News

The Aigle destroyer sporting deadly cannons and great torpedoes comes as the first French ship to be added to the game in a special early access pack!

[h2]Aigle, destroyer, France, Rank II, premium vehicle.[/h2]
Features:

• High-caliber cannons
  
• Good mobility
  
• Punchy torpedoes
  
• Light protection
  

In War Thunder, Aigle will be among the first French warships arriving in naval battles as part of the next major update. Sporting excellent firepower and mobility, Aigle will not only bring with it another distinct ship design philosophy to naval battles but will also herald the arrival of the remainder of the French naval forces in a future update!



We are pleased to announce an open beta-testing of the French navy scheduled for one of the following updates. Right now you’re able to purchase a special early access pack containing the Aigle destroyer, Premium days, Golden Eagles and guaranteed access to the testing immediately after it starts. Until then you’ll be able to master your French crews in battles. Each early access ship has 3 respawns in Arcade and Realistic modes. So, let’s take a closer look at the Aigle, shall we?

Contrary to destroyers of most other nations, Aigle (French for “Eagle”) features a rather heavy primary arsenal. In fact, being armed with five 138 mm guns forming its main battery brings the Aigle almost on par with some of the earliest cruisers present in the game. However, while the guns will certainly have a good punch to them and offer favorable ballistics, their larger caliber will also result in a slower rate of fire.



On the other hand, captains won’t have to charge into battle relying solely on the ship’s main guns. Further augmenting the arsenal are four single and a pair of twin 37 mm and two twin 13.2 mm turrets. Apart from the direct fire weapons, the ship is also fitted with two triple 550 mm torpedo launchers, each torpedo contains 310 kg of TNT explosives. Overall, Aigle can certainly be considered as a well equipped destroyer, capable of becoming a serious threat even to larger vessel types if given the chance to do so.



Aigle is rather nimble and mobile, but lacks any noticeable protection. As for other destroyers in the game, movement means life for this ship, and a sudden stop or damage to the rudder usually ends in a quick return to the hangar. Move, maneuver and strike enemies with the powerful main battery and torpedoes - that's Aigle's tactics in naval battles.

The Aigle will be your lucky ticket to start exploring the interesting navy of France. Place your order for the Early Access Packs and be among the first captains of France in War Thunder!

The launch of the French Navy OBT is scheduled in one of the next major updates after the release of the “Sky Guardians” update.

[h2]The Aigle Pack can be pre-ordered from the Gaijin Store.[/h2]

A special forces helicopter originating from the commercial model offers mind-blowing agility and a lethal arsenal of weapons!

[h2]AH-6M, attack helicopter, USA, rank VI[/h2]
Features:

• Perfect handling and speed
  
• Thermal vision
  
• Hellfire II missiles
  
• Very vulnerable
  

AH-6M is a new attack helicopter that will land in the US hangars with the release of the upcoming major update. The mean Little Bird with its perfect handling and excellent armament will definitely become the new favorite of the most skilled War Thunder pilots!

The AH-6M will be one of the lightest and most compact helicopters in the game. With a take-off weight of just over 2 tons, the machine has a very powerful Allison T63-A series engine with a 650 hp thrust. The helicopter smoothly and quickly accelerates to the speed of over 240 km/h, maneuvers perfectly and is able to instantly hide behind trees and buildings or duck in the terrains.



Right out of the box, the pilot will have at their disposal, rifle-caliber “miniguns” and Hydra unguided rockets in 2x19 pods. This weapon is enough to start mastering close-range combat in mixed battles and hone any piloting skill. After several battles, pilots will be able to improve the engine and rotor, research thermal vision devices, high-caliber machine gun pods and small APKWS II missiles that can be used against light targets from distances up to 5 km. The pinnacle of the AH-6M arsenal will be the excellent Hellfire II ATGMs with a tandem warhead, capable of wiping out any tank in the battlefield. Hellfires will allow pilots to try new tactics with flanking an enemy group, hunting for enemy helicopters, and so on. All in all, Little Bird offers a really good variety of combat tactics poured with liters of adrenaline!



The disadvantages of the helicopter are obvious from its design - huge windshield and light weight with no any armor either for the pilots or for the engine and tanks. Researchable body armor might protect the brave crew only from a pair of rifle-caliber bullets. Any burst towards the helicopter from a heavy machine gun or autocannon almost always means a quick return to the hangar.

The AH-6M Little Bird and other amazing new vehicles are waiting for you in the first War Thunder major update of 2023. Follow the news and be the first to know about the most interesting content from the update! Stay tuned!

