Prepare yourself for the Sky Guardians!

The new Defender tournament series with a total prize pool of 184,300 Golden Eagles will take place from February 25th until March 2nd. You can participate in any of 16 tournaments or in several if you like. Winners will receive Starter Packs of their choice, “Protector of Sparta” decals, titles, Golden Eagles, and other valuable prizes.

You may find the complete list of tournaments here, and join the ones you wish to participate in.

From February 22nd (14:00 GMT) until February 27th (7:00 GMT)

Win 5 battles using USSR vehicles (rank III or higher, with an activity of not less than 70%) to receive the “Pelta Shield” decoration.

“Pelta Shield” decoration.


From February 22nd until February 27th “Shields” trophy containing 3D decorations “Shield”, “Round Shield”, “Round Shield (Lion)”, “Gallic Shield”, “Pavise Shield”, and “Pelta Shield” will be available for purchase for Golden Eagles in the item shop.

Each purchase of the trophy will get you a decoration you don’t yet have.

Collect all six “Shields” decorations and receive the seventh decoration “Heraldic Shield”.
Read more about the Collections on the wiki.

“Heraldic Shield” decoration.


From February 22nd until February 27th premium vehicles from the USSR research tree will be available for purchase for Golden Eagles:

• KV-1E
  
• T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.)
  
• Pe-2 205 “Peshka”
  
• IL-2M “Avenger”

USS Nevada is the lead ship of her class of two battleships built for the U.S. Navy in the years prior to the outbreak of WWI. Featuring a plethora of naval innovations and setting a standard for coming U.S. battleships, captains in War Thunder will have the chance to take command of the iconic USS Nevada as it arrives in the game as part of the next major update!

Briefly: An innovative American dreadnought battleship design packing heavy firepower coupled with a highly effective armor scheme.

Features:

• Superior firepower
  
• Excellent anti-air protection
  
• Strong protection
  
• Low mobility
  
• Scout plane

In War Thunder, USS Nevada will be a new battleship arriving to the top rank of the American bluewater fleet as part of the next major update. Joining the U.S. Navy in her late war configuration, USS Nevada offers her aspiring captains not only extremely potent firepower and excellent protection, but also a highly effective anti-air arsenal - a feature which most other top capital American warships were missing up until now.



USS Nevada represents the first American battleship to be equipped with triple turrets, which seasoned captains in War Thunder may recognize from USS Arizona - the direct successor to USS Nevada. While not as heavily armed as the familiar USS Arizona, USS Nevada still features an impressive primary armament of ten 14’’ (356 mm) cannons, capable of posing a significant threat to even heavily protected hostile ships. Main armament aside however, USS Nevada manages to completely overshadow its successor when it comes to its secondary and anti-air weapons! Namely, the ship is outfitted with eight 5’’/38 cal twin turrets complemented by eight quadruple 40 mm Bofors cannons as well as up to 40 20 mm cannons in single turret configuration. Because of such a versatile arsenal, USS Nevada is a true floating fortress, capable of inflicting heavy damage both to enemy surface units as well as incoming aircraft.

Fun Fact: USS Nevada’s design was so innovative at the time that it set a new construction standard for all subsequent American battleships.

However, it’s not just firepower which makes USS Nevada such a formidable opponent. Being a battleship inherently results in the warship being equipped with some serious protection in order to be able to withstand tremendous damage during intense gunnery duels. So let’s take a look at her armor scheme, shall we? Being the first American warship to adopt the so-called ‘all or nothing’ armor layout means that USS Nevada features extremely thick armor plating around her most vital components, such as her machinery, magazines and command centers, while the remaining sections feature virtually no protection at all. As a result, USS Nevada boasts an up to 13.5’’ (343 mm) thick armored belt while her turrets are protected by up to 18’’ (457 mm) of armor. As a result of its heavy protection and firepower, USS Nevada will become a true brawler in naval battles.



On the other hand though, USS Nevada’s excellent characteristics also come at the cost of heavily impacting the ship’s displacement. This means that the warship can’t boast about excellent mobility, being only able to attain a top speed of slightly over 20 kts (37 km/h), thus leading to cumbersome maneuvering during combat.

