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In Development: Special Operation “Rate of Decay”

Commanders!

As the first month of this year comes to a close, we’d like to tell you more about a piece of content that’s coming in the relatively near future – a new Special Operation called Rate of Decay.



Now, we mentioned this Special Operation once before in our November article but it doesn’t hurt to refresh some older info about it. With this Special Operation, we are returning to the roots that were so popular back in the day – a continuation of the 2017 Storyline Campaign with its main heroes – Joshua Seagrove and Kathryn Grey. It was a year-long epic event that shaped the lore of Armored Warfare for years to come – to this day, in fact.



You can read a summary of its events below:

Andrew Clayburn, a reclusive billionaire and the owner of Clayburn Industries, a massive corporation with its own private army, discussed the events of 2039 with Strom, his soon-to-be commander of military forces. He recalls the tale of the Intervention - a 2038 and 2039 campaign of his forces, led by the elite Task Force Seahawk unit, to pacify the Balkan region and bring it under his heel. The mission goes wrong due to the incompetence of the local Clayburn Commander, Peter Clayburn, who orders his forces to commit genocide. Unwilling to accept such an order, the Seahawks, led by a wily commander Adrian Blackwood and his aides, Joshua Seagrove and Kathryn Grey, turn rogue and attempt to flee Clayburn's wrath from Zagreb to Istanbul.

The fleeing Seahawks take losses from both the pursuing Clayburn forces and the local militias, but manage to reach Istanbul. Blackwood employs the service of an experienced mercenary commander Fyodor Sokolov, thanks to whose contacts in Istanbul the Seahawks are able to secure transportation. Unfortunately, the only form of transportation able to carry the Seahawk armored vehicles is an old and expensive mercenary flight of C-17 cargo planes without sufficient range to take them away from Clayburn's influence. An alternative plan is made - to travel instead to Cairo and from there to an abandoned American military base where a functional ship is waiting for them.

In the end, the Seahawks capture the Al-Arish base, but not without losses. They soon learn of an impending invasion by the elite Clayburn forces, Crimson Reavers, led by Peter Clayburn. The Reavers are defeated but not without major Seahawk casualties. The Seahawks set sail to the United States aboard their ship, the Altalena. Somewhere in the Mediterranean, Blackwood, Grey and Seagrove argue what to do when they get there. A decision is taken to land in Florida, head west and take a secret facility Clayburn facility, discovered in the files left behind by Peter Clayburn.

They make their way across the ocean and land near Jacksonville. The locals are more hostile than usual due to the word of Seahawk actions in Al Arish getting ahead of them, but they eventually manage to convince the citizens of Jacksonville and the local mercs that they mean no harm. Bolstered by a few recruits from the ranks of American mercenaries, they fix an old cargo train to take them and their vehicles to Texas to attack and loot a Clayburn Industries facility before dispersing into the desert.

However, in the end, the entire journey turns out to be a trap laid down by Andrew Clayburn, who turns out to have been Adrian Blackwood all along. Joshua Seagrove and Kathryn Grey barely escape with their lives, leaving the rest of the surviving Seahawks to their fate.

The Rate of Decay Special Operation begins exactly where the campaign left off. Joshua Seagrove and Kathryn Grey are escaping from the clutches of their former commander Adrian Blackwood, who was revealed to be none other than their employer, Andrew Clayburn, having played the role for several long months as a part of a clever ploy to not only purge the disloyal elements from his private corporate army, but to also gain land, money and influence in the south of the United States of America.



The couple of our heroes is amongst the few survivors of the ambush in Arizona and is now on the run, seeking to avoid more deadly traps Clayburn has in store for them. Fortunately, they find out they are not alone as some other scattered remnants of the Seahawk units strive to do the exact same. Joining forces with two former Seahawks, Grey and Seagrove must find the means to escape the area.



The Rate of Decay Special Operation will take you across north-western Texas where you’ll have to navigate through perilous canyons and fight your way through the ambushes while providing protection for your allies.



You’ll be fighting through strip mines, industrial facilities, military checkpoints and other interesting locations in a typical American desert environment. As is typical for Special Operations, this mission will take more time to complete than your usual PvE operation and careful coordination of forces will be required. But the rewards will be worth it – aside from a few decals, you’ll be able to get your hands on a gorgeous Rattlesnake camouflage as well as two dozen achievements, similar to those in the previous Special Operations.



