Armored Warfare News

Commanders!

As you already know, we have another very special event called Whispers of Frost coming in December. The main prize of the event will be the Russian Service Pattern skin for BMPT Mod.2017, but there will of course be other prizes as well. Today, we’d like to tell you more about one of them – the Uralvagonzavod (Early) camouflage.



Uralvagonzavod has a history of fancy paintjobs for its presentation vehicles. These “camouflages” are typically not intended for battlefield use – instead, they are supposed to catch the eye of a potential customer.



You are, of course, already familiar with the UVZ desert pattern we have already in the game. This is another variant of the UVZ promo pattern, as seen during the 2014-2016 Army expos in Moscow on a BMPT-72 prototype. It consists of a light grey surface with dark grey and light yellow sharp-edged spots.



In real life, this camouflage would sort of work as a silhouette breaker, possibly in urban combat. It was discovered long ago that breaking the silhouette by painting lines or other shapes on a tank makes it harder to spot it immediately. In a battle, every split second can mean the difference between life and death.



But that’s not all. There are other prizes waiting for you in the Whispers of Frost event, such as:

• Real life unit decals (such as the ice bear used by the Russian 61st Marine Brigade)
• Russian KhV-16 base paint
• Player title
• Gold
• Loot Crates

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

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today, we’d like to tell you about the first – and main – prize that’s coming in the next Battle Path we call Wars of the Past. It is the T-15 Kinzhal Tank Destroyer.



Now, you’re all familiar with the T-15 – this heavy IFV variant of the Armata platform was added to the game all the way back in 2016 and remains to this day one of the most popular high-Tier vehicles, especially for PvE. You can read more about its history in our dedicated article but, long story short, its fate was similar to the T-14 MBT. They built a couple of pieces and paraded them around during the yearly celebrations in May, but little more came of it. Right now, perhaps a dozen of T-15’s exists, all of them more or less hand-crafted prototypes.

Which brings us to the vehicle at hand. In 2019, a different version of the T-15 appeared in public. Instead of the standard Bumerang-BM turret, it featured a different combat module called Kinzhal. The main difference between the turrets is the presence of a 57mm gun, a massive upgrade over the original 30mm autocannon.

Of course, the concept is nothing new. The Armata platform was unveiled in 2015 and the first rumors about a 57mm turret version began to circulate roughly a year later. Back then, the concept was supposed to be armed with an older turret called AU-220M and was commonly referred to by the media as “Terminator-3”.

The Kinzhal module seems to be a development of the AU-220M module and belongs to the family of three weapon platforms that complement each other:

• Bumerang-BM turret with a 30mm autocannon
• Epoch turret with a short 57mm gun
• Kinzhal turret with a long 57mm gun

The Kinzhal module was developed in 2018 by the Burevestnik design bureau and first appeared in public at the Army 2018 expo, although the module displayed back then was either a mock-up or a prototype. The finalized variant (which can be recognized primarily by hooded ATGM tubes) only appeared a year after, in 2019, during the Victory Day military parade.



The module weighs some 4 tons and its armament consists of a long 57mm gun (likely some version of the same gun the Derivatsiya uses), a machinegun and a two-barreled ATGM launcher (either Ataka or Kornet ATGM). The gun itself fires basic armor-piercing or high-explosive ammunition. The APCBC ammo can penetrate roughly 100mm to 120mm of steel angled at 60 degrees at the range of 1500 meters. The gun’s maximum elevation is +60 degrees with the maximum depression being -5 degrees. The estimated rate of fire is 80 rounds per minute and the turret carries 80 rounds.

This module’s raison d’être is likely not just the ability to engage slower flying targets at longer ranges, but also the ever-increasing protection levels of modern western IFVs. The 30mm caliber is generally considered obsolete and is being moved away from, even though modern autocannons of this size do still get developed. The battlefield isn’t what it used to be – either you participate in asymmetric warfare, or you face modern opponents. The days of thin-skinned IFVs such as the BMP-1 invading en-masse are long over.



With that being said, not even Russia – typically known for exaggerating the intended service numbers – is planning to produce the T-15 heavy IFV with the Kinzhal module en masse. The Armata platform is expensive and equipping large amounts of infantry units with this behemoth is simply not viable. The intentions are clear – arm only the elite, specialized units with the T-15. However, whether that will really happen or not remains to be seen. Right now, two or three pieces of this vehicle exist and are participating in various expos and parades.



In Armored Warfare, the T-15 Kinzhal will be a Tier 10 Premium Tank Destroyer as well as the top prize of the Wars of the Past Battle Path campaign.

But before we tell you more about it, here’s the usual disclaimer:

The numbers below are very preliminary as the vehicle has not been properly tested. They are sure to change and should only be discussed as an indicator of how we’d like to set the vehicle up.

