Armored Warfare News

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• Type 10 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• QN-506 Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
• VT-5 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank
• Pindad SBS Tier 8 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• Type 90 Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank along with Japanese camouflage
• Pile of Gold Loot Crate

Between January 18 and 25, 2024, the following items will be available:

 
[h2]Type 10[/h2]
 

The Type 10 MBT is the most modern Japanese Main Battle Tank in service and one of the most advanced war machines in the world. Using sophisticated electronics and crystalline steel armor, this tank is more than a match for any enemy that would threaten the islands of Japan. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Type 10 is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. What puts it apart from the other MBTs of its Tier is its special NERA armor. This highly-mobile MBT starts every battle well-armored, but the protection levels decrease with every shot taken. Additionally, this MBT features a special system that tells you the exact chance to penetrate your target. Overall, it’s one of the most powerful MBTs of its Tier and certainly a good choice for players, who prefer rapid action to slow advances.

The Type 10 Tier 10 Premium MBT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.

 

 

 
[h2]QN-506[/h2]
 

The QN-506 fire support vehicle is a Chinese attempt to design a cheap, export-oriented alternative to the Russian BMPT series. Instead of converting a second or third generation MBT, the engineers at Wuhan Guide Infrared Co., Ltd., likely to keep the vehicle as affordable as possible, opted to base their project on the Type 59 MBT, which is, in its basic form anyway, a copy of the old Soviet T-55 medium tank from the late 1950s. They jam-packed it with cutting edge electronics and a number of weapon systems, including ATGMs, an automatic cannon or smaller caliber rockets. However, despite the use of an unmanned turret, the protection levels of this vehicle are still quite low and, so far, there haven’t been any signs of interest in the QN-506. You can learn more about this vehicle in our dedicated article.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In Armored Warfare, the QN-506 is a Premium Tier 9 Tank Destroyer that gameplay-wise resembles the popular BMPT series. However, unlike the Russian Terminators, it has a number of interesting features including tree different weapon systems (30mm cannon, 70mm unguided rockets and 151mm ATGMs) and loitering recon ammunition flying towards the end of a map and spotting everything in its path. The last ability is unique to the QN-506 and makes it one of the most potent support vehicles on the battlefield.

Clicking the link below will open the game’s launcher. Please select the Market option on the left and select Armored Warfare to access this offer.

 

 

 
[h2]VT-5[/h2]
 

The VT-5 is a modern Chinese Light Tank that was developed specifically with export in mind. There are many reasons why a country without its own tank development should opt to purchase a Light Tank instead of a full-scale Main Battle Tank. It’s equally as fast if not faster with equal firepower but, what is most important, it is affordable. The VT-5 excels in all these categories. While its armor cannot match that of an MBT, it can protect its crew against most infantry threats thanks to its ERA and cage armor sets. It also has a powerful 105mm gun capable of firing guided missiles, it is packed with advanced electronics and is supremely agile thanks to its 1000hp diesel engine. Simply put, wraps cutting edge technologies up into an affordable bundle. You can learn more about it in a dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the VT-5 is a very powerful Tier 9 Premium Light Tank. Fast and agile, it features solid levels of protection (the configuration in the game is the one featuring the ERA kit as well as the turret cage armor) and a good rate of fire. Additionally, its gun is capable of firing guided missiles. It’s an ideal machine for players who value speed and agility, as it offers plenty of both. The VT-5 is capable of dancing around its opponents on the battlefield, outperforming even some AFVs in mobility.

Clicking the link below will open the game’s launcher. Please select the Market option on the left and select Armored Warfare to access this offer.

 

 

 
[h2]Pindad SBS[/h2]
 

The SBS platform is one of the first domestic armored vehicles developed by Pindad (the largest Indonesian armor producer) for Indonesia and is officially listed as a “light tank”. It was developed sometimes in the early 2010s with some prototypes in different configuration appearing in public in 2014 or so. The variant in the game is a long-range MLRS fire support vehicle with a 122mm multi-barreled rocket launcher. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Pindad SBS is a Tier 8 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle. This AFV is fairly unique, since its main weapon is a multi-barreled rocket launcher capable of firing over obstacles. This makes the Pindad incredibly powerful in both offense and defense. Static enemy targets stand no chance! This vehicle is best used with Commander Ophelia Kitescu and in a platoon – the firepower of such a formation is truly without equal.

Clicking the link below will open the game’s launcher. Please select the Market option on the left and select Armored Warfare to access this offer.

