War Thunder News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Meet this Japanese self-propelled gun based on the Chi-Ha tank with a 105 mm howitzer, becoming a new and interesting vehicle for the Japanese lower ranks.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]The Japanese Type 1 Ho-Ni II self-propelled gun was developed on the chassis of the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank, as a further development of the 75 mm Ho-Ni I. The distinguishing feature of the new model was the installation of a more powerful 105 mm Type 91 howitzer in a fixed, open cabin.[/p][p][/p][p]The first prototype was built in 1942. Due to a general shortage of industrial resources in Japan during the war, large-scale production was not possible. A total of 54 Ho-Ni self-propelled guns of various modifications were manufactured from 1943 onwards. These vehicles saw limited use in combat in the Philippines and Burma, but the bulk of the fleet remained in Japan, where they were used to defend against the expected Allied invasion.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Introducing the Ho-Ni II![/h2][p]In the next major update, we’ll be adding the new Japanese Ho-Ni, featuring a self-propelled gun on the chassis of Japan’s most widely-produced medium tank, the Chi-Ha. This vehicle is armed with a large howitzer, the largest-caliber gun in the series. Let’s take a further look at this thing![/p][p][/p][p]Meet the largest-caliber self-propelled gun in the Ho-Ni family, arriving at rank II in the Japanese ground forces tree. The main feature that distinguishes the Ho-Ni II from its siblings is the gun. The oscillating part of the 105 mm Type 91 field howitzer is mounted on an armor shield, firing high-explosive and HEAT rounds. The HEAT round’s penetration is enough to destroy most targets at its rank, including T-34s and Shermans if you aim for their weakspots! The gun has a limited traverse angle of 10 degrees left and right, so in most cases you’ll have to aim the hull towards your target. Due to the gun’s long breech, elevation is also limited to 22 degrees, but the gun’s depression is at an excellent -17 degrees, allowing you to shoot from behind cover effectively.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The chassis of the Ho-Ni II derives from the Chi-Ha medium tank, giving it decent mobility with a top speed of up to 40 km/h. The superstructure however is very lightly protected just like the Ho-Ni I. The front and some of the side armor is at least bulletproof, but the crew are completely exposed from the top and the rear, making them especially vulnerable to machine guns and aircraft.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Ho-Hi II will excel in a strong position, thanks to its gun depression and relatively fast fire rate, it can easily lock down a sightline from cover. Like with many SPGs in the game positioning is key, so identify a good spot in a high traffic area and lock in![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this one, we’ll continue releasing dev blogs for the next major update, so keep an eye on the news. See you soon![/p][p]Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.[/p][h3][/h3]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Meet the main reward in the Workhorse vehicle event! This is an early variant of the F-16A multirole fighter of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. This is the first time we’ve had an F-16 variant as an event vehicle, so if you haven’t had the opportunity to try one yet, now’s the perfect time![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]F-16A fighters entered service with the Royal Netherlands Air Force in 1979 as part of a large-scale program to replace the aging F-104G Starfighter and NF-5 Freedom Fighter aircraft. The choice was made in favor of the American aircraft in May 1975 following comparative trials, where the F-16 demonstrated superiority in key parameters for the Dutch Air Force: maneuverability, fuel efficiency, combat load, and low maintenance costs. The Netherlands’ decision was part of a larger European order, which was soon joined by Belgium, Denmark, and Norway.[/p][p][/p][p]A key condition of the contract was the participation of local industry. Production of all Dutch F-16s was carried out by Fokker Aircraft. The first two aircraft — a single-seat F-16A Block 1 and a two-seat F-16B Block 1 — were completed in May 1979 and delivered to Leeuwarden Air Base on June 6th. The total order ultimately amounted to 213 aircraft, including 177 F-16As and 36 F-16Bs of all variants, the last batch of which was delivered in February 1992.[/p][p][/p][p]The Block 5 modification was one of the first stages of modernization. The first production F-16 Block 5s arrived in the summer of 1980 to the 322nd and 323rd Squadrons at Leeuwarden Air Base and were upgraded numerous times in subsequent years of service.