We’re excited to be showing you one of the first brand-new Rank VIII ground vehicles coming to the game in the next major update. Say hello to the utmost modern representative of the T-90 family of MBTs created under the “Breakthrough” modernization program!


Features:

• New turret design.
  
• Frontal Relict ERA protection.
  
• Barrel-launched ATGMs.
  
• Laser Warning System (LWS).
  
• Reduced number of weakspots.
  
• Very slow reverse speed.

A fantastic all-new T-90 variant, the T-90M will be added to War Thunder in the next major update at Rank VIII of the USSR’s ground forces tree. The T-90M is at the forefront of the T-90 family of tanks, featuring a new welded turret with built-in modular ERA and a new fire control system. Let’s take a look at what this formidable beast has to offer!

One of the first things you’ll have noticed with the T-90M is that its turret looks slightly different to its predecessors, and that’s correct! This tank features a new welded turret with an extended bustle at the back that holds a selection of the ammunition. Thanks to this addition, some shells that were previously located in the main fighting compartment have been moved into this new isolated area, helping to improve the T-90M’s survivability when penetrated from the front.



A new welded turret also needs some sort of reactive protection and this is exactly what has been added to the T-90M. This tank features Relict ERA scattered across the turret’s side and front as well as the upper front plate, which in turn will help you survive extra hits from ATGMs fired from tanks and helicopters.

Moving onto guns and ammo, which the T-90M inherits from the T-90A: a 125 mm smoothbore cannon that can fire tandem-charge 9M119M1 ATGMs, HEAT-FS, HE and two APFSDS rounds. However, what’s changed the most is the fire control system. This addition means the commander now has a new panoramic sight, the gunner and commander have fantastic thermal sights, plus a very handy laser rangefinder. You may have also noticed that the Shtora-1 active protection system (the red-looking eyes) is absent on the T-90M, however this tank still has a laser warning system, allowing you to react to missile threats in advance.




As for mobility, the T-90M has a new engine with enough additional power to compensate for its increased mass. Despite this increased weight, this tank is as fast and vigorous as you’d come to expect with Russian MBTs, however the burning question you may have is if its reverse speed is any better, and the answer is no. Tragically, it still inherits a measly 4 km/h reverse speed from its predecessors, so be sure to keep this in mind when in battle!

In your matches by Nikolay, Ground Forces Game Designer:
“My advice here is similar to how I play the T-72 and T-90, which is at medium ranges, use its mobility to your advantage if you’re under fire, while making it difficult to aim at vulnerable weak points. As for short ranges, keep close to your allies because the slow reverse speed and not the best reload speed leave you with no chance if your shot doesn’t penetrate in a 1v1 scenario, or you suddenly run into several opponents.”

The intimidating T-90M will be added to the USSR’s ground forces research tree at the all-new Rank VIII in the next major update. Until then, continue to keep an eye out for dev blogs on our website and see you soon!

We’re going to be showing you one of the first Rank VIII MBTs coming to the game, which will be the Challenger 3 (P)! Capable, lethal and up to the challenge, today we’ll be talking about exactly how this new addition will be when it arrives in War Thunder.


Features:

• Deadly L/55 A1 smoothbore cannon!
  
• Improved engine pack.
  
• GEN 3 thermals.
  
• Laser Warning Receiver.

The Challenger 3 is coming to War Thunder in its prototype form that was presented to the British MoD in 2019, and will be arriving to the British ground tree with the release of the next major update! Coming in at the all-new Rank VIII for ground vehicles, this tank is the ultimate Challenger, as it’s armed with an L/55 A1 smoothbore cannon, has better engine horsepower, excellent thermal sights, plus a great selection of ammo. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what this tank has to offer.




There’s one stand-out addition to the Challenger 3 (P) that significantly enhances its capability in battle compared to the Challenger 2, and that’s the L/55 A1 smoothbore cannon! This fantastic gun is mounted into a modified Challenger 2 turret, meaning you’ll have access to the lethal DM53 APFSDS round, HEAT-FS and even a HE-TF round. Although this gun is a welcomed addition, it does mean access to the traditional HESH and smoke shell is completely lost. Furthermore, the modified turret features excellent electronics, including a brand-new commander optic, GEN 3 thermals for the gunner/commander and LWS/LR, although a machine gun is absent from the turret roof.





