We’re presenting to you the main reward for the Imperial Flagship event: the German battleship SMS Baden!


Features:

• Powerful main caliber guns!
  
• High survivability.
  
• Vulnerable to aircraft.
  
• Slow speed.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
SMS Baden became the second and last ship built in a series of the most powerful battleships in the history of the Imperial German Navy. This ship was launched at the end of October 1915 and entered service a year later in October 1916. Becoming the flagship of the High Seas Fleet, Baden was transferred to Kiel to prevent the allied forces from breaking through into the Baltic Sea. In 1918, part of the crew of Baden joined the Kiel anti-war uprising. In 1919, along with other ships of the High Seas Fleet, she was transferred to the Scapa Flow for internment, where commanders of the fleet received orders to scuttle ships in this area. Despite this, Baden’s crew failed to cause enough critical damage, causing her to be captured by the British. In August 1921, Baden was destroyed as a target ship by gunnery practice from the Royal Navy.
[/expand]



SMS Baden — one of the greatest ships of the Imperial German Navy — is coming to War Thunder! Today, we’ll talk about the details of this steel beast that you can earn during the Imperial Flagship event that's just started. This battleship was the second ship of the Bayern class, which you may already be familiar with if you play Germany’s Bluewater fleet. Let’s take a look!

A battleship must be able to destroy enemy ships and survive for extended periods in battle — both of which SMS Baden does excellently. The main caliber of this ship is 8 x 380 mm guns in four turrets, which in addition to being one of the largest calibers in the game, also have a high rate of fire for their class. Alongside these main caliber guns, there’s 16 secondary caliber guns that can effectively fire at enemy ships and are mounted in case-mates on each side.




Armor is important too! The lengthy main armor belt and gun mantlets are 350 mm thick, where the armor scheme itself is designed in such a way so that the sides of SMS Baden have a limited number of vulnerable spots, and all important areas are well protected. Thick armor belts are strong and all, but the main armor weakness is the upper deck, which coupled with the small and slow firing anti-aircraft guns — just 4 x 88 mm cannons — makes this battleship an ideal target for bombing. However, if you’re able to get your allies to help with repairs and cover you with fire, you’re going to be able to survive for longer periods of time and will be able to send many enemies to the bottom of the ocean.




As expected, one of the main disadvantages of SMS Baden is its slow speed. Just like all dreadnoughts of the 20th century, this battleship is cumbersome, where even the best crew will not be able to accelerate it beyond 22 knots (40 km/h), and the maneuvering speed is even slower.

In terms of torpedoes, SMS Baden is presented in its 1917 modernization form in-game, meaning it has 12 torpedoes that can only be fired from 3 torpedo tubes instead of 5. This is not as significant to dreadnoughts, but should be kept in mind while in battle.



With that, we’ve finished talking about SMS Baden: concentrated firepower and good armor are some of this battleship’s main characteristics. Take part in the Imperial Flagship naval event, earn stages for mission points and this German flagship will be yours!

Click here to learn about the Imperial Flagship event

• MiG-21 “Lazur-M” — a bug where the drop tank pylon under the fuselage was missing has been fixed.
  
• MiG-21bis-SAU — a bug where it was possible to use the SPS-141M countermeasure pod and center drop tank together has been fixed.
  
• Sea Meteor F Mk.3 — a bug where the secondary weapons menu was missing has been fixed.
  
• JH-7A — the targeting angles of the K/ADC03A target designation pod have been corrected.
  
• IL-2M (1943) — a bug where the FAB-100M-43 bombs could not be dropped has been fixed.
  
• Jaguar IS — a bug where there were no instruments in the cockpit has been fixed.

• IJN Mutsu — a bug where the front part of the navigation bridge armor was not displayed has been fixed.

• Magach Hydra — a bug where the gun mantlet was missing has been fixed.
  
• An issue, which caused the SAM radio fuses to not trigger on guided bombs and AGMs has been fixed.

• A bug that led to the underestimated penetration of HESH shells on their stat card has been fixed.
  
• A bug causing the incorrect display of ammunition replenishment progress when leaving and entering a capture point has been fixed.

• Picture oversaturation with HDR enabled has been fixed.
  
• Graphical artefacts on AMD graphics cards 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.

Meet War Thunder’s first major update of 2024! We’ve added several interesting ground vehicles, some of which include five rank VII premiums, the formidable Fox light-tank, to the interesting looking 120S and Zerstörer 45. Hungarian aircraft have now made their way into Italy’s tree, where you’ll be able fly a range of fully-capable aircraft in air and ground battles. The nimble Alpha jet has arrived for Germany and France, plus the warmly welcomed Wessex for Britain. Additionally, IJN Mutsu — featuring the largest guns in the game — is now ready to sail for Japan. North Holland is a new ground forces map, featuring a town and plain terrain, perfect for different combat engagements. And lastly, you can also enjoy several Roadmap additions, one of which is an aircraft fuel slider!

