The Skink is an experimental Canadian self-propelled anti-aircraft unit, developed on the basis of the Grizzly medium tank. Designed with the sole purpose of shielding Allied units from hostile air attack, the highly anticipated Skink is finally making its way to the game, arriving as part of the next major War Thunder update!

Briefly: A late-war prototype Canadian SPAAG, based on the Grizzly I medium tank and fitted with a quadruple 20 mm turret.


Features:

• Quadruple 20 mm turret
  
• High fire density
  
• Excellent gun handling
  
• Adequate protection
  
• Average mobility
  
• High profile

In War Thunder, the Skink will be a new SPAA unit joining the ranks of the British ground forces tree at rank IV, following the release of the next major update. Being a long-awaited addition for many tankers, the Skink will substantially bolster the anti-aircraft capabilities of the British ground forces tree at the mid ranks. Let’s get into some more details then, shall we?





At a first glance, the Skink may strongly resemble the formidable German Wirbelwind - an SPAA unit that should be familiar to many veteran War Thunder tankers. The resemblance should primarily come from the vehicles’ identical weapon arsenal. Namely, much like the Wirbelwind, the Skink features a quadruple 20 mm turret with an astonishing rate of fire. Coupled with an excellent hydraulic turret drive, the Skink can respond to an air attack in mere moments and subsequently fill the skies with hot lead.





The Skink is based on the Grizzly I medium tank, which in turn represents the Canadian license-produced version of the American M4A1 Sherman tank. Therefore, the Skink inherits the characteristic Sherman mediocre protection: it’s able to deflect the occasional medium-caliber anti-tank round but it remains vulnerable to high-powered anti-tank cannons such as the German PaK 40, even at longer engagement distances. Yet the Skink offers one crucial advantage over the Wirbelwind that all of its aspiring commanders will appreciate: an enclosed turret. Unlike the open-topped Wirbelwind, the Skink is immune to strafing aircraft, in turn making it even more dangerous to pilots since it can’t be destroyed as easily!



The Skink is soon arriving to War Thunder ground battles as a new rank IV British SPAAG and will become available to all players upon the release of the next major update. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news to catch all the latest developments surrounding the upcoming update. Until then, happy hunting tankers!

We are impressed by all the high quality guides entered in this competition and therefore have decided to pick 10 winners instead of 5! If you didn't win, we saw your guide and thought it was really well done and we appreciate your entry. But there can only be so many winners! Overall, a huge well done to everyone!


The following 10 winners have been selected - each have won the Snail Decal and the specified amount of GE, out of the max of 3,000. Outstanding work, guys!





A Beginners Guide to WarThunder - by Penguin Red
Prize: 3,000 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840220531

Практические советы для новичков и не только (Practical advice for beginners and not only) - by Leman_AD
Prize: 3,000 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2852266939


Tips and tricks to ease the SL grind via wagers. - by Iamsupernoob
Prize: 2800 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840580842


Crew skills and how to get the most out of them - by Eriksson VIII
Prize: 2600 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840216593


Sim: For beginners (and anyone alike!) - by Daleks2377
Prize: 2600 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840272562


British Aviation - Overview and Recommendations - by Aquilae Mira
Prize: 2600 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840282704


Getting started with simulator air battles (a guide for beginners) - by Der Gouda Ganove
Prize: 2600 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840347724


Crucial Tips For Beginners - by PizzaTime2020
Prize: 2600 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840317428


The Japanese Tanks Manual - by ✪︎ Fullsets |
Prize: 2400 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840506140

Флот для новичков и/или тех кто его не понял (Fleet for beginners and / or those who do not understand it) - by ScienceDestroy
Prize: 2400 GE + “Steam Snail” decal
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840416064


And, as previously announced, the following guide creators have been awarded 1,000 GE and the special “Steam Snail” decal.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2803148061
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2338583723
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2649904720

Thank you so much for all your entries!


These guides were created in the War Thunder Community Hub Guide section - a place where the community helps the community. There are hundreds of guides on Steam, so if you’re a new player and wanting to learn the ropes, or a veteran who wants to pick up a tip, then give the guide section a visit!

Click here to visit the Guide section

Until next time!

In the upcoming major War Thunder update, we plan to introduce the engine fire extinguishing systems for planes and helicopters.