Moving to the hull and armor, which remains virtually identical to the Challenger 2. Particularly in the form of composite armor around the front, a large lower front plate and the weakness of the driver’s vision port. It’s also worth noting that additional armor packages that are quite familiar to previous Challenger 2s cannot be equipped on the Challenger 3 (P) in-game. Despite having a modified turret to house the larger L/55 A1 cannon, the turret cheeks of this tank still remain the same as the armor of its predecessor, which is decent in general.

One burning question that you may be asking is if mobility has improved, and… it has! Slightly. The Challenger 3 (P) has a 1500 HP engine instead of the standard 1200 HP engine, however the top speed remains at 59 km/h, which is still on the low side compared to other MBTs. Thanks to this extra horsepower, this tank will generally be able to get around better and reach its top speed quicker. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this tank weighs 66 tons, which is in between the weight of the regular Challenger 2 (62.5 tons) and TES (74.8 tons).

In your matches by Tom, Community Management Team Leader:
“The CR3 offers something quite important. With better mobility, advanced thermals and a very powerful round you can effectively aim and fire on enemies faster due to the more forgiving firepower. This is the advantage you should aim to utilize as much as possible while you play. As top tier tanks are very universal there’s no strict playstyle to employ, but just keep in mind that you don’t absolutely need to fight up-close for your advantages to work.”

Overall, the combination of excellent electronic systems, better horsepower, good armor and a smoothbore gun will make the Challenger 3 (P) a breath of fresh air when playing the British top tier lineup. Don’t forget that the recently announced Rank VII Challenger 2 (OES) premium — coming soon too — will help you research the Challenger 3 (P) faster. That’s it for today’s blog, until next time, see you soon!

The next major update for War Thunder — “Air Superiority”!

In the next major update, we’ll be bringing you a cool new aircraft location inspired by the nature in Kamchatka, which is a peninsula located at the very edge of Russia. Today we’ll be taking a look at this new location with some words from one of its designers, Pavel.

Volcano Valley is going to be a new aircraft location that will be added to the map rotation when the next major update is released. This brand-new location has a nice mix of beautiful areas, as it features several erupting volcanoes that are spewing hot lava and smoke, beautiful lakes and rocks, plus small islands and majestic hills.



One of the coolest areas of this location is the volcanic massif, consisting of a group of volcanoes that contrast with a picturesque valley where endless birch forest groves stretch. Passing through the center is the beautiful meandering, fast-moving Kamchatka River that also has nearby crystal clear lakes, as well as swampy pools.



Near the volcanoes is a dead forest, which is a rather atmospheric place. This is due to the result of an eruption that turned part of the area with trees into a scorched forest. A layer of ash covers the soil here, and it’s mixed with burnt out lifeless tree trunks that have remained for several decades.



This corner of pristine nature and volcanic eruptions has now become a battlefield of opposing forces for air superiority. You’ll be able to fly out your aircraft on this new location when the new major update releases!

In this blog, we’re going to be showing you a unique light cruiser from the Worcester-class. This ship is equipped with rapid-firing 152 mm guns that are equally effective at hitting enemy surface targets as well as aircraft that are at considerable distances and altitudes!


Features:

• Dual-purpose 152 mm guns.
  
• Strong armored deck.
  
• Good mobility.
  
• Excellent air defense capabilities.

In the next major update, you’ll be greeted with a fantastic US Bluewater ship that features 152 mm main caliber guns that are fully capable of hitting ships AND aircraft effectively. In addition to this, this ship is armored excellently for its class and is also equipped with smaller automatic fed anti-aircraft guns. Let’s take a further look at the details!

There’s six turrets and twelve main caliber guns on the USS Roanoke, with each turret housing 2 x 152 mm 6”/47 caliber Mark 16 Dual Purpose guns. These guns are distinguishable from the familiar conventional Mark 16 guns by a greater elevation angle, a higher rate of fire and horizontal guidance, as well as the ability to fire at air targets. The selection of ammunition has remained the same — very good armor-piercing shells, plus three different types of high-explosive: regular, base fuze and remote fuze.