Please feel free to leave your feedback on this Major update in the feedback thread here

Every nation has received at least one ground vehicle, meaning there’s plenty to choose from: first up, the USSR, Japan, Italy, Sweden and Israel each get a rank VII premium ground vehicle, helping to research faster. Next, the fantastic Fox light tank, capable of being a nuisance for enemies, is ready to research in Great Britain’s ground tree! Check out Germany’s new Zerstörer 45 from WWII, plus the USA’s Frankenstein looking 120S, which combines an M1A1 turret onto an M60A1 hull. Scoot & shoot using China’s capable ZBD-04A light tank that can fire ATGMs from its barrel and APFSDS rounds from its automatic cannon. To round it all off, France can enjoy the VTT DCA SPAA for the lower tiers.


Christian II (store pack)



Meet Alpha Strike in the air! This is the nimble Alpha jet for Germany and and France, capable of providing perfect ground strikes. Hungary’s air force makes an appearance, where you’re going to enjoy aircraft ranging from WWII classics such as the IL-10, to jets such as the MiG-15bis, and to top it all off, the JAS39C. The full list is in the changelog! In addition this, there’s the formidable rank VIII F-20A Tigershark premium pack for the USA, plus several aircraft for other nations too, including the Martel-capable Buccaneer S.2B, WWII classic Bf 109 C-1, F-5E FCU squadron vehicle, and the solid Su-25SM3. Happy flying!


F-20A Tigershark (store pack)



Great Britain now has the interesting looking Wessex HU Mk.5, which can provide good fire support thanks to its AS.11 and 12 missiles. Furthermore, the USA and China has each received the AH-1W, which features plenty of Hellfire missiles for use against tanks! We’ve also given all AH-64 variants a brand-new fully detailed cockpit, and last but not least, Israel now has the AH-60 Battle Hawk that can fire Spike ER missiles!


Wessex HU.5



There’s now a new vehicle with the biggest weapons in the game, and that’s the IJN Mutsu — this battleship features deadly 410 mm guns! 4 other nations have received ships: Great Britain the handy HMS Diamond premium, USA the new end-line USS Dealey Coastal fleet ship, Italy the RN Bolzano Heavy Cruiser, France the Kleber and new the end-line Bretagne Battleship for its Bluewater fleet. Time to set sail!


IJN Mutsu



Meet the North Holland location, which is a new ground forces map that features a stunning city and a large mall that you’re able to drive your vehicle inside of. We’ve based this new location on one of War Thunder’s most popular ground maps according to likes, Eastern Europe. In one area, there’s beautiful red lamps that illuminate the street, additionally there’s plenty of streets and open areas for several types of combat engagements! Besides this, for Air Realistic Battles we’ve added the new Golan Heights mission for top tier, where you’ll spawn in the sky instead of the airfield. Check it out!


North Holland

Following on from the Spring to Summer 2024 Roadmap, we’ve implemented several new features as previously planned.

To start, the highly anticipated aircraft fuel slider (within previous constraints) is now here, duplicated stock air-to-air missiles have been resolved, and minimap aircraft detection zones in ground battles have been added. Next, we’d like to share that some time ago we already implemented the improved synchronization of object destruction to production, and have extensively tested it ourselves and have closely watched reports about it. This feature is now completed.

Furthermore, there’s now new tutorial missions for different types of missiles that can be accessed through the “Tutorial” menu from the hangar, and there have been improvements to the replenishment mechanics while at capture zones in ground battles. Oh, you can also change the displayed items in the killfeed to whatever you want!

The amount of guided weapons, sensors and radars has grown, and to help, we’ve added a new sensor view mode when you’re watching a replay. Simply click this button and the visualization of the game world will change: the terrain, vehicles and more. This mode shows the operation of the radar and other interesting data of vehicles all across the map. You’re able to change marker filters, sensor filters and weapon parameters to what’s most interesting to you, so make sure to check it out and play around with it to see what you can learn!

We’ve also implemented a new Fire Control System interface for naval vessels. This is shown in the top left, and displays the heading angle and target speed allowing you to get a more accurate direction and speed of an enemy ship to help with leading when firing. There’s more information about this in the changelog!

Not every new feature can be listed here, so we’ll go through some briefly: some modern tanks have received unique engine sounds, you’re also now able to use a nuclear carrying aircraft when you acquire enough spawn points instead of needing to leave your current vehicle, and we’ve expanded the number of positions that decorations can be placed on ground vehicles. There’s also flight model adjustments for the Mosquito and Javelin! All-in-all, there’s many bug fixes and and other changes, so be sure to check out the full changelog. Have fun in War Thunder’s first 2024 major update!

