American Desert, a new location for combined battles, will be released in War Thunder update 1.81. When creating this location our artists and designers were inspired by images of small towns in the US Southwest and the romantic style of the 60s. We used Page, Arizona as the inspiration for this location’s visual style. We’ve created many new assets for this location, including plant life, automobiles, and buildings that are characteristic of the location, as well as animated fire hydrants that shoot columns of water into the air if you drive over them.

The battles for this location will take place among the one- and two-story buildings typical of an American small town. There are a couple of small lakes and highways in the surrounding area. The town’s main square has four access points, as well as a few other firing locations. Another flashpoint for future battles is a residential area with small homes that are too small for even medium tanks to hide behind. Some areas can also be fired on from outside the town, where snipers can hide among rocks and small cliffs. The third capture point is a railroad station, and an animated train will drive down the tracks during battle. Tank commanders can destroy the train with gunfire, and the train itself can also ram tanks if they get in its way.





American Desert will be the first American location in War Thunder. We hope you like the simple, heartfelt style of a 1960s American small town.

For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

Briefly: The first guided American air-to-ground missile and a unique weapon system will become available in War Thunder as part of the ongoing Good Old S.U.M.M.E.R event marathon!

Development of the AGM-12 Bullpup began in the early 1950s, after the Korean War sparked a demand for more precise, guided, weapon systems that could hit targets which were usually more difficult to hit with conventional ordnance. Apart from that, the new weapon system ought to increase the safety of ground attack aircraft and their crews by keeping them further away from returning ground fire.

This will no doubt not only be a great challenge for many War Thunder pilots, but also an interesting reward for all those who completed the challenges in the ongoing event marathon. Eager to join in on the fun? Then be sure to also take part in the Good Old S.U.M.M.E.R event and ensure yourself access to the Bullpup as well as many other prizes!

For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

We are pleased to share with you some new ground force vehicles planned for the upcoming War Thunder major update 1.81: The Argentinian-built TAM light tank in the German tech tree, and the American rapid fire high-caliber SPAA M247 Sergeant York.



The TAM is a tank which was jointly developed by Argentinian and German engineers in the 1970s. It was intended to replace the outdated WW2 tanks in service with the Argentinian army at the time. Tankers can look forward to the addition of the TAM to the German ground forces tree with the release of update 1.81!



The M247 Sergeant York is an American SPAA, developed in the late 1970s as a much needed replacement to the outdated M42 Duster and M163 VADS. Although its development was far from smooth (or successful), the M247 brought with it several modern design choices to the American SPAA concept. Eager to receive a second chance at fulfilling his historical role, the Sarge has set out to join the top tier battles of War Thunder with the upcoming update 1.81!

For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

The T-80 is a Soviet main battle tank which was developed in the mid 1970s and was the first massively manufactured MBT in the world to be powered by a multi-fuel turbine engine. The T-80B will become available to experienced tankers at the top ranks of the Soviet ground forces tree with the release of update 1.81! Equipped with “Cobra” ATGMs and an additional 30 mm of armour plating in the front hull, the T-80B is a very fast and agile tank, with a 125 mm smoothbore cannon and composite armour. The T-80B sports two types of APFSDS shells, capable of penetrating over 470 mm of armour. It can additionally be armed with HE shells, HEAT shells, and anti-tank guided missiles. A decisive top-tier hero for high ranked battles, the T-80B rolls onto War Thunder’s battlefields with major update 1.81!



The Batignolles-Châtillon 25t is a French light tank prototype, developed in the 1950s as a replacement for the AMX-13. Although French military officials didn’t give the prototype a passing grade, War Thunder tankers will be sure to find it as a new favourite among the numerous new vehicles coming to the game with update 1.81!

For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

We are happy to present a new vehicle type - combat helicopters! They play a very important role in modern warfare and they are an important part of the air forces of many countries, that’s why they are coming to War Thunder! The UH-1 Iroquois and Mi-4are coming to War Thunder in update 1.81!


The UH-1 Iroquois,or more commonly known as the Huey, is the well-known American helicopter developed in the late 1950s in response to the U.S. Army’s demand for better utility helicopters. The UH-1C will be one of the variants of the legendary Huey, making it to War Thunder with the upcoming update 1.81!

Development of the UH-1 began in 1952, after the U.S. Army came up with requirements for new utility helicopters, with an emphasis on the ability to perform medical evacuation. After successfully passing army testing, Bell’s Model 204 was ordered into production under the official designation HU-1 Iroquois (although the derived popular nickname “Huey” would soon overshadow it in use). Soon after the deployment of the UH-1B, Bell continued work on improving the Huey in all aspects, which resulted in the creation of the next variant - the UH-1C. This version featured an even more powerful engine, along with various other improvements that increased speed and maneuverability, which made this version the most suitable for performing the gunship role. The Huey undoubtedly owes its iconic status primarily to its extensive and varied use throughout the Vietnam War, where it saw most of its active service with U.S. armed forces.


The Mi-4 is one of the first mass-produced multipurpose Soviet helicopters entering both military and civilian service in the early 1950s. In War Thunder, the Mi-4 will be among the first Soviet helicopters available to players with the upcoming update 1.81!