 

 

 
[h2]Type 90[/h2]
 

The Type 90 is the current service main battle tank of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. On the outside, it vaguely resembled the German Leopard 2, but inside, the vehicle’s completely different. It was adequately armed and armored for the time it was developed in, but what made it really stand out were its cutting-edge Japanese electronics and its hydraulic suspension, allowing the tank to tilt itself forward or backward, enhancing its gun elevation and depression beyond what the turret would normally allow. This trait was considered to be an important for Japan, as much of its landmass is covered by mountainous areas. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Type 90 is a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank. Gameplay-wise, it resembles the Leopard 2 and Abrams version of the same Tier. The difference between the Leopard and the Type 90 MBT lie in the presence of an automatic loading mechanism – otherwise, the firepower and protection levels is roughly the same with the Japanese tank having a little less armor, compensated by more module hitpoints. Overall, it is not the best-protected MBT on the battlefield, requiring careful long-range gameplay. However, the advanced electronics installed in this tank as well as its hydraulic suspension allow it to aim faster than all its class and Tier counterparts.

The Type 90 is also available in the Japanese bundle, which contains:

• Type 90 Tier 7 Premium MBT
• Japanese camouflage
• Two Japanese decals
• Japanese red flag

You can learn more about the Japanese camouflage in our dedicated article.

Clicking the link below will open the game’s launcher. Please select the Market option on the left and select Armored Warfare to access this offer.

 

 

 
[h2]Pile of Gold[/h2]
 

We also have the Pile of Gold Loot Crate for you. This Loot Crate contains copious amounts of Gold for you to win.



This Loot Crate includes:

• 250.000 Gold
• 100.000 Gold
• 50.000 Gold
• 10.000 Gold
• 5.000 Gold
• 1.000 Gold
• 500 Gold
• 100 Gold

Clicking the link below will open the game’s launcher. Please select the Market option on the left, select Armored Warfare and then the Chest section to access this offer.

 

 

We hope that you will enjoy the offer and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Years ago, the battlefields of Armored Warfare were changed forever by the introduction of Mechanized Infantry and now they are about to be changed again with the appearance of a new game mechanic – Drones.



In a sense, this feature reflects the fact that the concept of war itself was forever changed with the Ukraine conflict and the mass use of drones in it. On a modern battlefield, drones are everywhere – from tiny, lightning-fast FPV drones to large unmanned aircraft patrolling the skies.

In the initial phases of the conflict, large drones such as the Turkish Bayraktar were used successfully but the opposing air defenses quickly adapted to their appearance and the focus shifted towards smaller, cheaper suicide drones carrying warheads potent enough to knock out a tank. One of the best examples of this drone type is the Lancet drone that is fully capable of knocking out pretty much any MBT on the battlefield.



On the other hand, electronic warfare became more important than ever with multiple drones knocked out of the sky or even taken over by the enemy using sophisticated jammers now also deployed almost everywhere. And so the face of war changes – and Armored Warfare with it. Here’s how.

Much like Mechanized Infantry, the Drones will be deployed as an Active Ability. That will be one of the first decisions you’ll have to make. For vehicles with different abilities, will you take a drone or perhaps something else such as Mechanized Infantry? The actual use of the ability is very simple. You have a limited amount of drones. Once in battle, hold the Control button and left-click on the minimap where you want to send the drone. A yellow flag will appear on the map. A countdown will start, after which your drone will appear in flight at the edge of the map (it’ll be initially flying generally from the direction of your base to your position).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The drone will then fly towards the designated area. There are two general drone categories we have developed:

• Recon drones
• Attack drones

The recon drones do exactly what you might expect. They fly towards the designated area and, once there, start spotting the enemies beneath it in a certain radius. It’s worth noting that, unlike vehicle spotting, the damage done to the targets spotted by drones does not count as assist damage (same case as with the QN506).

The attack drones fly towards the designated area and attack anything they come across there (within their engagement radius). If the drones encounter an enemy target on their way before reaching the area, they will attack it instead. First they will start circling around it, looking to attack the weak area that’s vulnerable to their HEAT warhead (typically the rear or the engine deck). They will, however, initially only attack when they deem it appropriate so you can evade them by hiding your weaker areas or just moving around. At some point they will attempt to attack anyway – this attack can be evaded by simply moving (in which case the drone will crash into the ground).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It’s important to note that all drones can be shot down. In the air, you can recognize incoming hostile drones by the red frame and map icon. And this is where HEAB (airburst) ammunition comes in handy because it’s designed specifically for this task. Vehicles with this ammunition will have an advantage although it’s possible to shoot any drone down with any rapid-firing weapon or a machinegun. Hard-kill APS will also work against them (although each drone counts as an incoming ATGM, so Swarm drones have a distinctive advantage here).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We have developed four specific drone types you’ll be able to choose from.