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Due to spatial constraints, the full changelog cannot be listed below. Please see the full changelog here.

• North Holland — a new location for Ground Battles has been added.
  
• A new Air Realistic Battle mission called “Kamchatka. East” on the “Kamchatka” map has been added.
  
• A new Air Realistic Battle mission called “Golan Heights (aerial spawn)” on the Golan Heights map has been added. Players spawn in the air, but along the front line rather than in a single point. The mission is available on top tier.

• Snow textures being too dirty on the Frozen Pass location have been fixed.
  
• Gaps have been closed and the spawn points on the Carpathians location have been protected.
  
• The aircraft part of the Karelia location has been expanded.
  
• A stage airfield has been added to Air Realistic Battle missions based on the Enduring Confrontation logic (Spain, Vietnam, Rocky Canyon, Afghanistan). It is located closer to the front line and can not be spawned at, however it can be used to rearm and repair.
  
• The physics of fallen trees has been improved. Now, they roll less after falling, and the crown of a tree now lays the ground, taking up less space on the screen.
  
• Several changes to the “Low cloud” weather preset. The amount of clouds has been increased and their starting altitude has been lowered to make it more difficult for aircraft to attack from high altitudes, while reducing haze to make it easier to spot targets at low altitudes.
  
• The size of destruction effects have been adjusted relative to the size of the objects being destroyed.
  
• The airfield positioning mechanic has been improved, affecting all types of missions (air, ground etc). There should now be far fewer situations where the airfield is located on a prominent hill. However if such airfields are still found, please create a bug report indicating their position.
  
• Destruction effects of different buildings and objects have been changed. The change is aimed to reduce the impact of effects on gameplay (prior to the change they could have caused the player to lose clear sight for a long time), and to fix the situations where small objects could have left too large destruction effects.

• Type 94 — the location and number of fuel tanks have been adjusted.
  
• Gun Carrier (3-in) — the side and rear armor of the casemate have been adjusted.
  
• ZT3A2 — the amount of missile ammunition has been increased from 12 to 15.
  
• A fire indicator for external fuel tanks and ammunition storage with blowout panels has been added. Now, the player will know how much time is left before the fire extinguishes, which cannot be extinguished with FPE.
  
• The burning time of external fuel tanks and ammunition stowage in blowout panels has been reduced.
  
• The inability to extinguish a fire in internal modules when external fuel tanks and ammunition stowage in blowout panels were on fire has been fixed.
  
• Following the Roadmap: The ability to replenish partially spent belts, magazines, and launchers for multiple missiles on captured points (without having to use all ammunition) has been added.
  
• Following the Roadmap: A limit on the maximum reload time of belts and launchers for multiple missiles has been added.
  
• Following the Roadmap: A pause of ammunition replenishment progress when moving through a capture point has been added.

• Following the Roadmap: The issue of duplicated stock air-to-air missiles in the weapons selector has been resolved
  
• GBU-10, GBU-12, GBU-16, GBU-24 — drop limit of 1.01M has been added.
  
• 30 mm GIAT M781 cannon — the muzzle velocity has been increased from 755 m/s to 810 m/s .
  
• The weight of the gun has been increased from 150 kg to 212 kg .
  
• The rate of fire has been reduced from 750 rounds per minute to 720 rounds per minute .
  
• Armor-piercing bombs in the secondary weapon menu have been moved to the “To hit sea targets” group.
  
• 30 mm DEFA cannon — the set of rounds, composing the filling of the belts for all DEFA cannons have been adjusted to HEI, HEF API-T.
  
• Matra R550 Magic 1, Matra R550 Magic 2, AIM-54A, AIM-54C — the flight model has been adjusted, the speed at which the maximum overload is reached has been reduced.
  
• F9F-8 — the ability to separately fire the forward-facing weapons has been added.
  
• Ju 87 B-2 — the SC1000 bomb has been added.
  
• F-86F-35, F-86F-40 — the M117 750 lb bomb has been added.
  
• BB-1, Su-2 (all variants) — FAB-500sv bombs have been added (overloaded version).
  
• J29F — the assortment of rockets has been expanded.
  
• Vampire F.B.5, Vampire FB 52A — 500 lb bombs have been added.
  
• IL-2 (all variants), IL-10 (all variants), Pe-2 (all variants), Pe-3 (all variants), Bf 110 G-2, Bf 110 G-4 — a bug that caused all rockets to be launched from one wing first has been fixed.
  
• Beaufighter Mk 21 — the gun in the rear-facing turret has been changed from 7.7 mm Vickers K to 7.7 Browning.
  
• MiG-23MLA — the ZB-500 incendiary bomb pylons were moved from the wing hardpoints to the fuselage hardpoints.
  
