War Thunder News

The Bandkanon 1 was an autoloading Swedish self-propelled artillery piece, developed in the late 1950’s on the basis of a previous experimental project. Soon, the menacing Bandkanon 1 will join the ranks of the Swedish ground forces tree in War Thunder, coming to the game as part of the next major update ‘Winged Lions’!
[h2]Bandkanon 1C, SPG, Sweden, Rank IV[/h2]
Features:

• Devastating 155 mm gun
  
• A top of its class rate of fire
  
• HE rounds, including variable time fuse
  
• Low max speed
  
• Limited aiming angles
  
• Limited ammunition capacity
  

[h3]History[/h3]
[expand]In the late 1950’s, Swedish engineers began work on a new self-propelled artillery unit, taking design choices proven from the previous Kranvagn experimental project and combining them with the modified chassis of the Strv 103A. The result of this undertaking was the Bandkanon 1, whose first prototype underwent testing in the early 1960’s.

By 1963, serial production of the vehicle began with an initial order of 26 vehicles. Upon entering service, the Bandkanon 1 managed to set a world record for fire rate thanks to its autoloading mechanism. In fact, when firing at maximum range, the vehicle was capable of emptying its whole magazine before the first round fired even impacted, thus setting a world record for fire rate.

The 26 Bandkanon 1s were commissioned into service with artillery divisions in Norrland and remained in service there up until 2003 before being retired from active service.[/expand]

In War Thunder, the Bandkanon 1C will soon join the mid ranks of the Swedish ground forces tree arriving in the game as part of the next major update ‘Winged Lions’. Prominently featuring an autoloading 155mm howitzer as its primary (and only) weapon, the Bandkanon 1C can serve its opponents with a lethal dose of high explosive at a rate unwitnessed by tankers so far!

The 155mm autoloader-assisted howitzer is the centrepiece of attention of the Bandkanon 1C and not only due to its relative size to the vehicle itself! Although such large calibre weapons in themself are nothing new to War Thunder tankers, being coupled to an autoloading mechanism certainly is a first. Because of this unique arrangement, the Bandkanon 1C can fire its entire 14 round magazine in just 45 seconds - that’s one round fired roughly every 3.2 seconds! But beware, the Bandkanon 1C only has a single magazine of ammunition on board and replenishing it at a strategic point will take time while simultaneously exposing the vehicle to potential enemy fire.

Coupling this incredibly high rate of fire with rather good ballistic properties and powerful high explosive rounds, makes the Bandkanon 1C very effective at destroying hostile vehicles, even more heavily armored ones. However, as the Bandkanon 1C can only fire HE rounds, including remote fuse ones, delivering their full devastating potential may be impeded by soft obstacles, reactive armor found on some vehicles at this rank as well as hits to non-vital components such as tracks. On the other hand, if tankers manage to score a hit around less armored parts of a tank, such as the roof of the hull or turret, then the explosive force of the HE round will likely outright blast the opponent into oblivion in a more than spectacular manner.

Fun Fact: Upon entering service, the Bandkanon 1 set a new world record for fire rate for vehicles of its type.

Despite its own destructive potential, the Bandkanon 1C itself can forcibly be decommissioned with relatively little effort on behalf of its opponents, thus joining the group of so-called ‘glass cannons’ in the game. Also, its relatively large size may catch the attention of hawk-eyed attacker pilots.

Limiting the Bandkanon’s capabilities is its mediocre mobility. Being powered by the same engine/turbine configuration found on the Strv 103C, the Bandkanon can only reach a top speed of about 30 km/h under ideal conditions, while its off-road mobility degrades further with increasingly inhospitable terrain. Due to its mobility, relatively light protection and overall size, the Bandkanon is more suited for the role of a second-line support vehicle than that of a spearheading brawler.

The Bandkanon 1C will await all tankers at rank IV of the Swedish ground forces tree in War Thunder following the release of the next major update ‘Winged Lions’. In the meantime, make sure to stay tuned to the news to be the first to catch a glimpse of more exciting new additions and features awaiting you in the upcoming update. Until then, happy hunting tankers!

The main topic of the next update is Israeli aviation with a new aircraft location made exactly for aspiring pilots - meet “Israel”! The "Israel" location for aircraft battles has an area of 128km by 128km, so it is perfect not only for piston-engined aviation, but also for jet aircraft. The map was created based on the border area of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. The terrain here is predominantly hilly, and the sparse plains are covered by vast fields. Several small towns are located on the map, between which there are farms, kibbutzim and fruit gardens.
A test flight of the Israeli Air Force will also take place in the “Israel” location. You signed up for testing already, didn’t you?

The tank battle location “Volokolamsk” was among the first tank battlefields in the game and many veteran players remember it well. After some time though, the map was removed from rotation, after receiving many comments from players on its design, and in the filter of unwanted maps Volokolamsk was one of the leaders. The Gaijin location design team did a great job with this new updated map. We fixed the terrain in places where it negatively affected gameplay, and altered the position of many trees and forests. The infamous hill near the chapel, from where a skillful squad was able to control a huge sector of the map, has now become lower and is no longer such a powerful position. We have also brought the map up to the quality standards of modern War Thunder locations - we reworked the snow and roads, added new objects in settlements with smaller vegetation in the fields and hills.
Well, let's give Volokolamsk one more chance, ok? Look out for the updated and refreshed location in the tank and mixed battles in War Thunder since the release of the upcoming update "Winged Lions"! See you there!

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.

All forces have been thrown into battle to please you before the festive holidays with the “Winged Lions” update. We have already started to tell you about the new features, including new mechanics with scouting aircraft in naval battles and improvements to the effects which will depend on the weather and wind in battles.
But we also have something for the “It’s fixed” digest…
War Thunder has thousands of vehicles and over a hundred event vehicles that you might get thanks to big events and marathons. You have some of them for sure on your account. To ensure that the memory of the achievement for which you have received it will not be forgotten, the name of the event during which it was issued will now be displayed in the vehicle card of such vehicles.