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing the Dutch F-16A Block 5![/h3][p]Say hello to a new Royal Netherlands Air Force aircraft in the French aviation tree, which can be yours completely free! Meet the main reward in the Workhorse vehicle event that started today: the legendary F-16 in one of its early modifications. It’s fast and agile, primed for close combat, frantic assaults, and epic maneuvers! Let’s take a look.[/p][p][/p][p]The F-16A Block 5 is one of the first production versions of the formidable US multirole fighter, with production established in the Netherlands, among other places. This Flying Dutchman possesses all the performance characteristics that make the F-16 so beloved: a top speed of nearly Mach 2, excellent maneuverability, and most importantly, superb acceleration and a climb rate of over 300 meters per second.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For aerial combat, you’ll have access to AIM-9P IR-guided missiles and AIM-9L all-aspect IR-guided missiles (this model did not have advanced ARH homing). The Dutchman also looks quite impressive in its ground-attack configuration! There are up to nineteen 500 lb bombs, up to four large 2000 lb bombs, up to 114 rockets, and AGM-65B Maverick missiles for precision ground attack, making this F-16 a great addition to high rank ground lineups. There’s also a wide array of electronic equipment, typical to the early F-16 series. A decent AN/APG-66 radar, RWR, and 60 flares for defending against enemy missiles, as well as a ballistic computer for bombs and missiles.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this one! The F-16A Block 5 will be a well-balanced, comfortable jet that will fit right in with France’s top-tier lineups. While long-range dogfights aren’t its forte, this light, fast, and fierce fighter will shine in close combat and mixed combat! You can get the F-16A Block 5 completely free simply by playing the game and completing tasks in the Workhorse vehicle event, which started today. Click the link below for more information![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.[/p][p][/p][p]Click here to find out more details about the Workhorse event[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Meet the GBT 155, featuring a 155 mm howitzer mounted onto a Vickers chassis, coming to the game as a premium in the next major update.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][h3]Vehicle History[/h3][p]In the early 1980s, the British company Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited (VSEL) launched a self-guided development of a new artillery turret system, the GBT 155. The impetus was a combination of the pressing need to replace outdated self-propelled howitzers, new export prospects, and the failure of the pan-European SP70 project.[/p][p][/p][p]VSEL’s designers emphasized modularity and the turret’s complete autonomy. The key innovation was that the GBT 155 was a self-contained fighting compartment that could be mounted on the chassis of virtually any existing main battle tank without major modifications. This made the system significantly cheaper and more accessible to potential foreign customers who were modernizing their aging tank fleets. Th FH-70 towed howitzer, with its 39-caliber barrel, was chosen as the system’s weapon. VSEL developed turret integration options for a wide range of platforms, from the American M48/M60 and British Chieftain to the Soviet T-54/55 and Chinese Type 59.[/p][p][/p][p]The first operational prototype was mounted on a Vickers Mk.3 tank chassis. This vehicle successfully completed a full cycle of tests, confirming its stated performance. Despite the technical success of the project, export sales of the GBT 155 never materialized. Further development of the design continued however, leading to the development of the AS-90 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Introducing the GBT 155![/h3][p]Today we’re taking a look at the rather interesting GBT 155, which comes to the game as a premium vehicle, a pre-order pack being available from today that includes some cool British pre-order bonuses. Featuring a 155 mm howitzer gun, you’ll be able to add this HE slinger to several of your British ground forces lineups to have some fun. Let’s dive into the details of this Frankenstein creation![/p][p][/p][p]The VSEL GBT 155 turret was created by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering to be a universal turret system that could fit onto a range of different tank chassis. One such example is it being fitted onto the Vickers Mk 3 MBT chassis, which is the one coming to War Thunder! This gives it a somewhat unsightly appearance, due to the turret being mounted high above the chassis, exposing a large neck and turret ring. Truly a tank Frankenstein would create![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Let’s firstly take a look at the unique turret. This turret houses a 155 mm FH70 cannon, able to fire the NATO standard HE, Smoke, and HE-VT shells that all play a role in taking out enemy tanks or aircraft. As previously mentioned, the VSEL GBT 155 is mounted onto the Vickers Mk 3 MBT chassis. It features 720 HP, 2,500 RPM and can reach a top speed of 50 km/h, which is decent but not fantastic.