The first engine fire extinguishers were used during WWII. At the moment, such systems are equipped with almost all military aircraft - both planes and helicopters. In the upcoming major update of the game, we plan to add the aircraft engine fire extinguishers, and this is how they will work!

There are two types of fire extinguishing systems for aircraft engines - automatic and manual. We will introduce a new modification to the aircraft modifications list, which is called EFS/EFS(a), depending on the extinguisher's type. Automatic fire extinguishers are activated with the destruction of the capsule with the fire-fighting agent by extremely high temperatures occurring during engine fire. Manual systems are activated by pressing the “Toggle Extinguisher” button (default key is “6”). Once the system is activated, it may take a few seconds to cease the fire, which will make the engine inoperable, and during this period it will not be possible to restart the engine. However, it can help to save the aircraft! You’ll have a chance to “come in on a wing and a prayer” to the field, or even continue the fight, especially in the case of multi-engine aircraft. After the repair at the airfield, the engine will be restored, same as the fire extinguisher, making it available again.



In order to avoid accidental toggling of fire extinguishers and shutdown of engines in flight, the activation of fire extinguishing systems is possible only in the event of engine fire. In addition, you can also disable the fire extinguishers before the flight, if you decide not to use it in combat for some reason - just uncheck the checkbox in the ‘Modifications’ menu.

In the next War Thunder update, the fire extinguishers will be available to some aircraft and helicopters (see the list below). As we study the documents, we plan to add this modification to other models of combat aircraft, which were equipped with them in reality.

List of aircraft:
A-10 (all versions), Harrier (all versions), AV-8 (all versions), F-14A Early, P-61 (all versions), A-26 (all versions), Tu-4, B-29, B-17 (all versions), PB4Y (all versions), PBJ (all versions), B-24 ( all versions), B-26 (all versions), B-25 (all versions), MiG-23 (all versions), Su-22 (all versions), Su-17 (all versions), Su-7 (all versions), Q-5 (all versions), A-5C, J-7 (all versions), MiG-21 (all versions), MiG-19 (all versions), Yak-38 (all versions).

List of helicopters:
EC-665 Tiger (all versions), A-129 (all versions), A-109, AB-205, Lynx (all versions), YAH-64, AH-64 (all versions), AH-Mk1, AH-1 (all versions), UH-1 (all versions), Ka-29, Ka-50, Ka-52, Mi-24 (all versions), Mi-35, Mi-28 (all versions).

The export version of the venerable Italian wheeled tank destroyer designed for Spanish land forces, coupled with an unique decoration and Premium bonuses hits the shelves of our online store as a special pre-order pack!


Features:

• Max speed 110 km/h
  
• Deadly armor-piercing rounds
  
• Thermal imager
  
• Light armor

The VRCC Centauro is a Spanish variant of the legendary wheeled tank destroyer that will come to War Thunder with the next major update. And now you may pre-order the best Premium vehicle in the Italian ground vehicles tech tree and get special bonuses of the pre-order pack!

Incredibly fast and armed with an excellent laser-sharp 105mm gun, the Centauro is one of the most popular vehicles for high-rank tank battles. The new premium VRCC Centauro, built on the basis of earlier versions of this combat vehicle, is distinguished by a different armor scheme of the hull’s front (alas, the protection has not increased though) and later smoke grenade launchers. Most importantly, commanders will have access to excellent DM33 armor piercing fin-stabilized rounds able to overcome 400 mm of the armor - and these shells, like other modifications, are available immediately from the get go!

In the game, the vehicle is decorated with the insignia of the Spanish 8th Light Cavalry Regiment “Lusitania”. Together with the VRCC Centauro, Premium Account time and a good supply of Golden Eagles, the owners of the pre-order pack also receive an unique decorator - a shortened version of the Spanish assault rifle.

Pre-order bonus: unique "Automatic rifle (Italy)" decoration:



Pre-order bonus: "Knight-errant" decal:

The HJ-9 is a Chinese wheeled ATGM carrier which entered service with the PLA in the late 1990s as a platform for a newly developed anti-tank missile. Coming to War Thunder as part of the next major update, the HJ-9 will soon reinforce the top ranks of the Chinese ground forces tree with a highly capable new tank hunter!

Briefly: A late 1990s Chinese wheeled missile carrier, equipped with the powerful ATGMs.


