War Thunder News

An improved Japanese Type 81 SAM System with multiple vehicles is coming in the next major update for Japan!

[h2]Tan-SAM kai: An SPAA (SAM) for Japan at Rank VIII[/h2]
At a glance:

• One fire control vehicle and two launchers!
  
• Two types of missiles: ARH and IR
  
• High speed
  
• Very large in size, with no armor
  

Vehicle History In 1966, the Japanese Technical Research Institute (TRDI) began developing a new short-range anti-aircraft missile system. After lengthy tests that ended in 1979, the system was accepted into service in 1980 under the designation Type 81 (Tan-SAM or SAM-1). It was based on the chassis of Isuzu Type 73 trucks and included two launchers with missiles and a control vehicle with a radar. In 1987, a modernized variant of the SAM-1B with an improved jam-resistant IR seeker made an appearance.

In 1989, a further modernization of the system began, called Tan-SAM Kai (SAM-1C). The updated variant was accepted into service in 1995 and used the SKW-475 chassis, new missiles with IR and radar seekers, as well as an autonomous sighting system on the launcher.

In the 2000s, some of the old launchers were upgraded to use SAM-1C missiles. A total of about 1,800 missiles were produced, and the vehicles themselves were in service with the Ground, Air and Maritime Self-Defense Forces of Japan.



[h2]Introducing the Tan-SAM kai![/h2]

The new mechanics of Multi-Vehicle SAM Systems will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the Type 81(C) system, a familiar vehicle if you’ve progressed through the Japanese ground forces tree. Today we’re presenting a newer Tan-SAM kai system, consisting of a radar vehicle and two launchers, plus an arsenal of new missiles, one of which features an active radar homing seeker (ARH). Let’s get right into it!



In the Leviathans major update for War Thunder, the Tan-SAM kai comes to the game using the brand-new Multi-Vehicle SAM System mechanic! It features three vehicles — a target acquisition and designation system (TADS) with a radar, and two missile launchers. This new vehicle solves one of the main problems with the Type 81 (C), which was its inability to detect air targets, thanks to the TADS vehicles. There are two types of missiles that the launchers are able to fire, including the familiar all-aspect Type 81C that has an IR head, photocontrast channel, good overloads and and jamming immunity, plus a new missile with an active radar homing head (ARH).

As we spoke about in the Multi-Vehicle SAM System blog, most of these new vehicles will be considered fully destroyed when the radar vehicle is lost — but the Tan-SAM kai is different! This is because the launcher vehicles can operate autonomously, without target designation from the radar vehicle — when the radar vehicle is destroyed or the radar has been turned off, then target designation for the ARH missiles is no longer possible. Despite this, you can still try to launch missiles towards a target in the hopes that the enemy will fall into the locking area of the homing head, as the Tan-SAM kai possess the “Maddog” ARH missile launch mode! Let us explain — when the missile is launched in the direction of a suspected enemy target, the missile may (or may not!) lock onto whoever is in the direction of flight and will go after them, including allied aircraft. Yeah, we can see how this one is going to work out! Make sure to be careful when using these missiles when you no longer have a radar vehicle or have turned off the radar.



The three vehicles that the Tan-SAM kai consists of are built on the chassis of a three-axle Isuzu Type 73 army truck. This truck has good driving abilities and can accelerate to almost 100 km/h. As you might have seen, the Tan-SAM kai is a large vehicle, making it vulnerable to attacks from the ground and air, plus there’s no real armor at all. When you spawn in, it would be a logical idea to place the vehicles at some distance from each other so that you avoid being taken out all at once.



That’s all for now! We’re waiting for the Leviathans major update to come out, and are getting ready to use Multi-Vehicle SAM Systems ourselves. Keep an eye out for more blogs and see you soon!

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

On June 5th 1967, the Six-Day War began, where Israeli M-51 Sherman tanks were used for the first time in combat. 15 years later on June 6th 1982, the Lebanon War started, where Merkava tanks were used for the first time, proving themselves against Syrian T-72s.

[h2]The M-51 (W) and Merkava Mk.2D are available for Golden Eagles and are back for good![/h2]
The M-51 (W) (rank IV) is available for 4880 Golden Eagles, and the Merkava Mk.2D (rank VI) is available for 8910 Golden Eagles! They are now back for good and will not be disappearing from purchase.

