War Thunder News

A modern Chinese SPAAG, equipped with radar and domestic versions of the well-known Oerlikon KDA anti-air cannons.

In War Thunder, the PGZ-09 will be a new SPAAG unit arriving in the top ranks of the Chinese ground forces tree with the release of the major update. Equipped with domestic versions of the familiar 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannons and a radar system, the PGZ-09 is set to expand the Chinese SPAA line into the modern era!

As already mentioned, the PGZ-09 comes fitted with a pair of PG99-35-2 35 mm cannons which are in essence domestic versions of the well-known Oerlikon KDA cannons tankers are already most familiar with from vehicles such as the German Gepard or British Chieftain Marksman. Known for their excellent ballistic properties and high rate of fire, the PG99-35-2 cannons can even do serious damage to some armored vehicles with the appropriate ammunition loaded yet alone to fragile aerial targets, especially considering that the vehicle has access to a sophisticated radar detection and targeting system. It is worth mentioning that the vehicle has very limited acces to AP rounds - only 20 per gun.





The PGZ-09 will be arriving in War Thunder as part of the “Red Skies” major update and will be available for research to all tankers as a new Chinese rank VI SPAA unit. Be sure to stay tuned to the news to find out more about what the upcoming update has in store for you. Until then, happy hunting tankers!

Check out the full Dev Blog article here!

An Italian prototype jet fighter of the early Cold War era, distinguished by excellent flight characteristics and devastating firepower.

In War Thunder, the Sagittario 2 will be a new jet fighter awaiting all pilots at the higher ranks of the Italian aviation tree. Combining superb flight characteristics with lethal firepower makes the Sagittario 2 a very focused jet fighter and one which should quickly find fans among already seasoned jet jockeys in particular!

Glancing over the Sagittario 2’s visual appearance, in particular its streamlined fuselage and swept wings, already gives off a strong impression that this aircraft was built with performance in mind. And the aircraft’s performance figures certainly back up this sensation! Powered by a single Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.9 turbojet engine - the same one used on modifications of the well-known British Gloster Meteor fighter - the Sagittario 2 can reach a top speed of 1,050 km/h at sea level. However, being an early Cold War era jet fighter means that the Sagittario 2 doesn’t come equipped with an afterburner, resulting in worse acceleration than some newer aircraft.





The Sagittario 2 will soon join the high ranks of the Italian aviation tree as a new jet fighter awaiting all pilots with the release of the next major update Red Skies. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news as we continue showcasing what other exciting new additions await you in the upcoming update. Until then, clear skies pilots!

Check out the full Dev Blog article here!

The T-80BVM will become the new top tier MBT in the heavy tanks branch of the Soviet tech tree with the release of the upcoming ‘Red Skies” update. The T-80BVM is in many ways similar to the T-80U - the cannon and machine guns, a similar hull upper plate structure, so it's much more interesting to talk about the differences - and there are many of them!



The main and most noticeable difference is the new explosive "Relikt" reactive armor. ERA blocks cover the turret, frontal and side projections of the hull. This is a further development of the already good "Kontakt V", which gives increased protection against shaped charge ammunition (including those with a tandem warhead), and also significantly increases the protection against kinetic projectiles. Taking into account the passive armor of the hull and turret, the final protection of the T-80BVM in the most protected areas is virtually invincible to chemical rounds and extremely difficult to overcome even for the more advanced APFSDS shells - apart for the best ones in the game and hits at "right" angles at short and medium distances. The "Relikt" is certainly an excellent defense, but even that doesn't make the tank invulnerable. Firstly, the T-80BVM has several vulnerable zones in the frontal projection, not covered by reactive armor - especially in the area of ​​the mantlet and turret ring. Secondly, on the turret, these blocks are quite large, and after their loss, the T-80BVM can not stand any AP shot from top tier vehicles.



