War Thunder News

Let’s have a look at an interesting addition to Britain’s ground forces tree, which is fully capable of speeding around the battlefield and being a nuisance for the enemy team when it arrives in the next major update: say hello to the FV721 Fox!

[h2]FV721 Fox: A Light Tank for Great Britain at Rank IV[/h2]

Features:

• 30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon.
  
• Separate stock SAP and HEI belt; APDS belt as unlock.
  
• Great top speed!
  
• Light armor.
  
• No thermals.
  

Vehicle History
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In the 1960s, the British Army was looking to replace their outdated Ferret and Saladin armored cars with a more capable vehicle that featured the 30 mm L21A1 RARDEN cannon. Development of the FV721 Fox started in 1965 by Daimler with the first prototype ready and shown to the British Army in 1967. After successful trials, full-scale production of the Fox was given the go ahead and was completed by 1973. Over 300 were built, where most were operated by Britain which are now out of service, and some by Malawi and Nigeria that are still in service today in very limited numbers.
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[h2]Meet the FV721 Fox![/h2]

The Fox is a 4 x 4 wheeled light tank that features the 30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon and a fantastic top speed, overall helping bolster some of Britain’s mid-rank tank lineups. Arriving to the game in the Alpha Strike major update, the Fox is an opportunistic predator that’s fast, nimble and up to the task, so let’s take a look at its lethality!

Perhaps the most notable feature of the Fox is its 30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon that can also be found on the Warrior. This gun is capable of firing APDS shells, significantly improving armor penetration compared to the default SAP only belt, and are best fired at the sides and rear of enemy tanks. This, coupled with an excellent turret rotation speed means you’re going to be able to pick and prioritize the right targets as you please. However, it’s good to keep in mind that the fire rate is still slower compared to other automatic cannons found on other light tanks in-game, which is one of the biggest drawbacks to the L21A1. Be sure to aim and pick your shots wisely!



Interesting: “FV” in FV721 stands for “Fighting Vehicle”. The number 721 can be broken down into two parts: the 700 series of vehicles based on the Ferret armored car, and the 20 series based on Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (Wheeled) of the British Army. 

Such a small and light vehicle typically means great mobility, and this is exactly what the Fox is going to offer! Its engine, capable of outputting up to 190 hp, coupled with its mass of about 6 tons is going to provide a power-to-weight ratio of about 31 and speeds of up to 99 km/h. Thanks to this, the Fox is going to have a good time on road and even off-road where it will be able to provide supporting fire through flanking and pouncing on unsuspecting enemy vehicles, plus of course scouting for allies.



Coming in with a very low weight and having an excellent top speed can only mean one thing though, and that’s poor protection. The Fox has light aluminum alloy armor which is enough in most areas to protect against small machine guns and even .50 cals, but does mean it’s going to become perfect prey for any larger caliber weapon, aircraft and artillery strikes. On the flip side, the Fox has one particular advantage, and that’s the fact that it’s a very small vehicle, perfect for sneaking around and changing positions on the battlefield.

In your matches by Chris, Community Manager: “Overall use the speed to your advantage! I would recommend flanking and only shooting frontally to take out an enemy’s gun barrel or tracks, and shoot to the side for the crew or ammo for the kill shot. Prioritize taking out your targets wisely due to the gun’s slower rate of fire. Spot for your teammates to rack up points and have some fun (if it’s safe) by speeding to capture points to help your team win the battle (but wait for your teammates to capture too if they’re nearby)!”

With that, we’ve reached the end of this dev blog! The FV721 Fox is going to be a handy addition to Britain, providing it with some great mobility and firepower in battle. Be sure to keep an eye out on our website for more dev blogs that we’ll be releasing, but until then, happy battles ahead!

Let’s take a look at one of the lesser known types of Bf 109, the model C! This variant saw one of the lowest production runs of any Bf 109 model, with only around 50 examples of the C variant being produced.

[h2]Bf 109 C-1: A Fighter for Germany at Rank I[/h2]

Features:

• Four 7.92 mm machine guns.
  
• Fuel injection Jumo 210G engine.
  
• Decent agility.
  
• No suspended weaponry.
  

Vehicle History
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While taking on experience from combat in the Spanish Civil War, one evident drawback of the Bf 109B was its armament. With a pair of twin 7.92 machine guns being its only offensive weaponry, this was quickly deemed outdated, and efforts to improve its weaponry began.

Designers quickly came across several hurdles in this process, experiments were trialled equipping these early 109s with a nose mounted cannon or machine gun to no success, with the only remaining space being the wings. Though even equipping the wings with additional weaponry proved difficult. Accommodating for the comparatively low wing area in addition to the spars and wheel wells, only space for one gun in either wing was possible. But with some adjustments and ingenuity, the designers managed to cram in two machine guns into each wing, effectively doubling the firepower of the Bf 109 at the time.
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[h2]Meet the Bf 109 C-1![/h2]

This new C model of the 109 most closely resembles the current B model we have in game with some notable improvements. The C features a new engine, the Jumo 210G, which offers a fuel injection system, plus two more machine guns. It’s coming in the Alpha Strike major update — let’s take a further look!

