• The Safe Exit Zones mechanic for Aircraft in Ground Arcade Battles has been added. Learn more in this news post.

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

We’re continuing to cover features from the Roadmap that we outlined at the beginning of the year. Today, we’ll be talking about safe exit zones for aircraft in Air Events in Ground Arcade Battles. Let’s take a look!

Currently, after bombers and attacker aircraft have attacked ground targets during air events in Ground Arcade Battles, they usually have to spend the remaining time of the air event (usually about half a minute) doing nothing. Many pilots J’ed out of their aircraft or crashed them, therefore losing the reward for saving the vehicle. This also happened to fighters when all enemy aircraft had already been shot down.

In top-ranked battles, helicopters can also fly out into air events as well. The equivalent of a bomber is a helicopter with ATGMs, an attack aircraft is a helicopter with unguided rockets, and a fighter is a helicopter with machine guns or cannons without rockets.

Let’s take a look at the new system.

To make battles more intense and give players the opportunity to get the well-deserved “Safe and Sound” reward for preserving their aircraft, we’ve improved the mechanics of safe exit zones and have added it to Ground Arcade Battles.

If you’re flying a bomber or attack aircraft (and their equivalents as mentioned above) and have used up your bombs or rockets, you’ll receive a message about the option to save the vehicle for additional rewards. An icon will appear on the screen indicating the safe exit zone and the distance to it. If you’re in fighter (and their equivalents as mentioned above), you’ll receive this message if there are no more enemy aircraft up.

The new icon is displayed at the height of your aircraft, and the exit is available at any altitude. If you’d like to, you can speed up the process by diving down as the exit is close to the ground as well!



All you have to do is fly to the icon. When the distance to it becomes 0, you’ll automatically leave your vehicle and receive the “Safe and Sound” reward, and along with it an additional random reward:

• 1 to 3 air event points
  
• 1 to 3 artillery strike points
  
• 300 SL (with a Premium Account: 450 SL) up to a BR session of 4.3
  
• 750 SL (with a Premium Account: 1125 SL) up to a BR session of 4.3
  
• 1000 SL (with a Premium Account: 1500 SL) from a BR session of 4.3 to 7.7
  
• 3000 SL (with a Premium Account: 4500 SL) from a BR session of 4.3 to 7.7
  
• 5000 SL (with a Premium Account: 7500 SL) from a BR session of 7.7+

If your vehicles don’t have the Artillery strike modification, then you won’t receive this bonus. If you already have 1/3 or 2/3 artillery strike or air event points, and then receive 3 more points from the additional reward, then you’ll have 3 total points (the maximum amount possible), meaning the excess is not credited. However, if it’s possible to take a nuke carrying aircraft in the battle, the counter will continue to grow and in the described case, you’ll have 4 points for the bomber air event.



We’re continuing to work on the Roadmap points and will soon be be announcing the testing of Research Bonuses for new nations.

Keep an eye out on the news for this!

Thanks for sharing all of your screenshots with us last week! Even though the towns look beautiful, beware of the small alleys and blind corners where danger awaits. This week, go and take a picture somewhere relaxing! 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 #WTscreen133. You have time until the 23rd of August 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 that is not in combat.
  
• You must add the #WTscreen133 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
  
• Artists may only win by popular vote once per four screenshot competitions.

[/b]

Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.

You need to be the author of the screenshot.

Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.

We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).

You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.

You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.

Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 14 working days.

[/list]


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3306417653
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3306706976
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3308273627

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3306640218
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3308394915
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3307763410

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

On August 19th 1944, the French Resistance began the Battle of Paris against the Germans and Vichy forces under its command. On August 24th, the Allies arrived as well, causing Paris to be liberated within hours. Hitler ordered that if the city could not be held, it should be destroyed, but the commandant of Paris, Dietrich von Choltitz, refused to carry out the order.

This themed decal and decoration are available for this day!

When: Until August 19th (09:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using any French vehicle at rank III or higher to receive the “Liberation of Paris” decal.
Task: Win 5 battles using French ground vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “General’s cap (France)” decoration!

“Liberation of Paris” decal


“General’s cap (France)” decoration

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

The free online shooter Enlisted is now available on Steam! If you enjoy massive, intense and non-stop battles with a wide variety of weapons and vehicles, and you want to try the role of a squad commander for one of the playable nations: USSR, USA, Germany or Japan – try Enlisted!