Access to several shells means the ability to pick and choose the right shell for different engagements depending on the opponent, with each shell having their own pros and cons in battle. It’s also worth noting that in addition to the main guns, extra air and boat defense capability in the form of 76 mm guns are mounted in twin and single installations, with a total of 24 guns being present.


When taking a quick glance at the USS Roanoke’s profile, there really isn’t much of a difference in comparison to other light cruisers. The main 127 mm armored belt is located at the waterline, the hull has anti-fragmentation protection, and the front of the turrets are decently armored (up to 165 mm) and the control tower (up to 114 mm). These protection numbers are already quite good by the standards of light cruisers in-game.



At closer inspection however, the USS Roanoke has a unique and interesting variation in her armor layout that offers important protection from above — a heavily armored deck. Worcester-class ships had to withstand a direct hit from a 1000 lb bomb dropped from altitude, so in addition to the upper 25 mm of armor on the deck, the Roanoke has an internal armored deck of 88 mm thick. Thanks to this, the Roanoke can be considered one of the most durable light cruisers in the game!

If you’re playing and are in a face-off with the USS Roanoke, you’ll have to move in and engage it at closer ranges, this however will expose you to the fast-firing 152 mm cannons, so perhaps engaging at distances using armor-piercing shells would be better. Despite the weight of the Roanoke’s armor alone exceeding 2,100 tons, this ship is not inferior in terms of mobility and getting around to other light cruisers. The Roanoke is capable of reaching incredible speeds of up to 33 knots — that’s more than 60 km/h.

In your matches by Igor, Naval Game Designer:
“I’d use the USS Roanoke primarily against aircraft and cruisers, thanks to this ship’s rate of fire and weapon systems. Keep in mind the armor on this ship is great for light cruisers, its armor belt is enough to stop light and some heavy cruiser shells, but won’t help against larger shells. Avoid shooting at Battleships from longer ranges as they’ll eventually zone in on you and take you out, unless you’re really close to them.”

Coming to War Thunder in the next major update, the USS Roanoke will arrive at Rank V of the US’s Bluewater fleet tree as one of the most advanced light cruisers for this nation. That about wraps up today’s blog — continue to follow the news as more interesting blogs are coming soon!

In this blog, we’re announcing a fantastic pack that you’ll be able to pre-order starting from today: a German strike jet that features excellent speed characteristics plus a great payload!

This pack can be pre-ordered from the Gaijin Store from the hangar. Shop > Online Store.

• Tornado IDS WTD 61 (Rank 7, Germany)
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique “Ferocious” title
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique “Nachtkrapp” decal
  
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique prototype camouflage

Features:

• Great bomb load!
  
• AIM-9L air-to-air missiles.
  
• High speed.
  
• Thrust Reverse.

The Tornado IDS WTD 61 is another representative from the Tornado family that is in service with the Luftwaffe. A spectacular aircraft capable of shining in different roles, the Tornado IDS WTD 61 is coming to War Thunder as an attack variant, and for pre-ordering, you’ll receive an awesome looking red and white camouflage (visible in the video below)! This aircraft will be a handy addition to your ground lineups thanks to its payload options, as well as being a great option in air modes thanks to its impressive high speed and useful air-to-air capability.




Let’s take a look at the specifics. The Tornado IDS WTD 61 is capable of carrying a good payload of 12 x 1000 lb Mk 83 bombs as well as free-fall parachute bombs, which can all be conveniently dropped with the help of a ballistic computer (CCIP). In terms of flight performance, as with all Tornado variants, this Tornado features variable-sweep wings, an air brake and engine thrust reverser that are perfect for maneuvering and aid in precisely dropping bombs in ground battles. That’s not all though, as it can also carry two fantastic AIM-9L air-to-air missiles, which are great for taking out enemy aircraft. To round it all off are the addition of flares and chaff to help provide defense against in-coming missiles.





Coming to War Thunder with the release of the upcoming major update, the Tornado IDS WTD 61 is available for pre-order right now in the Gaijin.Net store. For pre-ordering this pack, you’ll receive a special red and white camouflage and the “Ferocious” title!

