Armored Warfare News

Commanders, we encountered a critical issue during the deployment of the latest build, which we need to fix. As a result, the maintenance will continue at least until 12:30 CET, after which the server will open.

During the maintenance, all vehicles affected by the issue (Premium vehicles) will be disabled for the time being and unavailable for purchase or gameplay (even if you previously obtained one the correct way).

In the evening, another maintenance will take place and we’ll roll the game back to the previous version (Update 0.38.8612). All the in-game purchases made during the existence of the bug will be reverted (vehicles removed, Gold compensated). Update 0.38.8630 will return once this critical issue is fixed. The Premium vehicles will once again become available during this evening maintenance.

On the 16th of December 2021, starting from 8:00 CET (15th of December, 11 PM PST), the server will not be available for 5 hours due to the application of Update 0.38.8630




[h2]List of Update 0.38.8630 Changes[/h2]
 

Carson City PvP Map

We are adding a new PvP map to the game, called Carson City. This map, based on a city in Nevada, offers both open terrain and city fighting. The map is available in both the standard and the encounter version. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Autocannon Overhaul

The long-awaited autocannon overhaul is here. It consists of two parts:

• Autocannons are receiving the overheat mechanic (read more)
• Adjusted the autocannon penetration and damage (read more)

We are also adjusting the penetration loss over distance for all autocannons so that it starts at 100 meter distance and is reduced by 70 percent at 400 meters.

Premium Vehicles assigned to Dealers

In this update, a number of Premium vehicles that could previously not have been used to complete missions (including those in the ongoing Battle Path) are getting assigned to specific dealers. You can read more about this topic in our dedicated article.

B1 Draco Overhaul

We are changing the B1 Draco Tier 9 Tank Destroyer as such:

• Stock armor-piercing shell penetration changed from 350mm to 680mm
• Stock armor-piercing shell damage changed from 250 to 330
• Upgraded armor-piercing shell penetration changed from 460mm to 730mm
• Upgraded armor-piercing shell damage changed from 250 to 360
• HE shell penetration changed from 40mm to 45mm
• HE shell damage changed from 375 to 540
• Reduced the amount of shells in magazine from 12 to 10
• Reduced the rate of fire from 100 to 75 rounds per minute
• Increased the magazine reload time from 16 seconds to 17.5 seconds

General Changes

• Fixed an issue where the AI opponents wouldn’t drive towards and capture their assigned objectives in a number of Special Operations missions
• Moscow Calling, Chapter 2: Fixed an issue where players could see through terrain (and other visual bugs) near the final objective
• 2S38 Derivatsiya: Adjusted the smoke grenades to match those of the BMP-3M AFV (6 charges within a magazine, 3 seconds between discharges and 25 second magazine reload)
• 2S38 Derivatsiya: Changed the shell names to match their real-life counterparts
• AS21: Fixed the bugged Upgrade window module placement in the Garage
• K21: K40 gun rate of fire increased from 200 to 275 rounds per minute
• M50 Ontos: Fixed an issue where the module that increases the recoilless rifle rate of fire also affects the vehicle’s machinegun
• TR-85M1: Increased the maximum speed from 50 km/h to 60 km/h
• The Holiday Mode map received a small lighting and terrain update
• Fixed the flying tree and incorrect shadows (on Medium settings) in the Exodus Garage
• Fixed a number of small visual model issues

Commanders!

We haven’t had a real life article for a while now and since Europe’s just about covered with a fresh blanket of snow as of writing of this text, we figured it was high time we made another one. Let’s talk about tanks in cold weather then.



Fundamentally, operating an armored vehicle in cold weather isn’t all that different from operating any other piece of machinery. The lubrication needs to be stepped up and adjusted for lower temperatures (by the use of Arctic oil and a synthetic lubricant), engines have to be pre-heated where necessary and surfaces get slippery. Ammunition must be stored in warmth and armored vehicles must be kept buttoned up in order for the ice not to get inside with the external modules vulnerable to frost covered with plastic or canvas sheets.

Winter affects tank mobility more than you might imagine. On icy surfaces, steel tracks become slippery and the tank therefore becomes far more difficult to control, sometimes leading to spectacular cases of drifting. This can be countered by the use of grousers – track extenders that increase the grips of the vehicle. The same goes for soft surfaces such as deep snow or sand for that matter. The loss of track grip creates major issues for tracked vehicles that cannot be easily fixed. Wheeled vehicles can typically have snow chains installed on their wheels whereas tanks rely on their tracks only. Either way, driving in winter (and especially in rough areas or mountains) should only be performed by skilled crews with special training.



