The Russian carrier-based Su-33 fighter is coming to the game as a Squadron Vehicle in the next major update!

At a glance:

• Excellent flight characteristics.
  
• Up to 12 weapon hardpoints!
  
• Short and medium range missiles.
  
• HMD.
  
• LARGE!

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
The program to create a new carrier-based fighter based on the Su-27 began in the early 1980s in connection with plans to build a heavy aircraft carrier, the Project 1143-5. In 1984, a decree was issued to create a new carrier-based fighter. Serial production began in 1989 at KnAAPO. The first flight of the Su-33 took place in February 1990. Testing dragged on until 1994 due to the collapse of the USSR and financial difficulties, and by that time only 24 aircraft had been produced. In 1995, aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, with the Su-33 on board, set out on a long ocean voyage to the Mediterranean for the first time. The Su-33’s baptism of fire took place from November 2016 to January 2017, when the Admiral Kuznetsov carried out combat missions as part of the Russian Navy’s far-off maritime zone task force off the coast of Syria.
[/expand]




Meet the carrier-based Su-33, another powerful representative of the Su-27 jet fighter family, coming to the game in the Storm Warning major update as a Squadron Vehicle. Let’s take a look at what surprises you can expect with this modern Russian carrier-based aircraft!




The Su-33 is a heavy and very large aircraft with an excellent maximum top speed and roll rate, capable of very sharp maneuvers. However, due to its dimensions and tendency to quickly lose energy, it’s not that suitable for maneuverable air combat. Despite this however, the high strength of the airframe allows for fantastically bold changes in the angle of attack, with the helmet mounted display system giving a great advantage in close combat.

Like its brothers, the Su-33 is capable of performing a wide range of tasks in battles. This aircraft does not have missiles with active radar, so you’ll only be able to start an engagement after approaching. In terms of weaponry, the Su-33 features the all-aspect R-73 air-to-air missile in conjunction with HMD. In addition to this, the Su-33 can also take R-27 missiles, including the R-27ER, one of the best SARH missiles in the game, plus the R-27ET. One key advantage of the Su-33 is that it has 12 hardpoints! A modern radar and informative RWR also give this aircraft a complete picture of the battle and any surrounding threats.




In Ground Battles, the Su-33 can carry a load of conventional bombs, such as incendiary bombs, parachute bombs, and regular dumb bombs up to 500 kg, plus rockets like the S-5 and S-25O. And thanks to the large number of hardpoints, you’ll still be able to take a good supply of air-to-air missiles into battle without forfeiting ground attack ordnance!

Interesting: We’re pleased to present a new aircraft carrier model for War Thunder carriers in Air Battles — the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov! The model will appear in the game in the next update.





That’s it for this one! The Su-33 will arrive to the game in the Storm Warning major update. Like other Squadron Vehicles, this one can be purchased with enough squadron activity points, or simply bought instantly with Golden Eagles. Make sure to join a squadron in War Thunder to unlock this new aircraft just by playing the game!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

The Lockheed Hudson patrol bomber first took to the air on December 10th 1938 in Burbank, California. Two months later, deliveries began to the Royal Air Force, who ordered 200 Hudson aircraft, making it Lockheed’s first major order. The Mk V modification received a more powerful 14-cylinder Twin Wasp engine with 1,200 HP.

This bomber is available for just 700 Golden Eagles!

When: From today until December 13th (07:00 GMT).
Where: Great Britain > Aviation > Premium vehicles.



About this aircraft

• The Hudson Mk V carries both bombs and regular rockets. It’s quite fast for a bomber and surprisingly durable, protected by five 7.7 mm machine guns, located at the front and rear. This allows it to not only attack ground targets, but also hunt for other bombers!

Introducing the next major update trailer for War Thunder: Storm Warning!

Today, we’d like to show you some screenshots of this new location for Ground Battles!




