The long awaited Franco-German strike aircraft will soon be available for you to hone your skills on in War Thunder when it arrives in the Alpha Strike major update. Today we’ll be introducing you to this famous European workhorse that has trained generations of pilots!


Features:

• Maneuverable!
  
• Good low speed handling.
  
• Small silhouette.
  
• No guided munitions.

Vehicle History
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By 1969, both Germany and France had a need for a new generation of jet trainer aircraft to replace their existing inventory of T-33 and Fouga Magister aircraft. It was decided that a collaboration between Dornier and Dassault-Breguet, with the latter first being two separate companies who later merged, had the best potential for a joint TA (Trainer Attack) aircraft over other competing manufacturers and won out the contest with the TA501. 

This aircraft was to satisfy the Luftwaffe’s need to also replace their G.91 aircraft in the attack role, while the Armée de l'Air’s needs were mostly on the training gap that the Anglo-French Jaguar was initially intended to cover, but ended up being a more advanced supersonic conversion / strike aircraft. As such, two distinct versions of what would be the Alpha Jet were formed. The A - Appui / Attack and the E - Ecole / Trainer versions. These would be produced in sub assemblies in Germany, France and also Belgium. 

The first prototype would take to the skies in October 1973 and after many more years of testing and trials, the Alpha Jet would enter French and German service in 1979, going on to be a success story of collaboration between nations. While it still serves to this day with France, the aircraft has also been a huge export success, with multiple nations from Belgium, Portugal and Thailand operating the type, as well as it also being popular with private company operators who use them as aggressor training aircraft in the UK, America and Canada.
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Coming in two distinct versions, the Alpha jet will introduce new strike capabilities to the French (E variant) and German (A variant) air trees in the next major update. A versatile platform with reliable flight characteristics and a dual pilot arrangement, this small sized attack aircraft will be a valuable addition to your ground forces lineups. Let’s take a closer look!

The Alpha Jet is a twin engine aircraft arrangement, powered by two SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac engines, enabling this jet to reach speeds of about 1,000 km/h. Swept back wings incorporate a design that allows for excellent low and high speed handling, being a forgiving trainer aircraft, but also a deadly precise subsonic attack aircraft. 



Interesting: Alpha jets are not just used for military purposes. They are also utilized as a popular display act by the distinctive French Air Force display team, the Patrouille de France as well as other display teams like the Flying Bulls display team. The gun pods are often converted to smoke generators and colored dye added to get that distinctive display smoke, just like you can use in War Thunder too!

Those of you who are already familiar with the SK60 and SAAB 105 family of aircraft will already feel at home with this aircraft. The high wing of the Alpha jet means that, despite its small size, it can still carry an array of weaponry choices with some district specifics between each variant. Both offer a range of regular bombs, including 250 kg and 500 kg, as well as rockets with the help of CCIP and CCRP, aiding in the delivery of payloads to ensure they find their mark.





What are some of the core differences? Firstly, the offensive armament is the first major difference, with the German A model sporting a 150 round 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon that can be found on the Tornado, and the French E model mounting a 30 mm DEFA 553 cannon with 150 rounds of ammunition. To make it easier to line up your shots, both guns are mounted on the center line of the aircraft! Secondly, the E model can also mount two additional 30 mm DEFA 553 cannon pods on the wings, something the A model can’t do. And lastly, the A model can carry 60 countermeasures as well as more rocket pods, both of which the E model lacks.

In your matches by Alex, Aircraft Game Designer: “The Alpha jet is one of the main vehicles in this update, hence the name. I would primarily use this aircraft in ground forces lineups, but you can also use it in air battles thanks to its small size, nimble maneuverability and good cannon. You don’t have any guided bombs, but regular bombs and a CCIP are the perfect combination for flying in low and dropping them onto enemy tanks. Use the 27 mm / 30 mm cannon, to fend off aircraft or shoot at lightly armored vehicles as well.”

Two variants of the Alpha Jet strike aircraft will soon be entering the game in the next War Thunder major update. Take your opponents back to school and boost your ground forces lineups with some CAS support from this small but deadly aircraft! Until the next one, stay tuned to the news for more of what’s to come!

Welcome to the first naval event in War Thunder’s new event cycle. Take part in the Imperial Flagship event by playing in naval battles to get valuable rewards including SMS Baden, themed decals and a ship flag!

From March 14th (11:00 GMT) until April 1st (11:00 GMT), earn mission points in Naval Battles, unlock stages and receive rewards!

