Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus (Happy St. David’s Day)!

March 1st is St. David’s Day! A special day for the people of Wales, who go to parades, music festivals and wear the daffodil and leek. The Welsh flag features a red dragon passant with a white and green background, and makes a temporary return to War Thunder for Golden Eagles.

This flag is available for 500 Golden Eagles over the weekend period.


“Wales” flag decal

When: From today until March 3rd (07:00 GMT).
Where: You can find this decal by going to Nickname → Decals → Common → World Flags.

Today we’ll be taking a look at the F/A-18 Hornet family of aircraft — the nations that will get this aircraft and the pre-order pack!

At a glance:

• Outstanding maneuverability!
  
• Large selection of weapons.
  
• New air-to-air missiles.
  
• Weaponry for any type of mission!

Vehicle History
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The F/A-18 Hornet carrier-based fighter jet was a further development of the Northrop YF-17 prototype. This prototype took part in the Lightweight Fighter program for a promising U.S. Air Force fighter against the YF-16 prototype that went on to become the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1975. After the YF-17 lost this competition, it was decided to return to the project to participate in a new program announced by the Navy. McDonnell Douglas joined in reworking the prototype into a carrier-based variant instead, ultimately becoming the sole developer of the carrier-based version.

Initially, two versions of the new aircraft were planned; a fighter and an attack variant, however during development both were combined into one. The first flight of the prototype took place in November 1978, with serial production beginning in 1980. Soon after, this new jet fighter began to enter service with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The Hornet was produced both in single-seat variants (A and C) and the two-seat variants (B and D).

The F/A-18 Hornet has been used in most military conflicts where the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been involved in, including Libya, the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm, the Balkans and Afghanistan. In addition to the United States, other countries have operated the F/A-18 Hornet, including Canada, Finland, Australia, Kuwait and some more. The F/A-18 Hornet was further developed into the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
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Perhaps the most famous U.S. carrier-based fighter-bomber, the F/A-18 Hornet is coming to War Thunder in the Hornet’s Sting major update! Today, we’ll be telling you about the F/A-18A and F/A-18C (late) fighters, plus the premium F/A-18C (early), where the pre-order to receive bonuses has started today. Let’s take a closer look at this jet!



The F/A-18 Hornet family has gained great popularity in both the United States and abroad thanks to its versatile flight and combat capabilities. The powerful F404 series engine (that slightly varies in power in different models), excellent aerodynamics and advanced flap design not only makes the Hornet one of the best planes in the game in terms of maximum speed and climb rate, but also provides the highest maneuverability across the entire speed range — a great feature to have at high-rank air battles. The Hornet’s structural strength is also very high, but be sure to train your crew in resistance to overloads before going into battle!

Interesting: The Hornet became the first U.S. combat aircraft to receive the combined designation of F/A (Fighter/Attack).



The F/A-18 Hornet features the M61A1 rapid-fire aircraft cannon that’s conveniently located at the center of the front of the aircraft between the cockpit and nose cone. All Hornet variants in the game will receive almost identical types of radars with target differentiation, RWR and countermeasure pods for launching flares and chaff. However, the main aspect that sets the variants of the F/A-18 Hornet apart is the secondary weapons and sighting systems that make it possible to use more advanced types of weapons.

Let’s first take a look at the F/A-18A variant. This one has the least amount of available weapons, however it’s still enough to perform a wide range of combat tasks. For air combat, this one features the AIM-9L and AIM-7F and M air-to-air missiles. In addition to regular bombs and rockets, you’ll be able to take the new Walleye II ER/DL guided bomb with a thermal imaging homing head into battle, while a pod with a thermal imager can also be equipped under the wings.

Moving onto the premium F/A-18C (early) variant that can be pre-ordered starting from today. This one has a thermal imaging and laser-guided targeting system that allows for the addition of the Paveway II family of guided bombs (GBU-12, GBU-16, GBU-10, GBU-24) and the advanced Maverick AGM-65E and AGM-65F guided missiles.