And speaking of which, we’ll be adding the Apocalypse and Exodus arc missions to the weekend Special Operation mode rotation so that you’ll be able to play them when they are available even in the future.



We hope that you will enjoy this Special Operation and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Server Maintenance

On the 26th of January 2023, starting from 8:00 CET, the server will not be available for 4 hours due to a planned server maintenance.



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

Contest: Wages of Sin Speedrun

Commanders!

You’ve had the chance to get to know the Wages of Sin PvE mission for a while and now’s the right time to create a contest around it and win access to the future Eclipse Battle Path in the process.



The goal of the contest is once again very simple – gather a full team of five players and beat the Wages of Sin Operation mission as fast as you can while using Tier 10 vehicles.

Here’s how you can participate:
  • Assemble a team of five players (you included) and form a platoon
  • Play the Wages of Sin Operation and record your time until January 31, 21:59 CET (23:59 MSK)
  • Submit the result (along with a replay of your attempt) to the dedicated contest channel on Discord (make sure you read the detailed rules below)

There will be two winning teams in this event (first and second place). Each entire winning team will receive the access to the Eclipse Battle Path and the team place first will additionally receive 5.000 Rise of the Dragon Battle Coins!

Please note:
  • Only one submission per team will be accepted
  • Starting from Thursday, January 26, the chance for the mission to appear in rotation will increase above the usual
  • Team composition cannot change and are considered locked from the moment of the first submission
  • Any changes in composition of a locked team will lead to the affected submissions being disqualified
  • Individual players who are already locked in one team cannot participate in this contest as a part of another team, such an attempt will lead to the entire new team’s disqualification (when in doubt, team leaders are advised to make sure their members are not locked with another team already by checking the previous submissions)
  • Each team must elect its leader, who will be responsible for submitting any results (submissions from other team members will not be accepted)
  • Each submission must therefore include: Team Leader Name, Team Members, Result Screenshot, Result Replay (from any of the team’s members)
  • Should two or more teams achieve the same time, the earliest submission takes precedence
  • All submitted battles must take place between the publication of this article and January 31, 21:59 CET (23:59 MSK)

Good luck, commanders, and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Offer: Asian Week

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:
  • Tiger skin for MPF Light Tank
  • Type 99A2-140 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank (and the Firedrake skin for it available separately)
  • Black Lantern skin for K2 Black Panther
  • Voidstorm skin for K21 XC-8
  • Ox skin for Type 99A2
  • Lucky Pig skin for AFT-10
  • VT-5 Dragon Tier 9 Premium Light Tank
  • Type 96B Red Dragon Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
  • Object 187 Dragon Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank
  • Rise of the Dragon Loot Crate
Between January 19 and January 26, 2023, the following items will be available:

 
[h2]Tiger skin for MPF Light Tank[/h2]
 

The General Dynamics Light Tank prototype is one of the contenders in the U.S. Mobile Protected Firepower program to replace the Stryker platform in the fire support role for the U.S. Airborne forces. It is one of very few modern Light Tanks in existence. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



We are offering the Tiger skin for this vehicle in a bundle, which includes:
  • Tiger skin for MPF
  • Tiger’s Head player avatar (free bonus)
  • Tiger Roar decal (free bonus)
  • 14 days of Premium Time
  • 2.500 Gold

Time to awake the Tiger in you!

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 99A2-140[/h2]
 

The Type 99A2-140 is an experimental version of the most advanced Chinese Main Battle Tank in existence – the Type 99A. Unlike its production counterpart, however, it is not armed with a 125mm smoothbore, but massive 140mm smoothbore cannon. This is a theoretical upgrade to the vehicle – while the People’s Republic of China was considering upgrading the firepower of its Main Battle Tanks to face latest western and Russian MBT models, a 140mm gun was never installed on this chassis and was only mentioned in passing by certain Chinese sources. Now, however, your enemies will have the opportunity to experience what such a vehicle with you in command would be like to face in battle!