SMS Baden was a Bayern-class battleship that became one of the most powerful ships in the history of the Imperial German Navy. Kaiser Wilhelm II himself personally made trips on this beast of a battleship! It features 380 mm guns, excellent armor protection and great survivability: the slow but formidable Baden combines all of the best qualities of the dreadnoughts of the early 20th century.





SMS Baden tricolor camouflage

Among the rewards of the event is also this chest that you can open and get the chance of one of the following items:

• 50,000 - 100,000 Silver Lions
  
• Silver Lion and Research Point boosters
  
• Random Wagers and Orders
  
• Universal Backups (1 - 3)
  
• A random camouflage for a vehicle you own
  
• 1 day of Premium Account

Each stage can be obtained for 45,000 mission points, where every new stage obtained will give you a new reward.

Please note: After finishing a stage, you need to collect the reward manually (except the random trophy reward). To do this, click on your name in-game, go to “Imperial Flagship” and click the “Get Reward” button.

You’re able to earn mission points in Naval Battles at Rank III or above in Arcade and Realistic Battles. The number of mission points to complete a stage depends on the game mode and the maximum Rank of the vehicle that you use in battle. There’s a multiplier for earning mission points, which is shown in the task description in-game.  

You can also earn mission points by using event vehicles that are Rank I and II. Event vehicles that can be used have the name of the event that they were obtainable in on their stat card.

Stages change every two days at 11:00 GMT on March 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 28th and 30th.

• For 1 Stage: trophy with a random reward
  
• For 2 Stages: one of the decal rewards
  
• For 3 Stages: trophy with a random reward
  
• For 4 Stages: one of the decal rewards
  
• For 5 Stages: trophy with a random reward
  
• For 6 Stages: “Kaiserliche Marine (1871 — 1918)” ship flag
  
• For 7 Stages: trophy with a random reward
  
• For 8 Stages: non-tradable coupon for SMS Baden
  
• For 9 Stages: SMS Baden tricolor camouflage and 4 random modifications for SMS Baden

Unfinished stages can be purchased for Golden Eagles, but if you’re significantly close to completing a stage, its price will now be significantly reduced.

Let’s say you have earned 85% of the required mission points to complete a stage, then the price of purchasing this stage will be halved. If you’re near the finish line for a stage and are at 95% progress, then the price will be reduced by five times. For example, if you’ve scored 39,000 mission points, then the price for unlocking this stage will be 499 Golden Eagles. If you’ve scored 43,000 mission points, then you’ll only need to pay 199 Golden Eagles. Remember to keep this in mind if you cannot complete a stage on time!

When you complete 8 stages, you’ll receive a non-tradable coupon for SMS Baden, where using it will immediately activate the vehicle onto your account. If you don’t want the vehicle and would like to sell the coupon on the Market, you’ll need the “Upgrade for coupon” item.

The “Upgrade for coupon” item can be earned in parallel with the stages throughout the event from March 14th (11:00 GMT) until April 1st (11:00 GMT) for 750,000 mission points.

After receiving the “Upgrade for coupon” item, you can convert a non-tradable coupon for the vehicle into a tradable one and sell it on the Market. The tradable coupon can be sold after 6 days from the moment it’s created.

To make a tradable coupon, select the “Coupon SMS Baden (Germany)” in your inventory and click the “Modify” button.

The “Upgrade for coupon” item is valid until 11:00 GMT on April 4th. Until this time, you can use it or exchange it for War Bonds. Afterwards, it’ll disappear from your inventory.

You can track the progress of completing stages and receiving the “Upgrade for coupon” by clicking on your Nickname > Achievements > Imperial Flagship. If you don’t manage to complete a stage on time or would like to purchase a stage, until April 4th from the Achievements window, you can purchase each stage with Golden Eagles which will give you the corresponding rewards.

Let’s have a look at an interesting addition to Britain’s ground forces tree, which is fully capable of speeding around the battlefield and being a nuisance for the enemy team when it arrives in the next major update: say hello to the FV721 Fox!


Features:

• 30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon.
  
• Separate stock SAP and HEI belt; APDS belt as unlock.
  
• Great top speed!
  
• Light armor.
  
• No thermals.

Vehicle History
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In the 1960s, the British Army was looking to replace their outdated Ferret and Saladin armored cars with a more capable vehicle that featured the 30 mm L21A1 RARDEN cannon. Development of the FV721 Fox started in 1965 by Daimler with the first prototype ready and shown to the British Army in 1967. After successful trials, full-scale production of the Fox was given the go ahead and was completed by 1973. Over 300 were built, where most were operated by Britain which are now out of service, and some by Malawi and Nigeria that are still in service today in very limited numbers.
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The Fox is a 4 x 4 wheeled light tank that features the 30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon and a fantastic top speed, overall helping bolster some of Britain’s mid-rank tank lineups. Arriving to the game in the Alpha Strike major update, the Fox is an opportunistic predator that’s fast, nimble and up to the task, so let’s take a look at its lethality!