Features:

• Superb mobility
  
• Powerful missiles
  
• Thermal vision
  
• Retractable launcher
  
• Light armor

In War Thunder, the HJ-9 will be a new wheeled tank destroyer awaiting tankers at rank VI of the Chinese ground forces tree following the release of the next major update. Combining excellent mobility with potent ATGMs, the HJ-9 will give Chinese tankers access to a deadly new tank hunter unlike anything previously available in their tree!

Immediately upon obtaining the HJ-9, the vehicle offers its prospective commanders a four-barreled retractable ATGM launcher, firing powerful ATGMs of the same designation. Possessing a tandem warhead and a range of 5 km allows tankers to reliably knock out even more advanced combat vehicles, outfitted with reactive armor, and at a considerable distance at that! Furthermore, thanks to the presence of thermal imaging, this process is made even easier, regardless of light or weather conditions.



Being based on a shortened version of the Chinese ZSL92 APC, the HJ-9 features excellent mobility, typical for most wheeled vehicles regardless of rank. Specifically, the HJ-9 can reach an excellent top speed of 95 km/h on paved roads thanks to its 290 horsepower diesel engine. On the other hand, the vehicle’s comparably low combat weight and the resulting high power-to-weight ratio enable it to cross even rougher terrain with relative ease - just be wary of boggy areas and deep snow as these considerably hamper the mobility of wheeled vehicles in general.





In most cases, wheeled vehicles don’t feature heavy duty protection so as to not hamper their mobility. This principle also applies to the HJ-9. Engineers only equipped the HJ-9 with steel armor up to 12 mm in thickness as well as bulletproof glass for the windows. Needless to say, this makes the HJ-9 highly susceptible to everything but small arms fire and shrapnel. Aircraft in particular may prioritize the HJ-9 over other targets due to its poor protection and lack of a defensive roof-mounted machine gun. As a result, commanders are best advised to make the most use out of the HJ-9’s excellent mobility and constantly change position after each engagement to ensure they remain an elusive target on the battlefield.





The HJ-9 will soon be arriving to the top ranks of the Chinese ground forces tree as part of the next major War Thunder update. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to our news as we continue unveiling what other exciting new additions and features await you in the upcoming update. 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 in the website special section.





We’ve recently added to the game an ammo indicator for machine guns that shows how much ammo is left in the magazine, as well as displaying the reload progress. Turns out, the latter had a bug: after the final belt was depleted, a partial reload animation was displayed on the bar — when in reality there was, of course, no reload happening. The error has been identified and fixed: now the indicator of an empty machine gun won’t display any distracting animations.





The scan zones of airborne interception radars in TWS mode used to lean to the side while tracking targets, forcing the players to manually re-centre them. And that’s not something you’d want to do mid-flight! So we’ve taken your comments to heart, and now upon exiting the TWS mode the centre of the radar’s scan zone will return to its initial position.

Similar issues were identified with guided bombs: the crosshair kept moving away from the center. It won’t be doing that anymore.





In arcade game modes aircraft were dropping bombs from pylons asymmetrically: first they emptied one wing, and then another. When in reality it should be different: the bombs should drop from pylons alternately. So, we’ve returned this much needed symmetry.



We are always continuing to work on improving War Thunder. The radar now properly captures targets when the aircraft is rolling, several guns’ stats have been adjusted, and the amount of Silver Lions and Golden Eagles that you have is now correctly displayed after you’ve made a purchase.


For this digest we have prepared a large set of useful fixes and game improvements. Be sure to read the full list below - there are many interesting things.

Once again, many thanks for all your bug reports that you submitted using our special service.

• BMD-4 — the value of the hull side armor has been corrected in the info card.
  
• Type 93 — speed of the Type 91 missile has been corected in the info card (report).
  
• M48 Super — underestimated targeting speed of the AA machine gun has been fixed (report).
  
• SMK — inoperable machine gun of the radio operator has been removed from the x-ray view.
  
• Conway — a bug has been fixed due to which tracks were repaired before the track sprocket (report).
  
• 100mm BR-412, BR-412B, BR-412D rounds — incorrectly presented overpressure damage has been revoked.
  
• 25mm PGU-25/U round — muzzle velocity has been increased from 1065 to 1085 m/sec, the tracer has been removed.
  
• 25mm PGU-20/U round — incorrect tracer element has been removed.
  