USS Nevada has set course for War Thunder naval battles and is due to dock in player ports with the release of the next major update. In the meantime, keep your binoculars at hand and keep scanning the news section as we continue to release new info on the upcoming update. Until then, calm seas, captains!

A fast-firing Premium heavy cruiser, the USS Des Moines is available for pre-order as a special pack with Golden Eagles, Premium days and unique customization options!

USS CA-134 Des Moines is a heavy cruiser, developed in the USA in the mid 1940s. At that time, the Des Moines type embodied all the world experience gained during the war years. Its armament, armoring, air defense and electronic weaponry were far superior to all ships within its class. The key element of the project was the new rapid-fire main battery guns with automated reload - the fire performance of the Des Moines-class cruisers significantly exceeded all previous analogues. The maximum speed of the ship is 33 knots (61 km/h). It is armed with nine 203 mm guns in three triple mounts, twelve 127 mm guns in six twin mounts, twelve twin 76 mm automatic gun mounts and twelve twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns. In addition, the cruiser is equipped with aft smoke equipment for setting smoke screens.

USS CA-134 Des Moines will be added to the game in the upcoming major update of War Thunder. All pre-order customers will also get special customization options: “The last all-gun" title, unique profile icon, as well as Des Moines insignia decal.

• USS CA-134 Des Moines 1948 (Rank IV, USA)
  
• 2,000 Golden Eagles
  
• 30 days Premium
  
• Pre-order bonus: “The last all-gun" title
  
• Pre-order bonus: Des Moines insignia decal
  
  
• Pre-order bonus: US cruiser captain profile icon
  

On February 21st, 1917, SS Mendi sank in an accident in the English Channel. The vessel was transporting South African troops to participate in WWI; over 600 of them died.

In 2012 President Zuma chose February 21st as the day to honor the Armed Forces of South Africa; it is celebrated with drills and parades.





“South African Armed Forces Day” decal.

Complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions and [Assault] mode. Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → South African Armed Forces Day.

You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customisation menu.




South African Armed Forces Day bundle
Rooikat 105 Pack;
Rooivalk Pack.

• Khalid — The AA machine gun elevation angle has been increased from 50deg to 90deg. Source: (Khalid 4030/2 MBT User Handbook December 1980) (rеport).
  
• Khalid — missing ammo depletion indicator on the AA machine gun has been restored.
  
• Somua SM — track width has been increased from 20mm to 30mm.
  
• Strela-10M2 — radar range has been increased from 5km to 10km (report).

• AH-1 (all versions) — camera zoom position has been adjusted to make firing more convenient.
  
• F-8E — missing AN/APR-27 radar warning system has been added. Source: “NAVAIIR 01-45HHD-1 NATOPS Flight Manual - F-8D&E”.
  
• MiG-21 F-13 — ballistic calculator has been added for rockets. Source: “Самолёт МиГ-21Ф-13. Техническое описание, Книга II - Вооружение. 1963”.

• A bug has been fixed where a fire was extinguished instantly without the “FFE” modification installed.
  
• Fairmile H LVS(L)(2) — ammo capacity of the 57mm gun has been increased from 170 rounds to 512 rounds, mortar ammo capacity increased from 50 to 110. Source:”C.B.04304: Details of Combined Operations Landing Craft and Barges” (report, report).

• A bug has been fixed that caused graphical artefacts on the MacOS version (report).

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.

A new British top-tier main battle tank comes equipped with a new power plant and improved mobility.

Features:

• Improved dynamics and top speed
  
• Thermal vision for the commander, gunner and driver views
  
• Good protection at the turret front

The Challenger 2E is a new member of Britain's top tier tank family that will become available for research with the release of the next War Thunder update. The tank solves the main problem of its series - unsatisfactory mobility. The new power pack not only increases the maximum speed to 72 km/h, but also significantly increases the tank's throttle response, improving the turn dynamics and making it much easier to climb hills. That’s the way!