• MiG-23M, MiG-23MLD — the ZB-500 incendiary bomb pylons were moved from the wing hardpoints to the fuselage hardpoints.
  
• Ki-61-I hei, Ki-61-I ko, Ki-61-I otsu — for the Ho-103, the number of rounds per gun has been reduced from 400 to 250 rounds.
  
• MH-60 DAP — the M134 and GAU-19 machine guns, and the LR30 cannon have been added.
  
• IL-10 — the defensive machine gun has been changed from UBT machine gun to UBK machine gun.
  
• Tu-14T — the FAB-1000 (welded) bomb has been replaced with the FAB-1000M-43 bomb.
  
• Tu-4 — the FAB-500sv (welded) bomb has been replaced with the FAB-500M-46 bomb. The FAB-250sv bomb has been replaced with the FAB-250M-46 bomb. The FAB-1000 (welded) bomb has been replaced with the FAB-1000M-44 bomb.
  
• Canberra B Mk 2 — the 4000 lb H.C. Mk.II bomb has been replaced with the 4000 lb H.C. Mk.IV bomb.
  
• Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K — additional RP-3 rockets have been added.
  
• F-104S.ASA — additional Mk 82, Mk 82 Snakeye, Mk 83 and M117 bomb loadouts for the central fuselage pylon have been added.
  
• Meteor F Mk 3 — 1000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs have been added.
  
• Su-17M2, Su-17M4, Su-22M3, Su-22UM3K, Su-22M4 — additional drop tanks have been added to the Secondary weapons menu.
  
• The AIM-7F/M, R-27R/ER, RB.71, Skyflash (all variants), Aspide, R-530F/D missiles are now less prone to switching to a target appearing in the direction different from the direction of the last target.
  
• J35A, J35D, J35XS — 510 liter external fuel tanks have been added.
  
• Spitfire F Mk 22, Spitfire F Mk 24 — the ability to fire the 20 mm cannons separately has been added.
  
• JAS39 (all variants) — the ability to use additional drop tanks on the wing has been added.
  
• Halifax B Mk.IIIa — incorrect aiming angles of the tail turret have been corrected.
  
• Late 298D — negative speed and release height of the 1926DA torpedo have been fixed.
  
• F-14A, F-14B — 280 gallons (1060 liters) drop tanks have been added.
  
• F-16 (all variants) — 370 gallons (1400 liters) wing-mounted drop tanks have been added.
  
• Harrier GR.7 — AGM-65G missiles have been added.
  
• J-8F — the amount of countermeasures has been increased to 80.

• Automatic adjustment of the flap extension limit or automatic retraction of the flap depending on the current speed has been added to the aircraft with automatic flaps, “floating” type flaps and flaps with protective blow-up mechanisms. The list of these aircraft is: F8F-1, F8F-1B, P-51H-5, F-14A, F-14B, F-5E, F-16 (all variants), F-4 Phantom (all variants), AV-8A, AV-8C, AV-8B+, Harrier GR.1, Harrier GR.3, Harrier GR.7, Sea Harrier FRS.1, F-105D, A-4 (all variants), A-10A Early, A-10A Late, Mirage F1C, Mirage F1C-200, Lightning F.6, Lightning F.53, F-84F, F2H-2, MiG-21 (all variants), MiG-23 (all variants), MiG-27 (all variants), MiG-29 (all variants), J-7 (all variants), Typhoon Mk.1, F4F-3/4/Martlet, F6F (all variants), F4U (all variants), F2G-1, N1K1/2, J7W1, A7M (all variants), J6K1, Douglas AD-2/4, A-1H
  
• Mosquito (all variants) — the flight model has been updated. Engine operating modes have been corrected. Distribution of fuel in the fuel tanks has been adjusted. The polars of the wings, fuselage, empennage, and propeller blades have been recalculated and corrected. This aircraft’s behavior while mechanisms (landing gear, flaps etc) are released has been corrected. Aircraft control when diving at high angles has been improved.
  
• Javelin F.(.A.W.) Mk.9 — the flight model has been updated. The turn characteristics with the flaps extended to the Combat position have been improved. Handling at high rates of speed has been improved. The balance in landing and take-off modes has been improved and the stability margin in these modes has been reduced. Controlled stabilizer has been added. Pitch and yaw dampener has been added to the full-real controls mode.

• The number of shell fragments from ship guns has been increased. Previously, due to technical limitations, the number of fragments that a projectile was capable of producing was lower than it should have been. This was compensated by an increase in the destructive power of some fragments in the nose and side dispersion cones.
  
  In a naval battle, when several thousand shells simultaneously fly and collide with objects, the calculation of this number of fragments affected performance and greatly reduced FPS.
  
  Improved processing makes it possible to increase the maximum number of projectile fragments to three thousand, and the calculation of interaction with objects can be made even faster.
  
