How do you prove a right to own something valuable in the pirate community? Especially if incredible floating islands are at stake amongst which your secret base will look great. The air battle has begun!

Pirate clans of bears and foxes continue their dispute over the area of floating rocks. With eight unique aircraft and a stunning combat location, air pirate battles are back with valuable rewards for participants and winners making it even better!
This event has 10 stages. Each lasting 2 days. 50 kills or assists for destruction during each stage will bring you one completed task. Complete more challenges and earn more rewards!

• For 4 and 7 completed tasks

Humanized icons of our “heroes”. Just as confident as their furry alter egos.

• For 9 and 10 completed tasks

Charismatic air pirates in your avatar picture will not disappear even after the event is over.

These avatar pictures will be given out as coupons which can be applied to your account or traded on the market.

• Decal for 2 completed tasks.
  
• Loading Screens for 5 and 8 completed tasks.

You are the part of the most colorful War Thunder game event and everyone around you will know it

If you already have avatars with humanized event characters or decals you will receive alternative awards in silver lions instead of these rewards.

You can follow your progress by clicking on your “Nickname → Achievements → “TailSpin”.
Every day for your first victory in the “TailSpin” event you will get a battle trophy with one of the random prize from the available items:

• random prize from the available items:
  
• 3-5 universal backup vehicles
  
• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles
  
• Random wager
  
• Random order

You can track the status of your daily trophy by clicking on “Nickname → Achievements → TailSpin → Daily reward“. You can get a new trophy from 17:00 GMT the following day.

Dear friends! On International Women’s Day we would like to remind you how important it is to give attention, kind words, love and of course flowers to our most beautiful and irreplaceable girls. And of course we invite you to complete your collection of holiday decals in War Thunder!

• Play 3 battles in vehicles of rank III or higher (70% activity in the battle) and get the unique “March 8th” pinup decal.

“March 8” decal

You can follow your progress by clicking on your “nickname → Achievements → International Women's Day.

• The engine sounds for enemy aerial and ground vehicles now have a higher priority than allied vehicles.
  
• The track sounds on enemy ground vehicles now have a higher priority than allied vehicles.
  
• The engines for enemy and allied vehicles sound quieter as the engine speed decreases. An idling vehicle will again sound significantly quieter than a vehicle in motion.
  
• The volume of hits from low calibre rounds (20-37mm) around the listener has been significantly decreased. Such sounds might previously have been identified as machine gun fire or just crackling.

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The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

In this digest we would like to tell you about our continuing work on improvements and fixes in the game. You can find information about all updates that have been released in War Thunder on the website special section.



The shell in any type of weapon in our game appears in the breech part of the barrel and from there will be directed towards the enemy. This mechanism allows you to make the mechanics of shooting realistic and is designed to prevent the shell from hitting the enemy through impenetrable obstacles.

In some cases and with some vehicles, this rule failed and the enemy who was close enough to a thin wall in the appropriate vehicle might shoot through that wall. Thanks to your bug reports we found such vehicles and fixed this issue.



This bug affected many game vehicles. For the spectator, the enemy rotating their commander’s periscope was displayed as the entire turret rotating. A pretty critical bug close attention was given to it, now it is fixed.



One of the cool War Thunder features is the realistic shell models that “learned” in one of the last updates to get stuck in armour in case of non penetration. This mechanic worked so honestly that the shell might be stuck in the barrel but still appear to be hanging in the air in your sight.

To reconcile the game’s conventions and the desire for authenticity we eliminated the display of stuck shells when viewing through a gunner’s sight.

• ADATS (M113) — armouring on the external fuel tanks has been increased from 12.7 to 44 mm.
  
• ASRAD-R — armouring on the external fuel tanks has been increased from 12.7 to 44 mm.
  
• SIDAM-25, SIDAM-25 (Mistral) — armouring on the external fuel tanks has been increased from 6 to 44 mm.
  
