War Thunder News

All over the world, people are preparing to celebrate the day of love, support, and understanding with their beloved ones. Cupid is back in business! Let’s help them!
[h3]Beginning on February 11th (13:00 GMT) until February 15th (11:00 GMT) Valentine’s Day comes to War Thunder![/h3]
[h2]“My Love” decal[/h2]

Play 3 battles with an activity of 70%+ in vehicles of rank III and above.
[h2]Decoration “Anchor of love”[/h2]

Win 5 battles in boats and ships of rank III or above with an activity of 70% or more.
[h2]St.Valentine’s trophy[/h2]
Available for Golden Eagles. Each trophy contains a dedicated decal or decoration that you don’t yet have.

• List of decals available in the “St.Valentine’s trophy”: Heart and Spitfire, Love, February 14, A Shot to the Heart!, Don’t Shoot! I love you, Cupid, "Miss Behaven" pin-up, To the depths of love, Kiss, Heart and Arrow! and Love letter.
  
• List of decorations available in the “St.Valentine’s trophy”: ”Teddy Bear with heart”, “Compound bow”.
  
• Track your progress by clicking your nickname → Achievements → Valentine’s Day.
  

The premium MK-IX "Valentine" in the Soviet tech tree is only available for purchase during the period of the special event!

On the 11th of February 1942, an operation began to relocate a squadron of two battleships, a single heavy cruiser and six Kriegsmarine destroyers from Brest to Germany. British pilots detected the movement of enemy ships and the British Royal Navy and RAF aviation had to stop the German “Channel Dash” at all costs.

Complete the task from 11:00 GMT on the 11 of February until 11:30 GMT on the 14 of February and get the reward!

Completing the “Channel Dash” task will bring you a battle trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles
  
• 3-5 universal backup vehicles
  
• 1 day premium account
  

• Deal 20,000 damage to player vehicles whilst controlling specified vehicles in naval random battles
  

The task can be completed only in vehicles from the following list:

• Jaguar, Z25, Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst, Z12 Erich Giese, Z15 Erich Steinbrinck
  

Follow progress by clicking on your nickname → Achievements → Memorial Date.

Japan, a country of amazing culture and an incredibly long history - so long, that even its birthday is a legend. Mysterious and therefore even more interesting to War Thunder players, the country of Japan celebrates its foundation day on February 11th. Let us join in with the celebration!
[h3]From February 10th (14:00 GMT) to February 14th (07:00 GMT)[/h3]
Play 3 battles in Japanese vehicles (rank III+, activity 70%+) to get a special decal “Day of Japan”.

• You can complete the task in random battles, except “Assault” and “Enduring Confrontation”.
  
• You can follow your progress by clicking on your nickname -> Achievements -> Day of Japan.
  
• The decal will be located in the “Special” tab in the customization area.
  

[h2]Limited time offer: IJN Kiyoshimo and J2M4 Kai for Golden Eagles[/h2]

Don’t miss the chance to purchase the premium IJN Kiyoshimo destroyer and the premium J2M4 Kai fighter for Golden Eagles!

The offer is open until February 14th (07:00 GMT).

Read about the IJN Kiyoshimo and J2M4 Kai on our Wiki!

In this digest we would like to tell you about our continuing work on improvements and fixes in the game. You can find information about all updates that have been released in War Thunder on the website special section.



Let us tell you about the reason for the upcoming changes first. Artillery in War Thunder was designed as a fairly effective method of pressure on the enemy that allows you to squeeze them out of their well selected position or make a particular section of the battlefield dangerous for a while. The mechanics work well enough but the occasional but memorable deaths from sighting shells can really spoil the impression of the game, especially on weakly armoured vehicles for which artillery fire carries a much greater danger.

In its updated form the artillery strike is devoid of this drawback and just becomes more interesting. Now the first shells in the bombardment will be loaded with coloured aerosol upon which spotters can guide the main salvo and pilots can see the location of likely targets. The explosion of aerosol shells doesn’t cause significant damage and gives any enemies in the epicentre of fire a chance to react.

At the same time the number of the shells that have been replaced by targeting shells have been added to the main salvo which means that the final danger in the artillery strike zone hasn’t been reduced.



Launching an aircraft from aircraft carriers is a technically complex process that involves a special device - an acceleration catapult. In War Thunder this mechanism also gives the initial impulse to your aircraft. It’s just that until now it could give an impulse in the wrong direction…

We have fixed a bug that caused the launch direction on some aircraft carriers to be incorrect and might not only damage the aircraft on the superstructure but also throw you into the water. Taking off is now less risky!