To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store!
79.99

• F/A-18С Early (Rank VIII, USA)
  
• 3000 Golden Eagles
  
• Premium account for 30 days
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique "Any time Wingman" title
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique "Hornet Silhouette" decal
  
  
• Pre-order bonus: VFA-81 "Sunliners" Camouflage
  
  

Next up is the most advanced F/A-18C (late) variant. This variant will add guided bombs with GNSS guidance, including the GBU-38, GBU-32 and GBU-31 compared to the previous variants. For air combat, the F/A-18C (late) features a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), the maneuverable AIM-9M, the new to the game AIM-7P with inertial guidance with a mid-course update data-link, as well as the long-range AIM-120B active radar homing missile.





Lastly is the Finnish F/A-18C variant, coming to the Swedish aviation tree. This variant lacks weapons for strikes against ground targets, but is armed with a radar seeker, AIM-120B missiles for long-range air combat and maneuverable AIM-9M missiles for the closer ranges.

That’s it for this one! Four F/A-18 Hornet jet fighters will be coming to War Thunder with the release of the Hornet’s Sting major update — an uncompromising choice for air battles at the high-ranks for the USA and Sweden!

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

Introducing the next major update trailer for War Thunder: Hornet's Sting!

• A bug that sometimes caused launched ARH missiles to not display on a client and to not trigger RWR has been fixed. (Report).

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.

The French Strasbourg battleship with its non-standard armament layout is the main reward in the Raider Hunter vehicle event!

At a glance:

• Improved armor!
  
• Main battery guns at the front.
  
• Good speed.
  
• Reconnaissance aircraft.
  
• Radar.
  
• Mediocre air defense.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
During the interwar period, France urgently needed new competitive battleships that would comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. In 1932, two Dunkerque-class battleships were ordered for the French Navy, designed as a response to the latest warships of the leading naval powers. Strasbourg was the second battleship of this type, built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard and launched in December 1936. With the outbreak of World War II, she took part in the hunt for the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee and escorted French convoys.

After the capitulation of France, Strasbourg was sent to the port of Mers-el-Kebir in Algeria, where she was soon attacked by the Royal Navy, but was able to break through to Toulon. Strasbourg remained there until 1942 as the flagship of the Vichy fleet, without taking part in any significant combat missions. In 1942, after Hitler ordered the occupation of the south of France, the crew of the battleship, among others, was ordered to scuttle the ship. Strasbourg was raised in 1943 and the dismantling of the ship for metal began. On August 18th 1944, Strasbourg was bombed by U.S. aircraft and was sunk again. The ship was raised again in 1946, however the restoration of the battleship was considered too costly and in 1955 Strasbourg was sold for scrap.
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The vehicle reward in the Raider Hunter event is the Strasbourg battleship, the sister ship of the Dunkerque! Strasbourg has an unusual main caliber gun arrangement and has reinforced hull armor, all while maintaining excellent mobility. Diving into the details!




Let’s first look into the differences between the well-proven Dunkerque battleship. Despite all of its advantages, the Dunkerque has a noticeable downside and that’s its armor. Armor in the most important areas can be penetrated by any battleship, which forces you to limit the tactics needed when playing this ship. The Strasbourg on the other hand partially solves this problem, as the thickness of the main armor belt has increased from 225 mm to a quite acceptable 283. Plus, the thickness of the armor on the slopes and armored deck have increased, and the already decent main battery turret armor has slightly improved. The result of this is good protection from enemy fire, allowing you to bully even the best battleships in the game at long distances!

The interesting part of the Dunkerque-class battleships is their unusual gun arrangement. Strasbourg has two four-barrel turrets that are concentrated at the bow of the ship, while 16 secondary caliber guns are positioned closer to the stern with an onboard salvo possible from 10 of these guns. Eight 330 mm caliber guns can fire high-explosive and semi-armor-piercing shells at a rate of two shots per minute with a trained crew, which is about standard for battleships. Perhaps one of the most noticeable disadvantages of the Strasbourg is its anti-air defenses. Like the Dunkerque, there’s only two-larger caliber machine guns and slow-firing 37 mm guns. A big advantage for detecting air threats is the ME-140 / MR-126 radar (found only on the Cobert heavy cruiser).