The Mi-4 was used for different purposes by both military and civilian operators alike, quickly gaining a favorable reputation for its impressive lifting loads as well as reliability. During its production time (1952 - 1979), over 3,000 Mi-4s were manufactured, including around 500 Chinese licence-built Harbin Z-5s. Even after production had ceased, the reputable Mi-4 continued being used by operators worldwide, eventually surpassing 50 years of service. Despite the extensive service record however, the Mi-4 never saw any combat actions despite serving through one of the most uncertain times of the Cold War.

For more information, read the full article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

We are happy to announce a new vehicle type - combat helicopters! The AH-1F and Mi-24 Hind are coming to War Thunder in update 1.81!


The AH-1F is the most capable modification of the single-engined “Cobra”. Tankers close your hatches - the AH-1F is coming to War Thunder in update 1.81!

AH-1G gunships proved themselves in the war in Vietnam, however required specifications were increasing. A high-scale modernization program was launched and a whole new line of new models was developed. The last and the most perfect single-engined version of the “Cobra” was the AH-1F. This helicopter included the best design features - a more powerful engine, perspective navigational and electronic equipment. The armament consisted of a three-barrel rotary cannon - the General Electric M197 mounted on an Emerson Electric TAT-141 (M79E1) turret with 750 round ammo load. Additionally, the Cobra can be equipped with up to 8 TOW ATGM’s, machine gun pods or unguided air-to-surface rockets. These gunships were actively used in the Gulf War in 1991.


The Mi-24 Hind is one of the most iconic Soviet aircraft of the Cold War and is one of the most produced and widely used assault helicopters in the world. One variant of the legendary Hind that will make it to War Thunder with update 1.81, is the Mi-24V - a late 1970s modification that significantly upgraded the Hind’s combat capabilities!

Work on the Mi-24 began in the early 1960s, with engineers at the Mil design bureau coming to the realisation that helicopters capable of both transporting troops and materiel as well as being able to provide fire support, are gaining an ever increasing importance with new combat doctrines focusing on battlefield mobility. The Mi-24V is a further development of the Mi-24, that entered production in 1976. The V modification most notably introduced the 9M114 “Shturm” guided missiles to the Hind’s arsenal, which in turn significantly increased its hit probabilities and destructive power. In its decade-long production (1976 - 1984), around 1,000 Mi-24Vs were produced, eventually becoming the most produced version of the Hind.

For more information, read the full article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

https://youtu.be/yyQPG0O6Po8
We are happy to announce a new vehicle type - combat helicopters! They play a very important role in modern warfare and they are an important part of the air forces of many countries, that’s why they are coming to War Thunder!

Completely new gameplay will become available in the next major update with these heavily armed war machines! We will talk about helicopters and new armoured vehicles in our devblog series that begins today.

More in the news!

The War Thunder Team

Built in 1914, the Novik-class destroyer "Bystry", which was later renamed as the “Frunze,” became one of the best combat ships of the Russian Empire. The Frunze made it through the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the Allied Intervention, and she also participated in the Second World War, where she defended the USSR. Meet the new destroyer in War Thunder!

The Novik-class series, which includes the Frunze, comprised of the most modernized destroyers among their class in the Imperial Russian Navy. This combat ship was laid down in Kherson in 1913 and received the designation “Bystry.” Following six months of construction, the destroyer was finally launched and soon allotted to the Black Sea Fleet. In 1918, the destroyer was captured during the German occupation and later, passed into the hands of the Anglo-French interventionists. She was then taken out of commission during a retreat and was only able to join the armed forces ranks under the soviet flag in 1927. The destroyer joined the Second World war under the designation “Frunze.” In the war’s summer of 1941, the ship was tasked with setting up minefields in the Black Sea and escorting convoys of transport ships. She also defended Odessa during its siege. On September 21st, the Frunze was attacked by the seasoned I Group pilots of the StG 77 wing during her attempt to rescue the Krasnaya Armenia gunboat bombed by Junkers aircraft. The Stukas performed numerous group raids on the destroyer, which resulted in the ship getting hit by several 250 kg bombs and consequently sinking.





This ship will be the first destroyer that Soviet Navy commanders will be able to pilot for now. We plan on including this ship in one of the upcoming fleet updates. Make sure you keep an eye on our news!

For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

During the last Operation S.U.M.M.E.R. event, we decided to experiment with new mission requirements which appealed to some, however there were players that wanted to see the summer marathon in the usual format. We will take all your feedback into account when preparing similar specials in the future, but we also want to ensure that this Summer leaves only good memories for all our players so we decided to launch another special with the good old terms! So here goes “Good Old S.U.M.M.E.R.”! Everything familiar and simple: complete the tasks or purchase the “Marks of distinction” without additional conditions and get prizes!

This time the grand reward of the event will be the American FJ-4B VMF 232 jet fighter with a new type of weaponry for War Thunder - guided air to ground missiles. As well as this, you can expect many other prizes: The British Martlet Mk IV, unique camouflages and decals!

Tankers will not be forgotten either, but another 20 days of marathon might be way too much, that’s why you will need to complete just 2 days of tasks from 22 to get a small, but unique prize - the Sd.Kfz. 234/3 armoured vehicle.

More in the full news article!