Perhaps the most notable feature of the Fox is its 30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon that can also be found on the Warrior. This gun is capable of firing APDS shells, significantly improving armor penetration compared to the default SAP only belt, and are best fired at the sides and rear of enemy tanks. This, coupled with an excellent turret rotation speed means you’re going to be able to pick and prioritize the right targets as you please. However, it’s good to keep in mind that the fire rate is still slower compared to other automatic cannons found on other light tanks in-game, which is one of the biggest drawbacks to the L21A1. Be sure to aim and pick your shots wisely!




Interesting: “FV” in FV721 stands for “Fighting Vehicle”. The number 721 can be broken down into two parts: the 700 series of vehicles based on the Ferret armored car, and the 20 series based on Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (Wheeled) of the British Army. 

Such a small and light vehicle typically means great mobility, and this is exactly what the Fox is going to offer! Its engine, capable of outputting up to 190 hp, coupled with its mass of about 6 tons is going to provide a power-to-weight ratio of about 31 and speeds of up to 99 km/h. Thanks to this, the Fox is going to have a good time on road and even off-road where it will be able to provide supporting fire through flanking and pouncing on unsuspecting enemy vehicles, plus of course scouting for allies.



Coming in with a very low weight and having an excellent top speed can only mean one thing though, and that’s poor protection. The Fox has light aluminum alloy armor which is enough in most areas to protect against small machine guns and even .50 cals, but does mean it’s going to become perfect prey for any larger caliber weapon, aircraft and artillery strikes. On the flip side, the Fox has one particular advantage, and that’s the fact that it’s a very small vehicle, perfect for sneaking around and changing positions on the battlefield.

In your matches by Chris, Community Manager: “Overall use the speed to your advantage! I would recommend flanking and only shooting frontally to take out an enemy’s gun barrel or tracks, and shoot to the side for the crew or ammo for the kill shot. Prioritize taking out your targets wisely due to the gun’s slower rate of fire. Spot for your teammates to rack up points and have some fun (if it’s safe) by speeding to capture points to help your team win the battle (but wait for your teammates to capture too if they’re nearby)!”

With that, we’ve reached the end of this dev blog! The FV721 Fox is going to be a handy addition to Britain, providing it with some great mobility and firepower in battle. Be sure to keep an eye out on our website for more dev blogs that we’ll be releasing, but until then, happy battles ahead!

Let’s take a look at one of the lesser known types of Bf 109, the model C! This variant saw one of the lowest production runs of any Bf 109 model, with only around 50 examples of the C variant being produced.


Features:

• Four 7.92 mm machine guns.
  
• Fuel injection Jumo 210G engine.
  
• Decent agility.
  
• No suspended weaponry.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
While taking on experience from combat in the Spanish Civil War, one evident drawback of the Bf 109B was its armament. With a pair of twin 7.92 machine guns being its only offensive weaponry, this was quickly deemed outdated, and efforts to improve its weaponry began.

Designers quickly came across several hurdles in this process, experiments were trialled equipping these early 109s with a nose mounted cannon or machine gun to no success, with the only remaining space being the wings. Though even equipping the wings with additional weaponry proved difficult. Accommodating for the comparatively low wing area in addition to the spars and wheel wells, only space for one gun in either wing was possible. But with some adjustments and ingenuity, the designers managed to cram in two machine guns into each wing, effectively doubling the firepower of the Bf 109 at the time.
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This new C model of the 109 most closely resembles the current B model we have in game with some notable improvements. The C features a new engine, the Jumo 210G, which offers a fuel injection system, plus two more machine guns. It’s coming in the Alpha Strike major update — let’s take a further look!

The most apparent change though will be the two extra guns in the wings which add a much greater spread of fire, allowing your bursts to do much more damage. The two wing machine guns have slightly less ammo than the nose mounted guns at 420 RPG instead of 500 RPG. If you see the wing guns start to run dry, it’s time to head back and rearm!




Interesting: While specific 109 variants lacked official names, they were sometimes referred to by their model letter in relation with the German phonetic alphabet, C for Cäsar (Caesar), D for Dora and E for Emil.