Attica’s appearance is based on the bright landscapes of the south-east of Greece, the national color of which is emphasized by the ruins of the ancient acropolis, the highest point on the map. The breeze of the Aegean Sea under the roar of tanks fighting and exploding is waiting for you in the next major update, coming soon.


Attica in one of its formats, [Domination]. Map borders are not shown.

Keep an eye on the news for more dev blogs coming your way!

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the La Galissonnière, a well balanced light cruiser arriving for France in the next major update!

At a glance:

• Good protection.
  
• Effective main caliber.
  
• One reconnaissance aircraft.
  
• Mediocre air defense capabilities.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
In the early 1930s, the French Navy faced the need to modernize its fleet, especially its cruiser lineup. The Pact of Rome placed restrictions on the construction of heavy cruisers, forcing the French to turn their attention to light cruisers. In 1930, the Technical Department of the Navy presented a report on the development of a new series of light cruisers designed to replace obsolete ships and increase the overall tonnage of the fleet. The requirements for the new project paid special attention to armor protection, cruising range and armament. A total of six cruisers were laid down, the lead ship was named La Galissonnière. The cruiser operated in the Mediterranean Sea; after the capitulation of France and the occupation of the south of the country by German troops, La Galissonnière was scuttled by its crew in the dock in Toulon. The Italians raised the cruiser, but in 1943 after the armistice, it was captured by the Germans and returned to the Vichy Government. In 1944, La Galissonnière was sunk again, this time as a result of US air strikes. In 1954, the ship was raised and finally dismantled for scrap metal in 1956.
[/expand]




The La Galissonnière light cruiser was considered to be perhaps the best representative of this class of ships built before the war. Let’s take a look at why! Meet one of the new additions coming in the next major update, the La Galissonnière light cruiser at rank IV for France.




In terms of armament, La Galissonnière resembles the Émile Bertin light cruiser, known as the “glass cannon” of France’s Bluewater fleet tree. The La Galissonnière features three main caliber turrets with three 152 mm cannon barrels in each, a good rate of fire and excellent armor-piercing shells, where the La Galissonnière can join up with allies to hunt some battleships. The secondary caliber is also no different, being universal 90 mm guns in twin mounts. However, La Galissonnière’s air defense weapons are lacking — just a pair of 37 mm anti-aircraft guns and large-caliber machine guns. For close combat and as a weapon of last resort, this cruiser can use torpedoes, with two per side.




While the armor of the Émile Bertin was deliberately neglected in favor of speed, when designing La Galissonnière, the shipbuilders decided to return to a more traditional approach. The ship maintains a high speed of 35 knots (65 km/h), even for a light cruiser, while having excellent protection for its class. Most of the hull is covered by a wide 105 mm armor belt, there’s also anti-torpedo bulkheads inside the hull, and the armor deck is 38 mm thick. This makes La Galissonnière not inferior in protection to its counterparts from other nations!



La Galissonnière is a classic late light cruiser! That’s it for today, keep an eye on the news for more dev blogs for the next major update, releasing before the end of this year. Have fun in your battles!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

Thank you for all of your screenshots that you submitted last week. Some of you likely found out that some bridges don’t support the weight of heavy tanks - Try not to fall off! This week, grab some friends and take a screenshot! 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 #WTscreen149. You have time until the 13th of December to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

• Your screenshot must include two or more player vehicles.
  
• You must add the #WTscreen149 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=3375091725
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374449246
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3375184770

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374993558
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3374344589
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3376321025

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

Today, we’re pleased to announce that a whole flurry of Thai aircraft will be reinforcing the Japanese air tree in the next major update! The Royal Thai Air force currently fields a wide range of aircraft, from capable fighters to powerful ground attackers, meaning a varied selection is ready to support Japan at the higher ranks. Let’s meet them!

