War Thunder News

Thanks for your submissions last week! This week’s theme- capture the moments immediately following impact, when the outcome of an engagement becomes clear. From burning wrecks to damaged terrain and vehicles pushing through the aftermath, capture a scene that tells the story of what just happened. The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 208th edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen208. You have time until the 30th 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 include at least one damaged or destroyed vehicle.
You must add the #WTscreen208 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 207th edition – Battle Group![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3648076028
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3649232325
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3648450788

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3648694360
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3650093663
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3648347844

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

[p][/p][p]
Today we’ll be taking a look at the Paintball Arena event’s main reward: a T-72B3 main battle tank with the Arena-E active protection system![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]The history of Russian active tank protection systems dates back to the mid-1960s, when development of a promising protection system under the working name “Dikobraz” (Porcupine) began. In the late 1970s, engineers succeeded in creating a prototype, which was later adopted as the world’s first mass-produced active protection system (APS), the “Drozd” (Drozd). The system’s purpose was to detect and destroy anti-tank weapons, like rocket-propelled grenades and guided missiles, incoming towards the tank before they made contact with the tank’s armor.[/p][p][/p][p]The next major step was the introduction of the “Arena” system in 1993. This system incorporated a new detection radar and counter-munitions with a directional fragmentation field. With the “Arena” system, radar sensors were combined into a cylindrical module on the turret roof, and launchers were positioned around the tank’s exterior, protecting designated sectors. The issue with the large sensor module was resolved in the next iteration of the system, the “Arena-M”. With this one, sensors were placed around the exterior of the tank’s turret, and the counter-munitions were equipped with orientation motors. The launchers were now grouped in a single area, and each counter-munition, after firing, instantly orientates itself toward the incoming projectile. The fragmentation field of these counter-munitions was generated with a velocity gradient, causing the fragments to first strike the anti-tank missile’s fuse and then the projectile body containing the main explosive charge.[/p][p][/p][p]The Arena-E APS (export designation Arena-M) was first demonstrated to the general public at the RAE-2013 exhibition in Nizhny Tagil, based on the T-72B3 MBT.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing the T-72B3 “Arena”![/h3][p]The grand reward of the Paintball Arena ground vehicle event is the Russian T-72B3 main battle tank with the “Arena-E” active protection system! With this one, you can expect excellent protection, an automatic loader, good armor-piercing shells, ATGMs, and advanced electronics. Let’s take a closer look![/p][p][/p][p]The T-72B3 “Arena” is one of the few vehicles in the game equipped with an active protection system. The Arena-E active protection system has eight rounds, effectively defeating guided anti-tank missiles fired from both the ground and the air. This system complements the tank’s already good armor protection, which at the front consists of composite armor covered by integrated ERA.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Right off the bat, it’s clear that the T-72B3 “Arena” is very similar to the pre-top-of-the-line Soviet T-72B3A tank, however its armor is different. Why’s that? Firstly, the T-72B3 “Arena” does not have the T-72B3 UBKh armor package, meaning it retains the stock T-72B3 V-84-1 engine and Kontakt-5 ERA. And secondly, it carries less counter-munition rounds in its active protection system, having 8 instead of 12 found on the T-72B3A.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The T-72B3 “Arena” is set to be one of the best representatives of the T-72 family in the game. In addition to excellent protection, the tank boasts good mobility and a respectable top speed, a large-capacity automatic loader with a 7 second reload time, and a high-resolution thermal imager. The tank’s ammunition loadout includes a range of ammuniton: from HEATFS and HE, to two APFSDS rounds, including the 3BM60, as well as tandem ATGMs, which can also be used against helicopters at ranges of up to 6 km. The T-72B3 “Arena” has a few drawbacks as you might expect, for example its traditionally slow reverse speed, poor gun depression and the large automatic loader carousel, which is vulnerable to side hits.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s this one wrapped! You can get the new T-72B3 “Arena” by completing tasks in the Paintball Arena ground forces event, which started today in War Thunder. Be sure to enhance your top-tier Soviet armored vehicle lineup with this technologically advanced and versatile rank VII MBT![/p][p][/p][p]Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.[/p][p]Click here to find out more details about the Paintball Arena event[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Today, we’ve rounded up and will be covering some of the bug fixes and improvements that we’ve made to the game today and over the past few weeks. If you’d like to catch up on every fixed bug, then be sure to check out the changelog section on our website.[/p][p] [/p][p]If you’ve found a bug that you’d like to report, you can do so on our community bug reporting platform.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some time ago, we discovered that air-to-ground missiles and guided bombs with laser seekers that lacked an uncaging feature were frequently missing their targets. As soon as the projectiles approached the laser seeker’s lock-on range, they began to change direction, losing energy and ultimately landing in a completely different location. We fixed the bug that caused this issue and also added a wind-stabilization mechanism to the aerodynamically stabilized laser seekers. These seekers now are always pointed in the same direction as the projectile’s velocity vector during flight, preventing them from losing their target unnecessarily.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Sometimes, when using navigational bombing (CCRP), the bomb would miss its target. This didn’t happen during nose-up or level flight, only sometimes during a dive, even a very shallow one. Having determined the cause, we’ve fixed this problem.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some of the most annoying bugs that have appeared recently resulted in a lack of damage from direct hits from ammunition. One of these bugs meant that spall did not form after the HEAT jet penetrated armor, causing HEAT rounds to inflict little or no damage. Another bug meant that aircraft easily survived direct hits from air-to-air missiles and surface-to-air missiles, which should have destroyed or at least severely damaged them.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Imagine you’re flying over, and suddenly your radar detects an enemy ship, and your radar seekers begin to track it. However, you look below and don’t see anything on the surface. Could enemy submarines have secretly snuck into War Thunder?![/p][p] [/p][p]Nope, they’re not in the game. This issue caused an already destroyed and sunken enemy ship to be tracked by mistake. Thanks for your reports on this, we’ve fixed it![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some helicopters experienced an issue when placing a point of interest from the 3rd person view and switching to targeting optics while simultaneously moving the mouse. The camera should have been focused on the targeted area, but in certain cases it could shift significantly, interfering with the accuracy of missile launch. This has been fixed, too![/p][p][/p][h2]That’s not all[/h2][p]Check out the full list of fixes and improvements in the update notes below! Here’s some more: The location minimap no longer becomes translucent and ships no longer spawn outside the playable area in the African Gulf.[/p][p][/p][h3]Previous Updates:[/h3]

