War Thunder’s first major update of 2024, Alpha Strike, has been released and with it a fistful of Roadmap features from the Spring to Summer 2024 Roadmap!

Haven’t had time to check out how these features work yet? In this article, we’ve rounded up each addition and explained how they’ve been implemented into the game. Let’s jump right in.


You’re now freely able to adjust the amount of fuel for your aircraft, ranging between the previous existing minimum and maximum amount. Those times where 10 minutes of fuel was too little and 20 minutes was too much is no more!



This issue caused stock missiles (typically 2) and the identical missile type that could be unlocked through modifications to be put into two separate groups. In battle, this became frustrating when wanting to switch between different missile types, as there was an extra group to go through. These missiles are now together.



The synchronization of destruction of fences, bushes and other objects on maps has been improved! In short, this means that the server now “believes” the client regarding the destruction of any of these objects using any weapons (not without making some checks on the possibility of such destruction). The objects you shoot and destroy now stay destroyed, except for some unavoidable desynchronization issues that may occur. This was implemented into the game about a month ago, and we’ve kept a close eye on it to ensure it has worked properly.



In Ground Realistic Battles, enemy aircraft who are lurking around friendly air spawn points and helipads can be a nuisance. To help counter this, we’ve added minimap detection zones around these areas.

If an enemy is flying in your team’s enemy detection zone, you’ll be able to see them on the map, regardless of what vehicle you’re using. In an aircraft they’ll show as a map marker of what type of aircraft they’re in, and in a ground vehicle there’s a red arrow on the minimap. For the enemy, they can see that they’re in one of these zones by shaded areas on the map.


The aircraft detection zone from different perspectives (click to expand)

The size of an aircraft detection zone may differ depending on the distance between each team’s spawn points. If the distance between them is less than 15 km, then the radius of the detection zone is 2 km. If it’s more, the radius will be 5 km instead.

With the addition of several types of weapons into the game, figuring out which keybinds are needed can be overwhelming. To help with this, we’ve added a set of step-by-step tutorials on how to use these missiles. To access this, click on the “Battles” button at the top left of the hangar and then “Tutorial”. Here, there’s a wide range of tutorials for AGM and AAMs to guided bombs that you can choose from. Select the mode you’d like to test them in, and we’ll help you through it. You can also access these tutorials by navigating to the modifications window of an aircraft, selecting the weaponry modification once it’s unlocked and clicking the “Test” button.



One important asset of allied capture points is the ability to replenish ammunition. There were some quirks in this system however, and within this Roadmap feature we’ve aimed to make it a more seamless and smooth experience. This is what we’ve done:

• You can now replenish partially spent ammunition: on allied capture points, you’re now able to replenish partially used belts, magazines and launchers for multiple missiles or rockets instead of needing to use up all of the ammunition. This typically affects SPAA vehicles, but applies to many other vehicles as well.
  
• The maximum reload time of ammunition has been reduced: on allied capture points, the maximum reload time for all rounds, rockets and missiles has been reassessed and reduced where necessary.
  
• The replenishment progress mechanic on allied capture points has been improved: let’s say you’re replenishing on an allied capture point, but had to move to another part of it since you were being shot at. The replenishment progress is now paused until becoming static again, where it will continue from where it left off. In addition to this, moving out of a capture point doesn’t cause the progress to be lost. Instead, it starts gradually decreasing and can be continued when going back into the capture point.

Video of this here

The destruction log, also known as the killfeed, shows all types of important information regarding who’s destroyed who in a battle. Sometimes though, you simply don’t want to see all of this information at once. We’ve added the “Show ammunition type in the destruction log” and “Show squadron names in the destruction log” options to the Battle interface settings, giving you more flexibility on what you want to see.






As mentioned in the Roadmap news, development takes time and some features may not be able to meet planned release dates. With that being said, there’s two social features that are postponed for the time being.

This feature is not ready for release yet — we’re still working on it, and it’ll be released in a future It’s Fixed update. In the subsequent article for this update, we’ll be discussing it in more detail.

The wishlist feature is not ready for release yet too, as we’re still currently working on the technical aspects to ensure that it works correctly once it’s added. We’ll also release this feature in a future It’s Fixed update, and in the subsequent article for this update, we’ll discuss it in more detail too.


That’s all for today! Until next time,
The War Thunder Team

St. Patrick’s Day, one of Ireland’s main holidays, is just around the corner! On March 17th, Ireland and several countries around the world celebrate St. Patrick, the famous missionary and patron saint of Ireland. Along with it, Irish culture is also celebrated on this day, where the country’s flags, plus shamrocks are hung, and participants in parties and parades dress up in green.

For this day you can play to get this themed decal.

When: From March 15th (11:00 GMT) until March 18th (07:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using any vehicle at rank III or higher to receive the “Leprechaun Hat” decal! 

Additional details:

• You must use a minimum of rank III.
  
• Your activity must not be below 70%.
  
• You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, [Assault] mode and Helicopter PVE battles.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → St. Patrick’s Day.
  
• You can find the decal in the “St. Patrick’s Day” tab in the Customization menu.

"Leprechaun Hat" decal

• Damage to ammunition modules when directly hit by kinetic or shaped charge ammunition has been increased.
  
• M1A1 HC — a bug that caused the dozer blade to be missing from the model has been fixed.
  
• M10 — a bug that caused some modules to be missing in x-ray mode has been fixed.

• A bug during long sessions that caused AGMs and air-to-air missiles to visually remain on their hardpoints after being fired has been fixed.

• A bug where an incorrect number of destroyed guns was shown in the hit camera on some ships has been fixed.
  
• Incorrect reading of 0% in the hit camera when deselecting a target has been fixed.

• Screen flickering that occured after minimizing out of the game during a loading screen and then tabbing back in to full-screen window mode has been fixed.
  
• Terrain rendering artifacts that appeared where an enemy was destroyed 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.

• Centauro RGO — the gunner’s thermal sight has been changed to the one used on the Centauro I 120, and the commander’s thermal has been added.

• IJN Kongo — hull protection has been added below the waterline from the lower edge of the armor belt to better protect ammunition magazines, boiler rooms and compartments.
  
• False voice alert about the threat of collision with another ship has been fixed.

• A bug that caused flickering aircraft in ground battles has been fixed.

• Detailed descriptions for all British aircraft decals have been added. These descriptions depict some information about the decal itself, who used it (a pilot or squadron) and where it was historically positioned on an aircraft. This was also done for German aircraft decals last year, and we will continue to add more descriptions over time for other nations.

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.

• ZBD04A— a bug that caused a missing tandem warhead on the APS03 ATGM has been fixed.
  
• Swingfire — a bug causing an abnormal high rate of fire for the ATGM launchers has been fixed.
  
• Black Night — incorrect sight magnification of 3x-10x has been corrected to 8x.

• A bug that caused the rate of fire sound for ground vehicles to not change for other players when firing has been fixed.

• A bug in the Protection Analysis that caused some ammunition in-flight to have the wrong model has been fixed.
  
• The ability to turn off markers of destroyed vehicles has been added to the Sensor View while in replay.
  
• A bug in Air Realisitc Battles in missions for new players and “Front Line” missions which caused the fighters of one of the teams to not be able to choose a spawn point 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.

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!

---

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.
[/expand]



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!