The Royal Thai Air Force has a relatively small but rich history, too extensive to cover briefly. It was one of the first Air Forces in Asia, formed on November 2nd 1913. Three Thai officers were sent to France to undergo pilot training after the leadership was impressed by an air display by a Belgian pilot over Bangkok. After completing training, a Breguet biplane and four Nieuport IV monoplanes were purchased.

Later in 1914, the aviators put on an air display with their new aircraft. This greatly impressed the king, and with his support the Air Force was born, named the Royal Aeronautical Service, and put under the control of the Army.

Today, the Royal Thai Air Force has approximately 46,000 personnel and close to 500 aircraft, with the Alpha Jet, F-5, F-16 and JAS 39 to name a few in service today.

Starting off the new aircraft is the F-84G, a classic jet which is both a strong fighter and a capable CAS platform, this one will do a great job of bolstering ground battle lineups as a versatile strike aircraft.

Speaking of strike aircraft, two Alpha jets will be arriving as well! The familiar Alpha Jet A variant, along with the upgraded Alpha Jet TH (Phase 1). This variant lacks a cannon, but carries four all-aspect AIM-9P4 air-to-air missiles along with some great ground ordnance!






Accompanying the Squadron F-5E that arrived earlier in the year are two more models! The F-5A, and the F-5T SCU “Tigris”. Along with its typical array of ground attack weaponry, this Thai modification can equip Python 3 air-to-air missiles.

Further attacker options are represented by the AV-8S (Late) and the A-7E, both advanced strike aircraft with a wide variety of CAS options, along with some air-to-air weaponry as well to keep them competitive in all modes. 

Capping off the line are the F-16A Block 15 OCU and the JAS39C Gripen! These capable multi-role fighters will provide an edge in ground and air combat thanks to their advanced weaponry options. These Thai variants will bring additional playstyles to the top ranks, ensuring that the Japanese air tree remains versatile and competitive.





We’re glad to be able to include the Royal Thai Air force and its history into the game. These additions will enhance the Japanese air tree with more gameplay options and variety, we hope you’ll enjoy flying them and adding them into your lineups!



That’s all from us today, you can look forward to all of these aircraft in the next major update which will be coming soon. Until then all the best, and we’ll be in touch again soon to cover more upcoming content.

Please note that the mentioned vehicle characteristics may be changed before they are added to the game.

After India gained independence, the government had problems funding the country’s armed forces. On December 7th 1949, Flag Day was first celebrated! Small flags were distributed to the population in exchange for donations. The holiday has been held annually since then, on this day the armed forces parade, veterans are honored and funds are raised to support the military.

The Vijayanta is temporarily returning for sale, and is available at a 30% discount for 6,111 Golden Eagles.

When: From today until December 9th (07:00 GMT).
Where: Great Britain > Army > Premium Vehicles.

The MiG-21 Bison is available at a 30% discount in our Store.

To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store!
Price: 52.49

• MiG-21 Bison
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles

About these vehicles

• The Vijayanta was India’s first MBT, based on the British Vickers Mk.1. The Vijayanta’s two-plane stabilized 105 mm gun has access to excellent ammunition, including an APDS, HESH and HEATFS shell that have a reload time on an Ace crew of only five seconds! It also has three machine guns and smoke grenades to boot.

• The MiG-21 Bison is an upgraded version of the MiG-21bis interceptor in service with the Indian Air Force. This aircraft is armed with a variety of weaponry, including the advanced R-27R and R-73E air-to-air missiles, TV guided and regular bombs, plus rockets. It also has excellent acceleration and maneuverability, and a radar!

Hi there everyone, it’s magazine2 reporting in. Today I’d like to go through some information to keep you in the loop — we’re in the last stages of 2024 and this is a busy time for the dev team. This will also be the last update from the CM team in 2024!

To start off, the CM team wanted to give you a free decal as a gift and token of appreciation to all of you. Designed by the CM team especially for this post series, the code is hidden somewhere in this article (it’s really not hard to find, don’t worry!).

