War Thunder News

The new Battle Pass season celebrates the French Foreign Legion, a military unit made up mostly of foreigners. This season’s top reward is the M46 Patton medium tank — Pattons were the last foreign tanks used by France, hence the name of The Last Legionnaire!

To receive Battle Pass rewards, you’ll need to regularly log into the game and complete tasks and challenges to progress. Each level of the Battle Pass will earn you a reward, be it a player icon, loading screen, title, decals, decorations, or premium vehicles!

Please note: We’ve created a trophy for premium vehicles that includes three Battle Pass rewards from previous seasons that were not available on the marketplace, as well as one event vehicle. Opening this trophy will guarantee you either the Type T-51a, Voroshilov, LVT-4/40 or Type K-8 No.13i, if you don’t have them currently. If you have them all, you’ll receive Silver Lions and a “Collector Golden Battles Wager” instead.

The maximum reward for this wager is 1,000 Golden Eagles. To receive it, you need to win 12 battles using rank III and higher vehicles while destroying at least one player vehicle in each match. If you lose your match or don’t destroy a player three times, the wager will be over and the reward corresponding to the progress made will be given to you.



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When: January 22nd until April 23rd.

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[h2]This Season’s Rewards![/h2]

A new season means a new set of rewards! The full list can be found in the Battle Pass window or on our Wiki. Here are the main ones for Season 18:

[h2]Trophy containing previous vehicles[/h2]
Get vehicles from past Battle Passes or events: Type T-51a, Voroshilov, LVT-4/40 or Type K-8 No.13

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Opening this trophy will give you one vehicle from the list. If you have them all, you’ll receive Silver Lions and a “Collector Golden Battles Wager” instead.

[h2]SB2C-5 (Thailand)[/h2]
A Premium Dive Bomber for Japan at Rank III

A high-speed bomber with good secondary weapons at its rank. Various bombs and torpedoes, rockets and machine gun pods make the SB2C-5 relevant in any mode!

More details here.



[h2]M46 Patton (France)[/h2]
A Premium Medium Tank for France at Rank IV

The M46 Patton in service with France is an agile and mobile sniper with an excellent range of shells to use in various combat situations.

More details here.




[h2]Decals[/h2]







[h2]Decorations[/h2]



[h2]Profile Icon[/h2]

Foreign Legion Sapper


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All Rewards and Challenges for Season 18

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[h3]About the Battle Pass[/h3]

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If you’ve got two Coupon Upgrades from stages in the previous season, then you can claim the new Battle Pass for free! Exchange them in the purchase menu of The Last Legionnaire season.

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The Battle Pass is a seasonal event where players can earn many rewards, from Silver Lions and boosters to exclusive season prizes: decorations, profile icons and premium vehicles. The rules are simple: you earn progress points and use them to unlock new stages, earning valuable prizes in the process.

You can unlock new stages and receive awards at any time during the season.


You can access the “Battle Pass” window through the promo block on the right side of the hangar screen.

[h3]How to participate[/h3]
Play

• You get progress points every day for entering the game.
  
• From 1 to 5 points.
  

Complete Battle Tasks

• You can check your Battle Tasks in the game. Complete them and receive progress points.
  
• From 2 to 5 points.
  

Complete Season Challenges

• One Challenge is available at the start of the season. Every week you get a new one, while three more can become available by unlocking stages.
  
• 30 points.
  

Learn more about the Battle Pass

[h2]Ground Vehicles[/h2]

• A bug where the mechanics of volumetric shells did not work in battle has been fixed. This has lead to some impossible penetrations in battles and some discrepancies in shell behavior from hits in battle and from the in-hangar analysis tools.
  

[h2]Interface[/h2]

• A bug where the squad marker did not work in Custom Battles has been fixed. (Report).
  

[h2]Other[/h2]

• Various improvements have been made to the stability of the game with the DX12 driver.
  
• A bug where camouflages viewed in the vehicle customization window remained selected, but would no longer be displayed after going to the Market or Wiki and then returning has been fixed.
  

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

We loved seeing the screenshots that you captured last week! This week is all about the smaller calibers. Victory with a big gun can be easy- it often takes skill and determination to achieve the same results with smaller ones. The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 155th edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen155. You have time until the 24th of January 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 an armament of 15mm caliber or less.
You must add the #WTscreen155 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 154th edition – Olden Times![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405446825
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3405451010
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3407020028

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3408355808
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3407708896
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3408935769

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

[h2]Aircraft[/h2]

• J7W1 — engine characteristics and the effect of the airspeed pressure at the altitude limit have been brought to the parameters of a similar engine, found on the A7M2. Max speed has been set to 740 km/h at 9200 m at 100% thrust. Weight has been adjusted and an issue that caused the landing gear elements to be visible through the wing in turns has been fixed. (Report).
  