In Armored Warfare, the Type 99A2-140 is a rather unique Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. It is essentially a version of the progression Type 99A2 Tier 10 MBT with one difference – the 140mm gun, trading its rate of fire for penetration and single shell damage. It is very fast and mobile (with its maximum speed being well over 90 km/h), protected by ERA and APS both and capable of using an acceleration-boosting active ability that pushes its engine far beyond the limits of common Main Battle Tanks. If used right, the vehicle is extremely deadly and one of the best Tier 10 MBTs on the battlefields of Armored Warfare.

The Type 99A2-140 MBT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.

Additionally, we are separately offering the Firedrake skin for this vehicle in a bundle, which includes:
  • Firedrake skin for the Type 99A2-140 MBT
  • 30 days of Premium Time
  • 5.000 Gold


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]Black Lantern Skin for K2[/h2]
 

The Black Lantern skin is inspired by the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms epic and, more specifically, the Five Tiger Generals expression, thus tying in to the Year of the Tiger and Lantern Festival celebrations. Its combination of black and red will leave both your enemies and allies in awe.



This skin is available in a bundle along with the following items:
  • Black Lantern skin for K2 Black Panther
  • 14 days of Premium Time
  • 2.500 Gold

Please note that the bundle includes the skin but not the K2 Black Panther MBT itself. This tank needs to be obtained via progression directly in the game.

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]Voidstorm Skin for K21 XC-8[/h2]
 

Protect your K21 XC-8 Tier 10 Light Tank against the void with this epic brand-new skin featuring black and grey livery. But beware, for no amount of seals can guarantee you victory. That responsibility falls to you alone.



This skin is available in a bundle along with the following items:
  • Voidstorm skin for K21 XC-8
  • 14 days of Premium Time
  • 2.500 Gold

Please note that the bundle includes the skin but not the K21 XC-8 LT itself. This tank needs to be obtained via progression directly in the game. Please also note that this skin currently has an incorrect name in the game.

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]Ox Skin for Type 99A2[/h2]
 

This older skin will cover your Type 99A2 progression MBT with Ox imagery as the year 2021 was the year of the Ox. It’s rarely available on the market and now’s your chance to get your hands on it (and with a major discount no less)!



This skin is available in a bundle along with the following items:
  • Ox skin for Type 99A2
  • 14 days of Premium Time
  • 2.500 Gold

Please note that the bundle includes the skin but not the Type 99A2 itself. This tank needs to be obtained via progression directly in the game. Furthermore, if you have this skin already, you will not receive any compensation.

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]Lucky Pig Skin for AFT-10[/h2]
 

This is another older, rare skin that will cover your AFT-10 Premium TD with Pig imagery as the year 2019 was the year of the Pig. It’s rarely available on the market and now’s your chance to get your hands on it (and with a major discount).



This skin is available in a bundle along with the following items:
  • Lucky Pig skin for AFT-10
  • 30 days of Premium Time
  • 5.000 Gold

Please note that the bundle includes the skin but not the AFT-10 itself. This Tank Destroyer needs to be obtained separately, presumably from Loot Crates. As such, this bundle is only valuable to players who already have this vehicle.

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 Dragon[/h2]
 

The VT-5 Dragon is a special version of the VT-5 with a beautiful red and gold paint scheme. The vehicle itself 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]Type 96B Red Dragon[/h2]
 

The Type 96B MBT, as its name suggests, is an evolution of the Type 96A, featuring such elements as an upgraded fire control system and a much more powerful engine, resulting in considerably better mobility and speed. Unlike the Type 96A, however, the Type 96B is a prototype, designed for the Chinese military team to use during the annual Tank Biathlon event in Russia. In 2017, the Chinese team won the second place, being defeated only by Russia. You can learn more about its history in our dedicated article!



In Armored Warfare, the Type 96B is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. Gameplay-wise, it’s very agile and fast for its class and uses advanced ammunition, making it highly suitable for players who prefer mobility over armor protection, even though it can take a lot of punishment as well.

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]Object 187 Dragon[/h2]
 

The Object 187 was a Soviet era program, developed to improve upon the excellent but ageing T-72 Main Battle Tank. Several prototypes were built, featuring a number of advanced elements compared to the older Soviet tanks, such as the new long 125mm smoothbore gun with a typical muzzle brake. The result was an excellent MBT that was, however, never mass-produced due to the 1990s Russian military budget cuts – the Russian army chose a less advanced but cheaper T-90 instead. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Object 187 is a typical Russian style Main Battle Tank – it’s suitable for an aggressive play style and is a good choice for the players who prefer to take on their opponents at close ranges.