Despite the reinforced armor, Strasbourg retains remarkable performance characteristics for a battleship, with a relatively small turning radius and a maximum speed of 30 knots (over 54 km/h). A pair of Loire 130C hydroplanes that can lay smoke screens and even capture points are a very useful bonus!

You can get the Strasbourg battleship for France in the Raider Hunter event that started today! Click below to see the full details about this event.



Click here to find out more details about the Raider Hunter event

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

In this month’s Pages of History, you will find yourself in the midst of key historical events across different theaters of war. From the Soviet Union and Austria, Iraq and the Mediterranean — take part in battles using vehicles corresponding to these historic conflicts and earn rewards! 



James Edgar Johnson was a British Royal Air Force fighter ace who flew the Spitfire. Piloting of course required both hands, which was a challenge for James due to a previous sporting injury he sustained. He was offered a position as an instructor but declined, opting instead to undergo shoulder surgery, which caused him to miss the Battle of Britain. He would go on to more than make up for this however, completing 700 combat sorties and shooting down 34 German aircraft, making him the most successful ace on the Western Front against the Luftwaffe.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until April 3rd (11:30 GMT) without completing tasks. To find it, go to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.


Completing each individual task will give you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backups;
  
• Premium account for 1 day;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles except for “Assault” mode.

In March 1943, the Rzhev salient was eliminated. For the Soviet Army, this was part of the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation, which pushed German forces back and reclaimed significant territory. Meanwhile, the Wehrmacht, seeking to shorten its defensive lines, conducted Operation Büffel, evacuating its forces from Rzhev and later redeploying them southward for the Battle of Kursk.

On March 5th 1936, the British Supermarine Spitfire fighter took to the skies for the first time. It was mass-produced from 1938 to 1948, with over 20,000 units built. After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the primary fighter of the Royal Air Force and was also flown by pilots from the USA, Canada, Free France, and the USSR under the Lend-Lease program.

In the spring of 1944, the Red Army launched multiple offensives to drive Axis forces out of Soviet territory. One of these aimed to liberate Pskov, a key regional city in western Russia. After six weeks however, Soviet troops only advanced 13 km, and Pskov would not be fully liberated until July.

On March 15th 1945, Allied forces launched an offensive between Agno and Saarbrücken, reaching the Rhine River near Karlsruhe after ten days. The Wehrmacht suffered heavy losses but managed to evacuate a large portion of its forces and equipment across the river.

On March 16th 1945, Soviet troops launched an assault on Vienna with the support of Bulgarian forces. By April 4th, they had captured Bratislava, entered Vienna on April 8th, and fully expelled German troops by April 15th. Shortly after, Austria would declare its exit from the Third Reich.

On March 22nd 1942, a British convoy escorting transport ships to Malta encountered superior Italian forces in the Gulf of Sirte off the coast of Libya. Despite the British fleet only consisting of light cruisers and destroyers, they were able to protect the transports from the battleship Littorio and heavy cruisers Gorizia and Trento. The battle was long however, and caused the convoy to arrive after daylight, leading to all transport ships being sunk by Axis aircraft.

The city of Najaf in central Iraq became a major battleground during the 2003 Iraq War, where coalition forces faced fierce resistance. On March 24th, an American Apache helicopter was shot down over the city. Over the following days, ground troops surrounded Najaf, but full control was only secured by April 4th.

Between March 27th and March 29th 1941, the British Mediterranean Fleet delivered a crushing defeat to the Italian Navy near Cape Matapan, sinking three heavy cruisers. This battle outlined the importance of aircraft carriers, which Italy lacked and were never able to deploy during the war.

Today we’ll be taking a look at a new premium for Germany and France — the experimental Marder CLOVIS light tank featuring an oscillating turret!

At a glance:

• Drum-style automatic loader with 12 rounds!
  
• Good mobility.
  
• 105 mm HEAT shells.
  
• Coaxial 20 mm cannon.
  