With that being said:

For the most part, the T-15 Kinzhal will resemble the standard T-15. The protection systems, the camouflage and the mobility will be roughly the same, although the Kinzhal will feature an additional module improving acceleration by 15 percent.



The main difference will, of course, be the different turret featuring a 57mm gun similar to the one of the Derivatsiya. However, this gun will use a different mechanic – a rapid three round burst with increasing penetration for each shell within the burst (this mechanism is similar to the Griffin 50mm one). The gun will use an AP shell only (520mm of penetration, 92 points damage per shot) with the final shell of the burst being capable of penetrating even an MBT frontally.

On the downside, there will only be a single ATGM launcher with two Kornet missiles (tandem HEAT warhead, 1300mm of penetration and 1100 points damage per shot).



The gun will also have only mediocre gun depression (-6 degrees). In other words, this T-15 will shift its firepower focus from ATGMs to its gun. With these three round bursts, we’re looking at roughly 24.000 points of damage per minute. For the ATGMs, you’ll be able to choose between two modes (mutually exclusive additional progression modules):

• Improved launcher (2.7s between launches, 17 second magazine reload time)
• Double launch (two missiles launch at once, 22 second magazine reload time)

And that’s pretty much it. The other features that you know and love on the T-15 are there as well – Mechanized Infantry deployment or the Supercharged Hard-Kill APS ability.



We hope that you’ll enjoy this take on the T-15 and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today, on November 11, Poland celebrates its 103rd anniversary of as an independent nation and, like every year, we’re celebrating its Independence Day with it! We’ve prepared a whole bunch of special offers for you as well as a gift and a bonus. Without further ado, here they are!



This year, in addition to a 50% Crew XP income bonus, we’ve also prepared a very special gift for you, available until November 18, 2021 (15:00 CET). The gift contains the following items:

• Polish Red base paint
• Player title “Pancerniak”
• Polish Crest decal
• 3 Platinum Loot Crates

Please note that the decal has been issued before – it may not appear to you upon delivery if you already have it. The gift is available, as usual, at MY.GAMES Market.





This week, we’ve prepared the following Polish-themed offers for you:

• Berberys skin for Wilk XC-8
• Polish Camouflage bundle
• Poland Strong bundle with skins and an avatar

These items are also available until November 18, 2021.


[h2]Berberys skin for XC-8[/h2]


The Berberys skin covers your Wilk XC-8 Tier 10 Tank Destroyer with a special Polish camouflage system called Berberys, resembling the older Saab Barracuda. The system is used by the Polish military and you can read more about in our dedicated article.



The skin is available as a part of the Berberys bundle, which contains the following items:

• Berberys skin for the Wilk XC-8 Tier 10 TD
• 7 days of Premium Time
• 500 Gold

Please note that you have to own the Wilk XC-8 progression Tank Destroyer to actually use it.






[h2]Polish Camouflage Bundle[/h2]


Poland uses, generally speaking, the standard NATO camouflage pattern with some specific exceptions such as different color shades. However, there are some special variants of Polish camouflages that are now available in a single bundle.



The bundle contains the following camouflages:

• Polish Experimental (Digital) camouflage (read more)
• Polish Ryś camouflage (read more)
• Polish Modern camouflage
• LWP Brown base paint

As usual, these camouflages are available in all environments.






[h2]Poland Strong Bundle[/h2]


This bundle contains three Polish-themed skins, including the coveted PL-01 Polandball one. And we’ve thrown a little something extra!



The bundle contains:

• T-72M LWP skin for T-72 Ural
• Polandball skin for PL-01
• Wataha skin for KTO Rosomak
• Polandball player avatar

Please note that the vehicles aren’t a part of the bundle and need to be obtained separately.





We hope that you’ll enjoy all these items and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• AFT-10 Tier 10 Premium Tank Destroyer
• ZTQ-15 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank (and the Electra and Serenity skins for it available separately)
• Sea Dragon skin for the Type 99A Main Battle Tank
• VT-5 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank
• Type 96B Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Type 89 Tier 7 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicles
• 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
• Apocalypse Treasure Trove with 10.000 Gold

Between November 11 and 18, 2021, the following items will be available:


[h2]AFT-10[/h2]


The AFT-10 is a tracked ATGM carrier based on a ZBD-04 IFV hull that carries eight massive Red Arrow-10 guided missiles. In their latest version, these modern ATGMs are capable of devastating even the most modern MBTs at extreme distances and the AFT-10 was designed to do just that – to stop enemy assaults dead in their tracks. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

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In Armored Warfare, the AFT-10 is a Tier 10 Premium Tank Destroyer. Its massive ATGM launcher immediately draws comparison with another Tier 10 vehicle, the Kornet-EM. But where Kornet-EM is all about speed, stealth and missile ambushes, the AFT-10 is about one thing and one thing only – uncompromising firepower. It is capable of unleashing devastating missile salvos that can knock out even Tier 10 MBTs in seconds. Additionally, its missiles have a very high penetration value, which means that no matter the angle, no target is truly safe from its reach.