In the near future such vehicles will receive some preferences - stay tuned.

For the maximum enjoyment from the game it is important to maintain the atmosphere of immersion in battle. Graphical artifacts and similar bugs spoil the atmosphere so we are paying attention to fix these problems.
So, the “square” puddles in Poland and Eastern Europe will no longer catch the eye. Also, the displaying of oceans and seas in air battles will no longer be cut off at range for those who are playing using the lowest graphic settings. Even the shadow of the decorations installed on armoured vehicles and naval vessels is now correctly displayed while you are in the hangar.

Can you remember the recent update where we made some noticeable improvements to the physics of the SACLOS/MCLOS missiles?
We noticed your comments about the “Starstreak” missiles whose maneuverability noticeably dropped when the darts were separated from the upper stage. The problem was alleviated by increasing the disposable overload and readjusting the rocket’s solid propellant engine. Check it out!

• A bug has been fixed with unnaturally square puddles in the locations “Poland” and “Eastern Europe.
  
• A bug has been fixed where in some areas of locations from certain angles the sea was not displayed, with “Minimal” graphic settings with “Water quality” set to “Low”.
  
• A bug with missing shadows from decorations on ground vehicles in the hangar has been fixed.
  
• In the info cards of vehicles obtained in special events, the name of the event has been added. These events are summer and winter marathons, WWII chronicles, crafting events and Battle Pass seasons.
  

[h2]Ground vehicles[/h2]

• Starstreak HVM — maneuverability at middle distances has been improved.
  

[h2]Aircraft[/h2]

• Jaguar GR.1A — a bug has been fixed with a missing distance multiplier of enemy ground vehicles while using the targeting pod.
  

[h2]Naval[/h2]

• Soldati class destroyers (RN Aviere, RN Geneire, RN Corazziere) — speed performance has been corrected, max speed has been increased to 38 knots.
  
• IJN Aoba — a bug has been fixed where AI-controlled single mount 25mm guns did not shoot at enemy aircraft.
  

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.

The hallmark of late Soviet self-propelled artillery, the 2S3M Akatsiya SPG, arrives in the game with the upcoming Winged Lions update!
[h2]2S3M, self-propelled gun, USSR, rank IV.[/h2]
Features:

• Powerful 152 mm howitzer cannon
  
• Mechanized ammo rack
  
• Self-entrenchment equipment
  
• Light armor
  

[h3]History[/h3]
[expand]After the end of World War II, the Soviet OKB-9 design bureau began work on creating a new weapon to replace the ML-20 towed howitzers and self-propelled guns adapted to use them. The new gun itself was ready by the mid-50s under the D-20 index, but the development of a new SPG began only after a government decree of 1967. The Transmash design bureau proposed a chassis based on its experimental self-propelled vehicles, and the modification of the D-20 gun for placement in the fighting compartment of the self-propelled gun was carried out by the OKB-9. The new vehicle was put into service in 1971 under the designation 2S3 Akatsiya (Russian for “acacia”). The 2S3 received a baptism of fire in Afghanistan and was subsequently mass-produced until 1993, having gone through several upgrades. 2S3M is the result of modernization in 1975, during which the mechanized ammunition rack was changed, and the ammo capacity increased from 40 to 46 rounds.[/expand]

With the release of the next major update "Winged Lions", the 2S3M will become a new SPG in the USSR armored vehicle research tree at rank IV. The 2S3M is a late Soviet self-propelled artillery with a forward arrangement for the engine compartment, featuring a rotating turret and a mechanized ammunition rack for 12 rounds, that provides a rate of fire that is very good for a 152 mm howitzer - about 4.5 rounds per minute.

Despite the enormous weight of the gun (one and a half tons with the breech!), the turret rotates quite quickly, making horizontal targeting simple and convenient. The vehicle uses several types of projectiles: three types of high-explosive fragmentation rounds, including a radio fuse shell; an armor-piercing round with a ballistic cap and a penetration of more than 160 mm at short distances, as well as a shape-charged BP-540 round with a penetration of up to 250 mm.

Interesting: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin once called the artillery a “god of war”, while infantry was mentioned as the “queen of fields”. These two nicknames were quite popular in the former Soviet states until now.

You should not expect miracles from the protection on the 2S3M: the vehicle is comparatively light and only has bulletproof armor. The location of the engine in the front part of the hull slightly increases the chance of survival of the crew when firing head-on, however, almost the entire space of the combat compartment in the turret and under it, is densely packed with shells, and any missed shot from a tank gun at the turret will immediately send it to the hangar

The new 2S3M self-propelled gun will be added with the release of the Winged Lions update that is almost ready. Do not miss our news and see you in the new releases of the "Development Diaries"!

80 years ago, on Sunday morning on the 7th of December 1941, Japanese aircraft struck the US Navy’s Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Thus began WWII for the United States.
[h3]From 11:00 GMT on the 7th of December until 11:30 GMT on the 10th of December[/h3]
[h2]Rewards[/h2]
Completing the “Attack on Pearl Harbor” 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
  

[h3]Task[/h3]
Destroy 40/20/20 (AB/RB/SB) enemy whilst controlling specific vehicles in random battles
The task can be completed only in vehicles from the list:

• Japan: D3A1, A6M2, B5N2
  
• USA: P-36A, Rasmussen’s P-36A, P-36G, SBD-3, USS Aylwin, USS Raleigh, USS Detroit, USS Brooklin, USS Helena, PT-20
  

Follow your progress by clicking on your nickname → Achievements → Remembrance Day.