That’s not all, as until June 9th (11:00 GMT), both of these tanks have a 30% discount, allowing you purchase them for 3416 and 6237 Golden Eagles respectively!

[h3]

When: From June 4th (11:00 GMT).
Where: Israel > Army > Premium vehicles.

[/h3]

About these tanks

• The M-51 (W) tank utilizes an M4A3 chassis, providing improved frontal protection compared to an M4A1. Its armament consists of a French 105 mm gun, notable for firing a HEAT that has impressive penetration capability of up to 400 mm. Additionally, this tank is equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun, upgraded from a 7.62 mm.
  

• The Merkava Mk.2D is the newest variant of the Merkava Mk.2, boasting turret protection on par with the Mk.4. Armed with a 105 mm Sharir cannon, it includes a two-plane stabilizer and a laser rangefinder that automatically adjusts for distance, proving highly effective at long ranges. This tank is equipped with composite armor screens, smoke grenades, engine smoke, and a front-mounted engine that helps absorb incoming fire.
  

Today we’ll be covering the legendary Bismarck! One of the most famous battleships of all time with a fascinating story.

[h2]Bismarck: A Battleship for Germany at Rank VII[/h2]
At a glance:

• 380 mm (15 inch) guns
  
• Strong all-around armor layout
  
• High accuracy
  
• Limited anti-air protection
  

Vehicle History
Work on Bismarck began on July 1st 1936 at Blohm & Voss in Kiel, after several years she was launched on February 14th 1939. On May 18th 1941, she was sent out on her maiden voyage to the Atlantic together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in Operation Rheinübung. Several days later, the pair would encounter HMS Hood and the new battleship HMS Prince of Wales, along with heavy cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk. Hood as the pride of the Royal Navy was famously sunk by Bismarck after only five salvos, with Prince of Wales able to disengage after several hits.

The sinking of the Hood ignited a fierce pursuit by the entire Home Fleet of the Royal Navy. Despite the victory Bismarck was not unharmed, one of her boilers was in critical condition and she was listing starboard, which forced her to head back towards occupied France for repairs. After an inconsequential attack from the aircraft of HMS Victorious, the British lost contact with Bismarck. Only two days later however, she was detected again by a PBY Catalina. Shortly after her position was relayed, HMS Ark Royal launched several Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers to attack Bismarck, these old biplanes suffered no losses and scored several hits, with the most pivotal being to Bismarck’s rudder.

Unable to sail straight, Bismarck was cornered a British fleet of 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers and 8 destroyers. The battleships King George V and Rodney opened fire on Bismarck, which could not fire effectively due to her damaged control systems and crippled handling, rendering her useless. The British battleships fired around 700 shells of their main batteries at Bismarck, with the entire fleet firing around 2,800 shells in total. This onslaught turned the German battleship into a floating wreck within 90 minutes, but still did not sink. After orders were given to attack the German behemoth with torpedoes, it was already listing to the side and the deck was partly under water. At 10:40 on the May 27th Bismarck sank stern first. It’s still highly debated if the ship was ultimately sunk by scuttling from her own crew or from the damage. In 1989 the wreck was found in a depth of 4,800 m.




[h2]Introducing Bismarck![/h2]

The time has come to talk about Bismarck, perhaps Germany’s most famous ship and one of the most famous in history, ultimately being a true household name. This epic ship is joining the top ranks of the German Bluewater fleet in the next major update, so let’s take a look at what she can do.



First up, let’s talk about the guns! Bismarck is equipped with eight 380 mm guns, known for their high power and accuracy. While they aren’t as large as many contemporary main batteries, their accuracy even at long range is particularly impressive, her reload speed is great too, up to 2.6 rounds per minute — the fastest reload for the caliber!

Interesting: Bismarck gets her iconic name from German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck!



Bismarck can equip four primary shells, AP, and three HE types, regular, base fuse, and timed fuse for anti-aircraft. The AP rounds will be able to punch through just over 700 mm of armor max, with a decent helping of explosive filler. The base fuse HE will also form a nice middle ground between the AP and standard HE, with over 500 mm of penetration and around 32kg of explosive filler! These main caliber guns are complemented by twelve 150 mm guns in six mounts, able to provide shorter range fire against soft targets.

Much like real life, Bismarck is somewhat lacking in regards to anti-air protection, with only a handful of large caliber 105 mm AA guns, and a complement of older, smaller 37 mm and 20 mm cannons — effective in the right circumstances, but lacking the volume of fire necessary to form a strong air defense.