  There are fewer blind spots between the flight sectors, and the density of the sectors has increased.
  
  At the same time, the maximum possible fragmentation damage of a projectile remains the same. The distribution scheme for damage from fragments has changed. Projectiles do not cause more damage than before, but have become better and are more likely to fully deliver their potential damage.

• The targeting camera interface for TV guided missiles and bombs has been updated. This now displays the viewing angle of a narrow field of view (small rectangle) and target acquisition can be turned off by moving the seeker direction indicator from the center of the captured target.
  
• Following the Roadmap: The following options have been added to the combat interface settings: “Show ammunition type in the destruction log”, and “Show squadron names in the destruction log”.
  
• In graphics settings, an option to select on which monitor the client will run has been added.
  
• In helicopter battle settings, an option to hide the interface in the cockpit view has been added.
  
• In battle, a current status display has been added to the multi-function menu for the landing gear switch and manual roll control mode buttons.
  
• When installing weapons on an aircraft that limit the sweep wing angles, a warning notification is now displayed.
  
• Following the Roadmap: New training missions have been added, which allow you to familiarize yourself with the following weaponry:
  
  • Laser-guided air-to-surface missiles on aircraft with a targeting pod;
    
  • Laser-guided air-to-surface missiles on aircraft with a fixed beam;
    
  • Air-to-surface guided missiles with a TV seeker;
    
  • Air-to-surface guided missiles with a thermal imaging seeker;
    
  • Air-to-air guided missiles with an active radar homing seeker;
    
  • Laser-guided bombs on aircraft with a targeting pod;
    
  • Bombs with a TV seeker;
    
  • Bombs with a thermal imaging seeker;
• Training missions, which allow you to familiarize yourself with weaponry, now can be played with preset vehicles with preset weaponry via the “Tutorial” menu. Previously, these missions could only be launched after receiving a specific modification through the vehicle modification window.

• In Ground Realistic Battles, the ability to fly a nuclear carrying aircraft without leaving the current controlled vehicle has been added. When the relatively close amount of spawn points has been accumulated, an inactive button for flying the aircraft will appear on the action panel with an indication of the current amount of spawn points.
  
• When enough spawn points have been accumulated, the button will become active. Taking off with a nuclear carrying aircraft is available when controlling both ground vehicles and aircraft. It is not possible to switch to the controlled vehicle and back, so make sure to safely position your vehicle before using the nuclear carrying aircraft.
  
• A bug where the nuclear explosion and the “Doomsday” reward could be issued when the battle was a defeat, and after the battle was finished has been fixed. Now, the reward is only given when a bomb explodes, and the bomb will only explode if at least one team still has points left and the mission is not considered finished.
  
• In Ground Realistic Battles, the nuclear carrying IL-28 and Canberra B Mk 6 now have an air spawn right above the airfield, like the Tu-4 and B-29. This change is meant to reduce the approach time of these nuclear carrying aircraft to the tank battlefield to the values close to other nuclear carrying aircraft.
  
• Following the Roadmap: In Ground Realistic Battles, detection zones for enemy aircraft have been added near air spawn zones and helipads. The size of the detection zones depend on the distance between the corresponding team spawn points: if the distance between them is less than 15 km, then the radius of the detection zone is 2 km, otherwise it is 5 km. When a player in an aircraft is in an enemy detection zone, they will not receive any message letting them know this.
  
  This is because this message is not as useful in air combat as it is for ground vehicles, however the player in an aircraft will be able to see the detection zones on the mini-map when they are in one. When enemy aircraft are in the detection zone, it is shown to the entire team on the mini-map, regardless of their position and condition.
  
• In Ground Battles, air defense at nearby helipads have been removed, since they only performed the function of detecting enemies, which is now performed by the detection zone. In Simulator Battles, air defense have also been removed, despite the absence of aircraft detection zones, since air defense shots without damage do not combine with other mechanics in this mode.
  
• In Ground Battles at a Battle Rating of 1.0-2.7, an airfield with a longer runway is used. This airfield was previously used in sessions at a Battle Rating of 3.0-7.3.
  
• In Ground Battles, closer airfields and closer spawn points are now used in sessions at a Battle Rating up to and including 7.7, rather than 7.3.
  
• A bug in Ground Realistic and Simulator battles that caused the last player alive in the team to be considered inactive if they had no respawns left and was at an airfield or helipad (even in a fully operational vehicle) has been fixed.
  
• In Ground Arcade, Realistic and Simulator battles, as well as in Custom Battles sessions with the option “Keep destroyed units” enabled, the repeated effect of the explosion of ground vehicles when the player who controlled this vehicle respawned has been removed.
  
• A bug where the cable became detached from a towed destroyed ground vehicle at the moment when that player respawned has been fixed.
  