Enlisted recreates all the key theaters of World War II — from the snowy outskirts of Moscow to hot Pacific islands, from the beaches of Normandy to the deserts of Tunisia. The large-scale battles involve up to a hundred soldiers simultaneously, along with armored vehicles and aircraft.

See you on the battlefield!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2051620/Enlisted/

On August 16th 1940, the first airborne landing of American troops took place. Since 1943, the US Airborne Forces actively participated in combat operations during World War II — first during the invasion of Italy, and then in Normandy and the Ardennes. They played a vital role during D-Day, assisting with the Allies having a safer landing on the beaches.

This interesting helicopter is available for 8,910 Golden Eagles!

When: From today until August 19th (09:00 GMT).
Where: USA > Helicopters > Premium vehicles.

About this helicopter

• The UH-1C XM-30 is a nimble helicopter that’s capable of carrying a decent array of weapons, including an M75 grenade launcher, capable of firing 40 mm grenades at 230 rpm! There’s also 7.62 mm M134 machine guns, FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets, BGM-71C Improved TOW anti-tank guided missiles, and two 30 mm XM140 cannons!

This paratrooper decal is available for this day!

When: Until August 19th (09:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using US aircraft at rank III or higher to receive the “Paratrooper” decal.

“Paratrooper” decal

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

• Mirage III (all variants), Mirage 5 (all variants), Mirage F1 (all variants) — the missing limit on the maximum allowed release speed has been added to the following bombs: 250 kg SAMP Type 25, 250 kg SAMP Type 25 200, 400 kg SAMP Type 21, 400 kg SAMP Type 21 200.
  
• Mirage F1 (all variants) — the missing limit on the maximum allowed release speed has been added to the following bombs: 500 lb SAMP Mk 82, 1000 lb SAMP Mk 83, 2000 lb SAMP Mk 84.
  
• Mirage F1CT — the missing limit on the maximum allowed release speed has been added to the 500 lb SAMP Mk 82 bomb.

• A bug that caused some of the ship’s selected weapon groups to stop firing while flying a reconnaissance aircraft has been fixed.
  
• The incoming damage direction marker has been updated: a central arrow has been added and the overall looks and used color pallet have been improved. Before and after:
  Before:
  
  After:
  

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

On August 15th, Poland celebrates Polish Armed Forces Day, a national holiday dedicated to all branches of the country’s armed forces. A large military parade takes place on Warsaw’s main square, and concerts and public festivities are held throughout the country.

In honor of this holiday, we’re temporarily bringing back the P-47M-1-RE in the camouflage of Witold Lanovski, a Polish pilot in the service of the US Army Air Force, which is available to purchase for 6,090 Golden Eagles.

When: From today until August 19th (09:00 GMT).
Where: USA > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

About this aircraft

• Lanovski's P-47M-1-RE is a real king of high altitudes! It easily gains altitude and maintains excellent speed there, and maneuverability and ease of control help it to emerge a frequent winner in attacks. 8 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns with a decent amount of ammunition will not leave the enemy with any chance. Up to 2 x 1000 lb bombs and HVAR rockets make this aircraft good in ground battles too.

When: Until August 19th (09:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using US or British vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “Emblem of the Polish Land Forces” decal.

“Emblem of the Polish Land Forces” decal

• You must use a minimum of rank III.
  
• Your activity must not be below 70%.
  
• Complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions and [Assault] mode. Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Polish Armed Forces Day.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Neutral Countries”→ “Tanks” tab in the Customization menu.

On the 14th August 1974, the Panavia Tornado took to the skies for the first time. In 2024, this multinational, multirole aircraft marks 50 years since its first flight and still flies today with the Luftwaffe, Aeronautica Militare and Royal Saudi Air Force. The Royal Air Force, previously being one of the 3 original operators, retired their last Tornados in 2019. 

In War Thunder, you can find the Tornado in several variants in the German, British and Italian trees. To mark this occasion, we’ve prepared a special commemorative decal and a discount on the Tornado IDS WTD 61 Pack in the Gaijin store.

The Tornado IDS WTD 61 Pack is available at a 50% discount in the Gaijin store!

When: From now until August 19th (07:00 GMT).

You can go to the Gaijin Store through Steam from the hangar: Shop > Online Store.



This special decal is available!


