Armored Warfare News

Commanders!

New Steam DLC bundles are now available. We've prepared the following bundles for you:

 
[h2]Tier 6 Bundle: Object 287 (15% off)[/h2]
 

This bundle contains the Object 287 Premium TD and 3 days of Premium Time. In Armored Warfare, the Object 287 is a Tier 6 Premium Tank Destroyer. Thanks to its combination of a powerful missile launcher and two 73mm cannons, it can lay waste to any kind of opponent on the battlefield, even though it particularly excels at medium and long ranges.

 
[h2]Tier 6 Bundle: Sabre (15% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the Sabre Premium AFV and 3 days of Premium Time. In Armored Warfare, the Tier 6 Sabre Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle is one of the deadliest vehicles on the battlefield thanks to its rather unique upward-aimed Swingfire missile launcher that allows it to fire over obstacles or while hidden, for example behind uneven terrain. While being quite difficult to master, this ability makes it a potent ambusher, especially in skilled hands.

 
[h2]Tier 7 Bundle: Type 89 (25% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the Type 89 Premium AFV, 5 Gold Loot Crates and 7 days of Premium Time. In Armored Warfare, the Type 89 is a Tier 7 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle that is capable of not only deploying Mechanized Infantry, but also to destroy its targets at long distances using its powerful guided missiles. It is also fast and maneuverable, but does not feature thick armor.

 
[h2]Tier 7 Bundle: M1A1 Storm (25% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the M1A1 Storm Premium MBT, 5 Gold Loot Crates and 7 days of Premium Time. In Armored Warfare, the M1A1 Storm is a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank. The M1A1 Storm look was inspired by Operation Desert Storm, including a gorgeous camouflage net model. But, more importantly, this tank is equipped with a massive frontal dozer blade, adding extra armor and ramming damage to the long list of its advantages.

 
[h2]Tier 8 Bundle: Pindad SBS (25% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the Pindad SBS Premium AFV, 1.000 Gold and 7 days of Premium Time. 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]Tier 8 Bundle: Bradley AAWS-H (25% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the Bradley AAWS-H TD, 1.000 Gold and 7 days of Premium Time. In Armored Warfare, the Bradley AAWS-H is a Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer. It’s an ATGM-based TD, carrying special kinetic missiles that actually become more effective with increasing distance to your target. It is the embodiment of a long-range missile carrier and is perfect for players who prefer sniping to close combat.

 
[h2]Tier 8 Bundle: Griffin (25% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the Griffin 120mm LT, 1.000 Gold and 7 days of Premium Time. In Armored Warfare, the Griffin 120mm is a Tier 8 Premium Light Tank and a powerful, fast machine, armed not only with its 120mm cannon, but also with special ammunition types, making it deadly at any distance. Few Tier 8 vehicles can match its sheer ferocity on the battlefield.

 
[h2]Tier 9 Bundle: ZTQ-15 (10% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the ZTQ-15 LT, 5 Platinum Loot Crates, 1.000 Gold and 14 days of Premium Time. 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]Tier 9 Bundle: Hunter (10% off)[/h2]
 



This bundle contains the Hunter AFV, 5 Platinum Loot Crates, 1.000 Gold and 14 days of Premium Time. 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]General’s Bundle: T-72B3 (15% off)[/h2]
 



This epic Russian-themed bundle contains the following items: T-72B3 Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank, Commander Alexander Cortez, 3 real-life Russian camouflages, 50 Platinum Commander XP Insignia tokens and 10 Platinum Armored Warfare 12-hour boost tokens.

In Armored Warfare, the T-72B3 is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. It continues the tradition of other Russian tanks. Its low silhouette, good mobility, powerful 125mm gun and its advanced ERA kit make it a formidable opponent. This version of the T-72B3 is offered without any camouflage.

Commander Cortez is a universal commander with his main skill allowing all shells to always deal maximum damage.

 
[h2]General’s Bundle: Falcon (15% off)[/h2]
 



This epic British-themed bundle contains the following items: Challenger 1 Falcon Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank, Commander Ophelia Kitescu, 3 real-life Commonwealth camouflages, 50 Platinum Commander XP Insignia tokens and 10 Platinum Armored Warfare 12-hour boost tokens.