• Following the Roadmap: The ability to select any amount of fuel ranging from the minimum to the maximum values for internal fuel tanks before an aircraft spawn has been added.
  
• In Helicopter battles (PvE), wagers have been disabled because of the absence of enemy players, similar to how it works in the “Assault” mode.

• The Leclerc series have received new engine and track sounds, which are different from the previously used sounds of the Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks.
  
• The AMX-30 series have received new engine and track sounds, which are different from the previously used sounds of the Chieftain tanks.
  
• The C1 Ariete series have received new engine sounds, which are different from the previously used sounds of the Leopard 2 tank.
  
• The 2A70 gun has received its own firing and reloading sounds, since the gun has a low muzzle velocity and has a specific automatic loader.
  
• Piston and subsonic jet engine sounds are now accurately positioned on aircraft models. Previously, when the speed of sound emulation was enabled, they followed behind aircraft models, thereby emulating a sound delay.
  
• A bug when shooting smoke grenades from enemies and allies sometimes caused the sounds of an ATGM passing by to play for a nearby player has been fixed.
  
• Norwegian ground vehicle crews in the Swedish tree have received Norwegian voice lines.
  
• The US ground commander’s voice has been changed.
  
• Video tips have been added for some aircraft modifications.

• The ability to control the seeker of air-to-surface missiles and bombs in third-person view has been added. When you turn on the seeker, a mark appears in this view indicating the direction of the seeker coordinator, which follows the mouse pointer and allows the player to lock onto the target by pressing the launch button.

The AH-1W Super Cobra is a later development of the twin-engined AH-1 Cobra, optimized for service with the U.S. Marines. This helicopter will soon be available as part of the next major update in two trees!


Features:

• Twin-engine design.
  
• Effective ordnance options.
  
• Thermal vision device.
  
• Good maneuverability.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
As the AH-1 Cobra entered service with the Army, the USMC expressed their interest in acquiring Cobras for their own use. However, these Cobras would have to be twin-engined and possess a more capable primary armament to meet the Marines’ service requirements. Despite initial hesitation from the Department of Defense, the Marines received the go-ahead and proceeded with awarding Bell with a contract to produce 49 AH-1J Sea Cobras in May 1968.

Similarly to the Army, the USMC also perceived the AH-1 as an interim vehicle, until a more suitable replacement could be found. Whilst this replacement would come to the Army in the form of the AH-64 Apache, the USMC’s request to upgrade their fleet with a naval version of the Apache would be met with disapproval by the Congress in 1981, thus forcing the Marines to look into other options. The decision was therefore made to upgrade the existing fleet with new AH-1W Super Cobras, which featured an improved fire control system and the ability to carry more advanced ordnance.
[/expand]



The AH-1W Super Cobra is coming to the American and Chinese helicopter tree in the Alpha Strike major update! Today, we’ll talk about what advantages its different engine gives, plus its expanded arsenal of ordnance options compared to the AH-1F. Let’s take a look!




The first and most visible difference of the AH-1W is its different engine setup. Instead of being powered by a single Lycoming T53 engine, this helicopter is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-401C turboshaft engines. This allows it to reach a slightly higher top speed of over 280 km/h in level flight!



There’s some additions to the AH-1W’s weaponry options. Firstly, it’s able to fire two AIM-9L air-to-air missiles, which are excellent against aircraft that may be trying to destroy you while you attempt to take out ground vehicles. In addition to Mighty Mouse rockets, the AH-1W can carry Zuni rocket pods as well, plus up to 4 x 20 mm cannons on wing pylons. And lastly, there’s anti-tank guided missiles in the form of the famous TOW 2 with a launch range of about 4 km, and the AGM-114B Hellfire air-to-ground missile that has great penetration and a launch range up to 8 km. In total, 8 of them can be mounted on this helicopter.



That wraps today’s blog! The AH-1W Super Cobra will soon be coming to the USA and China’s helicopter tree in the Alpha Strike major update, which is almost ready for release! Until that happens though, fun battles ahead!

The Thai F-5E Tiger II jet fighter is going to be a new squadron vehicle that will be added to the Japanese air research tree in the Alpha Strike major update!


Features:

• Excellent handling!
  
• High overload resistance.
  
• Python 3 and AIM-9P4 air-to-air missiles.
  
• Large arsenal of ordnance against ground vehicles.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
The Royal Thai Air Force received the first F-5 series aircraft in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War, where the resulting aircraft were equipped purely as attack aircraft. The country began receiving more advanced F-5Es in the late 70s. In 1988, the modernization of part of the F-5E fleet began. They received a HUD, a new sight with a ballistic computer, countermeasures, an RWR and the ability to install Python 3 missiles. Even though the Royal Thai Air Force have begun using F-16 fighters, the F-5 series of aircraft remain in service to this day.
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Welcome the addition of the Royal Thai Air Force’s F-5E to the Japanese air tree, coming in the Alpha Strike major update! The Thai variant of this popular multi-role fighter is even better for air duels thanks to the addition of the Israeli Python 3 short-range missile and the AIM-9P4, a new air-to-air missile that will be added to the game. Let’s take a closer look!