“50th Anniversary of the Tornado’s First Flight” decal

When: From now until until August 19th (07:00 GMT)

Task: Play 3 battles in any of the Tornados in the game (Tornado IDS (1995), Tornado IDS MFG, Tornado IDS ASSTA1, Tornado IDS WTD61, Tornado GR.1, Tornado F.3, Tornado F.3 Late or Tornado ADV) to receive the “50th Anniversary of the Tornado’s First Flight” 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, and [Assault] mode.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → 50th Anniversary of the Tornado’s First Flight.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customization menu.

Today, we’ll be talking about changes to the post-pen effects for APHE shells used by ground vehicles that we plan to introduce into the game. We’re ready to show you what we have planned here, and at the end of this news post you can participate in voting for or against — whether there’ll be changes or not all depends on your vote. Let’s take a look!

First off, we’d like to tell you about a change that we consider necessary and will be implemented into the game without any vote. This change relates to maintaining the integrity of an APHE shell’s head after armor penetration. When an APHE shell explodes, its warhead is not subject to significant fragmentation and can cause substantially greater damage than the scattering fragments of the case and base.




Fragments of a 75mm M61 shell after it exploded. Note how intact the warhead is

The fragment of the shell’s warhead is significant in mass, can penetrate armor of considerable thickness, and at the same time also form secondary fragments when penetrating armor. This change will allow the warhead to better hit enemy crew members located behind internal partitions, such as the engine compartment bulkhead, as well as other modules along the shell’s flight trajectory that cannot be penetrated by small fragments generated from the shell exploding.

Due to a number of technical reasons, secondary fragments from APHE shells differ and are worse compared to fragments from regular, solid AP shells. When reworking fragmentation fields, we’ll enhance the secondary fragments of APHE shells to the level of solid AP shells.

The high-explosive damage from APHE shells will remain — it causes relatively little damage, affects the crew and modules inside the tank and has a damage zone in the form of a sphere around the detonation point of the shell. The diameter of the damage sphere of high-explosive damage is noticeably smaller than the scattering zone of secondary fragments.

Here are the changes that we’d like you to vote on, whether they’re introduced or not will be determined by community vote: scattering sectors of fragments from APHE shells.

When a shell explodes, three main fragmentation areas are formed, shown in the image below:

• The remainder of the shell’s head and its fragments.
  
• Fragments from the base of the shell.
  
• Fragments from all sides of the shell (the case).

When a shell explodes inside of a tank or armored vehicle, the shell’s head acts as a small solid AP round and may penetrate more internal modules. Alongside this, smaller fragments from the shell casing form a fragmentation cone and hit the crew and modules around the explosion point. We plan to implement both of these to the game.


*Translation (Pic.113): Scattering of the APHE shell fragments on impact

At the moment, we use a simplified fragmentation pattern for APHE shells in the game without segmentation into different areas. If we were to implement the proposed physically reliable sector fragmentation patterns for APHE shells, the post-pen effect of APHE shells will be more realistic. However, when hitting protruding modules, such as the commander’s cupola, the probability of crew damage would be reduced.


Damage probability from the explosion of a BR-412D shell behind armor with the current fragment distribution


Damage probability in the same scenario with the proposed fragment spread

Reworking the post-pen effects of APHE shells can change the tactics of the game, making protruding weakened areas less vulnerable. However at the same time, post-pen effects after penetrating the hull of a vehicle due to the preservation of the shell’s head after the shell explodes will be increased.

Here’s some screenshots of how damage to ground vehicles will be altered with the changes implemented.

Before — post-pen effect when penetrating the center of a tank without preserving the head of the shell:


After — post-pen effect when penetrating the center of a tank while preserving the head of the shell:


Before — post-pen effect when the commander’s cupola is hit by a spherical spread of fragments from a shell explosion:



After — post-pen effect when the commander’s cupola is hit with a physically reliable sectoral scattering of fragments from the shell explosion:



We’d like to hear your opinion on this — share it in the comment field and vote Yes or No for the changes to post-pen effects in the poll!

We’re planning to give players the opportunity to test these changes in a special game event, as well as the “Protection Analysis” menu, before applying these changes to all APHE shells in the game. However, preparing this testing will require some significant time from the development team, so today we want to collect your opinions on whether you’re interested in switching to a more detailed damage model for APHE shells. So, shall we test it?

ADD YOUR VOTE HERE

If you’re interested in testing, we’ll start preparing it and will host another voting on this change based on its results.