In Armored Warfare, the Challenger 1 Falcon is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. The best word to characterize this lumbering behemoth in the game is “tough” – its excellent hull armor shrugs off most shells while the damage its low profile turret takes when it is reduced by 90% thanks to the fact the crew is not located directly in it. Despite being generally very slow and sluggish, the Challenger 1 Falcon can take tremendous punishment and is ideal for the players who prefer the British Main Battle Tank play style.

Commander Kitescu is one of the best choices in the game with her main skill creating a shield around your vehicle as it is just about to be destroyed and saving it from certain death.

 
[h2]General’s Bundle: Terminator (15% off)[/h2]
 



This epic Russian-themed bundle contains the following items: BMPT Mod.2017 Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer, Commander Alisa Korhonen, 3 real-life Russian Airborne camouflages, 50 Platinum Commander XP Insignia tokens and 10 Platinum Armored Warfare 12-hour boost tokens.

In Armored Warfare, the BMPT Mod. 2017 is a Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer and arguably the most powerful variant of the BMPT family. Like the others, it combines a tank hull with an unmanned turret, armed with two 30mm cannons as well as four missile launchers. Its thick armor and advanced ATGMs quickly made it one of the most feared vehicles of Tier 8 battlefields, a position it retains to this day.

Commander Korhonen’s unique ability is called Mysterious Stranger. When triggered, a hidden ally fires an additional guided missile at your target anywhere on the battlefield.

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• CATTB Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Altay Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• M60T skin for the Sabra Mk.2 Main Battle Tank
• Merkava Mk.2D and Israeli bundle (with an Israeli camouflage and base paint)
• Syrian camouflage bundle
• Magach 7A Tier 6 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Sabre Tier 6 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• Challenger 1 Falcon Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Pile of Gold Loot Crate (with new Key mechanics)

Between December 16 and December 23, 2021, the following items will be available:


[h2]CATTB[/h2]


The CATTB Main Battle Tank was an experimental platform, developed as one of the early steps in the creation of a next generation Abrams Main Battle Tank, also referred to as the Block III Abrams, or M1A3. It was created in the 1980s as a response to the perceived threat of future Soviet super tanks and featured some truly advanced components, such as the XM291 dual caliber cannon that could switch between 120mm and 140mm calibers. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the development of this tank became unnecessary and the program was canceled in the 1990s. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the CATTB is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank and one of the most powerful and versatile MBTs around, devastating its opponents with its signature double-tap feature, allowing it to fire its cannon twice in short order. This allows it to drive around a corner, deal very high amounts of damage and then retreat back into cover, leaving the enemy reeling from the massive blow.

This vehicle is available via Loot Crates, which drop CATTB parts. Collect 100 CATTB parts from these Loot Crates to assemble the whole vehicle.






[h2]M60T skin for Sabra[/h2]


This skin for the Sabra Mk.2 Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank is based on the Sabra MBTs that participated in the Turkish incursion into Syria in October 2019 (Operation Peace Spring). It combines a number of real-life elements, turning your Sabra into a Turkish service MBT. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



The skin is available either as a standalone item or as a part of the M60T bundle, which contains the following items:

• M60T skin for the Sabra Mk.2 MBT
• Sabra Mk.2 Tier 7 Premium MBT
• 500 Gold

That way, you can get this amazing vehicle together with the skin. Alternatively, the Sabra is also available in other bundles without the skin.






[h2]Merkava Mk.2D and Israeli Bundle[/h2]


The Merkava IID (also known as Mk.2D) is an advanced version of the standard Mk.2 Merkava, upgraded with a modular “Dor-Dalet” composite armor kit. It’s a tough and unyielding vehicle, featuring a number of battle-proven components such as its 105mm rifled cannon. The first version of the Merkava Mk.2 entered service in 1983 and the last vehicles were phased out in 2016 after thirty long years.



In Armored Warfare, the Merkava IID is a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank. It is not equipped with an explosive reactive armor kit, but is, nevertheless, a very tough customer due to the introduction of the applique armor, allowing it to take a lot of damage. Additionally, the tank is equipped with a Ready Rack mechanism, significantly increasing the rate of fire for the first four shots.