Interesting: Despite her strength, Bismarck’s rudder was disabled by old Swordfish aircraft, allowing the Royal Navy to finish her off.

Like all big ships, Bismarck is very well protected, there’s a lot of detail here but we’ll just give you the quick version! Bismarck is protected by about 320 mm of armor around the belt, the turret face and barbettes are similarly well defended at 360 mm and 340 mm respectively. While Bismarck may not have the thickest armor on paper, its protection is notable as it is very well defended across the board, with few areas that could be considered as pivotal weakspots. Although the standard armor plates are not angled like her contemporaries, the angling of the armored deck provides an extra 110-120 mm of internal protection.



In terms of speed and maneuverability, Bismarck is fairly effective. With a max speed of around 30 knots (56 km/h), this lets her traverse the map quickly. Her turning circle is also surprisingly good, being able to change direction relatively quickly for such a large battleship. This maneuverability is key to the playstyle, adjusting your heading and responding to new threats quickly is vital when cannons are this powerful, so keep this in mind and make sure to keep your armor effective against the enemy!



That’s all for today, thank you for being with us for another blog! Bismarck will be making her way to the German tree in the Leviathans major update, until then, we’ve still got more to share, see you back here soon for more devblogs!

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

Today we’ll be taking a look at the MSC, the first Leclerc that was created to test and evaluate new systems, which will be coming to the game in the Leviathans major update.

[h2]MSC: An MBT (Medium Tank) for France at Rank VII[/h2]
At a glance:

• 120 mm cannon!
  
• HEAT-FS and APFSDS
  
• Good mobility
  
• Light protection
  

Vehicle History
In the 1960s, France started to look into a new project to replace their AMX-30s as they were becoming outdated compared to NATO and Soviet tanks. In 1978, a project was agreed with Germany to design a brand-new MBT together, but it never came into fruition mainly due to different views on the core design.

In 1982 France continued work alone on an MBT through the Engin Principal de Combat (EPC, or “Main Combat Vehicle”) program, with the aim to design new systems for a domestically produced MBT in France. Several proposals for different turrets with and without an autoloader were made, but at the end of it, an autoloading turret was selected. In 1986 the project was renamed after French general Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque to “Leclerc”.

Following a series of testing different systems, a complete tank was rolled out at Satory in France in 1986. This tank was called the MSC (Mulet Système Complet, or “Testbed”) and was the result of many proposed components in one package to evaluate how they work together. It tested turret internals such as a stabilizer and autoloader, and also featured a new chassis optimized for mobility and a 120 mm gun, making it a huge upgrade over the AMX-30.

After three years of tests, the MSC ultimately paved the way for pre-series and production Leclerc tanks to come down the line. Production Leclerc tanks entered service with the French Army in 1992.




[h2]Introducing the MSC![/h2]

Meet the MSC, the first Leclerc to have been produced. This tank was fully built and acted as a testbed between 1986 and 1989 to test electronic equipment, a stabilizer and other important features that would be used in future Leclercs. It ultimately helped pave the way for the full-production Leclerc that we all know today, first produced in 1992. Today we’ll compare it to the Leclerc variants already in the game, so let’s dive in.



If you’ve already played the Leclerc tanks in War Thunder, you’ll know they are mainly characterized by excellent firepower. Compared to them, the MSC features a 120 mm cannon with the same two rounds on the AMX-40: a OCC 120 G1 HEAT-FS and an OFL 120 G1 APFSDS. This is all backed up by an autoloader, albeit with the downside of having 3 crew instead of 4. Other finishing touches to the FCS is a laser rangefinder and thermal sights for the gunner.

Interesting: “MSC” stands for “Mulet Système Complet” which in English means “Testbed”.



Right, so the firepower is that of the AMX-40, but what about the armor? The armor is simplified compared to the production Leclerc tanks in general. Those who are keen eyed would have also noticed that the smoke canisters are on the turret cheeks instead of the back of the turret, and there’s just six instead of 14. The autoloader features 24 pcs in the first-stage ammo stowage instead of the 22 found on the production Leclerc tanks, which may come in handy once in a while!

The MSC can reach a max speed over of 70 km/h thanks to its excellent engine with a thick exhaust pipe sticking out at the back, propelling the fumes to the side and above the tank, instead of just above like on the production Leclercs.