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]Rise of the Dragon Loot Crate[/h2]
 

The Rise of the Dragon Loot Crate is now available. This Loot Crate contains Rise of the Dragon Battle Coins and Boosters.

  • Battle Coins are the primary currency of the Rise of the Dragon Battle Path campaign and are used to progress through it and to obtain its prizes.
  • Battle Coin Boosters are usable only during an active Battle Path and increase your Battle Coin income by 900 percent for two hours.

Please note that you have to obtain the access to a Battle Path to use both items.

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!

In Development: Otomatic

Commanders!

The upcoming Eclipse Battle Path will feature several vehicles that have one thing in common – the topic of fire support. We’ve discussed the EBRC Jaguar already and today, we’d like to tell you more about another one – Otomatic.



First and foremost, Otomatic should probably be written in capital letters because it is, in fact, an acronym – it stands for “OTO Main Anti-aircraft Tank for Intercept and Combat”. The full name is so incredibly awkward that it’s almost certain someone invented it after everyone decided the vehicle should be named Otomatic as a wordplay that included the word “automatic” (from its autoloader-fed rapid-fire cannon) and OTO Melara, the system’s developer and producer.

As its appearance suggests, Otomatic is (or rather was) a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Like the Shilka, it was designed as an armored short-range AAA vehicle that would accompany tanks in heavy armored divisions. However, it wasn’t built for a state contract – it was a private venture of the OTO Melara company (famous at the time for its OF-40 MBT) and OTO-Breda in conjunction with IVECO Defence, Officine Gallileo, and Marittimo Aero SPA.

The vehicle was intended to compete in the 1980s on the international (western) marked with the German Flakpanzer Gepard and the British Marksman system (which was very similar to the Gepard).

While both systems offered high modularity (especially the Marksman could be mounted on pretty much anything, from a Leopard 2 chassis to the T-55), the Otomatic went a bit different route. At that time, OTO Melara had been producing three major armored vehicles – a licensed version of the Leopard 1A1 MBT (which preceded the OF-40), followed by an OF-40 and Palmaria production run. The Palmaria was a SPG based on the OF-40 chassis and that’s what OTO Melara decided to use for the Otomatic in the end.



The first mention of the program comes from 1981 where it was presented during the Paris Air Show in France, but the initial prototype (using the Palmaria hull) was actually only ready by 1985 and its first public appearance once again took place in Paris, this time in 1987. A second prototype (using the Leopard 1 hull) was built between 1987 and 1989, featuring a turret called HEFAS 76. Both prototypes were apparently Palmaria-based although at least one prototype based on the Leopard 1A1 chassis existed as well.

The Otomatic prototype based on the modified OF-40 (Palmaria) hull weighed some 46 tons (of which 16.5 tons belonged to the turret) and had a crew of four – three men in the turret (gunner, commander and loader) and the driver in the hull.

Armor-wise, the hull was made of steel-only with the frontal armor being 70mm thick. The turret was also made of welded steel that was 25mm thick at most places while the roof was 15mm thick. There were also rubber side-screens as well, protecting Otomatic’s flanks against bullets. And that’s pretty much it – the entire vehicle was basically only bulletproof and anything heavier (autocannons, RPGs) would go right through it – of course, if you get in the firing range of such weapons, you’re not using the vehicle as intended. Additional protection was provided by two banks of 90mm OTO Melara smoke grenades.

The main armament of the Otomatic was called Cannone 76/62 OTO-Breda Super Rapido. It was a 76mm rifled rapid-fire automatic cannon derived from a naval weapon of the same caliber. The idea was innovation – where everyone else (Marksman, Gepard) used relatively small caliber autocannons (typically 20mm to 35mm), the Otomatic would use heavier and far more destructive shells that would saturate the target area with fragments not based on the sheer volume of fire but on the shell size. That way, if you get a gun that’s accurate enough, you can save a lot of ammunition weight and therefore keep the vehicle operation for longer without reloading.