Once you find it, head here and activate it on your account. Important: make sure to login to the game after activating the decal on the website, as if you don’t, it won’t activate on your account at all.

Once you’ve logged in this decal can be found under Special > Snails in the decal customization menu. The code is valid until December 26th (07:00 GMT). Enjoy!





The major update was large in terms of graphical changes and the introduction of ray tracing. These types of additions take a lot of development time and did bring issues at first for some players which were unintentional. The dev and QA team worked hard on rectifying these issues as soon as they could, we appreciate your patience with this and reports on these issues. The entire team is grateful for your help and sorry for any disruption to your game time.

Coming on to major feedback that was collected by the team. Many thanks to everyone who left feedback, especially constructive criticism. Here’s some replies from the devs that I’ve picked out from our doc. Other technical information on vehicles or their ordnance will be spread around by other CM’s on the forums. If you’d like to see if we have some responses to particular feedback, then feel free to ask and we’ll try to provide you with answers if we have some.

“Missile Evaded” message: We analyzed player feedback and decided to improve this feature. In some modes it will be completely hidden (SB), and in the rest (AB, RB) it will be possible to hide it or leave it at the player’s discretion. Evasion statistics in the debriefing menu will remain for all modes. We’re working on the ability to hide or enable the message at the moment, if everything goes fine this option will be available soon.

Asking for Soviet top tier jet improvements: Currently regarding statistics US aircraft are in the lead with Soviet aircraft slightly behind, though not significantly enough to where they require better weaponry. From looking at the preliminary data, the addition of advanced weaponry as suggested by players would tip the scales drastically in the other direction, here we’re talking about the RVV-MD close-range missile. Also brought up were R-77-1 medium-range missiles, though regarding energy these don’t differ much from the R-77 already in the game.

Newly added helicopters lacking the new heli damage model: The devs are working on this, updated heli DM will be coming in the future for the helis released in the Firebirds major update.



When the devs first started working on the new player profile, the goal in mind was to make it more simplistic and without information overload, which is why the player card only has one showcase and information is spread out rather than it all being in one place. The devs also wanted player cards to be unique and special to each player, with the ability to showcase cool achievements that they’ve earned, or show off a rare vehicle that they’re proud of, for example.


When the major update released, one of the main talking points was the new player card and we relayed this information to the dev team. In hindsight, the team realises that releasing the player card with missing information beforehand was not very effective. Our aim was to release new player card “showcases” gradually rather than all at once as many of them take a while to program and implement into the game as there is a lot of old and intricate data to handle. After design, implementing such a card takes a considerable amount of time with the GUI designers, and handling a huge amount of historic data is a careful process. We’re going to learn from this.

We had a lengthy discussion with the devs about its design based on feedback. We considered that it could be rolled back to the old one in the meantime while more features were added, however this was not plausible due to technical reasons and the fact that we’d have to maintain the new and old version, causing further delays.

We understand the feedback about its design and display of information, but as of now the devs will be keeping it in terms of layout. Having said this, we’ll be adding the missing information gradually (more on that below), but the current layout and display of information on the Player Card will remain how it is.

In total, the devs have more than a dozen different showcases planned which will be added over time. If developed in time for the December major update, the following five showcases are planned to be added. However just a warning that there is a chance they might not make in December, which means they’ll come sometime in early 2025 instead.

1. Vehicle Collector. Shows the total number of vehicles on your account, and separately for each nation.
   
   
2. Atomic Ace. Unlocked when receiving the “Doomsday!” award. Shows the total number of awards received. We plan to add all previously received awards to the counter.
   
   
3. Peacemaker. Unlocked when receiving the “Peaceful atom” award. Shows the total number of awards received. Likewise we plan to add all previously received rewards to the counter.
   
   
4. Battle-Hardened. You can choose one of the gamemodes. For this mode, the player’s skill-dependent statistics for the last month and place in the leaderboard (by PvP-rating) will be shown: number of battles; percentage of victories; average relative position; player k/d; AI k/d; average score; place in the leaderboard and pvp-rating.
   