Developer comment: We’re adding the Thai F-5E FCU to Japan as a squadron vehicle to help bolster this air tree with an interesting option, as Japan has very limited domestic modern jet aircraft to add. In addition to air battles, this aircraft will also be useful in ground battles thanks to its ordnance options, overall helping Japan’s ground forces lineup. The F-5 is a popular aircraft in War Thunder that many of you are familiar with, and Thailand is geographically quite close to Japan, with both having good modern relations.

The F-5 series simply needs no introduction. They can be seen in almost every air battle at the higher ranks, where a large number of pilots will say this fighter is one of their favorites in the game. This aircraft is compact and fast, perfectly controllable at any altitude and is good in dogfights. In addition to this, they make good work of ground vehicles too as an attack aircraft!

All-in-all, the Thai F-5E FCU takes all of the advantages of the F-5 in the US and Chinese air trees and improves upon them. First up, let’s welcome a new air-to-air missile to War Thunder: the AIM-9P4 Sidewinder! This missile is quite effective at short-range and derives from the AIM-9P series, but features an all-aspect seeker instead. Besides this, an excellent air-to-air missile in the form of the Python 3, which is known for its high maneuverability and is best suited for short-range air duels can be equipped as well. Lastly, there’s a radar, RWR and 45 flares + chaff can be launched, all perfect for air battles in general. You’ve got everything you need!

Interesting: Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (King Rama X of Thailand since 2016) personally piloted F-5 jet fighters.

In addition to the accurate 20 mm cannon in the nose, the F-5E FCU can take a 30 mm GAU-13/A gun pod under the fuselage, which is useful in air combat and even against tanks. On the subject of tanks...

Just like other F-5Es, this vehicle carries a solid range of ground attack options. Up to 4 x high-precision AGM-65Bs can engage tanks from long range and altitude, plus regular unguided rockets at closer ranges if needed. On five weapon hardpoints, you’ll be able to place more than 7 tons of ordnance: regular bombs, assault and incendiary bombs, Mighty Mouse rockets and Zuni rockets. To help aiming these rockets, the F-5E FCU has a ballistic computer thanks to the Thai modernization program, which certainly helps in battles!



The Thai F-5E FCU is going to be a squadron vehicle that can be obtained for squadron activity points when in a squadron, or purchased with Golden Eagles whenever you wish. This awesome and interesting aircraft is an excellent addition to Japan for any game mode!

Take part in a football competition that’s going to leave a lasting impression. Participate in football matches, earn points and receive rewards!

To help you prepare for the competition, from March 12th (11:00 GMT) until March 14th (10:45 GMT), training events without achievement progression are available.


Join other players in a 3v3 event (solo), or gather your team and fight until the final whistle in a 4v4 event (squad). Use the energy of your dash and jump to hit the ball spectacularly and get rewards!

For every goal, assist or save, you’ll receive achievement progression points. Each reward is given for a certain number of points received during matches in the “Tank Football” events.






For 500 points: Coupon for one of the golden decorations: Glove, Ball or Boot


The top 50 players on the leaderboard of every event will be granted with in-game titles:

• Top goalscorer — “Best striker 2024”
  
• Top assist score — “Best winger 2024”
  
• Top save score — “Best goalkeeper 2024”

• You can see the exact conditions of each task and track your progress by clicking on your nickname and going to the Achievements → Tank Football menu.
  
• The coupons for the “Dragons” and “Tigers” decal, “M551 Football Camo” coupons and “Golden Football Decoration” coupons can be sold on the Gaijin Market.
  
• PlayStation and Xbox players can exchange each coupon for 100 Warbonds.
  
• Reward titles will be given to the top 50 players in each category until April 7th.

• Each match consists of two halves of 5 minutes each. As with mini-football, only pure playing time is taken into account.
  
• If the result is a draw, players receive an additional 2 halves of 1.5 minutes each. If at the end of two halves and extra time, it’s still a draw on the scoreboard, victory is not awarded to any team.
  
• To win early in a 3 vs 3 match, you must get a 3 goal advantage.
  
• To win early in a 4 vs 4 match, you must get a 5 goal advantage.

Your screenshots from last week that you captured looked amazing! Most vehicles in War Thunder are filled to the brim with combustible materials and when damaged, burn fiercely. One solution? Don’t get hit! 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 #WTscreen110. You have time until the 15th of March 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 player vehicle with a tan camouflage, or any player vehicle with tan scenery.
  