Those were some excellent screenshots from last week! Although the weather is mostly sunny in War Thunder, we do occasionally have stormy weather, too! 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 #WTscreen96. You have time until the 8th of December 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.

• Your screenshot must include a vehicle in the air (to include hovering, falling, or flying).
  
• You must add the #WTscreen96 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=3097660318
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3095450165
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3099324873

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3094973790
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3097414674
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3096042490

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

We’ve got exciting news to share with you — in the next major update, Rank VIII ground vehicles are coming to the game! First up, we’re going to be talking about two upcoming Rank VII premium vehicles: the Challenger 2 (OES) for Golden Eagles and the M1A1 HC as a pre-order pack!

Brand-new ground vehicles of Rank VIII will now be coming to War Thunder, which will be added in the upcoming major update. This now means that you’ll be able to play with the most modern tanks that are currently in service with different armies around the world! The addition of this rank is just the start, as with future major updates, additional modern vehicles will be added over time. We’ll soon be unveiling exciting news about the first tanks of Rank VIII in a series of dev blogs, so be sure to keep an eye out for that!

For now though, let’s take a look at these two brilliant Rank VII premium vehicles. You’re able to pre-order the M1A1 HC pack right now in the Gaijin Store, and get the Challenger 2 (OES) with the release of the next major update for Golden Eagles. These vehicles will allow you to become more familiar with top tier tanks, and of course will allow you to research vehicles in their respective research trees faster. Meet two magnificent MBTs — the British Challenger 2 (OES) and the American M1A1 HC!


This pack can be pre-ordered from the Gaijin Store from the hangar. Shop > Online Store.

• M1A1 HC “Click-Bait” (Rank 7, USA)
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  
• Pre-order bonus: “Devil Dog” title
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique “Teufel Hunden” decal
  
  

An option for upgrading regular M1A1 Abrams tanks was the Heavy Common (HC) variant, equipped with armor inserts made of depleted uranium. In addition to this, an electro-optical active protection system to act against anti-tank guided missiles with a semi-active guidance head is also present. This Abrams displays the text “CLICK-BAIT”, plus victory ring markings on the barrel, which have the names of tanks that this Abrams can face in-game. In addition to this, other equipment is placed on this tank, including a chair on top of the turret.



Without exaggeration, this is one of the best high tier tanks in the game — great mobility, excellent turret protection and very effective ammunition. This tank’s soft-kill APS will be very useful against certain ATGMs too, including some fired from helicopters. A fantastic tank that sets the rules in battles!





The Challenger 2 Operational Entry Standard (OES) has recently been showcasing the latest British tank technology. Just like its predecessor, the Challenger 2 TES, this tank is kitted out for urban combat environments, and is equipped with 3 types of protection: composite armor, slat armor and ERA. Slat armor is added particularly at the back of the Challenger 2 (OES) which helps to protect against shaped-charge ammo, however this does increase the tank’s overall weight. Armed with a 120 mm rifled cannon that is able to fire a good selection of ammo, the Challenger 2 (OES) is a fantastic premium tank capable of striking a deadly blow to any top tier opponent.

On November 30th Scotland celebrates St. Andrew’s Day, and for this occasion we’re temporarily bringing back the Scottish Saltire decal for Golden Eagles. Grab yourself this awesome flag and proudly display it on your vehicles and learn about the history of this day below.




History and Legend
Feasts honoring St. Andrew dates back to the year 1000 AD, and the holiday has been observed throughout Scotland for more than a millennium. But he didn’t formally become Scotland's patron saint until 1320, when the Declaration of Arbroath was signed, legally declaring Scotland’s independence. Ever since, St. Andrew has grown to be a vital component of Scottish culture. The ancient town of St. Andrews was given its name because it is purported to be the ultimate resting place of St. Andrew.

Today, we’ll be going over some of the core fixes and quality of life improvements that we’ve worked on during the past 2 weeks, including from the update released today. Thank you for all of the reports you’ve created and the feedback that you’ve left!