• CM25 — armouring on the external fuel tanks has been increased from 4 to 44 mm.
  
• ASU-85 — IR spotlight has been fixed.
  
• BMP-3 — a bug has been fixed where the “Sodema” sight was displayed on the model without researching the corresponding modification.
  
• Challenger 2, Challenger 2 (2F), Challenger 2 TES — description of the internal bulkheads has been corrected.
  
• Challenger 2 TES — description of the external armour blocks in x-ray mode has been corrected.
  
• A bug has been fixed where a rotation of the commander’s periscope might be displayed as turret rotation when observed by other players.
  
• When open-top vehicles are destroyed by fire, the crew members are no longer displayed in their seats.
  
• A bug has been fixed where, when observed in a tank sight, a shell might be displayed in a splayed tank muzzle. 
  
• A bug has been fixed where it was possible to shoot through obstacles when a tank gun barrel passed through them.

• AU-1 — weapon icons have been corrected in the secondary weapons menu.
  
• AJ37 — icon of the RB 75 missile has been corrected.
  
• Wyvern S.4 — a bug has been fixed that prevented separate rocket launches for the “Rp-3 x16 + torpedo” setup.
  
• EC-665 Tiger HAD — a bug has been fixed where rockets were not displayed in the left pod of the "HOT-3 x4, SNEB type 23 x12" setup.
  
• Fw 190 A-5 (all versions) — guns have been divided into control groups “low calibre”, “high calibre”, and “suspended”.
  
• F-4J — weapon setups have been divided into groups.

• SMS Helgoland, SMS Westfallen, HMS Dreadnought, Imperatritsa Mariya, Poltava, Parizhskaya Kommuna — armour data has been corrected in the info cards.
  
• PT-200 — 20mm ammo belt select option has been fixed .
  
• Moskva, Leningrad — horizontal targeting angles on the main calibre guns have been increased

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

Developed at the dawn of WWII, the B-26 Marauder was an iconic American medium bomber that recorded an illustrious service career with Allied forces right up until the end of the war. Soon, pilots may look forward to getting the chance to take control of this much anticipated American bomber as it arrives to War Thunder as part of the next major update!

• High speed
  
• Heavily armed
  
• Resilient against battle damage
  
• Vulnerable lower hemisphere

In War Thunder, the highly anticipated B-26 Marauder is arriving to the mid ranks of the American aviation tree as part of the upcoming major update. Fans of the B-26 Marauder will only have to wait a little while longer before they’re able to take to the skies behind the controls of not just one, but two variants of this iconic American medium bomber! In this devblog, we’d like to give you a first look at the B-26B and B-26C Marauder, arriving soon to the battlefields of War Thunder. Let’s begin!

Being conceived from the very beginning for speed, the B-26 Marauder is outfitted with a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Twin Wasp radial engines, producing a peak power output of 2,000 horsepower on take-off. Thus, the aircraft is able to attain a maximum speed of 264 mph (425 km/h) at medium altitudes. Consequently, the B-26 will be everything but a sitting duck to hostile fighters and will often require enemy pilots to attack from above in order to catch up to it. 


While fast indeed, the Marauder isn’t fast enough to outrun every pursuer in the skies. Inevitably, some fighters will catch up to it and for this occasion, the B-26 is equipped with just the right tools: defensive .50 calibre machine guns, and plenty of them at that! Namely, the Marauder is equipped with up to seven 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, covering the aircraft’s front, rear and upper hemisphere. Only the lower hemisphere is less well protected and this gap in the aircraft’s protective sphere is a weak point which bold fighter pilots can take advantage of in order to launch an attack run.