[/p][p][/p][p]As one might expect, the turret is rather large, has thin armor and stores all of the 155 mm ammunition. This means it’s very exposed to enemy fire and will cook off if hit, knocking out all of the four crew members without much of a problem. On the turret cheeks are smoke grenades, allowing you to conceal yourself when the situation calls for it. Make sure to keep yourself safe![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Coming to the game as a premium vehicle for as part of a pack, the GBT 155 scratches that 155 mm itch that many players have. Being able to take out armored opponents with a 155 mm shell is very satisfying, and will also yield you more Silver Lions and research points thanks to the premium status.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this one! You can pre-order the GBT 155 starting from today, the link is in this post! It comes with cool British-themed pre-order bonuses that you should definitely not miss out on. This one will be an enjoyable addition to many British ground force lineups, and should be a lot of fun to play. Until the next one![/p][p]Please note that the vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before being added to the game.[/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]Each RWR in the game simultaneously alerts on a limited number of threats. For readability, the most dangerous threats are selected, while less important threats are hidden. However, previously, the newest threats were hidden instead of the lowest-priority ones, preventing players from receiving alerts about certain missiles and lock-ons, which often resulted in the loss of an aircraft. The threat prioritization algorithm has been refined.[/p][p] [/p][p]The oldest and least important threats are now hidden first, based on the “detection-lock-on-launch” scale. This error was most common in Air SB, but was also occasionally reproduced in Realistic and Arcade Battles.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Ground vehicles in War Thunder can not just be flooded entirely, but partially as well. For example, if only the frontal portion of a vehicle is submerged, only that specific part will be flooded, leaving modules and other crew members outside of it undamaged. However, when crew members were lost due to drowning, new ones taking their place would immediately begin to drown without a new countdown. This, among other things, prevented the vehicle without its driver from exiting the water. Now the countdown restarts, giving the player time to escape.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Multi-Vehicle SAM Systems allow you to capture points without direct player intervention. Simply relocate one vehicle to capture a point, while the other can be manually controlled and moved to a more advantageous position. Convenient![/p][p] [/p][p]There was a problem though. Capturing a point with a vehicle that wasn’t under the player’s control at the time of capture didn’t award the player the rewards they deserved. This is because the game checks which player owns the vehicle that captured the point to give the reward, but in this case, the check didn’t point to the vehicle’s owner.[/p][p] [/p][p]In addition, because Multi-Vehicle SAM Systems are handled somewhat differently by the game, the artillery strike availability check on the launchers of Multi-Vehicle SAM Systems didn’t work correctly, allowing them to be called in multiple times without reloading.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Flanders map is a bit different than other maps. Environmental details and even the placement of some objects within it change depending on the session’s Battle Rating. An issue arose with the synchronization of these objects, which changed depending on the mission. As a result, players could notice that destroyed vehicles were repeatedly reappearing as if nothing had happened.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]During regular technical changes to the game’s internal systems, the German VT1-2 suffered an issue. Because it features a unique mechanic, where it can traverse even with the main engine off thanks to two battery-powered motors, we did not take this feature into account during code refactoring. As a result, when the VT1-2’s engine failed, horizontal aiming was also disabled. This issue is now fixed![/p][p][/p][p]Check out the full list of fixes and improvements in the update notes below! Random vehicles can no longer carry more ammo than they’re supposed to, and a bug that caused ray-traced shadows to become too dark has been fixed.[/p][p][/p][h3]Previous Updates:[/h3]