If you’ve found a bug that you’d like to report, you can do so on our community bug reporting platform.




We’ve fixed a number of issues relating to the reloading process of tank autoloaders. For example, autoloader reloading took longer than normal, as well as the autoloader reloading even though the first-stage ammo stowage was empty.

One of the main problems that we’ve fixed with autoloaders involved the inability to fire even though a shell was loaded into the gun.




Earlier this month, we added the option to enable night battles for Ground Realistic Battles, where participating in them allows you to earn sweet night-themed rewards for mission score. As mentioned previously, enabling night battles and queueing for them would put you into two queues, for night and day.

We’ve realized that the chance of getting a night battle was a bit too low, so last week we tweaked the matchmaking algorithm slightly, meaning you’ll now have more of a chance to get into a night battle!




For years, there’s been an option for automatic camouflage selection for camouflages that you own, this automatic selection depends on the map type. This option is useful so you don’t end up using a snow camo on a non-snow map for example. However, this option didn’t take into account camouflages that had been purchased from the Gaijin Market.

Thanks to some feedback, we’ve adjusted the algorithm to take this into account. Now, when using the automatic camouflage option in battle, the priority is given to Market camouflages that are suitable for a given map.


The Service Record on your profile is a handy place to see important statistics of vehicles that you’ve used in battles. Over the years, hundreds of vehicles have been added and the Service Record hasn’t quite caught up.

We’ve now added a search bar to this area as well as an additional option to filter by vehicle rank. Amongst the hundreds or even thousands of vehicles that you’ve played with, you’ll finally be able to find the exact one you want with a quick search in seconds!

The full list of bug fixes and improvements are in each Update note below. Here’s a couple of other changes and fixes: when using the air alert radio command in ground battles, allies will have an aircraft icon displayed on their compass. And, switching to ACM and HMD modes for radars on the F-16C Block 50, F-16D Block 40 Barak II, Mirage 2000-5F and J-8F now works in the same way as the radars on all MiG-29s and on the Yak-141.

Updates in the past 2 weeks:

• Update 2.31.1.45 Update 2.31.1.49

• Switching to ACM and HMD modes for radars on the F-16C Block 50, F-16D Block 40 Barak II, Mirage 2000-5F and J-8F now works in the same way it worked for radars on all MiG-29s and on the Yak-141. From standby mode, radars are switched by “Lock Radar/IRST on target” command into “HMD” mode and by “Radar/IRST beyond/within visual range combat” command into “ACM” mode.
  
• APP-73 RWR used on the JA37 will detect radar illumination for SARH missiles.
  
• Saab A32A, Saab A32A Röd Adam — a bug that caused the area where chaff is released from to be covered has been fixed. (Report)
  
• Bf 109 F-4 (Hungary) — a bug that caused cannons on the wings to be displayed in X-Ray mode when bombs were equipped has been fixed. (Report)
  
• Mirage 2000D-R1 — the sequence of firing the countermeasures has been corrected. (Report)
  
• A-4H Skyhawk — a bug that caused RWR indication to not be displayed in the cockpit has been fixed. (Report)

• HMS Renown, USS Des Moines, USS Newport News, USS Texas — information about armor and maximum speed in the stat card has been corrected.
  
• A bug where after hitting an enemy ship, smoke from its funnels were displayed as clouds rather than a continuous smoke stream has been fixed.
  
• Opytny, La Combattante, SMS Sachsen, IJN Yamashiro — the camera position and its distance to the ship has been changed in accordance with ships of this class. The roll force (heel) during a circle turn has been adjusted.

• Priority has been added to Market camouflages when using the Auto camouflage option in battle, which depends on the type of map.
  
• A search bar and the possibility of filtering by vehicle rank has been added to the Service Record.
  
• A bug that made it impossible to report repairs from the radio command menu while repairing an aircraft has been fixed.
  
• While in replays, a bug that caused tooltips to blink when hovering over the action panel has been fixed.
  
• The text that displays the number of online players and battles in the hangar has been given a slight shadow so that it’s easier to read whilst against the backdrop of clouds/sky.
  
• An aircraft icon has been added to the compass when a player uses the air alert radio command.

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.