• T-72A, Т-72AV (TURMS-T), Т-72B, Т-72B (1989), Т-72B3 — ammo belt capacity of the 12,7mm machine gun has been corrected from 150 to 60 rounds.
  
• Т-80B, Т-80BVM, Т-80U — ammo belt capacity of the 12,7mm machine gun has been corrected from 150 to 100 rounds.
  
• Т-80U — ammo belt capacity of the 12,7mm gun has been corrected from 300 to 500 rounds.

• A bug has been fixed due to which bombs were released asymmetricaly in Arcade battles - first from one wing, then from another.
  
• A bug has been fixed due to which a canceling of a lock on target of guided bombs did not reset the crosshair.
  
• The shifting down of the guided bomb sight while target acquisition is enabled has been fixed for the gamepads.
  
• SNEB Type 23 rockets — armor piercing value of the shaped charge has been fixed from 300mm to 400mm.
  
• DEFA 553 gun— weight has been corrected from 150 to 81 kg.
  
• SB2U (all versions) — incorrect display of objects i through the sight has been fixed
  
• Radar scan zone centre that tracks the selected target in TWS mode now returns to initial position after exit from TWS mode.
  
• Target acquisition from radar search mode is now possible even if the owning aircraft roll is high.
  
• Bombs and rocket salvo launch with weapon selector now works in the same way for both aircraft with and without payload editor. Available salvo sizes (2, 4, 8, 16) depend on number of bombs and rockets avaialble. It doesn’t depend on number of bomb and rocket launchers.
  
• On aircraft with payload editor weapon release sides are interleaved: left-right.

• Leningrad — Guidance angles of the fourth main calibre turret have been corrected to avoid collisions with anti-aircraft guns when firing.
  
• HMS Hawkins — Guidance angle of the main calibre turret has been reduced according to installation limitations from 30 to 19 degrees.

• A bug which caused the amount of SL and GE in the hangar in the player card to not be updated after purchase of an item in the store has been fixed.
  
• A bug where after the last machine gun belt was expended, the ammo indicator showed the refill animation has been fixed (report).
  
• Links to the market for traded items from the “Summer Cocktail” trophy have been added.
  
• Tags can now be used in the item search text box. For example, searching for "Danger Zone" will now display only the corresponding trophy, key and decal, but also all camouflages of the trophy, since they have the "Camouflage trophy: "Danger Zone" tag.

• Incorrect displaying of waves in naval battles and replays when the camera was placed low or at a certain distance has been fixed.

• [PlayStation] A bug due to which decals haven’t loaded in the vehicle appearance menu after the ground AB game session has been fixed.

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.

Light cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov is the last Soviet ship wielding big guns. The ship comes to the game as part of the upcoming War Thunder update in her latest upgraded version, featuring fast-firing anti-missile guns.


Features:

• High muzzle velocity of the main caliber rounds
  
• Improved short range AA artillery
  
• Ballistic deck
  
• Insufficient firepower to counter heavy ships
  
• Lacks of torpedoes

The most famous Project 68 cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov comes to the game as a part of the upcoming major update, and the ship will be presented in the version after the last upgrade. Together with the premium Zheleznyakov and the researchable Sverdlov, the new ship will become the best light cruiser in the entire research tree of the Soviet bluewater fleet.

Project 68 ships are well known to seasoned captains: decent firepower, excellent air defense and good mobility. Mikhail Kutuzov is a little different from her sisterships. Let’s see the ship in details!



A large modernization program initiated in 1970 aimed for a further improvement of the air defense of Soviet cruisers. 8 paired AK-230 mounts with rapid-fire 30mm guns appeared on the platforms around the bow superstructure, which supplemented the 37mm auto cannons familiar to you from Sverdlov and Zheleznyakov. The new guns, although somewhat inferior in caliber, are remotely controlled and provide an amazing density of fire at short and medium fire distances - each barrel spits 1,000 rounds per minute! The universal 100mm guns remain effective as before: their high-explosive fragmentation rounds do a good job of destroying light ships and boats, and their radio-fuzed shells are ideal for destroying aircraft at considerable distances.





