Armored Warfare News

On the 29th of June 2023, starting from 8:00 CEST, 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.

Commanders!

This year’s upcoming U.S. Independence Day celebrations will bring (alongside the long-awaited AbramsX) a couple of historical camouflages that appeared on American vehicles during the REFORGER 83 military exercise.



As the name suggests, the exercise took place in Germany (the abbreviation Reforger stands for Return of Forces to Germany) in 1983. Until their cancellation in 1993, the Reforger exercises were some of the largest in Europe. The goal was, of course, to test the readiness and training of the NATO forces in Germany in case of a Soviet attack.

While ultimately proven false, the fear of hordes of Soviet tanks pouring through the so-called Fulda Gap (a lowland area near Fulda suitable for a surprise attack towards the river Rhine) was very real in the minds of NATO strategists. The exercises therefore used to be very thorough and included both ground units and air forces of the involved NATO countries – in fact, the 1988 Reforger 88 exercise was the largest military exercise in Europe since the Second World War with over 125 thousand men participating.



The Reforger 83 "Confident Enterprise" exercise took place in September 1983 and included, amongst a number of other units, the famous 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, “Blackhorse Regiment”. Its history goes back to the first years of the 20th century but it would rise to fame during the Second World War and later on in Vietnam. In the 1980s, the unit was stationed in West Germany, guarding the free world against communism.



During the Reforger 83 exercise, the unit’s Abrams tanks were painted in various atypical camouflage patterns, typically consisting of various shapes of green and light brown (sand) colors.

We have three of those for you, including the rather famous “Giraffe” pattern.



Additionally, we’ll have three decals for you:

• 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse) emblem
• 8th Infantry Division emblem (the unit also participated in the exercise)
• Reforger 83 symbol “74 Blue” (appeared on Abrams tanks)

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

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• Lynx Skyranger Tier 10 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• Challenger 2 Streetfighter II Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Bundeswehr skin for Leopard 2A6
• Bundeswehr skin for Leopard 2A5
• German Camouflage bundle
• Leopard 2 Revolution Wallbreaker Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Leopard 2 Revolution Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Kampfpanzer 70 Tier 6 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Leclerc T40 Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
• Marder 2 Tier 8 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• AMX 10 RCR Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer
• Camouflage Loot Crate with Spirithaven Raid skins
• Treasure Trove with 10.000 Gold

Between June 22 and 29, 2023, the following items will be available:

 
[h2]Lynx Skyranger[/h2]
 

This is a version of the cutting edge Lynx platform but instead of the standard IFV configuration, it utilizes the Skyranger HEL turret to create a short-range anti-aircraft vehicle that can also eliminate drone swarms with ease. This configuration was proposed for the recent Hungarian military upgrade program but never built in real life. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Lynx Skyranger is a Tier 10 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle. It’s best used as a scout killer but it is capable of other roles as well. It features three rather unusual abilities, such as the programmable HE ammunition that explodes above targets, the Starstreak missiles that deal more damages over larger distances and ignore APS, and the High Energy Laser active ability. When activated, the laser blinds enemy targets, significantly reducing their spotting range. You can learn more about these abilities from our developer diary.

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

 

 

 
[h2]Challenger 2 Streetfighter II[/h2]
 

The Streetfighter II is an upgrade program to overhaul the venerable Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank for the conditions of modern battlefields, especially urban combat. It features a number of improvements and extra components, most notably a dozer blade, a Brimstone ATGM twin launcher and an advanced camera system by Elbit. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Challenger 2 Streetfighter is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. Its main advantages include excellent frontal armor (enhanced by the presence of its dozer blade covering its lower frontal plate), increased ramming damage and long range lethality, courtesy of a powerful ATGM launcher. Whether you desire to bring the fighting up close or support other MBTs at distance, the Streetfighter’s got your back.

The Challenger 2 Streetfighter II 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]Bundeswehr skin for Leopard 2A6[/h2]
 

The Bundeswehr skin for the Leopard 2A6 Tier 9 progression Main Battle Tank visually converts in MBT into a Leopard 2A7 thanks to the changes we’ve made in the tank’s geometry. While it won’t give you any additional performance, it will allow you to make your Leopard 2A6 like the best MBT Germany currently has available. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



The skin is available in two bundles:

• Leopard 2A6 Bundeswehr bundle along with a new German winter camouflage
• Leopard bundle along with the Bundeswehr skin for Leopard 2A5

Please note that the bundle includes the skins but not the Leopard 2A5 or the Leopard 2A6 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]Bundeswehr skin for Leopard 2A5[/h2]
 

The Bundeswehr skin for the Leopard 2A5 Tier 8 progression Main Battle Tank is loosely based on a real life Leopard 2 vehicle from Panzerbataillon 104 stationed in Pfreimd, Bavaria. It features the typical German NATO camouflage, unit insignia and a camouflage net on top. If you ever dreamt of driving a Bundeswehr tank in Armored Warfare, this is as close as you’re going to get to it! You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



Please note that the bundle includes the skins but not the Leopard 2A5 MBT itself. This tank needs to be obtained via progression directly in the game. The skin is available in the Leopard bundle along with the Bundeswehr skin for the Leopard 2A6 MBT.