   
5. Favorite Vehicle. You can choose one vehicle from your collection and the mode (AB/RB/SB). For this vehicle, in the selected mode, the statistics from the “Service Record” menu will be shown: number of battles; number of victories; number of spawns; number of deaths; number of kills.
   

We also have some more showcases planned, they will likely be added in the spring:

• Achievement Hunter.
  
• Squadron Warrior.
  
• Medalist.
  
• Title Collector.
  
• Decal Collector.
  
• Decorator Collector.
  
• Ace of Spades.

Additionally, if all goes to plan, in the December major update, the devs plan to add profile background customization. There will be 7 free profile backgrounds that the player can choose from and ways to get other ones through events and for Golden Eagles. As mentioned above, no promises if this will come in the December major, they may be pushed back to early 2025, but they’re in the works!

Avatar frames will also be added as well, perhaps in the December major as well. When they’re first added, they’ll also be free with some paid ones (ranging from 500 to 1,000 GE, prices might change) much like how profile icons work. And as mentioned already, we can’t say for sure whether they’ll be ready for the December update and may be pushed back as well, but they’re being worked on!



The dev team and CM team collaborated on this event to create it together, we experimented with a new type of event whereby there was the same type of vehicle vs itself. We wanted to do something fun and unique for the game’s 12th anniversary here, which was the main reason there was only 12 IS-7s given away.

We’ve collected feedback on this event and will look to improve similar ones in the future. They may or may not return in some aspect, perhaps as a fun little weekend addition or even not at all, no promises from us on this. We’re still analysing and thinking of ways to improve them and make them as fun as possible without the feeling of a “marathon”. Thanks to everyone who participated in this event and left feedback on it and congrats to the 12 IS-7 winners!

Be sure to activate the code NOSEKRITPLS on the your profile page to receive this cool decal designed by the CM team!

We’ve not done a Q&A for a while, so I asked our game director some questions. Here are 13 questions mainly focused on the game going forward into 2025, I hope you find the answers interesting and valuable. Special thanks to Viascheslav for his time!

Q: Abandoned Factory has recently received beautiful new visuals. Are there any plans to give older maps visual updates in the future?
A: Yes, we’re planning to update other locations as well. Not in the December update though, as it’s too soon, but in the first or second update of next year, several updated locations are planned at once.

Q: War Thunder is constantly expanding with new vehicles from other nations, which are implemented into nations already in the game. But are there any plans for separate standalone nations in the future in addition to the 10 already present in the game?
A: Yes, we have plans for separate new nations. But next year, we’ll focus on filling the gaps in existing trees, including adding subtrees of other nations to them, and adding new types of vehicles.

Q: It has been a while since there was any information surrounding World War Mode. What are the plans for this mode? Will it come back in some capacity?
A: We’re developing a new World War mode. I hope we can tell you more about it in early 2025.

Q: With the addition of the F-117, being a very cool but “novelty” aircraft, will we see more additions like these, such as interesting vehicles that wouldn’t fit too well into the meta?
A: Obviously, these types of aircraft that are “not very well fitting into the meta” cannot be a regular addition to the game, since we try to please as many players as possible with updates. But these types of vehicles will appear from time to time. Including some interesting things that are already in the plans for 2025.

Q: AI Ticket bleed is detrimental to Air RB as the game can end without direct player input (and some AI aircraft are more effective than others). Could the impact of AI aircraft be capped to a certain amount of tickets? That way players would have to actively end the game themselves.
A: A5: We monitor the average time of game sessions in different locations, and if it stands out in one direction, we adjust the logic in the mission. However, in our experience, very few game sessions in ARB end with the destruction of ground vehicles, and after adding the logic of AI attack aircraft, the average time of missions in which this logic was added increased, not decreased, since players began to spend time hunting for such AI targets. However, we do not exclude the possibility of bugs with asymmetric ticket bleed due to AI actions, so if you have specific examples of such problems, we’d be grateful for a completed report here.