The crew of the cruiser has somewhat decreased - 1057 men against 1270 on the Sverdlov, which in the game realities can be attributed to the ship’s cons. During the modernization, torpedo tubes were also dismantled - another thing to missing from her sisters. But everything else, for which we love the Project 68 ships, is still here! The main battery of 12 152mm guns in four turrets works perfectly both against destroyers and other cruisers. The shells lack the destructive power to effectively damage battlecruisers and battleships, but thanks to the high muzzle velocity of shells and smoother ballistics, it is very easy to fire at longer distances at softer targets. Mikhail Kutuzov, like other Project 68 cruisers, has a special ballistic deck that increases the ship's survivability against cruiser-caliber shells.





Mikhail Kutuzov, perhaps the best light cruiser in the USSR fleet research tree, will be waiting for you in the next major update. Visit our Developer Diaries more often to know more about cool new stuff planned for the upcoming update! See you soon!

• A bug has been fixed that caused the unguided rockets to do increased damage to the bombing targets (bases) in aircraft battles.
  
• The authenticity tags system has been reworked on the Marketplace to allow for combined search with this filter. For example, it’s now possible to search for both Historical and Semihistorical camouflages simultaneously by choosing both options in the filter.
  
• Tags can now be used in the item search text box. For example, searching for "Danger Zone" will now display only the corresponding trophy, key and decal, but also all camouflages of the trophy, since they have the "Camouflage trophy: "Danger Zone" tag.

We enjoyed seeing all of the great screenshots last week! It was awesome to see many of the common and not-so-common vehicles with their giant cannons! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!


Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen29. You have time until 26.08.2022 to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

Important addition: Screenshot theme - Shades of Green!

• This week, the screenshots are all about color. There are so many sources of green in War Thunder. There are many green vehicles such as the Ju 87, PT-200, and T-34 that all come in lovely shades of green.
  
• Don’t own any green vehicles? Never fret! There is abundant green scenery on many of the battlefields!
  
• You must add the #WTscreen29 tag.
  
• Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.
  
• You need to be the author of the screenshot.
  
• Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.
  
• We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).
  
• You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.
  
• You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.
  
• Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 7 working days.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848282984
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848563171
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848370696

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848774814
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848304391
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848607369

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!

The VK 30.02 (M) is the prototype design of what would eventually become the legendary PzKpfw V ‘Panther’ tank. In the next major War Thunder update, fans of German military vehicles will have the chance to add the earliest iteration of the Panther tank to their collection and take this prototype out into actual battle!

Briefly: The experimental version of the renown German Panther tank, featuring improved mobility over production models at the expense of thinner armor.


Features:

• Hard-hitting 75mm cannon
  
• Superb mobility
  
• Less well-protected compared to later production models
  
• Low turret traverse speed
  
• Slow reverse speed

In War Thunder, the VK 30.02 (M) will be a new addition complementing the impressive array of German experimental vehicles found in the game. Representing the early design stage of the already familiar Panther, the VK 30.02 (M) completes the famous medium tank’s design history in the game by joining the ranks of the German ground forces tree as part of the next major update!

Despite sharing many similarities with the subsequent first production model - the venerable Panther Ausf. D - the VK 30.02 (M) does possess several notable differences which make it stand out from later production variants of the Panther. For instance, while the vehicle’s firepower, overall design and layout would be carried over to production versions virtually unchanged, its protection and consequently its mobility too were subjected to some changes.



Namely, the original design of the Panther tank received 60mm thick armor plates on the front of the hull while the turret’s front armor goes up to 80mm. As this was marked as a deficiency during testing, later production models received 80mm and 100m mm thick plating, respectively. For prospective commanders of the VK 30.02 (M) however, this means that their vehicle is somewhat less well protected against incoming enemy anti-tank fire. On the other hand, the armor’s sloping still improves its protective capabilities, thus remaining highly effective against smaller caliber weapons, for example.





As a result of the VK 30.02 (M)’s lighter protection, it should come to no surprise to tankers that the vehicle’s mass is also much lower in comparison to later production variants. Therefore, tankers will be able to quickly get up to top speed and traverse more demanding terrain types with greater ease. Just remember: the vehicle’s reverse gear remains unchanged from production models, resulting in a poor reverse speed of just 5 km/h!





Be sure to add the unique VK 30.02 (M) to your in-game collection once it arrives in War Thunder as part of the next major update. In the meantime, make sure to stay tuned and follow the news as we continue unveiling more of what the upcoming update has in store for you. Until then, happy hunting tankers!