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






[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.



We are separately offering the brand-new Electra skin for this vehicle in a bundle, which includes:

• Electra skin for the ZTQ-15 LT
• 14 days of Premium Time
• 3.000 Gold

The Serenity skin for this vehicle is also available in a similar bundle:

• Serenity skin for the ZTQ-15 LT
• 14 days of Premium Time
• 3.000 Gold

[h2]Sea Dragon skin for Type 99A[/h2]


This gorgeous sea dragon-themed blue skin is available for the Type 99A Tier 9 progression Main Battle Tank. Harness the ferocity of this mighty mystical animal and intimidate your enemies with your awesome war paint!



This skin is available as a part of a bundle, which contains the following items:

• Sea Dragon skin for the Type 99A MBT
• 3 days of Premium Time
• 500 Gold

[h2]VT-5[/h2]


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



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






[h2]Type 96B[/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.






[h2]Type 89[/h2]


The Type 89 Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the current Japanese service IFV. It was built in very small numbers between 1989 and 2004. The low-production meant that, with the development costs sunk into it, each unit was incredibly expensive. In fact, to date, the Type 89 is the most expensive IFV in the world. Otherwise it’s generally unremarkable – last generation steel armor, a 35mm autocannon and massive guided missiles (that were also meant for landing ship destruction instead of just anti-tank combat) are generally being all phased out by now. The Type 89 is, however, still waiting for its replacement. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



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]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.






[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.






[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.






[h2]Apocalypse 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.





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

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today, we’d like to tell you about the first prize that’s coming in the next Battle Path we call Wars of the Past. It is the 2S38 Derivatsiya Armored Fighting Vehicle.



As you might have guessed, the name Derivatsiya stands for “Derivation” – Russian nomenclature can be pretty strange. It is, for all intents and purposes, a modified BMP-3 chassis with an AU-220M turret featuring a powerful 57mm gun. It was developed by Kurganmash and, according to some sources the Syrian experience played a large part in the project.

The name actually refers to the whole program to develop a fire support vehicle capable of engaging both flying targets (especially helicopters) and ground targets. According to some reports, it can also intercept MLRS rockets in flight, but one should take such claims with a grain of salt.

The first such concept appeared in 2015-2016 in the form of BMP-3-57 Derivatsiya, which was a BRM-3K Rys (“Lynx”) mated with an earlier version of the AU-220M Baykal turret.



If you’re wondering what on earth is the BRM-3K – it’s basically a modified BMP-3 from the early 1990s. The designation BRM stands for “combat reconnaissance vehicle”, which already implies its purpose. It is a dedicated recon vehicle that entered service in 1995 (it would only appear in public in 1999) with its turret armed with a 30mm cannon only, but fitted with advanced sensors and optics, including a thermal imager and a surveillance radar. The hull differences between the BMP-3 and the BRM-3K are not that huge – the BRM hull doesn’t have a troop compartment, no bow machineguns, a different hatch layout and a few other smaller details. Only a small number of these vehicles have been ever built, which is why the model is quite obscure today.

Much like the American Griffin series, the Derivatsiya was not intended as a production vehicle. Instead, it was a technology demonstrator – a proof of concept, if you will.



Unlike the Dragun, which was also unveiled at the Armiya 2015 expo, the Derivatsiya did not had its internal components moved around (whereas the Dragun had its engine moved to the front). The two platforms are therefore different, even though some websites mix them up, especially since the Dragun was also offered with an unmanned turret with a 57mm gun (albeit a different one, even though the two are related).

The AU-220M module (developed by the Burevestnik bureau) has been around for a while, at least since 2015. It weighs some 3.2 tons. It was modified for ground use from a naval turret (57mm is typically a naval caliber) and is fitted with the 2A90 57mm rifled automatic cannon with the following properties:

• Rate of fire: up to 120 rounds per minute
• Maximum gun depression: -5 degrees
• Maximum elevation: +75 degrees
• Ammo carried: 148 (or up to 200 according to some sources)
• Range (flying target): 200 to 6000 meters
• Range (ground target): up to 3000 meters
• Maximum flying target altitude: 4500 meters
• Maximum flying target speed: 500 m/s

The gun uses several types of ammunition of the 57x348SR 281-series family, including:

• 53-BR-281 APCBC-T
• 53-OR-281 HE-T

It’s worth noting that these rounds are pretty ancient – they have been developed in the 1950s for the 57mm S-60 anti-aircraft gun. On one hand, this allows Russia (and any potential buyers) to utilize old ammunition stocks. On the other hand, the ammunition is fairly obsolete. However, more ammunition types are planned, such as programmable multi-purpose ammo as well as guided ammunition.

