Today we’re excited to show you a new location coming to Air Battles in the next major update: the Falkland Islands (known as Islas Malvinas in Argentina)! Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, this island is a British Overseas Territory that we have set during the 1980s, specifically during the period of the Falklands Conflict.

We’re also taking a look at the visually improved Berlin and Kuban maps — so sit back and read on!


When developing this location, we focused on satellite images of the terrain to understand what kind of biomes prevail on the islands. The terrain in most places is generally wet and rugged with a lot of grass plains and smaller hills. In terms of homes, the island consists of one to two-story houses that were generally built quickly. There are only a few large towns on the islands, the rest of the population live on farms and are generally spread quite widely across the rocky terrain.




In terms of size, the location is 130 x 130 km, making it one of the largest air maps in the game. This means that you’ll be able to fly over all of the island and see areas such as Stanley, the capital of the island, Fox Bay, Goose Green and many other famous parts. This location has been designed with top tier jet battles in mind, where it will be available around this Battle Rating.



May ‘45. The Red Army has reached the famous Reichstag and the war is nearly over. For those who don’t know, Berlin in War Thunder is based on the actual layout of the area during the Second World War. We worked on keeping this authentic layout, all while updating the graphics and models of the location. Every building and structure has been reworked from the ground-up to ensure they look as high quality and authentic as possible. You may have noticed we’ve added more grass and trees, making the map look generally more green. To do this, we looked at historical photos from 1945 and saw that there was still a lot of grass and trees amongst the bomb craters and destruction.



The look and textures of bomb craters, fire and mud have all been improved and revised.




We now move from the heart of Berlin to the south of Russia. Kuban has been updated, all while retaining its original layout. When going about this, we looked at photos of this area and its type of structures to get inspiration on how the new look should be. The rocks, ground textures, trees, small structures like the bridge, barracks and sawmills and vegetation have all been reworked from the ground-up so that they look as beautiful and authentic as possible. Oh, there’s also GAZ trucks carrying logs!



That’s it for this blog! The Falkland Islands and visual overhauls to Berlin and Kuban are coming to the game in the next major update. Be sure to check it out and also our upcoming dev blogs!

On May 28th 1945, the USS Des Moines heavy cruiser was laid down and was the third American ship to be named after the capital of the state of Iowa. During her service life, she traveled all over the world, demonstrating the readiness of the US Navy to meet any challenge.

This heavy cruiser is back and is available for 8020 Golden Eagles.

When: From May 28th (11:00 GMT).
Where: USA > Bluewater fleet > Premium vehicles.



About this heavy cruiser

• The 203 mm Mark 16 gun debuted on the USS Des Moines! Their power and rate of fire will be a pleasant surprise when playing this ship for the first time. USS Des Moines is well protected from aircraft and can overall inflict colossal damage to enemy ships.

On May 28th 1935, the German Bf 109 made its first flight! This famous and iconic aircraft was used throughout the Second World War and post-war in several variants. Four years later on June 1st 1939, the Fw 190 fighter designed by Kurt Tank took to the air for the first time. Together, these legendary aircraft formed the backbone of Germany’s Luftwaffe during the Second World War, and were flown by some of the most successful aces in history.

When: From May 28th (10:00 GMT) until June 2nd (10:00 GMT).

• Germany: Flegel’s Bf 109 A (Rank I) for 175 Golden Eagles
  
• Italy: Bf 109 G-2 (Rank IV) for 3248 Golden Eagles
  
• Sweden: Bf 109 G-6 (Rank IV) for 3416 Golden Eagles
  
• USA: Bf 109 F-4 (Rank III) for 1015 Golden Eagles
  
• Japan: Bf 109 E-7 (Rank II) for 700 Golden Eagles
  
• USA: Fw 190 A-8 (Rank IV) for 2695 Golden Eagles

When: From May 28th (10:00 GMT) until June 2nd (10:00 GMT).

Germany: Bf 109 Z-1 (rank IV) for 2980 Golden Eagles
Japan: Fw 190 A-5 (rank IV) for 2980 Golden Eagles
USSR: Fw 190 D-9 (rank IV) for 7420 Golden Eagles


About these aircraft

• The Bf 109 Z-1 was inspired by the He 111 Z twin-fuselage bomber. German engineers combined two Bf 109s into one aircraft, with the result being a unique heavy fighter with powerful guns and a good speed at high altitudes.
  
• The Fw 190 A-5 (Japan) was given to Japan for flight testing, inspiring Kawasaki engineers to create the Ki-100. This fighter is best suited for attacks from above. Those who find themselves on the receiving end will be in trouble, as the four 20 mm cannons and two 7.92 mm machine guns will inflict devastation!
  