• Poor armor protection.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
In 1979, the Marder DF 105 prototype was built in Germany, featuring an oscillating FL-15 turret on the chassis of the German Marder IFV. To compensate for the increased weight of the turret, the vehicle was given a more powerful engine. The Marder DF 105 received the classification of “Combat Tank” and was considered for use as an IFV/APC combat support vehicle, tank destroyer and even SPG. This experimental vehicle did not go into production and was preserved as a single prototype. Further down the line, on the basis of the Marder DF 105, the Marder CLOVIS prototype was built featuring greater turret protection and a 20 mm autocannon paired with the main gun. This modification was also not accepted for serial production and never left the prototype stage.
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Pre-order - Marder Clovis Pack
Can be purchased through the store in-game. Shop > Online Store
49.99

• Marder Clovis (Rank V, Germany)
  
• Premium account for 15 days
  
• 2000 Golden Eagles
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique "Dial M for Marder" title
  
• Pre-order bonus: M for Marder decal
  

Featuring an oscillating turret with a 105 mm gun and 20 mm autocannon along with good mobility, this new premium light tank is coming for both Germany and France! You’ll be able to pre-order the German one starting today to receive pre-order bonuses, and purchase the French one with the release of the next major update for Golden Eagles. Let’s take a closer look!



In general the Marder CLOVIS is similar to the DF105 in many ways, as they both feature a 105 mm gun with HEAT, HE and Smoke shells, plus two “drum” magazines in the oscillating turret with 6 shells in each. This provides automatic loading capability which in turn means a great reload speed, regardless of crew skills! There’s a rather awesome and extra addition to the Marder CLOVIS turret however, and that’s a coaxial 20 mm automatic cannon, great for taking out low-flying helicopters and lightly armored vehicles.

The Marder CLOVIS uses the same chassis as the DF105, which in turn means it has the same 720 HP engine and general mobility. Thanks to this, mobility on roads and across rough ground is going to be enough to get to some great positions on the map to take out and scout enemies for your teammates!



Primarily a support and scout vehicle, the Marder CLOVIS can also be used in close-range engagements thanks to its quick reload speed. Since the main round for this tank is the French 105 mm HEAT shell with 400 mm of penetration, this tank will have no problem penetrating steel homogeneous armor. Like all light tanks however, the Marder CLOVIS has poor armor protection, where the hull is unlikely to withstand autocannon fire, and anything that penetrates the turret will likely cause the drum magazine ammo to detonate. Stick with your teammates or move to advantageous positions with care, utilizing your speed advantage.



That’s it for today! The premium Marder CLOVIS will help you research any German or French tank up to rank VI. Thanks to this tank’s reload speed and mobility, you’ll have a fun time taking out enemies. Keep an eye out for more dev blogs coming your way!

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

• For win64 clients, the utility that collects data on game crashes and offers to send it to the developers has been replaced. Due to the dump generation, it now allows data collection on “silent” crashes that previously occurred without any messages at all. Now when sending reports, you must send the “metadata” file containing the CrashID from the “.game_logs\” folder in the root folder of the game.

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.

Today we’re taking a look at one of the more unconventional light tanks out there, the Harry Hopkins Mk.I, a new tank for Britain at Rank II! 

At a glance:

• Rapid fire 40 mm cannon!
  
• Relatively good armor for a light tank.
  
• Scouting ability.
  
• Low reverse speed.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
Harry Hopkins, or the Mk VIII Light Tank was designed in late 1941 in order to replace the Mk VII Tetrarch, with the primary goal of increasing the overall armor protection. This was achieved, however the tank was plagued with teething issues throughout its development and testing cycle, which resulted in long delays and a significant reduction in the number of tanks produced from the initial plan. 

The tanks were deemed relatively obsolete by the time they were ready for action, several suggestions were put forward, such as attaching wings to them and using them as tank gliders, or sending them to specialized light tank units. These plans were rejected however, and the Harrys were handed over to the RAF to act as relatively static defenses for airfields and bases. 
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Meet Harry! The final light tank design made by Vickers during World War II, coming in the next major update. Despite its relative obsolescence by the time it was finally ready for combat, it has a number of advantages, so let’s have a look!




