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USS Des Moines Temporarily Returns on its Anniversary!



USS Des Moines was the lead ship of the Des Moines class of American heavy cruisers, laid down on May 28th 1945. She was the first ship to carry semi-automatic 8-inch Mark 16 guns, and instead of aircraft catapults, Sikorsky HO3S-1 multi-role helicopters could land on her deck.

USS Des Moines is temporarily available for Golden Eagles!

You can get this heavy cruiser for 8,020 Golden Eagles.



[h3]
When: From May 28th (11:00 GMT) until May 31st (07:00 GMT).
Where: USA > Bluewater fleet > Premium vehicles.
[/h3]

[h3]About this heavy cruiser[/h3]
  • USS Des Moines is slow and not that durable, but her rate of fire will make you gasp! Its broadside can deal enormous amounts of damage to the enemy. Stay out of range of enemy torpedoes, and take care of yourself — when you see the enemy, greet them with a barrage of shells!

Option for Smaller Team Sizes in Air Realistic Battles



We’ve been made aware of many of your requests for smaller teams in Air Realistic Battles as 16v16 teams are sometimes overwhelming in terms of the number of missiles at once.

With the release of the upcoming major update, we’ll be adding an option to the Air Realistic Battles game selection window where you’ll be able to turn on smaller team sizes.



This mechanic works in the same way as turning on the option for night battles: if there’s enough players in the queue with this option enabled, you’ll have a chance of getting into an air battle with smaller team sizes.

When this option is enabled, you’ll have the chance of getting into a battle with smaller team sizes (min - max: 6 - 12) instead of a regular battle (min - max: 6 - 16). Further adjustments in the future are possible depending on how sessions go.

This will only be for aircraft with a Battle Rating of 10.0 or higher, where high-end air-to-air missiles are far more prevalent.



Thank you for your feedback on this and we hope that this option for smaller teams will make your experience in Air Realistic Battles more enjoyable. Be sure to enable this option with the release of the major update!

Screenshot Competition – New Recruit!



Welcome to the 121st War Thunder Steam Screenshot Competition!


We loved getting to see the screenshots that you captured last week! More durable vehicles can take an impressive number of hits, but the more fragile vehicles can make spectacular wreckages. The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 121st edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen121. You have time until the 31st of May 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 include a reserve or BR 1.0 vehicle.
    You must add the #WTscreen121 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 120th edition – Under Fire![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3243233394
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250025401
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3249854297

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3249620531
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250215160
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3250132787

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

XM800T: Brave Prowess



Meet an interesting new reconnaissance vehicle coming to the US ground forces tree: the XM800T light vehicle!

[h2]XM800T: A Light Tank for the USA at Rank V[/h2]

Features:
  • Stabilized 20 mm cannon.
  • High mobility.
  • Amphibious capability.
  • Low survivability.
Vehicle History
[expand]
In the summer of 1974, as part of the ARSV (Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle) program to create a new command and reconnaissance vehicle to replace the M114, FMC Corporation presented a prototype of a new generation of scout vehicle on a tracked chassis for testing. Despite satisfactory performance, the tracked version did not meet the required weight limits and was not accepted for production. In total, FMC built 3 XM800T experimental prototypes, one of which was designed as a tank destroyer and equipped with a TOW anti-tank guided missile launcher.
[/expand]

[h2]Meet the XM800T![/h2]

Today we’ll be showing you the interesting XM800T, which is an experimental tracked amphibious reconnaissance vehicle armed with a 20 mm autocannon. Let’s jump into the details and take a look!



This new vehicle will arrive to the game in the next major update at rank V in the US ground forces research tree. Overall the USA is famous for its excellent light vehicles, and the new XM800T is certainly no exception to this. With fairly compact dimensions and a height of just over 2 meters, this vehicle is distinguished by its high power. A 285 HP engine, the same found on the M551 Sheridan, means the XM800T can accelerate to 83.5 km/h on paved surfaces and provides the vehicle with great driving characteristics!

Featured in the turret is a 20 mm cannon for use against enemy vehicles and a 7.62 mm machine gun for all your fence and bush destroying needs. The 20 mm cannon is the main star of the show here, which is automatic, stabilized, and belt-fed with the belts consisting of high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing incendiary tracer shells. The gun is controlled using an effective sighting system, which includes a laser rangefinder!



Interesting: All 3 built examples of the XM800T have survived to this day! One vehicle is located at Fort Moore, Georgia, the second is in a private collection in California, and the third is in Danbury, Connecticut.

The XM800T’s armor is light and provides protection against fragmentation, but since it’s made of aluminum alloy it does not provide reliable cover for three crew members, even against heavy machine guns. This vehicle is also amphibious and can float on water, although there’s no separate engine for this, it instead uses its tracks to traverse around on water.



In your matches by Tom, Lead Community Manager: “There’s a lot of ways you can use a tank like this effectively so there’s not really an ideal way to approach it, it’s mostly dependent on the map and what your goal is. If you can find a road into the map from the offset the XM800T can absolutely rush in and disrupt the first wave of enemy vehicles by getting into unpredictable spots quickly (alternatively it’s also a good late-game spawn as there’s often softer targets and more low flying aircraft around). Aside from that you’re a reliable support tank — stick with your team, use your cannon to damage barrels and tracks and scout enemies for some cheap air spawns.”




That’s today’s blog! The XM800T will be arriving in the next major update and will be sure to provide you with a good scout vehicle in your lineups. Be sure to stay in touch and keep an eye on our website for more dev blogs coming soon. Until then see you around and enjoy your battles!

Anniversary of the Founding of the Corps of Royal Engineers: The Centurion AVRE!



On May 26th, 1716, George I established the British Army Corps of Engineers by decree, which in 1855 was named to the Corps of Royal Engineers. In 1832, the corps received the official motto: “Ubique”, which translates to “everywhere”, as they participated in all major conflicts of the British Army.

The Centurion Mk.5 AVRE is available for Golden Eagles and is here to stay!

This absolute unit of a tank is available for 8,200 Golden Eagles.

[h3]
When: From May 24th (11:00 GMT).
Where: Great Britain > Army > Premium vehicles.
[/h3]



[h3]About this tank[/h3]
  • The Centurion Mk.5 AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) is distinguished by a dozer blade, mounts for transporting engineering equipment and trailers, and of course a destructive 165 mm gun with a devastating HESH round. This tank has a crew of 5, additional ROMOR-A ERA armor around the front and turret, and composite screens on at the sides, helping to make it more survivable than other Centurions.