And accurate it was. Otomatic used two radars:
  • SMA VPG-A06 operating on the Ka band that had a maximum range of 20km and could track targets flying as fast as 3600 km/h (or as slow as 54 km/h), operated in 180 degree arc
  • SMA VPG-A05 that also had a maximum range of 20km but operated in 360 degree arc and could track up to 24 targets flying at speeds between 36 km/h and 3600 km/h

The gun could of course engage ground targets as well and quite effectively so thanks to the TURMS optics for both gunner and commander (the commander had panoramic TURMS sights while the gunner’s TURMS optics featured a laser rangefinder).



The gun could fire the following shells:
  • 76mm PFF (MON) anti-aircraft high-explosive proximity shell weighing 12.2 kg, muzzle velocity 910 m/s
  • 76mm HE-T with the French VTPA FB76 fuse, similar velocity and weight
  • 76mm APFSDS-T that could penetrate 150mm of armor at 2000m and 60 degrees, muzzle velocity 1580 m/s

With this system, it only took 6 seconds between target detection and the first shells arriving on target.

The gun was fed from a carousel below the turret via a rather complex but reliable mechanism. It could elevate to +60 degrees and depress to -5 degrees and could fire 120 rounds per minute. The shells were ejected through the front of the turret. The gun’s maximum firing range was 16km but it was only truly effective at 6km.

The Otomatic carried 100 shells (26 in the automatic loading mechanism, 48 in the turret and 26 in the hull). The vehicle was also armed with 7.62mm machinegun. The Otomatic was powered by a German 830hp MTU MB 838 Ca M500 10-cylinder multi-fuel engine, allowing it to go as fast as 65 km/h (this was the Palmaria version). The other engine listed as powering the Otomatic was the Leopard 1 engine (MTU MB 837 Ka-500 producing 730hp).

During various trials that took place in the 1980s and 1990s, the Otomatic performed really well. Its massive 76mm cannon completely outperformed the Gepard and the Marksman and the Italians were looking forward to getting some nice major contracts from Italy and elsewhere. Unfortunately, it all came to naught because, much like other excellent projects, it came at a wrong time. The collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by budget cuts all across the NATO and the Otomatic was simply too expensive for the Italian military at the time, especially when a lot of the military budget was committed to various missile systems.



It is unclear how many prototypes of the Otomatic were built. Some sources claim two were built (one using a Palmaria chassis and one using a Leopard 1 chassis), some more than four (the turret was allegedly tested on an M60 hull and on a Leopard 2 hull).

Regardless, the Otomatic was officially offered by OTO Melara until the end of the 1990s (possibly 1997) when it was quietly removed from the catalogues and one of the prototypes was scrapped. The other, Leopard-based prototype was apparently saved and OTO plans to put it on display in its La Spezia museum.

But the lessons learned from the Otomatic were not lost. The turret served as a basis for the development of another 76mm weapon system, which was then installed on a Centauro chassis, producing a variant called Draco.



In Armored Warfare, the Otomatic will be an Italian Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer and a reward vehicle of the Eclipse Battle Path, obtainable by unlocking Level 34 of the Battle Path.

Gameplay-wise, we’re looking at a very simple concept – this is, for most intents and purposes, a Draco on tracks. It’ll be a bit slower but will feature a bit heavier armor.

Protection-wise, we’re looking at some basic steel hull and a manned turret. The armor will likely not correspond to the real life value as 25mm of steel is just not enough – it’ll be thicker. How much thicker is still being decided but we’d like the vehicle to at least resist heavy machineguns frontally. This has to compensate for the lack of any APS.



But the firepower of the Otomatic will be phenomenal, just like the one of Draco. We’re looking at the same 76mm automatic cannon with the same shells, including the dreaded 730mm penetration one, combined with 12 round clip firing roughly 1 round per 0.7 seconds. The exact numbers will have to be tweaked because the Otomatic will be nowhere near as fast, agile, or capable of rapid acceleration as the Draco.

Which brings us to the chassis and mobility that will roughly correspond to that of the OF-40. We might make the vehicle a bit more agile but, again, some testing is required to decide what to do with it. All things considered, the vehicle will play much like the Draco with its main feature being the large autocannon magazine and high rate of fire.



We hope that you’ll enjoy the vehicle and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!