While it does lack wing cannons found on the later E models, these machine guns are no slouch, featuring a high rate of fire and a good mix of armor piercing and incendiary ammo. As aircraft around this era are comparatively much more fragile, they’re much easier to dispatch with just machine guns alone, and generally hold a much longer firing time than contemporary cannons, which often only have a small amount of ammo.

The C model is an all around improvement on the previous 109B, adding greater combat reliability across the board. It’s a powerful and fast fighter, allowing you to comfortably maintain a great amount of speed against your somewhat slower opposition. This speed is very important however — you may be very fast, but your opponents are often very agile, and can easily chew you up if you’re caught out on low speed. If you feel your energy start to waver, it may be time to disengage from the fight to build up more speed before heading back into the fray.

In your matches by Tom, Lead Community Manager: “The Bf 109C is a strong fighter for its rank, but as aircraft around this era are often very agile it’s even more important to maintain a good amount of speed and altitude. If you get too close to one of these enemies while at low speed you’ll struggle to shake them off. Focus on climbing well and maintaining your speed and altitude — don’t engage too early, it can be tempting to dive on the first attacker you see but you forfeit your advantages by doing this. Stay high and focus on Boom and Zoom attacks, once the higher altitude fighters have been dispatched or pushed down, then you can safely drop altitude and mop up what's left.”

That just about wraps up our blog for today! The Bf 109 C-1 will make for a powerful interim model between the B and E variants, we hope you like trying out this rarer Bf 109 model in the skies of the next major update, Alpha Strike. Until then, keep an eye on the news to read all about interesting vehicles like this one!

On March 6th, 1913, Alexander Pokryshkin was born and was one of the most successful aces of the USSR. Pokryshkin worked as an aircraft technician for several years, dreaming of becoming a pilot, and secretly completed a one-year civil pilot program in 17 days. He participated in battles throughout World War II, shooting down more than 50 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title three times.

In honor of this Soviet Ace, you can get his aircraft for 1,300 Golden Eagles.

When: From March 6th (13:00 GMT) until March 9th (07:00).
Where: USSR > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

• Pokryshkin’s P-39N-0 differs from the regular Airacobra version, with the absence of machine guns on the wings, which means its flight characteristics are slightly better. The 37 mm M4 cannon can destroy enemy fighters with one hit, and if its ammunition runs out, 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns can be used.

The Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest in the world, turning 106. It was formed on March 6th 1918, shortly after Finland declared its independence. Finland’s air force took part in the Finnish Civil War, and the Soviet-Finnish War during World War II. Today, the Finnish Air Force operates more than 150 aircraft, some of which include the American F/A-18 C and D, and the British Hawk Mk.51.

By completing the task below you’ll be able to get yourself this decal.



“Emblem of the Satakunta Air Command” decal

In the Alpha Strike major update, we’ll be introducing the North Holland location for ground battles. Let’s take a closer look!

We’ve taken Eastern Europe, one of War Thunder’s most popular ground forces maps according to the number of likes, and created North Holland based on it, set in the Zaandam region.

In this location are similar spawn points and routes to capture points, plus a canal that cuts through the city, which can be driven-through as the water is not too deep. You’ll be familiar with the general gameplay, timings and layout of this map, but the differences are that it has been transformed 50 years into the future, giving it a modernized touch. Additionally, the largest mission on this map is still not as large as European Province, but overall will still be more spacious for higher ranks.





Driving through the city, you’ll be greeted with modern looking buildings and cars. Near the middle is a large mall that you’ll be able to drive through with your vehicles, knocking down broken walls, allowing you to have some interesting encounters with the enemy!




Near one area are red street lamps that illuminate the surrounding buildings, creating an atmospheric scene. All-in-all, this new location features streets and open fields, overall making it great for short, medium and long-range combat engagements.



North Holland is going to be part of the map rotation when the Alpha Strike major update releases. Be on the look out and give it a try!

• Information about the lack of tracers in an aircraft belt has been added to the tooltip in the modification window.
  
• A message about the need to select a weapon to be able to change its belts has also been added to the tooltip.

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 our game, we strive to reproduce all of the features of weapons and military vehicles that gives players a new and interesting experience. The more modern technology that comes under a player’s control, the more systems require mastering to effectively use this technology. Guided missiles, radar and other sensors require some knowledge that is not always available through the game. In order to solve this problem, we’ve decided to add the ability to see the operation of sensors and missile weapons using a new sensor vision system.

This system visualizes the operation of the radar, other sensors and various weapons and presents it to the player in a clear and understandable form. At the first stage of integrating this system into the game, it’ll be available to players in client and server replays. A new button will be added to the top of the replay control menu called “Sensor view”.