This bug showed up most often in the most fierce battles with an abundance of destroyed and still living participants. Fragment shadows appeared on the ground not related to the vehicles themselves.

We found the reason for this problem and worked to eliminate it.



In general not a single rubric can do without various clarifications in the technical and weaponry vehicle characteristics if you open the full list of changes. But usually it is a minor change for a single vehicle.

This time we want to please the owners of the following vehicles: Ariete, Ariete PSO, Ariete (P) - will become noticeably more dynamic due to an increase in the number of gears in the gearbox. And Chieftain Mk.3, Chieftain Mk.5, Chieftain Mk.10 will become better at turning on the spot. Many such useful little things are waiting for you in each digest.

[h2]Ground vehicles[/h2]

• The first four rounds of an artillery strike in ground battles are now targeting shots that leave orange smoke trails. Targeting shots may damage vehicles only with direct hits (no splash damage). The total number of shots in artillery support has been increased from 12 to 15.
  
• Ariete, Ariete PSO, Ariete (P) — the number of forward and reverse gears have been increased, the gear ratios have been adjusted.
  
• Chieftain Mk.3, Chieftain Mk.5, Chieftain Mk.10 — pivot radius has been reduced.
  
• M4A2 (76) W — targeting time on the AA machine gun has been increased from 30 to 90°/sec, similar to other open MG mounts.
  
• 2А11 37mm gun 一 burst fire spread has been increased, muzzle velocity spread has been increased when firing in bursts.
  
• M7 76mm gun一 muzzle velocity of the M42A1 HE round has been specified from 800 to 853 m/sec (report).
  
• M1 76mm gun 一 muzzle velocity of the M42A1 HE round has been specified to 823 m/sec (report).
  
• MIM146 SAM missile — a bug has been fixed that prevented armour fragmentation.
  

[h2]Aviation[/h2]

• A bug has been fixed that caused the incorrect launch direction of the right catapult on the AI carrier USS Forrestal (rерort).
  
• Yak-38,Yak-38M 一 incorrect indication of the thrust direction in the cockpit has been fixed .
  
• F3H-2 — a bug with the aircraft’s armouring has been fixed (report).
  
• He 111 H-16 — a bug has been fixed where the lower turret was able to fire through the fuselage (report).
  
• B-10B — separate bomb drop from the bomb bay has been added for the 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (report).
  
• I-180S — separate bomb drop with low calibre bombs has been added.
  
• Meteor F Mk.8 Reaper — separate bomb drop has been added for 1,000 lb G.P.Mk.I and M.C.Mk.I bombs on the fuselage pylons, as well as for the 500lb Mk.IV bombs.
  
• S-199 — a bug has been fixed that prevented separate gun control.
  
• IAR 316B — the secondary weapon menu has been corrected.
  
• Sa’ar — weight of the FFAR Mighty Mouse pods has been corrected.
  
• m/56D rockets — a bug that prevented armour fragmentation has been fixed (report).
  

[h2]Naval[/h2]

• HMS Blackpool — a bug has been fixed with the depth setting of the Mk20 Bidder torpedo that prevented damage to destroyers and boats (report).
  

[h2]Other changes[/h2]

• The incorrect display of shadows in areas of accumulation of destroyed and operational armoured vehicles has been corrected.
  
• Long names for missiles in air battles have been shortened in the HUD (report).
  
• FPS drop has been fixed when firing AA machine guns in naval battles.
  
• A bug has been fixed with an interpolation switch to the remote key point when watching replays.
  

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

[h2]Airfield respawn for late jet bombers and strike aircraft in air RB[/h2]
Historically, many gaming mechanics in War Thunder were originally created for WWII and early Cold War vehicles, for example - air respawn for bombers and strike aircraft. However, many late period jet bombers and strike aircraft feature flight characteristics close to, or even similar to those of jet fighters. In this case, we consider air respawn closer to ground targets as an unreasonable advantage for such aircraft, since their efficiency is obvious both for players, and for gaming statistics. If later strike aviation is taking off and approaching targets together with fighters, their value for the team remains. That’s why we decided to revoke the air respawns for bombers and strike aircraft of ranks VI-VII in air Realistic Battles mode.

Currently, we see no need to adjust the Battle Ratings of these aircraft, but we will monitor your feedback and game statistics to quickly update the BRs of the top-tier aircraft, if they need it.

[h2]Advanced missiles right out of the box[/h2]
Air combat at rank VII in Realistic Battles intensively employs air-to-air missiles, rather than guns, as it is in the lower ranks.