• Recon Drones behave the way we described above. They are relatively slow but fly quite high, which makes them difficult to shoot down for anything without sufficient gun elevation. Once targeted, however, they go down almost instantly. They are modeled after the Orlan drone
• Swarm Drones, as their name suggests, fly in the swarms of 3 and are the weakest attack drone category with poor penetration and low damage. However, they are very fast and therefore very difficult to evade or shoot down. They are modeled after the Warmate drone
• Medium Drones are fairly fast but not as fast or agile as the Swarm drones. They deal decent damage but not as much as a Heavy drone. In short, they are quite universal. They are modeled after the Lancet drone
• Heavy Drones are the slowest of the attack drones, but they are also quite heavy and deal a lot of damage upon impact. It’s worth noting that they will withstand several machinegun hits so using an autocannon to get rid of them is preferable. They will also not fare as well as the other types in urban environments so this is something that needs to be taken into account. They are modeled after the Switchblade 600 drone

And that’s pretty much it. We are planning to conduct a limited test in the near future where the Drone ability will be given to two vehicles:

• T-15 Armata
• Boxer RIWP

We are looking forward to your feedback and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

On the 18th of January 2024, starting from 8:00 CET, the server will not be available for 2 hours due to a planned server maintenance.



Please note that the maintenance can be extended beyond the abovementioned timeframe. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• AbramsX Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• ZTZ-20 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank

Between January 16 and 18, 2024, the following items will be available:

 
[h2]AbramsX[/h2]
 

AbramsX is an advanced technology demonstrator. It was built as a private venture by General Dynamics Land Systems and unveiled in 2022 to show what the future of the Abrams MBT could look like. It is considerably lighter than a fully upgraded Abrams while retaining its protection levels and firepower thanks to its cutting edge systems. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the AbramsX is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. While still maintaining the basic Abrams line features such as a 120mm gun, it is considerably lighter and less armored. On the other hand it is also faster, more agile, stealthier, and features a 30mm autocannon that can reduce most light vehicles to a pile of scrap in seconds thanks to its new ammunition. As a result, this tank can dish out a lot of damage but requires careful and skilled gameplay.

The AbramsX Tier 10 Premium MBT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.

 

 

 
[h2]ZTZ-20[/h2]
 

The ZTZ-20 is a fictional Chinese Main Battle Tank for the 21st century. It combines western influences with some ideas taken from the T-14 Armata. You can read about its (real and fictional) history in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the ZTZ-20 is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. On its own, it’s a beast of a machine and one of the most powerful vehicles in the game, featuring both a powerful gun and thick armor. It does have a special feature though – its missiles can cover a wide area with burning White Phosphorus that reduces enemy vehicle camouflage and deals damage to anyone entering the zone.

The ZTZ-20 MBT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.

 

 

We hope that you will enjoy the offer and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

The Centurion AVRE Contract is slowly coming to an end and today, we’d like to unveil the next Contract Mission vehicle, which is the British AS90 Self-Propelled Gun.



As usual, a little bit of history first.

The AS90 (which stands for “Artillery System for the 1990s”) started as a private venture of VSEL (Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited) to build a modern self-propelled howitzer based on an older export turret project from 1982 called GBT 155, which could be mounted on a number of platforms. In this case, the GBT 155 was trialed in India on a Vijayanta chassis (itself a Vickers tank) but never accepted in service.

Contrary to the GBT 155, however, the AS90 was aimed at the domestic market – Britain. In the 1980s, the British Army was looking for its next self-propelled gun to replace the obsolete FV433 Abbot with something with a lot more firepower and the Vickers’ FH70 towed 155mm L/39 gun seemed like a very good candidate for an upgrade in mobility and protection.

By the time the project begun, Britain was involved in the unsuccessful SP70 project along with Germany and Italy since 1973. After a decade of development, the result was noticeably worse than the American M109 Paladin, which ultimately led to its cancellation in 1984. Vickers knew about the project and its problems as it was the company involved in the design and production of the SP70’s main armament, the FH70 howitzer. They considered mechanizing this excellent gun fundamentally a good idea but with the SP70 national collaboration a mess as usual, they waged on the project dying on the vine. When that happened, they’d be ready.



As its name suggests, the idea for the AS90 was to bring the self-propelled artillery concept into the 21st century. The emphasis was put especially on firepower, crew survivability and systems integration. The goal was also to make the system as easily operable as possible along with the ability to rapidly load, fire, and move away before any retaliatory counter-battery fire could harm it. The final important aspect of this design was the possibility of an upgrade – no gun stays unbeaten forever and the engineers were well-aware of that fact.

The development ran in one form or another from roughly 1982 to 1985 (the preparatory phase) with the first prototype being ready in 1986.

On one hand, the AS90 was innovative, but it was also to use well-proven components so that it could be rolled out quickly. The SPG was therefore of classic composition. It had a chassis with a front-mounted engine and a fully traversable turret. The crew consisted of five members (driver, commander, two weapon operators and a loader) protected by welded 17mm thick steel armor – barely enough to withstand heavy machinegun fire. But the emphasis was put on surviving counter-artillery strikes, specifically the 152mm shell fragments.