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Prepare yourself for the Sky Guardians!

The new Defender tournament series with a total prize pool of 184,300 Golden Eagles will take place from February 25th until March 2nd. You can participate in any of 16 tournaments or in several if you like. Winners will receive Starter Packs of their choice, “Protector of Sparta” decals, titles, Golden Eagles, and other valuable prizes.

You may find the complete list of tournaments here, and join the ones you wish to participate in.

[h2]“Shields” Decoration Collection[/h2]

From February 22nd (14:00 GMT) until February 27th (7:00 GMT)

Win 5 battles using USSR vehicles (rank III or higher, with an activity of not less than 70%) to receive the “Pelta Shield” decoration.
“Pelta Shield” decoration.


From February 22nd until February 27th “Shields” trophy containing 3D decorations “Shield”, “Round Shield”, “Round Shield (Lion)”, “Gallic Shield”, “Pavise Shield”, and “Pelta Shield” will be available for purchase for Golden Eagles in the item shop.

Each purchase of the trophy will get you a decoration you don’t yet have.

Collect all six “Shields” decorations and receive the seventh decoration “Heraldic Shield”.
Read more about the Collections on the wiki.
“Heraldic Shield” decoration.

[h2]Premium Vehicles Back on Sale[/h2]

From February 22nd until February 27th premium vehicles from the USSR research tree will be available for purchase for Golden Eagles:

• KV-1E
• T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.)
• Pe-2 205 “Peshka”
• IL-2M “Avenger”

USS Nevada is the lead ship of her class of two battleships built for the U.S. Navy in the years prior to the outbreak of WWI. Featuring a plethora of naval innovations and setting a standard for coming U.S. battleships, captains in War Thunder will have the chance to take command of the iconic USS Nevada as it arrives in the game as part of the next major update!

Briefly: An innovative American dreadnought battleship design packing heavy firepower coupled with a highly effective armor scheme.

[h2]USS Nevada (BB-36), battleship, USA, Rank V[/h2]
Features:

• Superior firepower
  
• Excellent anti-air protection
  
• Strong protection
  
• Low mobility
  
• Scout plane
  

In War Thunder, USS Nevada will be a new battleship arriving to the top rank of the American bluewater fleet as part of the next major update. Joining the U.S. Navy in her late war configuration, USS Nevada offers her aspiring captains not only extremely potent firepower and excellent protection, but also a highly effective anti-air arsenal - a feature which most other top capital American warships were missing up until now.



USS Nevada represents the first American battleship to be equipped with triple turrets, which seasoned captains in War Thunder may recognize from USS Arizona - the direct successor to USS Nevada. While not as heavily armed as the familiar USS Arizona, USS Nevada still features an impressive primary armament of ten 14’’ (356 mm) cannons, capable of posing a significant threat to even heavily protected hostile ships. Main armament aside however, USS Nevada manages to completely overshadow its successor when it comes to its secondary and anti-air weapons! Namely, the ship is outfitted with eight 5’’/38 cal twin turrets complemented by eight quadruple 40 mm Bofors cannons as well as up to 40 20 mm cannons in single turret configuration. Because of such a versatile arsenal, USS Nevada is a true floating fortress, capable of inflicting heavy damage both to enemy surface units as well as incoming aircraft.

Fun Fact: USS Nevada’s design was so innovative at the time that it set a new construction standard for all subsequent American battleships.

However, it’s not just firepower which makes USS Nevada such a formidable opponent. Being a battleship inherently results in the warship being equipped with some serious protection in order to be able to withstand tremendous damage during intense gunnery duels. So let’s take a look at her armor scheme, shall we? Being the first American warship to adopt the so-called ‘all or nothing’ armor layout means that USS Nevada features extremely thick armor plating around her most vital components, such as her machinery, magazines and command centers, while the remaining sections feature virtually no protection at all. As a result, USS Nevada boasts an up to 13.5’’ (343 mm) thick armored belt while her turrets are protected by up to 18’’ (457 mm) of armor. As a result of its heavy protection and firepower, USS Nevada will become a true brawler in naval battles.



On the other hand though, USS Nevada’s excellent characteristics also come at the cost of heavily impacting the ship’s displacement. This means that the warship can’t boast about excellent mobility, being only able to attain a top speed of slightly over 20 kts (37 km/h), thus leading to cumbersome maneuvering during combat.

USS Nevada has set course for War Thunder naval battles and is due to dock in player ports with the release of the next major update. In the meantime, keep your binoculars at hand and keep scanning the news section as we continue to release new info on the upcoming update. Until then, calm seas, captains!