The pros of the series fit the new dynamics perfectly: a good stabilised gun with punchy L27A1 armour-piercing fin-stabilised rounds and a comfortable fire control system with a laser rangefinder and thermal imagers for the commander, gunner and driver. Composite armour allows survival from multiple hits and is especially good at the turret’s front.



The new British top rank tank, new locations, vehicles, new game features and improvements are waiting for you in the first major update of 2023 in War Thunder. Coming soon!

We hope all of you had a very wonderful Valentine's Day with your dearest beloved! Your screenshots of French, Italian and Japanese vehicles were excellent. Hopefully everyone enjoyed spending some time with these nations' vehicles! 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 #WTscreen55. You have time until 24.02.2023 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 - Clear Skies!

• This week, we are looking for clear skies! The rest is up to your artistic creativity!
  
• At least one player vehicle must be included in the screenshot.
  
• You must add the #WTscreen55 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).

[/b]

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 14 working days.

[/list]




https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2932130544
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2931970713
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2933208124

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2932044114
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2932774778
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2932079222

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

The premium version of the menacing Japanese tank destroyer comes with a brutal outfit and unique pre-order bonuses!

• Type 16 (FPS) (Rank VI, Japan)
  
• 2,000 Golden Eagles
  
• 15 days Premium
  
• Pre-order bonus: Demon Camber title
  
• Pre-order bonus: Wanyūdō decal

The modern Japanese Type 16 (FPS) wheeled tank destroyer was developed in the early 2000s to increase the operational mobility of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Since 2016, the Type 16 (FPS) has been put into service. Type 16 (FPS) is capable of reaching a maximum speed of up to 100 km/h. It is armed with a 105 mm gun with a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun, and it is also equipped with a 12.7 mm AA machine gun. The ammunition is represented by the HEATFS, HESH, smoke shells and APFSDS with an up to 350 mm armor penetration. Additionally, the Type 16 (FPS) is equipped with smoke grenade launchers, a night vision device for the driver and a thermal imager for the gunner and the commander.

The premium Type 16 (FPS) with a camo net over the hull and brutal wheel chains will be added to the game in the upcoming War Thunder update. Buy now, and get special pre-order bonuses: the “Wanyūdō” decal, an evil spirit described as a fierce man’s head inside a burning wheel; and “Demon Camber” title, named after an extreme Japanese car tuning culture ‘oni-kyan’ (鬼キャン).


"Wanyūdō" decal

The Type 16 (FPS) can be pre-ordered from the Gaijin Store.

Heat seekers on missiles are now able to react to the heat signatures of jet aircraft engines in various run modes.

Hey guys! We’d like to unveil details of the recent improvement in the mechanics of acquiring the thermal signatures of jet engines by missile seekers. The fact is that the picture of the intensity and distribution of heat from an aircraft jet engine directly depends on its operational mode. So, in non-afterburning modes, the intensity of the plumes of hot gasses in the forward hemisphere of an aircraft is low and comparable to the intensity of the glow of a heated fuselage skin. At the same time, the expanding flame of burning fuel in afterburner modes has a significant luminosity not only in the rear, but also in the front hemispheres of the aircraft.

The lock-on range of infrared homing heads in the forward hemisphere for non-afterburning targets is determined mostly by the heating of the fuselage. The presence of such an intense source of infrared radiation as an afterburner plume significantly increases the possibility of target detection at long distances.


Target acquisition limits of the AIM-9L missile for max and afterburner operational modes



Target acquisition limits for the R-24T missile for targets at various engine modes

We have discriminated the afterburner plume into a separate thermal signature for a more correct calculation for target detection range in afterburner mode. In addition to the increasing of the lock-on range in the forward hemisphere of all-aspect missiles, like AIM-9L and R-24T, with a cooled sensor made of indium antimonide, this allowed us to recreate the limited front aspect capability of the AIM-9D type missiles with a cooled sensor made of lead sulfide, which at short distances allows the detection and killing of afterburning targets on a head-on directions.

Thus, missile IR seekers now more correctly process thermal signatures of different engine modes at different distances and at different angles. In addition, it has become possible to significantly expand the tactics of missiles already familiar to you. Happy air hunting, pilots!