'Firebirds' Update Trailer
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The next major update for War Thunder — 'Firebirds'!
The next major update for War Thunder — 'Firebirds'!
War Thunder News
Tornado GR.4: Tenacious Tonka
The “big fin” gets an upgrade with the Tornado GR.4! Today, we’ll be taking a look at this new top rank British strike aircraft that will let you rain Hellfire (or in this case Brimstone) down on your opponents!
[h2]Tornado GR.4: A Strike Aircraft for Great Britain at Rank VIII[/h2]
At a glance:
- A modernized Tornado GR.1 with more advanced ordnance.
- Improved LITENING targeting pod with Gen 2 thermals.
- Equipped with Dual-Mode Brimstone (SAL) Semi-Active Laser guided precision weapons and Paveway IV!
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Tornado GR.4 was born from experience gathered in the 1990s from the Gulf War. Lessons learned from Operation Granby coupled with the need for more advanced and sophisticated weapons lead at the time to an extensive upgrade program beginning in 1996 by Panavia for the RAF. An all-weather and Night flight capability was added to the aircraft, allowing it to operate in all conditions and at any time, with Night Vision Goggles (NVG) for the crews. Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) was added under the aircraft, replacing one of the 27mm Mauser cannons. A host of new weaponry was introduced and integrated, including more advanced countermeasure pods and sophisticated air-to-ground smart munitions like Paveway IV with GPS guidance, Storm Shadow cruise missiles and Brimstone missiles all became part of the Tornados expanded arsenal.
GR.4s were used extensively in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, accounting for most RAF strike operations and taking over many duties from the Harrier after its retirement in 2010. The famous WW2 “Dambuster” 617 Squadron, made famous by its raids with the Lancaster, was among the units to utilize this aircraft in combat. Tornado GR.4s were still flying operational combat missions just a few months before their retirement, taking part in Operation Shader and conducting precision strikes, reconnaissance and other mission roles. The Tornado was retired entirely from Royal Air Force service in March of 2019, with its role being taken over jointly by both F-35B and Typhoon FGR.4s upgraded to carry existing Tornado GR.4 air-to-ground weaponry.
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[h2]Meet the Tornado GR.4![/h2]
The Tornados are staple strike aircraft for many higher rank ground battle lineups, but you’ll most definitely want to be adding this one to your British roster! The Tornado GR.4 is a modernized Tornado GR.1, trading one 27 mm cannon away to gain a host of gameplay improvements and some deadly new weapons for its arsenal. Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect!
Equipped with FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) under its nose and more powerful RB199 Mk 103 engines compared to the 101 of the GR.1, the GR.4 improves just about every aspect of its predecessor. The impressive array of traditional Tornado bombs and guided bomb payload remains, but with some welcomed improvements. Mainly in the form of the LITENING targeting pod, featuring better resolution and thermal generation and also with Paveway IV and EGBU-24B Paveway III smart bombs. These munitions feature combined GPS and laser guidance and allow you to drop precision ordnance on a fixed point without putting your aircraft too much in harm’s way.
Did you know? RAF Tornado GR.4s alone amassed over 30,000 flying hours using the LITENING III targeting pod. RAF GR.4s can be used for photo reconnaissance as well as strike roles utilizing LITENING III.
Besides this, the Tornado GR.4 will also introduce a brand new type of air-to-ground missile to the game in the form of Dual-Mode Brimstone (SAL)! This precision missile in its Semi-Active Laser mode will behave like a much more advanced Hellfire in game, but with more range. The Tornado GR.4 also carries an impressive number of nine alongside its targeting pod all on its centerline stations.
Developer comment: We’d like to mention that Brimstone will only have semi-active laser homing (SAL) mode in the game. The fire and forget mode and the active radar homing seeker will not be available for a few reasons. The primary reason is that this seeker utilizes the “lock-on after launch (LOAL)” mode, this mode allows the weapon to be fired in the general area of a target without needing any direct line of sight to the target from the operator, who can remain at long range in complete safety without any need to expose themselves during every stage of attack.
We feel weapons that can be used outside of the direct line of sight of the target without needing any preliminary reconnaissance or direct user targeting are not currently workable for the game. Weapons such as Brimstone, AGM-114L cause a particular problem and similarly to other ATGMs that have lock after launch modes like the Spike and AJ.168 will not have such abilities in the game.
These weapon types present several issues all at once, they require no challenge to use effectively and have no counterplay options for those being attacked. The attacker can operate outside of the range of any anti-air system in the game, Brimstone is also immune to smoke, so this won’t help either.
ARH modes for air-to-ground weapons won’t be workable until natural and artificial interference to these guidance systems can be implemented, as there are no electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems in the game. Adding these weapons now would allow them to operate perfectly without any counter, which we don’t want to do. Additionally, in closer combat zone sizes like our tank battles, ATGMs with ARH cannot distinguish between allied and enemy targets, and this would lead to a large amount of accidental teamkills as well.
For self defense, the Tornado GR.4 features two AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles and a pilot Helmet Mounted Display. Should you find yourself in the firing line, you can also rely on the upgraded Terma pod, which features MAWs and countermeasures. All of these new toys do however come at the cost of the loss of one 27 mm cannon on the GR.4, but we think you will agree that’s a worthwhile tradeoff!