Q: The Roadmap is an excellent way to see what is planned to come. Are there any plans for a 2025 Roadmap?
A: We used to gather previous Roadmaps when the general plan for changing the game dedicated to one goal was very long and consisted of many steps, and we wanted everyone to see the general goal and progress towards it. And now, there are many changes in the works aimed at improving the game in different directions, on different fronts, both improving stability, and first of all, updating the game graphics, and of course work on improving the game based on your reports and feedback. We plan to regularly cover the progress of development and report on our plans for implementing certain features and adding vehicles, and in the future we may return to the previous Roadmap format.

As for the current Roadmap, we plan to complete most of the remaining parts before the second major update in 2025.

Q: In Ground Realistic Battles, top attack aircraft are capable of dominating ground vehicles for the most part. Are there any plans to do something about this in 2025?
A: According to our data, the balance at the top ranks of ground battles is noticeably shifted towards aviation and helicopters, and this balance has become even worse with the introduction of top aircraft this year. The situation where aircraft can attack tanks from a safe distance with impunity makes gameplay more boring for aviation and less fair for ground vehicles, a similar situation is with helicopters equipped with long-range fast ATGMs, or “fire-and-forget” ATGMs.

To counter these types of threats, more powerful systems are needed that have the ability to fire at several targets at once and a wide search sector in both azimuth and elevation. The most advanced SAM system currently presented in the game only partially meets these requirements, so we’ll move towards heavier systems for all nations, including those components of which are located on several chassis. Of course, we’ll have to solve the problem of controlling these types of SAM systems, but we’re already having thoughts on the matter.

In turn, there are plans to add new capabilities for aircraft. And while we do not consider anti-radiation missiles (ARM) a priority and necessity, more advanced capabilities of ESM from on board an aircraft, i.e. more accurate determination of the active radar position, are in our fairly close plans.

Q: Are there any plans to implement naval for China, Sweden and Israel in 2025?
A: No, in 2025 we plan to focus on the logical completion of Bluewater fleet trees by adding the most famous and powerful battleships. In parallel, we’ll work on the implementation of other types of ships and weapons that are not yet presented in War Thunder.

Q: Bluewater fleet trees are mostly seeing the addition of pre-WWI, WWI and WWII ships. Will we eventually see Cold War or modern ships in 2025?
A: The game already has ships from the Cold War era, but more modern weapons such as long-range anti-ship missiles and all their accompanying mechanics look like a rather difficult challenge to implement in a real-time online PvP game. So at the moment, we can’t yet give exact forecasts or even guarantees that something like this will appear in War Thunder.

Q: Submarines were tested some years ago. Are there any plans to add playable Submarines to naval battles, or in some form to the game?
A: Yes, we have plans for playable submarines, but no further details on this yet.

Q: Is Frame Generation planned to come to the game? For many this would boost game performance, especially when using Ray Tracing.
A: We’re still at the prototyping stage, but this technology is in our plans.

Q: To be specific about improvements coming, with more graphics and effects being updated in Firebirds, and more planned, specifically what will be updated in this regard?
A: We have several areas in which we’re working on graphics. Firstly, these are improvements to RT and the implementation of RT on all platforms available for this technology next year. Secondly, everything that concerns the effects of interaction with water — explosions, movement in water as well as the water itself. We also have plans for further visual improvements to the effect of a fatal explosion of ground vehicle ammunition. But this is only part of the planned improvements and refinements.

Q: APCR is generally seen as a weak round, making it almost always redundant when another round is available. Do you have plans to make this shell more functional to give it a stronger place in the game, either with more reliable damage or angled performance? The round often doesn’t feel fun to use.
A: We increased the damage of APCR shells several years ago, practically equalizing it with identical APDS shells in energy. The poor performance of APCR against sloped and spaced armor is their design flaw due to the lack of a jacket and armor-piercing damper in the hard-alloy core. APCR overall is more of a specialized shell for defeating heavily armored tanks without sloped armor in situations where it’s more difficult to use a more versatile shell.