The key feature that sets this one apart from previous light tanks is oddly the armor! It features 38 mm of protection on the turret and hull, with the latter having some decent sloping, enough to shug off hits from some of the weaker shells, which is more than most light tanks can boast! The turret ring however only offers 14 mm of protection, it is a small weak spot, but at close range will be a vulnerability.

Did you know? This tank is actually named after an American, Harry Hopkins, the chief diplomatic adviser to Roosevelt and a key figure in the Lend-Lease program which saw the U.S. give significant aid to Britain. The tank was named in honor of him and his contribution to the allied war effort. 



Mobility is lower than the previous light tanks due to the increased armor, it adds one ton of weight over the Tetrach which limits its top speed to 48 km/h. This isn’t especially high for a light tank, but the extra armor does offer more versatility for different playstyles as a compromise. The largest negative though is undoubtedly the reverse speed at only 4 km/h, which should be kept in mind when playing aggressively.



Firepower will be familiar, as it is entirely identical to the Tetrarch and Daimler, featuring the same fast-firing 40 mm cannon, a shoulder stabilizer, -15 degrees of gun depression, and a somewhat average traverse rate. Despite being an early gun, its top AP shell can get through a max of 89 mm of armor, and the APHE can be similarly destructive with its decent explosive mass. It also features a smoke discharger with a total of 10 single-shot grenades.



That’s all for today, say hello to Harry in the British tree in the next major update, and keep an eye on the news for more interesting vehicles to come!

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

Today we’re taking a look at a machine with an interesting story, a French vehicle, captured and modified by Germany and then captured back and used by the French!

At a glance:

• Powerful L/60 50 mm cannon!
  
• Great top speed and mobility.
  
• Scouting ability.
  
• Limited protection.

Vehicle History
[expand type=details]
France built over 700 AMD Panhard 35 armored cars from 1937 to 1940. After France fell, Germany would go on to enter a large number of these vehicles into service with their own army, modifying many of them to suit other roles. A late and relatively rare modification was the inclusion of a German 50 mm cannon, both the L/42 and L/60 versions were fitted into a small number of Panhard 178 models. Later after the liberation of France, the 1e Groupement Mobile de Reconnaissance would end up capturing a large amount of remaining German equipment, with some of these being their own modified Panhard armored cars! 
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Say hello to a new powerful French Panhard, this variant was captured and repurposed by the Germans to fit the long L/60 50 mm cannon, and later was captured back by France and used against Germany! This mobile and destructive armored car will be joining the French tree in the next major update, so let’s take a look!




This vehicle uses a lot of familiar parts you may already be familiar with. It’s very similar to the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK, a premium in the German tree. This variant however uses a longer 50 mm cannon, functionally the same as the version found on the Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma and various late Pz.III models. With over 100mm of penetration and decent explosive filler, this cannon can comfortably deal with the majority of enemy vehicles from the side, and many of them from the front!

Mobility is similarly effective, with a 105 HP engine and max speed of 72 km/h on roads, it can traverse around the map quickly. Off-road mobility isn’t too bad either, often maintaining a speed between 35-40 km/h without much trouble. The turret traverse speed is fairly average however, so you may need to use the hull to swing the gun around quickly. 



Predictably, as with many light vehicles, armor protection is poor. Frontally, the hull armor varies between 20-30 mm of thickness, barely enough to withstand heavy machine guns. Due to the larger gun, this AMD is open topped, making it very vulnerable to high explosive shells and aircraft. It also lacks any kind of machine gun.

Regarding playstyle, the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK is a quintessential light tank, relying on its speed to reach strong positions early. While the gun is generally capable enough to combat many enemies from the front to some degree, side shots are much more reliable, and positioning on the flanks will be much more advantageous than trying to take enemies head on. Focus on using mobility to reach strong positions and remember to scout targets for your team!




That’s all from us today, this interesting and rare vehicle will be arriving in the French tech tree in the next major update. Until then, keep an eye on the news as we’ve got quite literally tons more to show you!

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