The Tornado GR.4 will be taking to the skies in the next major update for War Thunder! We hope you will enjoy this upgraded British strike aircraft. That’s all for now, but be sure to stay tuned to the news for more information on what to expect in the upcoming Major Update!
Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.
Warbonds for the “Guided Fury” Battle Pass!
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The Warbond shop for the “Guided Fury” Battle Pass season will be open from October 23rd until January 22nd.[/h3]
Check out the Warbond shop selection that you can earn by completing Battle Pass challenges! As usual, there’s decals, decorations, player icons, camouflages, a stylish pinup that continues the new series, and six premium vehicles for you.
Be sure to take a look at the Chinese F-47N-25-RE fighter that’s suitable for both ground attack and high-altitude air engagements. It was added to the game in the Seek & Destroy major update and is now available for Warbonds for the first time.
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The War Bond Shop is available from Rank III and is part of the Battle Pass. You can purchase items with a special currency called War Bonds, which can be obtained by unlocking Battle Pass levels.[/h3]
[h2]Ki-43-II (USA) [/h2]
A captured Ki-43-II in U.S. Air Force service with U.S. markings. Agile and with a good turn rate, this aircraft gains speed and altitude quickly, making it suitable for both fly-by attacks and maneuvering combat.
[h2]HMS Jervis (Britain) [/h2]
HMS Jervis can be considered a “glass cannon” in Britain’s Bluewater fleet. Featuring six fast-firing 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns in three turrets, HMS Jervis can inflict quick damage on enemies and can maneuver out of harm’s way thanks to its excellent top speed of 69 km/h.
[h2]T-126 (USSR)[/h2]
The T-126 is classed as a light tank but is still well-armored for close-range combat. This tank is capable of ricocheting several shots and can fire its powerful shells to take out a range of enemies at its rank.
[h2]F-47N-25-RE (China) - first time in the store[/h2]
Featuring eight powerful 12.7 mm Browning machine guns, the F-47N-25-RE is excellent at high altitude air battles thanks to its engine performance. For ground attacks, this aircraft can take up to three 1000 lb bombs and ten HVAR rockets!
[h2]VS-8 (Germany)[/h2]
The VS-8 brings with it a whopping 16 EMC moored contact mines each capable of sinking a destroyer, with its excellent top speed allowing it to maneuver into good positions to achieve this! Additionally, the VS-8 is ready to stand up against enemy boats thanks to its four 15 MG 151 machine guns.
[h2]Sherman I (Composito) (Italy)[/h2]
A unique Sherman I in the Italian tree due to its hybrid configuration, featuring good sloped front armor, a decent top speed and a vertical stabilizer that allows for aimed fire while on the move. An M61 shell is this tank’s primary choice of ammunition.
[h2]“Voodoo” pinup decal[/h2]
We’ve lined up some decals for you this time round and have included a trophy with decals from the 2019 Warbond shop, as well as a new “Voodoo” pinup, continuing the series of themed decals. In the “Camouflage” trophy, you will find decorations that will help reduce the visibility of your tank. There’s also player icons that this time include US tankers, and trophies with random camouflages, as before, are available when new levels of the shop are unlocked.
A large number of useful items are also available in the shop: boosters, universal backups, wagers and orders, premium vehicle rentals, and at high shop levels are talismans!
Take a look at the full list of items available in this season’s Warbond shop as well as the conditions for receiving them in game by opening the Battle Pass window, or Shop → Warbond Shop from the hangar.
In-Game Discounts for War Thunder’s 12th Anniversary!
Today we’re launching the celebrations of the 12th anniversary of War Thunder! In honor of this anniversary, discounts on vehicles, modifications, talismans, backups and Premium Account time are available in the game. This means you’ll be able to purchase new vehicles, upgrade your existing vehicles and get consumables at a good discount.
This is just the beginning! Coming soon are special decals, Gaijin store discounts, a new event to get a vehicle and other surprises which we’ll be announcing soon.
[h3]Come and celebrate War Thunder’s birthday with us![/h3]
[h2]In-game Discounts![/h2]
When: From October 23rd (11:00 GMT) until October 29th (11:00 GMT).
- 50% discount on vehicles for all nations for Silver Lions and Golden Eagles.
- 50% discount on all modifications, talismans and backups.
- 50% discount on a Premium Account in-game for 90 and 365 days and in the Gaijin.net store for 180 days.
Discounts do not apply to vehicles released in the Seek & Destroy and Dance of Dragons major updates, as well as squadron vehicles and modifications, talismans, and backups for these vehicles.
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War Thunder’s birthday celebration doesn’t end here! There will be even more activities, great rewards and discounts waiting for you. Stay tuned to the news when we’ll announce the start of another stage of the celebration.[/h3]
Update 2.39.0.102
[h2]Aircraft[/h2]
- The preset trim position set in test flight is now applied only once when the aircraft is respawned and only if full-real controls are enabled. When switching the control type from “Mouse aim” to “Full-real controls”, the preset trim position is not applied.
- A bug in Air Realistic Battles that made it impossible to respawn again after leaving a repaired and refueled aircraft on the airfield has been fixed. (Report).
[h2]Naval Vessels[/h2]
- A bug that caused lag spikes when trying to apply the “Davy Crockett” decoration has been fixed. (Report).