• [p]Update 2.53.0.56[/p]
• [p]Update 2.53.0.52[/p]
• [p]Update 2.53.0.42[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Today's Update: 2.53.0.58[/h2][p][/p][h3]Aircraft[/h3]

• [p]A bug where laser homing seekers that did not have the ability to uncage would send incorrect target coordinates and speed data to the autopilot after locking on, causing the munition to miss its target has been fixed. (Report, Report).[/p]
• [p]GBU-10/12/16/48/49/50 Paveway II, Paveway IV, GBU-54B LJDAM, GBU-62 LJDAM-ER, KAB-500L, KAB-1500L, BGL-400, BGL-1000, Mk.13, Mk.18, GB3, GB500, BA-FG-230-Lizard-2, BA-FG-230-Lizard-3, Fire Snake 90A, GATR, CIRIT, AGM-123 Skipper, AGR-20A (APKWS II M151), AGR-20B (APKWS II M282) — a wind stabilization mechanic has been added to aerodynamically stabilized laser seekers. Now in flight, the seeker is directed along its flight direction (velocity vector) instead of along the central axis of the munition, which lowers the chance of losing the target.[/p]
• [p]F/A-18E — a bug that caused the flaperons to remain hovering in the air when the wing was torn off has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Re.2005 (VDM) — the maximum weight of the secondary weapons has been increased from 655 kg to 710 kg to match the Re.2005 serie 0.[/p]
• [p]Ayit — the appearance of the brake parachute has been adjusted. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Kor-2 — a bug that caused the smoke screen system to be missing has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Do 217 E-2, Do 217 E-4, Do 217 K-1, Do 217 M-1 — a bug where the pre-installed armament set consisting of two SC1000 bombs located in the fuselage was missing has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Mosquito B Mk.16 — the engine power has been increased. (Report).[/p]
• [p]KAB-500Kr — the warhead type has been corrected from high-explosive fragmentation to semi-armor-piercing. The ability to set the fuse delay has been removed.[/p]
• [p]The material of the casing of AP bombs that are calibers of 250 kg or more has been changed from 5 mm of structural steel that is shared with usual HE bombs to 10 mm of CHA.[/p]
• [p]A-7E (all variants) — the color of the 2 x 1000 lb LDGP Mk.83 bomb icon in the Secondary Weapons menu has been corrected. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Ground Vehicles[/h3]

• [p]Tor-M1 (USSR) — a bug that caused the scouting ability to be missing in battle has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug that caused the text key to display after repairing power electronics and hydraulics modules has been fixed.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Naval Vessels[/h3]

• [p]IJN Musashi, IJN Yamato — the ship’s internal structure has been corrected in the area of ​​the forward and aft ammunition magazines. A bug where the detonation of the shell rooms would cause the detonation of all magazines, destroying the ship, has been fixed.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Aircraft[/h3]

• [p]A bug that allowed aircraft radars and radar seekers to acquire already submerged ships has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug that sometimes caused the automatic release point of  bombs when using CCRP to be calculated erroneously when diving has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]A bug that sometimes caused the camera on helicopters to move to another point when switching to the targeting optics view has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Ground Vehicles[/h3]

• [p]Freccia OWS 30 — the destruction of the 30 mm ammo belt no longer leads to the destruction of the vehicle.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Interface[/h3]

• [p]In sensor view in replays, a bug that caused the vehicles of Multi-Vehicle SAM systems that were not currently under the player’s control to be counted by filters not as player’s vehicles, but as vehicles of squadmates and allies has been fixed.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Graphics[/h3]

• [p]Maximum picture brightness in NVD has been adjusted. Previously the image was too bright on winter maps when the moon was high above the horizon.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Locations and Missions[/h3]

• [p]\[Domination] Alaska — too small detection zones around spawn points of both teams have been extended. (Report).[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]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.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We keep fighting cheaters using your reports and the BattlEye anti-cheat system, and as usual, today we’re sharing a bit of info on bans that we’ve distributed over the past month. If you’d like to help keep War Thunder free from cheating, you can find out how to file a report and how our anti-cheat system works on our Wiki.[/p][p][/p][h2]Banned accounts[/h2][p]Since our last fair play, we’ve banned 8320 accounts that were found to have violated the rules. Specifically 3.2.3 of the EULA namely in the automation of gameplay (using bots) and cheat software. For complete transparency, we’re publishing the full list of these banned players. This list will be available for two weeks after the publication of this article.[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, 174 accounts have been banned for a week or longer for intentional teamkilling, ramming and griefing.[/p][p][/p][h2]Recommendations[/h2][p]We recommend that you set a strong password for your account and enable two-step authentication in your profile security settings. We have the following 2FA options available: email, SMS, TOTP (Gaijin Pass/Google Authenticator).[/p][p][/p][p]We’d also suggest that you turn on 2FA for the email that is linked to your Gaijin account for additional security, as this will protect your account from fraudsters. And remember, don’t use prohibited client modifications and never share your account information with anyone.[/p][p][/p][p]The War Thunder Team[/p]