Now, the majority of rank VII fighters will come equipped with more advanced air-to-air missiles right after purchase. This will allow pilots to fight more confidently and be more valuable to the team, even if their aircraft are not yet mastered. It is worth noticing however, that the weapon presets that include the advanced air-to-air missiles (if they are available from ‘stock’) still require the related modifications to be researched.

Here is the list of planned changes for rank VII jet fighters that currently lack the advanced missiles out of the box:
[expand]
USA:

• F-5E Tiger II - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by a setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups with AIM-9E still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• F-4E Phantom II - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced with a setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups or setups with large numbers of AIM-9E still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• F-8E Crusader - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups with AIM-9E still require this modification to be unlocked.
  

Germany:

• F-4F Phantom II - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of AIM-9E still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• F-4F Phantom II (Early) - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of AIM-9E still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• MiG-21MF - The setup with 2х R-3R without the need to research R-3R modification has been added. Mixed setups or with large numbers of R-3R still require this modification to be unlocked (R-3R missile has been also added to the armament nomenclature).
  
• MiG-21bis-SAU - The setup with 2xR-3S has been replaced by setup with 2х R-13М1 without the need to research R-13М1 modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of Р-13М1 still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• MiG-23MF - The setup with 2xR-3S has been replaced by setup with 2х R-13М1 without the need to research R-13М1 modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of R-13М1 still require this modification to be unlocked.
  

USSR:

• MiG-21SMT - The setup with 2х R-3R without the need to research R-3R modification has been added. Mixed setups or with large numbers of R-3R still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• MiG-21bis - The setup with 2xR-3S has been replaced by setup with 2х R-13М1 without the need to research R-13М1 modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of Р-13М1 still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• MiG-23M - The setup with 2xR-3S has been replaced by setup with 2х R-13М1 without the need to research R-13М1 modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of Р-13М1 still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• MiG-23MLD - The setup with 2xR-3S has been replaced by setup with 2х R-13М1 without the need to research R-13М1 modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of R-13М1 still require this modification to be unlocked.
  

Britain:

• Jaguar Gr.1A - The setup with 2xAIM-9G without the need to research AIM-9G modification has been added: Mixed setups with AIM-9G still require the research of this modification.
  

Japan:

• F-4EJ Phantom II - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of AIM-9E still require the research of this modification.
  

China:

• F-104G Starfighter - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by setup with 2х AIM-9J without the need to research AIM-9J modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of AIM-9J still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• F-5A Freedom Fighter - The setup with 2xAIM-9B has been replaced by setup with 2х AIM-9E without the need to research AIM-9E modification. Mixed setups with AIM-9E still require the research of this modification.
  
• J-7E - The setup with 2xPL-2 has been replaced by setup with 2х PL-5B without the need to research PL-5B modification. Mixed setups with PL-5B still require the research of this modification.
  

France:

• Mirage IIIC - The setup with 2xAIM-9B + 1х Matra R530 without the need to research Matra R530 modification has been added. Mixed setups with Matra R530 still require the research of these modifications.
  
• Mirage IIIE - The setup with 2xAIM-9B + 1х Matra R530 without the need to research Matra R530 modification has been added. Mixed setups with AIM-9B or Matra R530 still require the research of these modifications.
  
• Mirage 5F - The setup with 2xMatra R550 Magic 1 without the need to research Matra R550 Magic 1 has been added. Mixed setups with Matra R550 Magic 1 still require the research of these modifications. AIM-9B missiles will be removed from the weapons nomenclature.
  

Sweden:

• J35D Draken - The 2xRB24 setup has been replaced by a setup with 2х RB24J without the need to research RB24J modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of RB24J still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• JA37C Jacktviggen - The 2xRB24 setup has been replaced by a setup with 2х RB24J without the need to research RB24J modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of RB24J still require this modification to be unlocked.
  
• AJ37 Viggen - The 2xRB24 setup has been replaced by a setup with 2х RB24J without the need to research RB24J modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of RB24J still require this modification to be unlocked.
  

Israel:

• Mirage IIICJ - The setup with 2xShafrir 2 + 1х Matra R530 without the need to research Matra R530 modification has been added. Mixed setups with Shafrir 2 or Matra R530 still require the research of this modification.
  
• Nesher - 2xAIM-9D is now available without the research of the AIM-9D modification. Mixed with AIM-9D setups still requires this modification to be unlocked.
  
• Kfir C.7 - 2xAIM-9D is now available without the research of the AIM-9D modification. Mixed setups or with large numbers of AIM-9Ds still require this modification to be unlocked.
  

[/expand]
You can check Battle Ratings update table here