War Thunder News

Unrivaled in its time and one of the first representatives of a class of fast battleships, HMS Barham is the main reward for the Steel Baron naval event!

[h2]HMS Barham: An Event Vehicle Battleship for Great Britain at Rank VI[/h2]
At a glance:

• Deadly 381 mm guns!
  
• Good armor protection.
  
• One of the best top speeds amongst British battleships.
  
• Very weak AA defense, just two 76 mm cannons.
  

[h3]Vehicle History[/h3]
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Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were revolutionary for their time, with two key differences making them unrivaled in combat performance for many years. Firstly, the most powerful main battery with a rate of fire of two rounds per minute, which allowed them to destroy any potential enemy, and secondly the power plant with oil boilers, which provided these ships with high speed. The armor also took a step forward compared to other British ships, and the class was considered so successful that the Admiralty suspended the production of battlecruisers in favor of building another Queen Elizabeth-class battleship.

HMS Barham was launched in the autumn of 1914 and commissioned a year later. Barham took part in the famous Battle of Jutland as part of the 5th Battleship Squadron, attached to Beatty’s battlecruisers. During the interwar period, HMS Barham carried out patrols and took part in exercises. She also took part in active military operations during WWII from the first days after its outbreak, mainly in the Mediterranean. On November 24th 1941, while escorting a Maltese convoy, HMS Barham was torpedoed by German submarine U-331. Three torpedoes hit Barham, causing a fire and detonation on board. The moment of the tragic death of hundreds of sailors and the sinking of HMS Barham as a result of a huge explosion was captured on newsreel footage filmed from battleship HMS Valiant.
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[h2]Meet HMS Barham![/h2]
Meet the main reward for the Steel Baron naval event, which was probably the best battleship in the world at the time of its inception, the mighty HMS Barham! This battleship features powerful armament and a good top speed, all coming to rank VI in the British Bluewater fleet tree. Let’s take a closer look.

Like the other four Queen Elizabeth-class ships, HMS Barham is armed with 8 x 381 mm (15 inch) guns in four turrets, with a rate of fire of two rounds per minute. In terms of auxiliary caliber weapons, HMS Barham features 14 x 152 mm (6 inch) guns in single-barrel mounts, with seven per side. As you may have already figured out, this is one of the most powerful ships in the game, capable of sinking any enemy ship with a few accurate salvos. The main caliber guns have shells that weigh a massive 871 kg, the SAPCBC and APC, both great for dealing with thick enemy battleship armor, with the APC featuring good post-pen effects.



For armor, HMS Barham is well-protected. The thickness of the armor belt and front turret reaches 330 mm, which, together with the well-protected barbettes and large crew size make HMS Barham very survivable and capable of quickly eliminating fires and leaks. One signature feature of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships is their oil boilers, which allow them to accelerate to 24 knots (44 km/h). This is very good compared to other Royal Navy battleships and one of the best among other early battleships in other nations.



HMS Barham has a few disadvantages though, one of which includes its weak AA capability. Only 2 x 76 mm guns are defending Barham from aircraft which are unlikely to be of much use against a good pilot. Another disadvantage is her very slow horizontal aiming speeds of the main turrets, meaning HMS Barham won’t be able to react quickly and attack ships that are firing at her from several directions. Keep your distance to ensure that you have the widest possible view of the open sea, and plan your route in advance. And lastly, if you do need to get involved in close-range combat, four 533 mm underwater torpedo tubes with 20 torpedoes are there to help.



HMS Barham is the main reward in the Steel Baron event that started today. Check out the link below for all the terms and how to participate in this event to earn yourself this awesome battleship!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STEEL BARON EVENT HERE

[h2]Aircraft[/h2]

• Now when landing on an enemy aircraft carrier, a player will surrender just like it happens when landing on an airfield.
  

[h2]Ground vehicles[/h2]

• A bug that caused the button for launching an UAV to change to the button for deploying an UGV activation of which was spawning a tank has been fixed. (Report).
  
• A bug that caused shells replenished on a capture point to be damaged if they were lost in an ammo rack fire has been fixed.
  
• A synchronization bug that caused the destroyed reactive armor to appear functional for the player who has spawned in after the destruction of said armor has been fixed.
  
• A synchronization bug that caused the player to be visually shooting for other players if the player was holding down the firing key with a broken down autoloader has been fixed.
  

[h2]Interface[/h2]

• Following the Roadmap: a notification of when a reported player got banned has been added. More details on this here.
  
• A bug that caused the reloading values for the top crew in the X-ray view to not display or display wrongly for ground vehicles with multiple cannons has been fixed. (Report).
  
• A bug that caused the reloading values for the top crew in the X-ray view of some ships to not reflect the actual values has been fixed.
  
• A bug that prevented the research window from closing if after researching all vehicles a player had some extra research points left has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused the icon-tooltip informing about the possibility to remove a vehicle from the crew slot just by dragging it to not fit into the “Remove from the preset” button, located in the “Change vehicle” menu has been fixed.
  

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.

Today, we’ll be showing you a new Roadmap feature that has just been implemented into the game: a notification of when a player that you reported has been banned. This works for players that were reported in-game as well as for those reported via the replay service on our website.



From now on, if a player that you reported gets banned, you’ll get a window with a notification letting you know when you log into the game. We’ve also added a new tab to the messages window called “System notifications” that contains messages about banned players that you reported. An important note here is that all notifications are anonymized, since personal data legislation in many countries obliges us to do this.



In the meantime, we’re continuing to work on new features from the Roadmap, with a few of them coming with the release of the Dance of Dragons major update. Keep an eye out for more news!

Meet the CV9035NL, a Dutch modification of the CV90 IFV, developed specifically for the export market.