However, the Marauder’s arsenal doesn’t just stop at its defensive turrets - it’s a bomber aircraft after all. Apart from the defensive turrets, the B-26 is also fitted with a further five .50 cal machine guns, fixed in position in the aircraft’s nose section. This allows the Marauder to perform strafing attacks on soft ground targets or even actively engage other hostile aircraft. But the Marauder’s core arsenal really lies within its payload, and rest assured, it’s quite a sizable one! Being able to carry a payload in excess of 4,000 lbs, the B-26 can be loaded with bombs of various calibers, ranging from 100 to 2,000 lbs and as a result, the types of targets the Marauder can take on with these bombs is just as diverse.

The highly anticipated B-26B and B-26C Marauder will soon take to the skies in War Thunder as they arrive to the game as part of the next major update. In the meantime, make sure to stay tuned to the news as we continue revealing which other exciting new additions and features await you in the upcoming update. Until then, clear skies pilots!

80 years ago, an excellent exponent of the legendary fighter family, Spitfire Mk IX, took her virgin flight. Get battle trophies in honour of this anniversary. Plagis’ Spitfire LF Mk.IXc will be temporarily available for Golden Eagles, Spitfire LF Mk.IXc (USA) is available with 30% discount.

Complete the task from 11:00 GMT on the 25th of February until 11:30 GMT on the 28th of February and get the reward!

Completing the “Spitfire Mk.IX first flight” task will bring you a battle trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles
  
• 3-5 universal backup vehicles
  
• 1 day premium account

We present to you a new type of task - scoring points. Scoring point task count all mission points, if at least one vehicle from the task list has been deployed in battle. The score multiplier coefficient is now tied to the game mode, instead of difficulty. Multipliers are displayed as before. The multipliers are displayed only for the selected difficulty: if the game mode is set to the Ground Arcade Battles, you will see multipliers for Ground, Air, and Naval Arcade Battles.

Score 20,000 points in random battles, where at least one aircraft from the list been used:

• Spitfire F Mk IX, Spitfire LF Mk IX, Plagis’ Spitfire LF Mk IX, Spitfire Mk IXc, Spitfire Mk IXc (USA), Spitfire Mk IXc (USSR), Weizman’s Spitfire LF Mk IX, Spitfire Mk IXc (Israel), Spitfire Mk IX (CW)

Follow progress by clicking on your nickname → Achievements → Memorial Date.

Until February 28th (11:30 GMT), the Premium Plagis' Spitfire LF Mk.IXc is available for Golden Eagles, and Spitfire LF Mk.IXc (USA) is available with a 30% discount.

The Zachlam M3 (Tager) is an ATGM carrier, domestically developed by Israeli engineers on the basis of the American M3 and M5 halftracks, which were fitted with French SS.11 missiles. This unique new ground vehicle will await tankers in the upcoming Israeli ground forces tree, arriving in War Thunder as part of the next major update!

Features:

• Deadly SS.11 missiles
  
• Good mobility
  
• Lightly armored
  
• Limited number of missiles

In War Thunder, the Zachlam M3 (Tager) will be one of the more unique vehicles awaiting tankers in the upcoming Israeli ground forces tree, arriving to the game as part of the next major update. Compact, nimble and equipped with deadly anti-tank guided missiles, the Zachlam M3 (Tager) represents an interesting Israeli twist on a chassis familiar to most tankers in War Thunder!

What will certainly draw the most attention from a tank commander’s perspective is the Zachlam’s primary and indeed only weapon system, namely the SS.11 missiles or ‘Tager’ as they are known in Israeli service. These first generation guided anti-tank missiles are well familiar to seasoned War Thunder tank commanders as they can be found on a number of vehicles at the higher ranks. While promising a high destructive potential, their effectiveness is highly dependent on the tanker’s gunnery skills due to the missile requiring manual guidance.



Furthermore, advanced armor such as ERA or composites significantly reduce the missile’s destructiveness. Nevertheless, a skilled tanker can still make good use of the weapon to severely damage or outright knock out unsuspecting enemies from up to 3.5 km away. In doing so however, commanders should keep in mind that the Zachlam’s ammunition capacity is severely limited though. In fact, the vehicle only carries two additional SS.11 missiles after the four preloaded ones are expended from the launcher, so make your shots count!