Generally speaking, the ability to pass through harsh terrain has improved tremendously since the days of the Second World War. Where the Soviet tanks had a clear advantage over German tanks in the winter of 1941 thanks to their wide tracks, the off-road performance of all MBTs today is more or less comparable, but the same can be said of MBT design in general. There are very few truly poor outliers these days.

When it comes to frozen bodies of water, trying to traverse one with an armored vehicle requires the ice to be at least 40cm (16 inches) thick for a 16 ton vehicle with every additional ton requiring an extra inch (2.54cm). In other words, crossing a frozen river with a 65 ton Abrams would require the ice to be over a meter and a half thick. This applies to the temperature of 10 degrees Celsius or below – above, extra 25 percent of ice thickness is required.



 
Humidity in winter can also make the vehicle itself a hazard. Metallic objects such as tank hulls become incredibly slippery, something the crews (or troops riding them) must be aware of. To counter this, modern tanks are covered in anti-slip surfaces on the parts of their hull where such a danger might arise. And then there’s the cold itself. Aside from the abovementioned proper lubrication of their moving parts, tanks can be susceptible to their engines freezing over and thus being difficult to start without external aid. Typically, in freezing temperatures, armored vehicle engines should be started every two or three hours to prevent freezing, and the engine should be kept running for at least 10 minutes before the actual use. At -30 degrees Celsius or lower, the engine should be kept running continuously.

There are ways around though if an engine start is required on moment’s notice, especially in Russia where freezing temperatures in winter are commonplace. In the past, the crews would actually start a fire under the tank’s engine to defrost it. Today, however, Russian Arctic units are using the T-80 series MBTs. These are pretty much the supercars of the tank world – powerful but extremely expensive.



They do, however, have one massive advantage over their T-72 and T-90 series service counterparts – they are equipped with a gas turbine rather than a standard diesel engine. Gas turbines can easily start at the temperatures of up to -40 degrees Celsius, which makes these tanks extremely suitable for cold environments to the point where Sweden, an otherwise neutral western country, tested a pair of them in 1993 and actually seriously considered them for service.

The Russian Arctic units are currently being equipped with an upgraded version of the T-80B MBT – the T-80BVM. By the end of 2019, roughly 200 of these were in service according to Polish sources along with roughly 500 older T-80 variants – mostly the T-80U and T-80BV. The backbone of Russian tank forces, however, are the diesel-equipped types, T-72B3 (roughly 1000 in service) and the T-90 series, including the cutting edge T-90M. It’s worth noting that the NATO countries do not have any such special tanks for winter environments, they rely on specific winter maintenance procedures for the standard equipment.



Aside from the environment itself, tanks in winter have to beware of ambushes and enemy troops. This used to be a lot harder back in the early days – visually, it’s very easy to conceal the human body amongst snow drifts and trees that naturally break silhouettes. All you really needed to do was to dress in white. With the advent of thermal imagers, however, the tides have turned and a warm human body stands out nicely in the IR spectrum against any cold backdrop. The same goes for military vehicles – it is extremely difficult to conceal a running tank, especially the abovementioned tank turbines produce a lot of heat, which, in this sense, is a double-edged sword. The sound also travels farther in very cold weather, also something that has to be accounted for when it comes to loud armored vehicles.

As such, ambushes are much harder to accomplish. Tanks can therefore be fought in winter either at distance with ATGMs, or passively by leaving various traps behind (a typical example would be to create a hole and cover it with some branches and a lot of snow). It’s crude but can occasionally work. Mines, however, tend to fail in extremely low temperatures. Firing a tank gun is another thing that the winter can affect. For example, in deep snow, high explosive shells are typically up to 40 percent less effective.



But not everything’s difficult in winter. Visual camouflage tends to be a lot easier when the whole world turns white. All you need to do is paint your vehicle white. Of course, there are also different approaches to the matter. The older American MERDC camo patterns, for example, used a system of four colors that could be tweaked for winter forests or winter plains. This was, however, deemed a bit too complicated. The modern 1986 NATO pattern (in use pretty much everywhere, from France to Germany) uses three colors – green, brown and black. In winter, the black spots can be painted over with anything white at hand (such as lime) to produce the winter version.



China does have dedicated winter camouflages (typically digital) while Russia commonly uses its three-tone camouflage for all environments. The Arctic units do also simply use the color white to disguise their vehicles. The Scandinavian countries have, of course, their own set of camouflages, as does Japan.