[h2]CV9035NL: A Squadron Vehicle Light Tank for France at Rank VII[/h2]

At a glance:

• Potent 35 mm autocannon!
  
• Good mobility.
  
• Laser warning system.
  
• Add-on armor, making it slightly heavier than the CV9035DK.
  

Vehicle History
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Following the development of the CV90 Mk III, many countries adopted the vehicle into their military. Among these operators was also the Dutch army, which placed orders in 2004 and obtained up to 193 vehicles by the time the last units were delivered in 2011.
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[h2]Meet the CV9035NL![/h2]

This is the CV9035NL, another unique variant of the CV90 family of IFVs that are already familiar to the game. Arriving as a new squadron vehicle to the French ground forces tree with the release of the Dance of Dragons major update, the CV9035NL will further diversify the French top tank lineups. Let’s take a further look!



For those of you who have already had a chance to play the CV9035DK, the CV9035NL will feel right at home as both vehicles share nearly identical specifications. The most noticeable difference distinguishing the two vehicles from one another is the presence of upgraded add-on armor for the Dutch variant’s sides and roof. While this effectively has increased the vehicle’s side protection against shrapnel and high caliber machine gun fire, it also adds weight. As a result of this, the Dutch modification of the CV9035 possesses slightly worse mobility, making itself noticeable in the vehicle’s slightly slower acceleration due to the decreased power-to-weight ratio. Additionally, the CV9035NL comes equipped with a laser warning system, increasing crew awareness of missile threats both from enemy ground vehicles and aircraft.



You’ll be able to obtain the CV9035NL either through squadron activity points or by purchasing it with Golden Eagles. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news as we continue to keep you posted on all the latest developments surrounding the upcoming update. Until then, happy hunting tankers!



Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

The long-awaited Su-24M frontline bomber will be joining the top ranks of the Soviet Union's aircraft tree in the next major update!

[h2]Su-24M: A Strike Aircraft for the USSR at Rank VII[/h2]

At a glance:

• Very large payload capacity with a huge variety of ordnance.
  
• High speed, much faster than the Su-25.
  
• New KAB-1500L guided bombs.
  
• 600 rounds per second? Yes, that’s real.
  
• Variable-sweep wing.
  

Vehicle History
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Almost immediately after the Su-24 entered service, work began on its modernization. The main goal was to improve target accuracy using the latest weaponry, advanced navigation systems, and an upgraded targeting suite. A new generation of missiles with semi-active laser guidance (Kh-25, Kh-29L) and precision-guided bombs (KAB-500L, KAB-1500L) formed the core of the strike power of the updated Su-24M. For defense, the aircraft was fitted with new jamming equipment, and for air combat, could carry up to four R-60M air-to-air missiles. The modernized Su-24M was delivered 1981, with serial production ending in 1993.
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[h2]Introducing the Su-24M![/h2]

The Dance of Dragons major update is a real treat for jet strike aircraft pilots, as we recently covered the F-111 for the British and American air trees, and today we’re happy to showcase the long-awaited Su-24M for the Soviet research tree. So, let’s take a closer look at this new top bomber!

All-in-all, the Su-24M embodies all of the aircraft design trends of its era — variable-sweep wings, advanced angular air intakes, and a dual-engine powerplant. Its two afterburning AL-21F-3 turbojet engines provide almost fighter-like thrust, capable of pushing this aircraft to a top speed of around 1,800 km/h. Thanks to this engine, the Su-24M boasts impressive climb rates even by rank VII standards, and maintains excellent roll speed at high altitudes. Onboard, there’s also electronics and equipment that are needed in top-tier battles for effective gameplay: a targeting pod, advanced radar, missile launch warning system, and large-caliber chaff and flares for missile defense. It’s got it all!



Did you know? In some units of the Soviet Air Force, the Su-24 series of aircraft earned the nickname “Suitcase” due to its boxy fuselage, enhanced by the air intakes. In NATO classification, this strike fighter was named “Fencer”, supposedly due to the distinctive antenna on its nose, although it’s likely just following the standard nomenclature of using words that begin with “F” to classify fighters.

Now on to its guns. The Su-24M’s armament is focused on suppressing ground targets, although it can also defend itself in air combat. Let's break it down! The core weapon of choice for any loadout will be the built-in six-barrel GSh-6-23M cannon, an outstanding weapon with an unheard-of rate of fire of up to 9,000 rounds per minute. Under the fuselage and wings, the Su-24M has eight hardpoints, capable of carrying up to 8000 kg of ordnance. For example, it can carry three additional GSh-6-23M cannons in pods — that’s 600 rounds and over 100 kg of burst mass per second. As for air-to-air missile combat, the Su-24M is equipped with familiar short-range R-60M missiles, known for their high sensitivity to countermeasures but still quite effective and maneuverable. 



One of the Su-24M’s stand-out features is its ability to carry an excellent range of air-to-ground weapons. You’ll have access to the familiar Kh-23, Kh-25, and Kh-29 missile families (including the laser-guided Kh-29L and TV-guided Kh-29TE) and guided bombs like the KAB-500Kr and KAB-1500Kr, new to the game KAB-500S, along with the laser-guided KAB-500L and the new huge KAB-1500L. This arsenal is complemented by conventional bombs ranging from 500 to 1500 kg, as well as unguided rockets, including small S-8, medium S-13, and the large S-24 and S-25. The latter will be available in several modifications, with the S-25L specifically being laser guided!



That’s it for this blog! The brand-new Su-24M will be available to research in the upcoming Dance of Dragons major update. Stay tuned to our website for other vehicles that we’ll be announcing. Until then, happy battles ahead!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.