All-in-all the MSC is still a good tank compared to the production Leclercs, instead at a lower rank and Battle Rating, meaning it can fit into more suitable lineups. Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out other dev blogs coming your way!

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

Meet the RAH-66 Comanche, a stealthy reconnaissance and attack helicopter developed during the late Cold War to counter high-tech threats, which was ultimately rendered obsolete due to shifting military priorities and rising project costs.

[h2]RAH-66 Comanche: A Premium Attack Helicopter for the USA at Rank VI[/h2]
At a glance:

• Reduced radar and IR signature
  
• Excellent flight characteristics
  
• 20 mm rotary cannon
  
• Advanced precision weapons
  

[h3]Pre-order – RAH-66 Comanche Pack[/h3]
To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store!
49.99

• RAH-66 Comanche (Rank VI, USA)
  
• Premium account for 15 days
  
• 2000 Golden Eagles
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique title “The Duke”
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique “War Chief” decal
  

Vehicle History
The RAH-66 Comanche was an advanced stealth reconnaissance and attack helicopter developed by Boeing–Sikorsky for the U.S. Army during the late Cold War and post-Cold War era. Initiated in the early 1980s under the Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX) program, it aimed to replace aging scout helicopters like the OH-58 Kiowa. Designed with stealth features, advanced avionics, and fly-by-wire controls, the Comanche was intended to penetrate deep into enemy territory undetected. It reflected Cold War priorities of fighting a technologically advanced adversary, primarily the Soviet Union, in a conventional battlefield. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and shifting military needs, the program’s relevance declined as asymmetric warfare and counterinsurgency became the new prevalent concerns. The RAH-66 faced repeated delays and escalating costs, which played a key factor in the project’s ultimate cancellation.

By 2004, after producing two prototypes, the U.S. Army terminated the program to redirect funds toward upgrades of existing helicopters and unmanned systems, which were to fulfill the same purpose as the originally envisioned Comanche. Although the project never reached completion, the Comanche contributed valuable research know-how in stealth rotorcraft and systems integration.


[h2]Introducing the RAH-66 Comanche![/h2]

The RAH-66 Comanche is a unique light attack helicopter, incorporating several experimental technologies with the aim of decreasing the vehicle’s detection on a modern battlefield. Coming soon in the Leviathans major update, this futuristic-looking helicopter is available to pre-order starting today! Now, let’s take a look!



Visually speaking, the RAH-66 Comanche gives off the impression of a quick and highly agile helicopter. The vehicle not only owes this to its sleek design and use of lightweight composite materials, but also to its pair of T800 turboshaft engines, generating over 1,500 HP each. As a result, the Comanche can attain top speeds of over 200 mph (324 km/h), earning its place among War Thunder’s most nimble helicopters!

Although fast, the Comanche’s unchallenged ace up its sleeve remains its stealth capabilities. Thanks to the specific geometry, the Comanche is capable of alluding radar detection until it closes in much more to its target compared to conventional helicopters with the same size. Therefore, much like the F-117 Nighthawk, you’ll get the chance to deliver strikes much more precisely, while delaying or even avoiding detection by enemy radar altogether.



Interesting: At the time of its cancellation in 2004, the Comanche project had cost the U.S. Government over $6.9 billion.

Getting to the target is one thing, albeit an important one. But at least equally important is the question of what to take the target out with? For this, the Comanche has a selection of most proven American ordnance options, ranging from Hellfire and Stinger missiles to Hydra rocket pods. Additionally, you’ll always be able to rely on a nose-mounted 20 mm rotary cannon to strafe lightly armored ground vehicles or shoot down hostile helicopters in the area.



A unique feature of the Comanche, not found on other helicopters is its ability to stow away its payload in internally folding pylons. As these offer only a limited number of hardpoints, you can choose to further augment the helicopter’s payload by strapping on stub wings, enabling the Comanche to carry an increased number of suspended ordnance into combat.



The cutting-edge Comanche can be pre-ordered starting from today and will soon be making its way to reshape the combat dynamics on the battlefields of War Thunder after its arrival to the game as part of the Leviathans major update. That’s today’s devblog wrapped. Be sure to stay tuned to the news for more sneak peaks at the new additions awaiting you in the upcoming update. Until then, clear skies and happy hunting pilots!

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