Winter warfare is closely tied to mountain warfare, which comes with its own set of additional issues for the crews to deal with. Standard MBTs are typically not suitable for mountain operations. Mountain roads tend to be narrow and of poor quality and a 50-ton MBT would do more harm than good over there. Armored units moving slowly through ravines are also highly susceptible to ambushes.



Additionally, the thin air of higher altitudes significantly reduces the power output of standard engines (up to 20-25 percent). During extended operations, these have to be modified to increase the engine’s air intake, which isn’t an easy thing to do. Subsequently, there are very few armored vehicles suitable for such things. Logistics-wise, armored vehicles in the mountains consume significantly more fuel (30 to 40 percent on average).

Operating armor in high altitudes is a very small niche of warfare, but an actual one. There are currently two “hotspots” where such combat may occur on large scale. Both are in India – the Kashmir region where India’s and Pakistan’s interest clash, and the region of Ladakh where India is at odds with China.



Especially the latter has been a hotbed of trouble lately with tensions escalating over the last year. This is an ancient conflict over borders – the Sino-Indian dispute exists for more than a hundred years and both sides lay claims over the territory. To (also) provide fire support in high altitudes, China has developed its brand-new Type 15 Light Tank, which should give the Chinese troops an edge in this theater of operations due to its considerable firepower wrapped in a compact package. India, on the other hand, has to rely on its fleet of license-produced T-72 and T-90 MBTs and is currently looking for something to counter the threat of the Chinese Light Tanks – specifically a modernized version of the Russian Sprut-SD fire support vehicle (originally intended for Russian paratroopers). Hopefully, it’ll never be truly needed.

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today, we’d like to tell you more about one change in particular that’s based solely on your feedback and wishes. The short version is, in the foreseeable future, we’ll be replacing one of Armored Warfare’s Tier 1 vehicles with another one. More specifically, we’ll be replacing the Type 62 Light Tank with the Type 59 Main Battle Tank.



To understand why, let us go back to the Tier 1-6 rebalance process when, after looking at the game’s metrics and having taken the early player retention into account, we decided we needed a Main Battle Tank on the spot. The result of this line of thought was a decision to turn the Type 62 – a quintessential Light Tank in real life – into an MBT, all for the sake of gameplay and new players.

We’ve put a lot of effort into the rebalance process, changing thousands of values during the year-long undertaking. Unfortunately, as things happen, some other mistakes were made (such as the incorrectly high armor or damage per minute values or Tier 1) that compounded this already controversial change. Suffice to say, the result was neither to our liking, nor to yours.

And that’s not all that was off. Another problem was that the Type 62 model has never been a correct one. Our Type 62 is basically a resized Type 59 model with some proportions off. The real Type 62, while resembling a smaller Type 59, looks quite different. This is a very old issue going back to the Obsidian times and we wish we could have solved it sooner.



However, the need to have a Tier 1 MBT instead of an LT presented us with an opportunity, one which you, the players, also noticed right away. We already have a Type 59 model (which admittedly needs some fixes), why not put things right and turn the Type 62 “Light Tank” (currently an MBT in the game) into a proper Main Battle Tank?

And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing – we’ll be replacing the Type 62 with the Type 59 MBT. The power level of the tank will match the “Type 62 MBT” we have now, although some change will be made:

• Gun caliber changed from 85mm to 100mm with all the corresponding changes (lower rate of fire, higher damage)
• AP shell with 400mm of penetration and 270 damage per shot
• HEAT shell with 480mm of penetration and 370 damage per shot
• HE shell with 40mm of penetration and 400 damage per shot
• Reload time of 6.2 seconds
• Slower acceleration due to its nominal weight increase to 36 tons
• Slightly reduced lower frontal plate thickness

And so on.

We’ll also introduce some fixes to the model as well, such as replacing the incorrectly sized gun. It won’t be a new model made from scratch, but we’ll improve its visual quality.



As for the Type 62 – unlike the PT-76 from the past, this tank is going away forever and will not stay in your Garage as a legacy vehicle. The main reason for this decision is that, like we wrote above, there’s no proper Type 62 in the game in the first place – the model is completely wrong so there’s nothing to preserve. This decision will also allow us to funnel more resources into bringing you more new content and updating what’s in active use instead of having to support another legacy vehicle.

You will not lose any progress either. All the Experience, Credits, Retrofits and everything else from your vehicle will either be compensated or transferred to the new Type 59 MBT.