To change the render type in replay, click on “Sensor view”

In this mode, the visualization of the world changes — vehicles, the terrain, water and all other objects in order to conveniently monitor the progress of the battle; a display of the operation of the aircraft radar and weapon seeker is added. Special markers also appear containing new information — for vehicles this is the radial speed relative to the player’s vehicle, and for weapons the current flight parameters including the speed, lifetime, distance traveled, a current available overload, and angle of attack. You’re able to customize the display of information using a set of filters, leaving data that’s most interesting to you at a given time.







This feature will be available for client and server replays, however we’d like to note that in order to optimize the size and traffic consumed, the client replay does not save all information about the progress of the battle. The parameters of objects that are far away or not visible to the player may be recorded with less accuracy or be absent altogether. For example, a client replay contains information about the operation of the radar of only the client itself, as well as radars of those vehicles that track the player’s aircraft. The server replay however will store more complete information.

We’re hoping that this innovation will help you better understand what is happening in battle and improve your skills and abilities, and will also help us find various errors in the operation of missiles and sensors and quickly correct them.

In the future, we’re planning to expand this functionality and use it to create a new missile “kill camera”, which would allow the player to observe a fatal hit by an enemy missile from the moment of its launch to impact directly in battle.

Meet the Zerstörer 45! This is an experimental German SPAA armed with 30 mm autocannons, capable of inflicting deadly strikes into enemy vehicles, and is coming in the next major update. 


Features:

• Quadruple 30 mm turret!
  
• Excellent ballistic properties.
  
• Open fighting compartment. 

Vehicle History
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In parallel to the development of the Flakpanzer IV ‘Wirbelwind’, equipped with a quadruple 20 mm turret, the Ostbau Werke company also produced a second variant in November 1944. This version was then outfitted with the same quadruple mount but armed with modified 30 mm MK 103 cannons instead. Initially, firing tests of the turret were conducted on a Flakpanzer IV ‘Möbelwagen’ chassis. In December however, two dedicated prototypes were constructed using the chassis of the existing Panzer IV Ausf. H medium tanks.

Despite the work done however, the Zerstörer 45 never made it past the prototype stage as the factories of the Ostbau Werke got destroyed in the final months of the war and thus a full-scale production became impossible.
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The Zerstörer 45, is in fact in many aspects quite similar to its close relative — the Wirbelwind — but is distinctly different from it in terms of firepower and layout. Keen to find out more about what this vehicle entails when it arrives in the Alpha Strike major update? Let’s take a look at all of the details! 
 
You may already be familiar with the no less infamous Wirbelwind, which is an outstanding SPAA that the Zerstörer 45 is quite close to. There are some differences though, as instead this vehicle is not equipped with 20 mm cannons, but rather 30 mm cannons. These new cannons, which are modified Mauser MK 103 guns, possess practically the same ballistic properties as their aerial counterparts. As a result, the Zerstörer 45 can not only down enemy aircraft with greater ease than the Wirbelwind, but can also pose a significant threat to ground targets as well!




Thanks to the availability of subcaliber rounds, you’ll also be able to effectively engage even more heavily armored targets without necessarily needing to outflank opponents and hitting them in the sides or rear. This substantially increases the Zerstörer 45’s versatility in battle and allows it to support allies in more ways when hostile aircraft are currently not present above the battlefield.

You may have noticed some changes in the layout of the fighting compartment of the Zerstörer 45 compared to something like the Wirbelwind. Unlike a regular turret, the quadruple guns were covered by side skirts that provided anti-fragmentation protection at best. In the combat position, these skirts would open to allow for the guns to traverse horizontally. This is the position that we’ve decided to model the Zerstörer 45 in War Thunder, which provides better aiming angles, but also means the crew inside are extremely vulnerable to all types of fire. Bear this in mind!

In your matches by Egor, Ground Forces Game Designer: “If spawning this as the first vehicle, take cover behind rocks to remain hidden, keep close to your teammates to provide support. Only fire at enemy tanks if you know you can kill them fast, if you can’t, support your allies by covering and shooting at enemy tracks, barrels and anything to block the enemy’s view. When playing its intended role of an AA, make sure to prioritize and pick your targets, especially aircraft with larger bomb loads that can pose a bigger threat to your team. Fire in short bursts and stay near capture points, as they typically attract enemy aircraft.”

With that, we’ve reached the end of today’s blog. Coming in the next major update, the Zerstörer 45 is going to provide the German SPAA line with another excellent windbreaker — make sure you give it a try once it arrives. Until that happens though, keep an eye on our website for other dev blogs, and happy hunting!