Additional protective measures included a NBC protection system, automatic fire suppression system, and turret-mounted smoke grenades.



The 45 ton vehicle was powered by an American Cummins VTA-903T-660 14.8 liter engine V8 diesel engine producing 660hp at 2800 RPM, paired with ZF LSG 2000 automatic transmission. This engine was similar to that used in the Bradley or the MLRS rocket launcher and there were trial runs with it cranked up to 750hp – however, in British service it was detuned to improve its longevity and reliability. Regardless, it made the vehicle quite mobile and agile despite its ground pressure value being worse than that of the Paladin. Its maximum speed was 55 km/h. The average off-road speed was roughly 30-35 km/h.

The suspension was hydropneumatic and non-adjustable. The vehicle could cross a 0.88m tall wall or a 2.8m trench, or ford a 1.5m deep body of water. The maximum range was roughly 370km while driving at the speed of 45 km/h (which implies hard surfaces).

And last but not least, there was the firepower. The 155mm L/39 howitzer could fire NATO standard ammunition. The gun came with a fume extractor and a muzzle brake. The loading mechanism it used allowed it to fire:

• 3 rounds within 10 seconds
• 6 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
• 2 rounds per minute after that

The vehicle could carry 48 shells and charges inside (31 shells in the turret bustle in four modules). The gun could depress to -5 degrees and elevate to +70 degrees. The turret traverse was electric (10 degrees per second) with the power provided not just by the engine, but alternatively by an in-built auxiliary generator, reducing the need for the engine to be constantly running. The turret could also be traversed manually.

For its time, the AS90 used an advanced fire control system with automatic gun laying, navigation and other bells and whistles. The operators had a day/night telescopic sights at their disposal while the driver could use night driving optics.



The June 1986 prototype was well-liked and underwent extensive military trials that ran until in June 1987. In late 1986, Britain left the SP70 project and started officially looking for its new SPG. The contest ran until June 1989 and the AS90 ended up winning it over the American M109A6 Paladin. A contract was signed for the production of 179 vehicles and the AS90 officially entered service in May 1992 under the name “Gun Equipment, 155 mm L131”. The full production run took place between late 1992 and the spring of 1995. The first British unit was operational in 1993.

The AS90 development didn’t stop there. In 1994, a prototype appeared featuring a Royal Ordnance 155mm L/52 gun along with a new shell charge system called MCS. Nothing really came of it, the time of the longer gun came later when, in 1997, a new AS90 variant with a 155mm L/52 gun was unveiled. This became known under the name AS90M “Braveheart”.



The turret of this system was eventually mated with the South Korean K9 Thunder chassis to produce the AHS Krab variant (which has a French gun), but that is not really an AS90 variant anymore and therefore beyond the scope of this article. The “Braveheart” was not used by Britain due to issues with the new shell charges (co-developed with South African Denel).

Further export attempts took place in the 1990s as well. In 1993-1994, the AS90 turret appeared on a T-72 chassis and was clearly intended for India. It passed some trials in 1996 but nothing really came of it. Another variant was the Desert AS90 (also known as AS90D) intended for the Middle East. The vehicle had improved cooling, air conditioning and different tracks. In 1996, it was successfully tested in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but subsequently lost to the Chinese PLZ-45.



In British service, aside from the peacekeeping operations in former Yugoslavia (Operation Cambrai in 2001), the AS90 fought in the Iraq War. During its deployment there, it was re-painted to sand color and some of the vehicles were upgraded to the AS90D standard. They were used during the Battle of Basra. From the mid-2000s, aside from some partial electronics upgrades, the British started scaling the use of AS90 down. By 2008, 134 vehicles out of 179 were in service. Seven years later, in 2015, it was only 117. Currently, they are still use by two units:

• 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
• 19th Regiment Royal Artillery

They are expected to stay in service until 2032. In early 2023, Britain announced it would send 32 vehicles of this type to Ukraine (in British service, they’d be replaced by the truck-mounted Archer artillery). This happened around April 2023 and the first combat footage appeared in May 2023. No losses of this artillery type have been reported so far.

In Armored Warfare, the AS90 is going to be a direct-fire Tier 8 Premium Self Propelled Gun.

Following the positive results of the overhauled Akatsiya testing, we will be introducing the AS90 as a direct fire vehicle that will be available in all game modes. We will be taking a lot of your feedback into account. Most importantly, this means increased reload times but higher damage per shot – and yes, the AS90 will hit hard.



We’ll be introducing the “standard” L/39 howitzer variant firing HE and HEAT shells. The longer gun will be available as an overprogression module.



The AS90 will also come with relatively high mobility and, of course, poor armor (although we’ll probably make it frontally resistant to basic autocannons).

And that’s pretty much it. We hope that you’ll enjoy it and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!