We’re nearing the end of 2024 now, which means there’s one more vehicle event coming! This time for the winter event, we’ll have four vehicles instead of the three mentioned at the beginning of this year — one tank, two aircraft and one ship. Please keep an eye on the news for what’s to come.

In the near future, we’re going to be revealing some information about our plans for upcoming vehicles in 2025, this will primarily be about top tier SAMs for all nations. We’ll be working with the devs to produce an article with information on this, so keep an eye out for it in the future.

As usual, we’ll have a major this month. The devs are working on some cool vehicles that we hope you’ll enjoy. Keep an eye out for the start of the dev blogs and watch out for extreme weather!

The entire War Thunder team would like to extend our thanks to every one of you for playing the game, leaving feedback and reporting bugs to us. We aim to keep up this article series going into 2025 to ensure you’re kept up to date with information from the dev team themselves. Have fun, enjoy the upcoming festive season and see you in 2025!

In today’s first December major update dev blog, we’ll be taking a look at the French VBCI featuring a 25 mm autocannon!

At a glance:

• Rapid-fire 25 mm autocannon with an APFSDS belt!
  
• Thermal imager!
  
• Top speed of 100 km/h.
  
• Large in size!

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
In the early 1990s, France launched a program to create a multi-role combat wheeled vehicle. The UK and Germany joined the project, but the joint format failed and since 1999, France has continued it independently. Giat Industries and Renault received a contract to produce 65 vehicles under the name VBCI, designed to replace the outdated AMX-10P IFV. In 2003-2004, five prototypes underwent armor and electronic system tests: four in the infantry fighting vehicle (VCI) variant and one in the command post (VPC). It was initially planned to install a Tarask turret, but it did not meet army requirements. The program dragged on for two years, with the VBCI receiving a new Dragar turret. Serial production began in 2006 with a steadily growing volume of orders, and by 2010 630 vehicles had been produced (520 VCI and 110 VPC). Since 2008, VBCIs have been entering service. In combat conditions, VBCI IFVs have been used in Afghanistan.
[/expand]




Meet the iconic VBCI for the French ground forces tree, coming to the game in the next major update. Excellent onboard turret electronics, a rapid-fire autocannon and speed make this vehicle an exemplary modern IFV (although it’s large!). Let’s take a closer look!




Those who have played the French ground forces tree will already be familiar with the VBCI platform in the form of the premium VBCI-2. The VBCI is similar in many ways, instead featuring a different turret and gun and it’s not a premium. Armed with a 25 mm GIAT M811 autocannon that has a rate of fire of up to 400 rounds per minute, this gun has access to belts with APFSDS and HEI-T shells! The gun is fully stabilized, with the fire control system both having a laser rangefinder and a thermal imager. Compared to the 30 mm cannon found on the VBCI-2, this cannon has a better rate of fire, all while maintaining good armor penetration, meaning you can try to take out low-flying aircraft as a quasi SPAA vehicle!

The VBCI also features an Electro-optical active protection system, giving it the ability to automatically divert laser-guided missiles.



Built on an 8x8 wheel arrangement, the VBCI can reach a maximum speed of up to 100 km/h on flat, hard roads. However, the long wheelbase and considerable height of this vehicle make it an absolute unit, meaning it’ll be difficult to maneuver and take cover, so be sure to take this into account while in battle. The VBCI will be helpless if it gets stuck somewhere in sand or snow while trying to flank, so try to choose firmer roads where possible.




That’s it for this one! The VBCI will arrive at rank VII in the French ground forces tree in the next major update. Be sure to keep an eye on the news where we’ll be telling you more about the things coming in this December winter update and the cool activities that we’re preparing for you during the winter holidays!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.