War Thunder News

Today we’ll be taking a look at the AI-Khalid-I, a further development of the Chinese-Pakistan MBT-2000 main battle tank. Pre-orders for this tank have just started today!

[h2]Al-Khalid-I: A Premium MBT for China at Rank VII[/h2]

Features:

• Good balance of armor, mobility and firepower.
  
• 1200 HP engine.
  
• Further turret protection through additional ERA blocks.
  

Vehicle History
[expand]
The AI-Khalid-I upgrade program was designed to improve the combat effectiveness of Pakistan’s MBT-2000 (AI-Khalid) main battle tanks. The upgrade priorities included improving the fire control system and on-board electronics, and more effectively positioning ERA on the turret. The AI-Khalid-I is currently in service with Pakistan, the largest operator of the MBT-2000 family of tanks.
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Pre-order - AI-Khalid-I
Can be purchased through the store in-game. Shop > Online Store
69.99

• Al-Khalid-I tank (Rank VII, China);
• 
  
• Premium account for 20 days;
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles;
  
• Pre-order bonus: "The Eternal Tank" title;
  
• Pre-order bonus: "Markhor" decal;
• 
  
• Pre-order bonus: Unique digital camouflage.
• 
  

* - available after the next major update.

[h2]Meet the AI-Khalid-I[/h2]

Meet the AI-Khalid-I, a further development of the MBT-2000 main battle tank already familiar to the Chinese ground forces tree. This tank will be added in the Dance of Dragons major update, and that means today we’re starting pre-orders for this excellent tank as part of a pack featuring unique bonuses. Let’s take a look!



One of the upgrades carried out on the AI-Khalid-I was aimed to improve the combat effectiveness of the tank. Perhaps the most noticeable external difference here is a change to the armor layout on the sides of the turret. Some add-on FY-2 ERA blocks were removed from the turret side directly, and instead mounted on the turret slat armor. This now means that generally the turret side armor has better protection, especially against heat-based rounds.



At rank VII, the Al-Khalid-I will be a competitive option, able to take on most enemies without any issues, and with premium bonuses to boot! Agile and featuring good engine power, the AI-Khalid-I is not inferior in terms of speed and maneuverability compared to other vehicles at its rank. One key difference though regarding its mobility is that the eternal problem of poor reverse speeds typically found on Soviet tanks has been resolved with the AI-Khalid-I. This means you’ll be able to quickly retreat when needed or reverse quicker after taking a shot over a ridge.



Moving onto firepower, the AI-Khalid-I features a 22-round autoloader, however bare in mind that the autoloader module is large and prone to being hit, causing the entire tank to explode. So make sure to stay in cover where possible to avoid being shot in the side!

Since the AI-Khalid-I is a premium tank, you’ll get immediate access to all of its available shells. One of these include a top-end APFSDS round with over 570 mm of penetration at 100 m.



That’s it for this one! The AI-Khalid-I is coming to War Thunder in the Dance of Dragons major update, and the pre-order pack has just gone live with this dev blog post. Be sure to pick it up to get Golden Eagles, Premium Account days and unique pre-order bonuses!

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

In early August 1945, Japan agreed to the Allied terms for ending the war as outlined in the Potsdam Declaration. On September 2nd 1945, aboard the USS Missouri battleship, the Japanese Foreign Minster and Chief of General Staff signed the Instrument of Surrender, formally ending World War II after six long years.

[h2]Get the “V-J Day 2024” decal[/h2]
Available for this anniversary.

“V-J Day 2024” decal

When: From today until September 5th (09:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using US vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “V-J Day 2024” decal.

Additional details:

• You must use a minimum of rank III.
  
• Your activity must not be below 70%.
  
• You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, and [Assault] mode.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Victory Over Japan.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customization menu.
  

[h2]General[/h2]

• A bug that caused all radar types and missile radar seekers to ignore launched weaponry (bombs, rockets, missiles) and chaff has been fixed. (Report).
  

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.

Thanks for sharing your captures with us last week! This week, take a picture with a “destroyer”! These often hard-hitting vehicles are great assets when on your team, but if they are not- watch out for loose bombs and sneaky torpedoes! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 135th edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen135. You have time until the 6th of September 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 a “tank destroyer”, “strike aircraft”, or “destroyer” (destroyer escorts included).
You must add the #WTscreen135 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 134th edition – Naval Warfare![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3316575800
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3317810848
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3317817886

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3315918681
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3319011381
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3316215969

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

In the upcoming Dance of Dragons major update, closed testing of the French Coastal fleet will begin. And today, we’ll be showing you what awaits its first testers!

As with other naval powers, the development of France’s coastal fleet in the 20th century was driven by the ever-changing demands for coastal defense, control of sea routes, and ensuring the security of national interests. And sometimes, extraordinary solutions were adopted to address these challenges.



With the introduction of France’s coastal fleet tree, the first boats will be agile light motor torpedo ones, including the successful VTB-8, VTB-9, and VTB-11 series. Naval enthusiasts will find the Vedette 40k VTB-19 particularly interesting, as it was a boat that served under three different flags: France, Britain, and Germany, each time equipped with different armaments and equipment. Another intriguing boat is the Arras sub-chaser disguised as a merchant ship, or as the French often called this class, “Aviso”. This relatively slow boat with artillery armament is almost like a mini destroyer! Additional similar boats will be added to the French coastal fleet line in the future.

There’s also several imported boats that testers can look forward to. These are mainly of British origin, such as the MTB Vosper torpedo boat and the iconic transport converted for landing support tasks, the LCG(M), familiar from footage of the Normandy landings. One of France’s top light ships will be the versatile P-730 Combattante, armed with a 40 mm automatic cannon and four SS.11 guided missiles!



Closed testing of the French Coastal fleet will begin on the first day of the major update release. All owners of the VLT-2 pack will immediately gain access to research all of the boats available, as well as receive a unique commemorative decal for participating in the testing. Be sure to pick up the pack yourself, get some crew points and get ready to welcome the new French Coastal fleet tree with well-prepared, seasoned crews! You’ll also be able to get testing access through in-game achievements, which we’ll go through the details a little closer to the release.

[h2]VLT-2 Pack[/h2]
Can be purchased through the store in-game. Shop > Online Store
This pack includes

• VLT-2 (Rank IV, France)
  
• 1000 Golden Eagles
  
• Premium account for 15 days
  
• French Coastal fleet access
  

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