War Thunder News

Thanks for all of your amazing screenshots last week! This week we have released our first major update of 2026, Ninth Wave! From all of the new content, pick your favorite vehicle to feature, or take a picture on the updated maps! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 216th edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen216. You have time until the 27th of March 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 content from the latest major update, Ninth Wave.
You must add the #WTscreen216 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 215th edition – From Above![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3685010297
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3685040478
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3684761567

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3685371094
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3684556303
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3685850794

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

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

• [p]F-15I Ra’am — a bug that caused text keys to appear on the HUD when selecting the SPICE 250 and SPICE 1000 bombs has been fixed. (Report).
  [/p]

[h3]Ground Vehicles[/h3]

• [p]GBT 155 — reload time has been reduced from 10 s to 6.5 s.[/p]
• [p]ZTZ96B — a bug that caused the gun to not recoil when firing has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]Ajax — a bug where the headlight blocks were missing armor has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]BTR-3E1 — elevation angles have been adjusted from -5°/+45° to -4°/+60°. (Report). Elevation speed has been increased from 14°/s to 35°/s. (Report). ESS has been added. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug that caused the camera in the hangar to shift to the side if the player had previously loaded into a battle with the crew training window open has been fixed. (Report, Report).[/p]
• [p]Pantsir SM-SV — a bug where the missile selection in the action panel was displayed incorrectly in battles and it was impossible to select a third type of missile if it was equipped has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Naval Vessels[/h3]

• [p]Prinz Eugen — a bug that caused the ship to roll to the right side has been corrected. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug that caused the bots to not shoot players further away than 6 km away has been fixed.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Sound[/h3]

• [p]An issue where the ship cannon fire sounds would emanate from a single point on the player’s ship has been fixed. This issue was particularly noticeable with headphone mode disabled.[/p]
• [p]The sounds of shells hitting ships have become louder and more noticeable.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Interface[/h3]

• [p]A bug where it was impossible to change the threat in the protection analysis when using a controller has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

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

• [p]\[Tank Assault] Ardennes — a bug that caused some objects to float in the air has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Other [/h3]

• [p]A bug where in the X-ray view of aircraft and open-top ground vehicles, the crew would move when the vehicle animation was not playing has been fixed.[/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]The La-5 fighter’s maiden flight took place on March 21st 1942. Thanks to its new engine, the La-5 achieved parity with Luftwaffe aircraft at low and medium altitudes. Many Soviet aces, such as Ivan Kozhedub, flew this fighter.[/p][p][/p][h2]The La-5FN (Germany) is temporarily available to purchase for 5,250 Golden Eagles![/h2][p][/p]

[p]When: From March 20th (11:00 GMT) until March 23rd (11:00 GMT).[/p][p]Where: Germany > Aviation > Premium vehicles. [/p]

[p][/p]

• [p]The La-5FN (Germany) is only available during this promotion.[/p]

[p][/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]About this aircraft[/h3]

• [p]The Luftwaffe obtained an advanced La-5FN equipped with a more powerful ASh-82FN engine with direct fuel injection. This engine significantly increased the aircraft’s speed, climb rate, and maneuverability at low altitudes. Its twin 20 mm ShVAK cannons are a reliable tool for winning air battles!
  [/p]

[p][/p][p]Every year, Steam holds a seasonal spring sale, and we’re participating! Take advantage of the discount and purchase one of the Starter Packs to quickly start progressing through a new research tree.[/p][p][/p][h3]When: From March 19th (18:00 GMT) until March 26th (18:00 GMT), all War Thunder Starter Packs are available at a 50% discount![/h3][p][/p][h2]US Starter Pack[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]German Beginner’s Pack[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]USSR Starter Pack[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]British Starter Pack[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Japanese Starter Pack[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Chinese Starter Pack [/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Italian Starter Pack  [/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]French Starter Pack[/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Swedish Starter Pack [/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

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

• [p]A bug that sometimes caused SARH air-to-air missiles without IOG to relock onto other illuminated targets in the seeker’s field of view, instead of the one acquired by the radar, if they had different approach speeds has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]WM-23 — a bug that caused the sound in the cockpit to not change depending on the open/closed state of the canopy has been fixed. (Report).
  [/p]

[h3]Naval Vessels[/h3]

• [p]The excessive size and brightness of tracer rounds from enemy ships firing shells larger than 100 mm have been corrected (reduced).
  [/p]

[h3]Interface[/h3]

• [p]A bug that sometimes made it impossible to close the crew training window has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Graphics [/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused the MFDs to always be blurry if the motion blur was on has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Economy and Research[/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused Silver Lions to not be awarded for bombing bases while using Rank IX aircraft has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Other [/h3]

• [p]A bug that caused the game to crash on PlayStation® 5 Pro when loading into Air Simulator Battles if Ray Tracing was enabled has been fixed.[/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]