This vehicle is also available as a part of the Israeli bundle, which contains the following items:

• Merkava Mk.2D Tier 7 Premium MBT
• Sinai Grey base paint
• Israeli Experimental camouflage
• Israeli Flag decal (free bonus)
• Israeli Flag banner (free bonus)

The Sinai Grey base paint is based on the color commonly used by the Israeli vehicles. You can now apply it to all your Merkava MBTs for maximum realism. The camouflage, on the other hand, is an experimental one and not used in active service. It was developed in the 1980s for a series of trials, but Israel ultimately decided not to adopt it. Still, it’s a piece of history and will fit your Merkava Mk.2 MBT really well. You can read more about both in our dedicated article.






[h2]Syrian Bundle[/h2]


This gorgeous Syrian camouflage was seen in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War on a captured Syrian BMP-1 IFV and consists of sand, green and grey stripes. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



It is available as a part of the Syrian Camouflage bundle, which contains the following items:

• Syrian camouflage
• 14 days of Premium Time
• 2.000 Gold
• Syrian Flag decal (free bonus)
• Syrian Flag banner (free bonus)

This camouflage can be installed on any vehicle that has the camouflage customization feature available and can be used in all three environments.






[h2]Altay[/h2]


The Altay is the result of a Turkish program to build a true indigenous MBT. After a decade of development with hundreds of millions of dollars spent, Turkey finally achieved its goal and built a tank that is roughly on par in performance with decades-old Leopard 2 variants while it still uses many foreign components, including some of its most critical systems. Nevertheless, future Altay variants are expected to feature some cutting edge components.

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In Armored Warfare, the Altay is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank based on the current prototypes, but also upgraded by various hypothetical aftermarket components of the future to surpass its current capabilities and to match its assigned Tier in power. The basic tank is – gameplay-wise – a mobile sniper, much like the Leopard 2 series, relying on its mobility and the penetration of its shells rather than on its armor. There are two key features to this tank: Adjustable Suspension (tilting forward and to the side) and Hybrid Engine with its distinctive electric sound, giving the vehicle excellent mobility and agility.

The Altay 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]Magach 7A[/h2]


The Magach 7A is an early M60 series American tank, upgraded by the Israelis to meet the requirements of the 1990s battlefield, especially to combat the threat of anti-tank guided missiles that had started to find their way into the hands of various terrorist groups in the late 1980s. The most distinctive upgrade is its box-shaped extra turret armor. While well-protected, the tank was quite lethargic when it came to its mobility due to the use of its old engine, a shortcoming that was only corrected in the final evolution step of the Magach series, the Magach 7C. You can read more about it in a dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Magach 7A is a Tier 6 Premium Main Battle Tank. With its excellent gun accuracy and aiming time values, the Magach 7A is a good sniper for its class and is perfectly suitable for those players, who want to experience long-range combat but who also want to keep some level of protection and survivability instead of completely relying on mobility and camouflage. It’s a rather sluggish vehicle, but more than a match for anything that it encounters on the battlefield.






[h2]Sabre[/h2]


The Sabre is an interesting British recon vehicle, assembled together from older Scorpion hulls and Fox turrets after both parts were brought to zero hour state (completely overhauled) by a company called Alvis. The resulting vehicle from the early 1990s was called Sabre and, considering it was made of decades old components, it worked fairly well as a scouting vehicle, participating in the Iraq War as well as in several peacekeeping missions. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Tier 6 Sabre Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle is one of the deadliest vehicles on the battlefield thanks to its rather unique upward-aimed Swingfire missile launcher that allows it to fire over obstacles or while hidden, for example behind uneven terrain. While being quite difficult to master, this ability makes it a potent ambusher, especially in skilled hands.






[h2]Challenger 1 Falcon[/h2]


The Falcon is an experimental turret developed in the early 2000s in Jordan as an upgrade to the Jordanian Al-Hussein (Challenger 1) Main Battle Tanks. It's a low profile turret, armed with an automatically loaded Swiss 120mm L/50 RUAG smoothbore gun, capable of firing standard NATO ammunition. The operator controls the turret from inside the vehicle's hull, significantly improving crew protection. A prototype was built and tested, but the design was never mass-produced.



In Armored Warfare, the Challenger 1 Falcon is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. The best word to characterize this lumbering behemoth in the game is “tough” – its excellent hull armor shrugs off most shells while the damage its low profile turret takes when it is reduced by 90% thanks to the fact the crew is not located directly in it. Despite being generally very slow and sluggish, the Challenger 1 Falcon can take tremendous punishment and is ideal for the players who prefer the British Main Battle Tank play style.






[h2]Pile of Gold[/h2]


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

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!

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!