• [p]Update 2.53.0.92[/p]
• [p]Update 2.53.0.87[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Today's Update 2.53.0.93[/h2][p][/p][h3]Aircraft[/h3]

• [p]J-10A — a bug where the weapons would remain in the air after the wing was torn off has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]CF-188A — the requirement to install the AN/AAS-38 targeting pod when selecting the AGM-65G missiles has been removed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Ki-45 Ko, Ki-45 Hei, Ki-45 Otsu, Ki-45 Tei — a bug where the gunner started shooting when the enemy was in front of the aircraft has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Hunter FGA.9 — a bug that caused the AAM pylons to always display on the aircraft has been fixed.[/p]
• [p]Spitfire F Mk 22, Spitfire F Mk 24 — a bug that prevented the use of a custom weapon preset of two G.P. 500 lb Mk IV bombs mounted under the wings without researching the MBC Mk.3 modification has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]Super Mystere B2 — a bug that caused the explosive type in the SECAN 63 incendiary bomb to be displayed as a text key has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Interface[/h3]

• [p]A bug where receiving enough spawn points when in the spawn window didn’t cause the color of vehicle’s SP cost to change from red to white has been fixed. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug that sometimes caused the random vehicle to be able to take a higher number of limited shells than the regular vehicle could has been fixed. For example, more than 8 ATGMs on the BMP-3 and ZBD04A. (Report).[/p]
• [p]A bug that caused the text key to appear in the “Sound” setting description has been fixed. (Report).[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]The War Thunder Championships Series (WTCS) kicks off now. The first Major of the season is the 4v4 Mixed Realistic Battles (with markers). Whether you are an experienced pilot or a dedicated tank commander, this tournament is for you! You will need to build a versatile roster of 7 players and develop the best strategies for each map.[/p][p] [/p][p]Without further ado, take a look at the schedule and prize pool for this first Major![/p][p] [/p][h2]Tournament Dates[/h2][p]After each Open Qualifier, four teams will advance to the Playoff stage. For full details about the competitive structure and what to expect this season, make sure to read the War Thunder Championship Series 2026 Plans news, which breaks everything down.[/p]

• [p]Open Qualifier I: February 21st to 22nd at 15:00 GMT[/p]
• [p]Open Qualifier II: February 28th to March 1st at 15:00 GMT[/p]
• [p]Playoffs: March 7th to 8th and March 14th to 15th at 15:00 GMT[/p]

[p][/p][p] [/p][h2]Tournament Prizes[/h2][p] [/p][h2]Live Streams with Twitch Drops![/h2][p]When: Each stream will start from 14:45 GMT.[/p]

• [p]Open Qualifier I Stream: February 21st and 22nd[/p]
• [p]Open Qualifier II Stream: February 28th to March 1st[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Throughout the two weekends of the Open Qualifiers, live broadcasts will feature Twitch Drops, giving you the chance to earn boosters and Premium Account time. Be sure to tune in during the Finals as well to claim exclusive Twitch Drops rewards.[/p][p][/p][p]Matches will be broadcast in multiple languages to ensure the best viewing experience, including English, Russian, German, Polish, and French.[/p][p][/p][p]All matches will be broadcast live also on YouTube, so make sure to tune in and follow the action in real time![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Login to your Twitch account → link your Gaijin account → click “Allow” to be able to receive Twitch Drops![/p][p][/p][h2]Discord Giveaways![/h2][p]During the WTCS 2026 Major I, join the Official War Thunder Esports Discord server to connect with fellow competitive players and take part in exclusive giveaways featuring the following packs:[/p]

• [p]BMPT-72 "Terminator-2" Pack[/p][p]Su-30 MKK Pack[/p][p]Type 61 (B) Pack[/p][p]Hawk 209 Pack[/p]

[p]The Esports Team wishes you the best of luck in the qualification stages. See you on the battlefield![/p]