The most apparent change though will be the two extra guns in the wings which add a much greater spread of fire, allowing your bursts to do much more damage. The two wing machine guns have slightly less ammo than the nose mounted guns at 420 RPG instead of 500 RPG. If you see the wing guns start to run dry, it’s time to head back and rearm!



Interesting: While specific 109 variants lacked official names, they were sometimes referred to by their model letter in relation with the German phonetic alphabet, C for Cäsar (Caesar), D for Dora and E for Emil.

While it does lack wing cannons found on the later E models, these machine guns are no slouch, featuring a high rate of fire and a good mix of armor piercing and incendiary ammo. As aircraft around this era are comparatively much more fragile, they’re much easier to dispatch with just machine guns alone, and generally hold a much longer firing time than contemporary cannons, which often only have a small amount of ammo.

The C model is an all around improvement on the previous 109B, adding greater combat reliability across the board. It’s a powerful and fast fighter, allowing you to comfortably maintain a great amount of speed against your somewhat slower opposition. This speed is very important however — you may be very fast, but your opponents are often very agile, and can easily chew you up if you’re caught out on low speed. If you feel your energy start to waver, it may be time to disengage from the fight to build up more speed before heading back into the fray.

In your matches by Tom, Lead Community Manager: “The Bf 109C is a strong fighter for its rank, but as aircraft around this era are often very agile it’s even more important to maintain a good amount of speed and altitude. If you get too close to one of these enemies while at low speed you’ll struggle to shake them off. Focus on climbing well and maintaining your speed and altitude — don’t engage too early, it can be tempting to dive on the first attacker you see but you forfeit your advantages by doing this. Stay high and focus on Boom and Zoom attacks, once the higher altitude fighters have been dispatched or pushed down, then you can safely drop altitude and mop up what's left.”

That just about wraps up our blog for today! The Bf 109 C-1 will make for a powerful interim model between the B and E variants, we hope you like trying out this rarer Bf 109 model in the skies of the next major update, Alpha Strike. Until then, keep an eye on the news to read all about interesting vehicles like this one!

On March 6th, 1913, Alexander Pokryshkin was born and was one of the most successful aces of the USSR. Pokryshkin worked as an aircraft technician for several years, dreaming of becoming a pilot, and secretly completed a one-year civil pilot program in 17 days. He participated in battles throughout World War II, shooting down more than 50 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title three times.

[h2]Pokryshkin’s P-39N-0 is temporarily available for Golden Eagles![/h2]
In honor of this Soviet Ace, you can get his aircraft for 1,300 Golden Eagles.

When: From March 6th (13:00 GMT) until March 9th (07:00).
Where: USSR > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

[h2]About this aircraft[/h2]

• Pokryshkin’s P-39N-0 differs from the regular Airacobra version, with the absence of machine guns on the wings, which means its flight characteristics are slightly better. The 37 mm M4 cannon can destroy enemy fighters with one hit, and if its ammunition runs out, 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns can be used.
  

The Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest in the world, turning 106. It was formed on March 6th 1918, shortly after Finland declared its independence. Finland’s air force took part in the Finnish Civil War, and the Soviet-Finnish War during World War II. Today, the Finnish Air Force operates more than 150 aircraft, some of which include the American F/A-18 C and D, and the British Hawk Mk.51.


By completing the task below you’ll be able to get yourself this decal.

[h3]

When: From March 6th (11:00 GMT) until March 9th (07:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using aircraft in the Swedish tree to receive the “Emblem of the Satakunta Air Command” 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, [Assault] mode and Helicopter PVE battles.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Finnish Air Force Day.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Neutral countries” tab in the Customization menu.
  

[/h3]

“Emblem of the Satakunta Air Command” decal

In the Alpha Strike major update, we’ll be introducing the North Holland location for ground battles. Let’s take a closer look!

[h2]Meet North Holland![/h2]
We’ve taken Eastern Europe, one of War Thunder’s most popular ground forces maps according to the number of likes, and created North Holland based on it, set in the Zaandam region.

In this location are similar spawn points and routes to capture points, plus a canal that cuts through the city, which can be driven-through as the water is not too deep. You’ll be familiar with the general gameplay, timings and layout of this map, but the differences are that it has been transformed 50 years into the future, giving it a modernized touch. Additionally, the largest mission on this map is still not as large as European Province, but overall will still be more spacious for higher ranks.



Driving through the city, you’ll be greeted with modern looking buildings and cars. Near the middle is a large mall that you’ll be able to drive through with your vehicles, knocking down broken walls, allowing you to have some interesting encounters with the enemy!



Near one area are red street lamps that illuminate the surrounding buildings, creating an atmospheric scene. All-in-all, this new location features streets and open fields, overall making it great for short, medium and long-range combat engagements.



North Holland is going to be part of the map rotation when the Alpha Strike major update releases. Be on the look out and give it a try!