Soviet tankers will also be pleased with the new APFSDS round - this is the 3BM60, whose armor penetration characteristics are close to the best Western models. In addition to them, the T-80BVM has devastating 9M119M1 ATGM’s with a tandem warhead, good 3BM42 fin-stabilized round, high-explosive fragmentation and shaped charge shells. A very worthy arsenal!

The T-80BVM is equipped with a 1,250 hp gas turbine engine, which is pretty good. The new "eighty" does not set speed records, but it won’t weave at the tail either... until it drives forward. Alas, the plague of the Soviet topends, the low reverse speed, may certainly sometimes be the rotten apple to spoil the barrel. But notably, the T-80BVM reverse speed of 12 kph is still higher than T-72’s or T-90’s.



Well, let's summarize. T-80BVM is a new full-fledged top tier tank of the "eighties" family, with its own advantages and disadvantages. New ERA protection makes the tank almost invulnerable in the frontal projection against aviation and helicopter guided missiles and impudent ATGM carriers. The tank is noticeably more die-hard than its classmates, but the vehicle certainly has its own vulnerabilities, especially in the front projection of the turret. There is no panoramic sight for the commander, but there is an up-to-date fire control system with all required functions and duplicate controls- very useful with the new function of commander sights. The T-80BVM is well armed: finally, the top-tier Soviet has an effective APFSDS, and the branded tandem missiles are still extremely effective. All in all, the vehicle is definitely interesting and worthy of research.

Look for the T-80BVM at the very top of the USSR ground vehicles lineup very soon, with the release of the “Red Skies” update! See you in battle!

A late 1990s Italian IFV sporting good mobility and outfitted with cutting-edge weapon systems and munitions.

In War Thunder, the Dardo IFV will soon be joining the ranks of the Italian ground forces tree as a much anticipated new light tank awaiting all tankers in the upcoming major update Red Skies. Extremely mobile and packing a serious punch with its advanced weapon systems, the Dardo IFV will quickly gain a reputation as being another formidable adversary to face in top tier ground battles!

As is commonplace for modern IFVs, Dardo’s primary armament too consists of an autocannon in the shape of the fully stabilized 25 mm Oerlikon KBA. The weapon sounds familiar? That’s because it’s the same cannon as found on the SIDAM 25 SPAAG. However, while the SIDAM 25’s anti-tank capabilities are rather limited, tankers won’t need to worry about the same with Dardo. Namely, as far as the cannon is concerned, Dardo has access to a more powerful APFSDS round, allowing it to deal damage even to more heavily armored targets at close ranges.





Being a highly anticipated vehicle by fans of Italian armored vehicles, the Dardo IFV will finally be making its way to War Thunder as part of the next major update Red Skies and will await all tankers at the top ranks of the Italian ground forces tree. In the meantime, stay tuned to the news as we continue unveiling what other exciting new features will await you in the upcoming update. Until then, happy hunting tankers!

Check out the full Dev Blog article here!

[h3]A new naval location designed for dynamic firefights with the coastal fleet![/h3]

The ocean flooded cargo terminal, vehicle overpasses and the downtown of an Asian seaside metropolis. It is here, with the roar of engines and the clang of machine-gun belts, boats and patrol ships from the War Thunder coastal fleets will clash in battle! We present a new location for naval battles “Drowned City”, that will appear in the game with the release of the upcoming major update “Red Skies”!

We originally created this location specifically for the mosquito fleet of War Thunder - there are many shelters made from containers scattered by flooding, ship skeletons, heaps of garbage, road junctions and trees shrouded in sea mud. Aviation will maneuver between tall skyscrapers, looking for an obvious boat whilst hiding from anti-aircraft guns.



To create this location, we were inspired by the views of the coastal cities of South-East Asia, especially Hong Kong. Its an amazing location between the mountains and the sea, as well as characteristic skyscrapers with holes (“dragon gates” - according to Feng Shui, through these openings in buildings dragons from the mountains descend to the sea) largely determined the appearance of the “Drowned City”.