• You must add the #WTscreen110 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
  
• Artists may only win by popular vote once per four screenshot competitions.

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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.

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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3171523286
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3171613549
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3171925837

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3171522854
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3171615516
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3164650245

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

This is the interesting M60 120S, which takes the M1A1 Abrams’ turret and combines it with the M60A1 hull. This vehicle was designed to be exported to countries that wanted a cheaper and upgradable option for a main battle tank.


Features:

• 120 mm smoothbore cannon!
  
• Laser rangefinder.
  
• Thermal sight.

Vehicle History
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Late in 1999, General Dynamics Land Systems were looking to put a tank together that was suitable to export to countries as a cheaper alternative to the current main battle tanks. To attract buyers, it was decided to pair an M1A1 turret onto an M60A1 hull — a hull which was already in use with many countries around the world. This combination could also allow for countries to convert their existing M60 hulls into the M60 120S standard if required. In August 2001 the first prototype was completed and subsequently shown at the IDEF Exhibition in Turkey in October 2001. Having been proposed to countries such as Turkey and Egypt, there was no interest and the project was abandoned with only 1 prototype being built. 
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The M60 120S is what you get when you take an M1A1 Abrams tank turret and wedge it onto an M60A1 hull — you get some sort of Frankenstein creation, which is in fact going to be arriving in the Alpha Strike major update. Let’s take a look at what else this scary monster has to offer!

For those of you who are already familiar with the Abrams in-game, this tank is going to feel quite close to home. This is because the M60 120S comes fitted with a 120 mm M256 smoothbore cannon that’s capable of firing HEAT-FS and the M829A1 APFSDS round, which are good enough to take out most enemy tanks at this rank. To top it all off, the main gun is backed up with good electronics including a handy laser rangefinder and GEN 1 thermal sights for the gunner, perfect for engaging targets at longer distances. In typical fashion, we must not forget about the .50 caliber machine gun on the turret roof that’s solid for firing at low flying helicopters and planes!




As probably expected, the armor of the M60 120S is a combination of two things. It takes the M1A1 turret — featuring composite armor — and combines it with the weaker M60 hull armor that has no composite armor to speak of. The end result is a mishmash of core tank parts from two different eras of tank design. Ensure you try to utilize your turret armor, which is stronger than the hull!

Due to the placement of a heavier turret, the mass of the M60 120S is 56 tons, which is heavier than the M60. In terms of mobility, this tank features the same 750 HP engine as a regular M60, allowing it to reach a max speed of 48 km/h, but its general maneuverability will feel more sluggish due to the increased weight. Overall the M60 120S is certainly not the fastest, but will still allow you to get to positions or get to capture points at a reasonable pace!

In your matches by Viacheslav, Game Director: “The 120S is going to provide good firepower to some lineups. You will be able to withstand some shots to the turret, but your weaker hull will be penetrated by the majority of shells at this Battle Rating, so make sure to hide it wherever possible. I would peek over ridge lines and hills, utilizing the 120 mm’s firepower to your advantage ensuring your hull is not exposed to enemies.”

With that, we’ve reached the end of this development blog! In short, the M60 120S is going to be a fun tank to play in different types of lineups. Keep an eye out on our website for other blogs that will be coming, until then, success to you in battle

The most prestigious tournament of the year — Thunder CUP 2024, has come to an end! Those of you who have watched the live streams on Twitch have received unique camouflages, the profile picture and the decal through Twitch Drops and were the first to witness who won in the tournament!
 
Now, the time has come to reveal the results and award the champions!

• 1st place – DODEC team
  
• 2nd place – MRCLS team
  
• 3rd place – LEET team

Congratulations to the winners! They’ll share the cash prize fund of $5000.

With the tournament, we introduced new camouflages representing esports teams created by some of the best authors from the Live.WT portal! The full list is below.

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Represent and support your favorite team by getting these camouflages from the ESPORTS TROPHY II that is on the Gaijin Market among other esport camouflages. Like the ESPORT TROPHY I, it can be obtained by simply playing regular War Thunder battles. PlayStation and Xbox players can purchase the trophy in the Item Shop and open it with Golden Eagles.

Read more on our Wiki.

To open it, you’ll need to purchase a key on the Market (income is shared with the authors of the camouflages). You can either activate the coupon on your account, or trade it on the Market to get Gaijin Coins (GJN). A trophy can be sold as well!
(i) To unlock the trophy, you’ll need an “Esport” key that can be purchased on the Market for GJN.

Read more about the Market and Gaijin Coins on our Wiki.


For War Thunder Esports fans, don’t forget about this small but very cute pack that contains a unique decal and title.

We’d like to extend our best wishes and congratulations to all women of the world. You are loved and appreciated, we hope your spirits are high, and that you may soar even higher.

You can get this decal by completing the below task.



“Queen of the Seas” decal