Because the Zahlam is based on the familiar M3 halftrack chassis, the vehicle also inherited the good mobility from the American base model. Thanks to its low mass and 143 horsepower engine, the Zachlam can reach a top speed of around 67 km/h on paved roads while only dropping slightly in less hospitable terrain types thanks to its halftrack design. On the other hand, being just a simple APC by design means that the Zahlam can’t boast about its protection. In fact, the vehicle is only sufficiently protected to withstand rifle-caliber fire and shrapnel damage. On the other hand, unlike the base model found in other nations’, the Zachlam’s crew is better protected from air attack as they’re all situated in the armored driver’s cabin in the front portion of the vehicle.



The Zachlam M3 (Tager) will be arriving in War Thunder as part of the upcoming Israeli ground forces tree with the release of the next major update. In the meantime, make sure to keep scanning the horizon for more news as we continue showcasing what else the upcoming update has in store for you. Until then, happy hunting tankers!

In this digest we would like to tell you about our continuing work on improvements and fixes in the game. You can find information about all updates that have been released in War Thunder on the website special section.


Just recently we tested with you, improvements in the sound picture of a battle where distance to the source of the sound event began to play a more important role. In short: distant sounds are now better matched to their distance and as a bonus you get a better sense of sound events near you.

You liked this change and it has already been released for all players this week where you might definitely notice it, especially in combined battles. We continue to gather feedback on this specific update from all players including in the comments to this news article.



Battle tasks for memorable dates are of interest to many of you and we continue to make participation in these events more convenient. Tags displayed on participating vehicles are great but now you can see literally all of the vehicles suitable for the active tasks in a single window.

Open the task card by clicking on your nickname → Achievements → Name of the memorable date and click on the “Show Vehicle” button. In the opened window you will see all vehicles on which you can perform the task with a convenient sorting by nation and vehicle type.


We want to please the commanders of warships with several fixes at once.

If you are lucky and have two hydroplanes on your ship, now the launch direction marker for the second catapult will disappear after the first aircraft has been launched, just like you asked for in the comments to one of the previous digests.

We also fixed a bug that was showing up for example when your scouting aircraft nosed in when landing. The catapult wouldn’t start preparing the vehicle for the next flight even if it was intact and battle-ready. Now the reload will operate correctly in such cases.

Another noticeable fix will be the “fixed” hit camera which suddenly began to show damage by modules and not total damage after one of the recent updates. Now it works as it should!

• Bkan 1C, DF105, Leopard 2K — sight range reset has been corrected after the rangefinder is applied.
  
• XM-8 — suspension damping has been increased.
  
• OF-40 Mk.2A, OF-40 (MTCA) — AA machine gun is now controlled by the loader.
  
• Range enter ability has been added when measuring range from the commander’s sight with fire control disabled.
  
• A bug has been fixed where dust and mud from the tracks of the player’s vehicle from the front were displayed incorrectly while observed in sniper mode.

• MiG-27K - a bug has been fixed that prevented IRST to lock on a ground area from the cockpit view.
  
• SBU2 (all versions), V-156 (all versions) - targeting angles of the turret have been adjusted.
  
• F-8E(FN) - launch G-limit has been removed for the Matra R550 Magic missile.
  
• Fw 190A-4 - guns have been divided into groups: low-calibre, high-calibre, and auxiliary.

• A bug has been fixed where after crash landing, the catapults did not start reloading for the next launch .
  
• On ships with several hydroplanes, the launch marker no longer lights up when the hydroplane is launched.
  
• A bug with hull damage displayed in the hit camera has been fixed.

• A bug has been fixed where an artillery strike request prevented the correct execution of the nuclear blast scenario.
  
• “Show vehicles” button has been added to the terms of the regular event in order to display required vehicles in a separate window.