There’s also a 7.62mm PKT machinegun (or a 12.7mm machinegun) with 200 rounds. The turret is fitted with a variant of the Shtora soft-kill APS, only instead of the typical IR projectors it works as combination of a laser warning receiver and smoke deployment. The optics for the turret is a system called 1PN147 OES-OP – quite a modern one.



The vehicle is still powered by the UTD-29 500hp 10-cylinder diesel engine located in the back, allowing for the maximum speed of 70 km/h. It is also amphibious. It weighs 21.5 tons, has a crew of three and protection levels similar to a standard BMP-3 (that is, aluminum armor while the turret is made of steel). Frontally, the hull should be protected against 30mm ammunition. Its side armor can protect the crew from heavy machineguns and shell fragments, but that’s about it. The thick side slabs that look like ERA are in fact armored floaters, not ERA.

An unknown number of prototypes have been built between 2015 and 2020 – perhaps a dozen or so. Each one of them is slightly different since the vehicle is still going through an evolution process, so there is no one “correct” Derivatsiya – our model is based on a 2020 prototype. The vehicle is currently undergoing state trials that are supposed to last at least until 2022.



In Armored Warfare, the 2S38 Derivatsiya will be a Tier 8 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle.

But before we tell you more about it, here’s the usual disclaimer:

The numbers below are very preliminary as the vehicle has not been properly tested. They are sure to change and should only be discussed as an indicator of how we’d like to set the vehicle up.

With that being said:

We want to set up the Derivatsiya as an AFV and TD hybrid with the potential to hunt down and destroy enemy Light Tanks. Starting with protection, there isn’t really much to look at. A poorly armored chassis (frontal protection versus 30mm autocannons) with some additional armor on the sides (we’re currently discussing how we are going to tackle that part), an unmanned turret and a rather standard soft-kill APS.



Mobility-wise, it’ll be, well, okay. We’re looking at the maximum speed of 70 km/h and the 0 to 32 km/h acceleration of 4 seconds (which will be possible to upgrade to 3.4 seconds using Battle Path’s Workshop), average agility... definitely not the highlight of this vehicle.

Where things start to get fun is the firepower. We have a very powerful 57mm 2A90 autocannon that will have two shell types (well, three, but we’ll get to that):

• AP (500mm penetration, 88 damage)
• HE (44mm penetration, 130 damage)

With the rate of fire being 225 rounds per minute, we’re looking at some 15700 points of damage per minute. If this doesn’t compute, it’s because the vehicle will be using the new Autocannon Overheat mechanism. You’ll be able to fire 40 rounds before the gun overheats, followed by 3 seconds of cooling.



But that’s not all. You’ll be able to use the Workshop mechanic to unlock several additional progression modules. First, you’ll be able to choose between:

• Improved rate of fire to 350 rounds per minute at the expense of longer 5 second cooling (if you prefer burst damage playstyle)
• Improved cooling so that you can fire 80 rounds without overheating instead of 40 and the cooling time gets shorter as well (2.4 seconds), but the rate of fire stays the same (if you prefer sustained damage playstyle)

Both these upgrades bump your damage output to roughly 18000, so it really is a matter of preference.



Additionally, there will be a very special round unlocked the same way – the UAS. This round will have the following characteristics:

• PELE shell type (with all its corresponding mechanics)
• 375mm of penetration, 80 damage per shot

Additionally, this shell will have limited guidance (the way the kinetic shells of Griffin 120mm do). It will be possible to use it together with the abovementioned upgrades, so you’ll effectively be trading some penetration and a bit of damage for the limited guidance ability and PELE characteristics.



There are two more things that need to be said about this vehicle’s firepower:

• The gun will also have a rather uncomfortable maximum depression of -5 degrees. You’ll have to position yourself carefully
• The vehicle will feature the Improved Propellant module, reducing penetration loss over distance (and thus increasing its mid-range effectiveness)

And last but not least, there’s the utility factor. The vehicle will start with 30% camouflage and 430m of viewrange. There will be two additional modules affecting this aspect. You will be able to choose between the two following upgrades:

• Improved Thermal Optics (better spotting through foliage)
• Improved Camouflage (lower camouflage penalty when firing the gun)

In summation, as you can see, you’ll be able to configure this vehicle in several different ways. There will be the burst damage and active “hunter” option highly suitable for PvP, or there will be the sustained fire while staying hidden option that will fit the PvE needs nicely.

In its core, however, the Derivatsiya will remain a short-to-medium range heavy AFV with a decent pool of hitpoints. Consider your options carefully.

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

See you on the battlefield!