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]German Camouflage Bundle[/h2]
 

German vehicles appeared in a wide range of different camouflages over the last five decades. This bundle contains pretty much all the older German camouflages that are currently implemented in Armored Warfare, including a brand new German Winter camouflage. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



The bundle contains the following items:

• German Winter camouflage (read more)
• German NATO camouflage #1 (read more)
• German NATO camouflage #2 (read more)
• German 1970s camouflage (read more)
• German PSO camouflage (read more)
• German KMW camouflage (read more)

These camouflages can be used in any environment and on any vehicle that allows you to do so but look the best on German vehicles such as the Leopard series.

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]Leopard 2 Revolution[/h2]
 

The Leopard 2 Revolution is a continuation of the older Evolution upgrade, intended to improve the performance of the older variants of the Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank in order to make it excel even on the battlefields of the 21st century. The improvements include a comprehensive armor upgrade, ROSY soft-kill APS and smoke grenade launchers as well as an entire suite of cutting edge electronics. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Leopard 2 Revolution is a Tier 8 Main Battle Tank. It is not only well-armored, it also features an extremely accurate 120mm gun with advanced ammunition, allowing it to destroy its opponents at very long ranges, rivaling those of Tank Destroyers. The German tanks in general perform best at longer ranges and the Revolution is no exception.



This offer also includes the Wallbreaker version. This vehicle features unique Berlin Wall-themed camouflage.

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]Kampfpanzer 70[/h2]
 

The Kampfpanzer 70 is the German sibling of the MBT-70. Back in the 1960s, the Germans and the Americans cooperated on the creation of a new, highly advanced Main Battle Tank, armed with a powerful 152mm gun and cutting edge technology. The project was a failure and the tank was never adopted for several reasons, including an extremely high price. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Kampfpanzer 70 is a Tier 6 Premium Main Battle Tank, just like the MBT-70. Although both vehicles generally look the same way, there are some differences. For one, the Kampfpanzer 70 cannot fire the Shillelagh guided missiles, but can use HE ammunition, making it truly deadly against lightly armored opponents.

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]Leclerc T40[/h2]
 

Sometimes called the French Terminator, this vehicle was designed on the Leclerc MBT chassis with one purpose in mind – to accompany tanks and fight off infantry attacks the same way as the Russian BMPT series does. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Leclerc T40 is a Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer. It offers you a combination of a durable hull, rapid-fire 40mm automatic cannon and, most importantly, the Javelin missile system. Simply right-click the target, wait until it becomes locket and fire the Javelin ATGM – it will home itself on the target, attacking its weak roof armor. Thanks to this ability, the Leclerc T40 is one of the most destructive vehicles 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]Marder 2[/h2]
 

The Marder 2 was an experimental German IFV, developed in the late 1980s to replace the aging Marder IFV. It featured more armor, a new turret and a brand-new Rheinmetall dual-caliber autocannon that could fire both 35mm and 50mm rounds. Despite its qualities, the vehicle was never accepted in service due to its high cost and because it was no longer needed because of the fall of the Soviet Union. A single surviving prototype can be found today in the Koblenz military collection. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Marder 2 is a Tier 8 Armored Fighting Vehicle. With its 44 tons, it’s one of the heaviest and toughest AFVs around. Unlike many other AFVs of its Tier, it is not armed with guided missiles, relying instead on its extremely powerful 50mm autocannon. This vehicle can also deploy Mechanized Infantry.

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]AMX-10 RCR[/h2]
 

The AMX 10 RCR is the updated variant of the French AMX 10 RC fire support vehicle by GIAT, originally developed in the early 1980s. This light and nimble wheeled 6x6 AFV was armed with a 105mm gun, allowing it to knock out even armored targets at considerable distances. Over 200 of these aging vehicles were upgraded by Nexter in 2010 with improved armor and electronics, enabling them to fulfill modern battlefield tasks until their eventual replacement by the Jaguar. You can learn more about its history in our dedicated article!



In Armored Warfare, the AMX 10 RCR is a Tier 8 wheeled Premium Tank Destroyer. It’s incredibly agile with its wheeled chassis allowing it to outrun pretty much any enemy on the battlefield save for the fastest AFVs. Its gun accuracy is also top notch, making this vehicle perfect for sniper-style gameplay as its thin armor can’t protect it against enemy shells at close distances. This vehicle also comes with the Hydraulic Suspension active ability.

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]Camouflage Loot Crate[/h2]
 

Today, we’re launching another Camouflage Loot Crate on MY.GAMES Market.



As its name suggests, this new Loot Crate contains various camouflages and skins. This iteration contains the following new ones:

• Skin: Kraken (K2)
• Skin: Archangel (XM1A3)
• Skin: Revenant (Wilk XC-8)
• Skin: Hellbeast (Leclerc T4)

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]Treasure Trove[/h2]
 

Today, we have a special offer for you. A veritable treasure trove of 10.000 Gold awaits you at a discounted price.



Please note that this item can only be purchased once per user. You can find out more about Gold and its uses 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.

 

 

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. We briefly considered adding HESH shells as well but since we do have the Centurion AVRE with its high damage HESH shells on Tier 8 already, it’s better to do something different.

We’ll be therefore adding the Copperhead HEAT round with terminal guidance. In Armored Warfare terms, it means that the shell will become controllable after a certain distance and will be possible to guide when firing at long ranges. It will not be agile of course – it’s a shell, not an ATGM. But it should make it easier to target vehicles at long distances.



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!

On the 22nd of June 2023, starting from 8:00 CEST, 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.