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

Albatros is the lead ship from a class of 10 corvettes built for the Italian and other navies in the early days of the Cold War. Being the first domestically produced Italian warship of the post-war period, the Albatros will soon reinforce the top rank of the Italian coastal fleet tree, arriving in War Thunder as part of the next major update!

Albatros, gunboat, Italy, rank V
Features:

• Fast-firing 76mm cannons
  
• Compact size
  
• Up-to-date fire control system
  
• Radar
  
• Light protection

In War Thunder, the Albatros sub-chaser will become a new top vessel awaiting seasoned captains at rank V of the Italian coastal fleet tree in the next major update. Thanks to its powerful and highly versatile weapons, the Albatros sub-chaser can be employed in several different roles in War Thunder naval battles and as such, makes for a worthy vessel for captains to take command of after climbing to the top rank!

Having mentioned the Albatros’ weapons arsenal, it consists of several weapon systems of which the most prominent one is the ship’s primary weapon, namely the two 76mm SMP 3 automatic cannons. Possessing a high fire rate of roughly 60 rounds/min, the cannons can quickly engage and inflict serious damage to both lightly protected surface targets as well as airborne threats thanks to the availability of proximity fuze rounds. Furthermore, the Albatros’ arsenal also includes a pair of 40mm Bofors cannons, paired together in a twin mounting on the aft end of the vessel’s superstructure. Rounding off the ship’s weapons arsenal is a pair of forward-facing hedgehog launchers as well as two pairs of pneumatic depth charge launchers on the ship’s stern, which can help resolve an intense close-quarter engagement.



Albatros is powered by two 2,000 horsepower diesel engines and is therefore able to attain a top speed of roughly 20 kts (39 km/h). While this may not always match up to comparable vessels of other nations, it does enable the ship to confidently keep up with its allies and provide valuable second-line fire support. Furthermore, being a comparably small vessel allows the Albatros to easily enter more confined battlegrounds and bring its deadly firepower to bear on lighter surface targets.

However, being a relatively compact vessel means that little space is left to include any substantial protection for the vessel’s systems and 117 crew members. As a result, the ship’s hull and 76mm turrets feature only thin anti-fragmentation armour. Therefore, aspiring captains of the Albatros sub-chaser are well-advised to avoid prolonged gun engagements with enemies, particularly those that are also equipped with automatic high-calibre weapons or larger vessels such as destroyers or cruisers.



The Albatros sub-chaser will await all captains at the top rank of the Italian coastal fleet tree in the next major update coming soon. In the meantime, keep scanning the horizon for more news as we continue posting about all the interesting new additions and features awaiting players in the upcoming update. Until then, happy hunting and calm seas captains!

You can greatly speed up the research on this vehicle with Sparviero

Get ready for a series of War Thunder special events and tournaments to get unique prizes and tons of Golden Eagles! Discounts at the Gaijin Store are also available!




“Shields” trophy, containing decals and decorations, is available for Golden Eagles in the item store.

Every “Shields” trophy can bring you a decoration that you don’t own yet. The following decorations may be found in the trophy: Shields, Round Shield, Round Shield (Lion), Gallic Shield

Track your progress by clicking your Nickname → Achievements → Defender Special.

Join the “Defender” series tournaments with a total prize pool of 200,000 Golden Eagles and any Starter Pack of the winner’s choice! Select one of 13 available tournaments, or challenge yourself in a few, to get special decal “Protector of Sparta”, titles, Golden Eagles, and more!

Check tournaments site

The following vehicles, previously withdrawn from sale in the store, can now be purchased using Golden Eagles in-game on all platforms.

• Shielded KV-1E tank (Rank 3, USSR) - available till February 28th 11:00 GMT;
  
• IL-2M Nelson Stepanan's "Avenger" (Rank 3, USSR); - available till February 28th 11:00 GMT;