We hope that you’ll enjoy this change and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• Raider Tokens for the Vanguard Raid
• Type 10 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Hunter Tier 9 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• Pindad SBS Tier 8 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• ZTQ-15 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank
• QN-506 Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
• K1A1 Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank along with Korean camouflage
• Type 90 Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank along with Japanese camouflage
• Iron Crate (with new Key mechanics)

Between December 9 and December 16, 2021, the following items will be available:


[h2]Raider Tokens[/h2]


Using a Raider Token will instantly complete the Raid mission you have selected. Please also note that completing Elite missions this way will cost you five Raider Tokens. Raider Tokens can also be purchased for Gold directly in the game. You can read more about the Raid in our dedicated article.



The Raider Tokens are available in two bundles:

• 1 Raider Token
• 10 Raider Tokens

[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]Hunter AFV[/h2]


Another alternative name for this vehicle is NGAFV (or Next Gen AFV), since it belongs to a whole program to replace the obsolete M113 APC in Singaporean service and to operate alongside its predecessor, another indigenous Singaporean IFV called Bionix. Hunter is the name of the production model of this program. The Hunter AFV is the pinnacle of bleeding edge of technology. In this sense, it can be compared to the AS21 Redback and both vehicles share several characteristics, not the least of which being relatively large size. This bulky IFV offers considerable levels of protection and firepower. It is expected to serve in the Singaporean army in large numbers in the near future with its mass-production having recently begun. You can read more about its history in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Hunter AFV is a Tier 9 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle. As its description above suggests, it is a rather standard-sized IFV with good levels of protection and excellent firepower (consisting of a 30mm autocannon and a Spike ATGM launcher). It also features a recently introduced type of armor, NERA. Simply put, NERA is an ablative armor kit that deteriorates whenever it gets hit. In other words, the vehicle starts with excellent protection levels but it will lose some with damage taken as the battle progresses. Apart from that, the vehicle is adequately mobile and quite universal. It can, of course, also deploy Mechanized Infantry.






[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.






[h2]ZTQ-15[/h2]


The ZTQ-15 is the current most modern domestic Chinese Light Tank and is reserved for the Chinese military only with its export counterpart, VT-5, offered for export. The ZTQ-15 Light Tank is intended to be used in mountainous regions of China where standard MBTs are all but impossible to operate. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the ZTQ-15 is a Tier 9 Premium Light Tank. It combines excellent mobility with plenty of firepower as well as adequate protection for its Tier and vehicle class. It also features several neat elements that increase its value on the battlefield, such as its active suspension and the ability to launch guided missiles from its gun or its advanced ERA. For players who prefer fast-paced, high-risk and high-reward combat style, it’s one of the best options out there.






[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.

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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.






[h2]K1A1[/h2]


The K1A1 is an upgraded version of the older South-Korean K1 MBT. It’s a very distant relative of the Abrams MBT with the main difference being the presence of a hydro-pneumatic suspension, allowing the vehicle to tilt itself forward, backward and to the sides.



In Armored Warfare, the K1A1 is a Tier 7 Premium MBT. The combination of a 120mm gun, good mobility and solid armor (all of them roughly the same as the M1A1 has) as well as the ability to mark enemy targets for increased damage make it powerful opponent even in its basic form with additional upgrades readily available.

The K1A1 is also available in the South Korean bundle, which contains:

• K1A1 Tier 7 Premium MBT
• Korean camouflage
• Korean "Squad Leader" decal

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






[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.






[h2]Iron Crate[/h2]


We’ve prepared for you an additional offer this week. Between July 22 and July 29, 2021, the Iron Crate will be available on MY.GAMES Market with 50% discount!



The mechanics are very simple. This crate allows you to win one of the vehicles listed in its description (or its value in Gold if you have it already). The crate contains some very rare vehicles (with some new ones!), including the Kornet-D1 Tier 10 Premium TD.

For a full list, please visit the MY.GAMES Market Iron Crate page. We’re implementing a new mechanic to the MY.GAMES Market Loot Crates (no worries – the in-game crates will remain the same). The mechanic is simple – instead of purchasing the Loot Crates, you purchase keys to them, which you then use to unlock them.

However, please note:

• Discounts do not apply to Loot Crates, but rather to Keys
• It is possible to buy multiple keys for a single chest type
• Keys belong to individual Loot Crates (that is, a key to a Commander Loot Crate purchased now is not guaranteed to work on a Commander Loot Crate a month down the line)
• Keys can be found in a separate Market section

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

See you on the battlefield!