• Rafale C F3 — turn speed has been adjusted according to available video materials by ～ +0.5...0.7 g/s. (Report).
  
• Rafale C F3 — landing roll has been reduced. (Report).
  
• EF-2000, Typhoon FGR.4, F-2000A — the RWR band coverage range has been extended to include K-band. (Report).
  
• F-15 (all variants) — a bug that caused the amount of specific types of countermeasures to show up on the MFD weaponry screen as the maximum possible amount instead of 0 if the player had taken 0 countermeasures of this type into battle has been fixed. (Report).
  
• Su-27 and other aircraft with ILS-31 HUD — an indication of the radar working in HDN mode has been added to the HUD. (Report).
  
• Su-27SM and other aircraft with ILS-31 HUD — a bug that caused all targets to show up in the HUD as selected ones in TWS mode has been fixed. (Report).
  

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

This is the FV4030/3, designed as an upgrade of the Chieftain tank for Iran. However with no deliveries fulfilled, the FV4030/3 later evolved into the Challenger 1 tank we all know and love.

[h2]FV4030/3 Shir 2: An Event Vehicle MBT for Great Britain at Rank VI[/h2]
At a glance:

• 120 mm gun with the L23 APFSDS shell.
  
• 1200 HP engine.
  
• Chobham composite armor.
  
• Lacking thermals.
  

Vehicle History
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In the 1970s, the Iranian Government put in an order to upgrade their existing Chieftain main battle tanks, specifically requesting better armor and a new engine. Development of new armor was carried out by the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE) in Chobham, Surrey. This development produced the FV4030/3 (Shir 2), which featured brand-new, state-of-the-art Chobham armor. This new armor development gave this tank a flat front hull, a completely new turret compared to the Chieftain — featuring flat cheeks instead of a steel cast front — and a new 1200 HP engine. The first prototypes built at ROF Leeds were shown in 1978 with delivery of production tanks ready for Iran in 1980. However, Iran’s order for 1,200 of these tanks was canceled in 1979 due to the Iranian Revolution and the fall of the Shah of Iran.

Having now developed a tank for a country that no longer wanted to purchase them, ROF Leeds found itself in urgent need of a new customer to sustain tank production. In parallel, the MBT-80 project, aimed at developing a new tank for the British Army to replace the Chieftain, was ongoing. Concerned that new Soviet tank designs were getting ahead, and with FV4030/3 production ready for completion but lacking further orders, the British Government decided to shift the FV4030/3 for the British Army, leading to the ultimate cancellation of the MBT-80 project. Further development of this tank was carried out to address the requirements of the British Army, and after a few years, the project resulted in the FV4030/4 Challenger 1 tank which entered service with the British Army in 1983.
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[h2]Introducing the FV4030/3 Shir 2[/h2]

Meet the FV4030/3, obtainable in the Enter the Serpent event. What is this tank exactly? Functionally it can be seen as a heavily upgraded Chieftain tank, but with a brand-new turret and hull, specifically designed for Iran. However, with the collapse of the Iran Government in 1979, no orders were taken, which led to the FV4030/3 being developed into the Challenger 1 for the British Army instead. Let’s take a closer look!



The FV4030/3 is a tank that comes between the Chieftain and Challenger 1 in terms of design and development, featuring a new engine (more on that below) and Chobham composite armor. This composite armor covers a range of the front of the tank, including the upper hull, turret cheeks and turret side. The most protected area is the flat turret cheeks, which can withstand the majority of APFSDS shells at its rank — however the upper and lower plate remain a large weakspot.

Did you know? “Shir” is Persian for “Lion”!



Retaining the great 120 mm L11A5 cannon from the Chieftain, the FV4030/3 can fire the L23 APFSDS round as well as HESH and APDS. The APFSDS shell should always be prioritized as the primary round for this tank, so be sure to focus your research efforts towards it! The excellent gun, which lacks a thermal imager, and main shell is complemented by a very handy laser rangefinder, perfect for long-range engagements — additionally, the FV4030/3 also features a coaxial and turret mounted 7.62 mm machine gun, along with smoke grenades.



As typical to most British Cold War tanks, the FV4030/3 doesn’t feature the most powerful engine in the world, with it being 1200 HP. Although, this is far better than the Chieftain’s and offers enough power to get this vehicle moving up to around 56 km/h, but in many cases won’t be as effective as similar contemporary tanks due to its weight. The playstyle of the FV4030/3 will be almost identical to the Challenger 1 Mk.2 — hunker down where possible, avoid showing the hull, and aim to engage at longer ranges. Or brawl if you’re brave!

That’s it for this one! You can obtain the FV4030/3 in the Enter the Serpent event which begins today. Check out the link below for more information!

Click here to find out more details about the Enter the Serpent event

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