• The Fw 190 D-9 (USSR) was captured by the USSR towards the end of the Second World War and used in tests against the La-7. This variant features a high speed and rate of climb. For guns, the Fw 190 D-9 features two 20 mm cannons and two 13 mm machine guns.

When: From May 28th (10:00 GMT).
Where: Germany > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

This German fighter is back for good!

On top of this, it has a 30% discount until June 2nd (10:00), being available for 3416 Golden Eagles.

About this aircraft

• The Fw 190 D-13 was the last serial variant of the Fw family of aircraft. Its production began in March 1945 and about 30 fighters were created by the end of the war. It features three 20 mm Mauser MG 151 cannons, one in the nose and one on each wing with a maximum ammunition count of 750.

• Q-5A, Q-5L — a bug that caused the deployment of countermeasures to use 2 countermeasures of the same type per launch has been fixed. (Report).
  
• AGM-65E/E2/L — maximum seeker rotation speed (track rate) has been increased from 8 to 12 degrees per second. (Report).
  
• AGM-65D/F/G, AGM-130A-12, GBU-15(V)2/B — minimum and maximum field of view (FoV) values for the seeker have been reduced from 15 and 30 degrees to 1.5 and 3 degrees respectively. (Report).
  
• Blenheim Mk IV — a bug that caused the turret machine gun modules to be swapped has been fixed. (Report).
  
• Chesapeake Mk I — the ability to carry 1000 lbs bomb has been removed. The ability to carry 500 lbs bombs on underwing hardpoints has been added. (Report). Erroneously low maximum load on each of the wings and total maximum load have been increased.
  
• Tu-2 — the ability to carry BRAB-250, BRAB-500 and BRAB-1000 has beed added.
  
• Z.1007 bis serie 3, Z.1007 bis serie 5 — a 500-kg bomb modification description that stated the bombs were armor-piercing has been corrected, as the unlocked bomb is not armor-piercing.
  
• A32A — a bug in the Brandbomb m/58 description that caused the explosive type to be listed with a text key has been fixed. (Report).
  
• P1Y1 mod. 11 (all variants) — a preset with 800-kg armour-piercing bomb has been moved from the “To hit ground targets” category to “To hit sea targets” category. (Report).

• Starstreak missile — dart offset from the line of sight after splitting has been reduced. (Report).
  
• Rapier — the incorrectly missing scouting ability has been added. (Report).
  
• ASRAD-R, Lvrbv 701 — explosive mass in the RB 70, RB 70 Mk.2 and BOLIDE missiles has been reduced from 1.1 kg to 522 g. (Report).

• Leopard — a bug where the onboard 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine guns did not fire has been fixed. (Report).
  
• HMS Gay Archer —the Auxiliary Armament Targeting modification has been removed since it is not needed. (Report). Torpedo mode modification has been added. (Report).
  
• USS Flagstaff — a bug where the boat’s hull did not break when it was hit by large caliber shells has been fixed. (Report).
  
• Alano — the improved rangefinder modification has been removed, since the boat only has autocannons, which do not need this modification. Research Points and Golden Eagles spent on its research will be compensated. (Report).

• A set of achievements related to the French ships and boats have been added.
  
• A bug that caused the “Thunderer”, “Tsunami”, “Antimech”, and “Rogue wave” awards which imply destruction of enemy AI vehicles in Air Battles to be awarded in Ground and Naval Battles has been fixed.

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’ll be taking a look at the Sovetsky Soyuz which was supposed to become the core of the USSR’s fleet, but the outbreak of war put an end to these plans.

At a glance:

• 406 mm (16 inch) guns
  
• Strong hull armor and main battery turrets
  
• Decent air defense weaponry
  
• Mediocre mobility

Vehicle History

In the mid-1930s, the Soviet Union began work on an ambitious program to create a new and powerful fleet, with the center piece being given to the construction of a new generation of battleships. This new program envisaged the construction of eight Project 23 Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleships with 406 mm guns by 1943. Stalin himself personally attached particular importance to the project, viewing a powerful battleship fleet as an important attribute of great power and an instrument of international influence.

The first four ships were planned to be laid down in 1937 so that they could be introduced into the fleet by 1941. However, the implementation of such a large-scale program encountered enormous issues from the very beginning. Although four ships were laid down before the start of the war, (Sovetsky Soyuz in Leningrad, Sovetskaya Ukraina in Nikolayev, Sovetskaya Belorussiya and Sovetskaya Rossiya in Molotovsk), their construction was constantly behind schedule. The main problems were severe delays in the delivery of high-quality steel, a shortage of skilled workers, difficulties in overcoming challenges related to new technology, and constant adjustments to the program.

By June 1941, the technical readiness of the Sovetsky Soyuz, which was the lead ship, was only at 21% and was at even less for others. The outbreak of war put an end to this very ambitious program and in July 1941, by decree of the State Defense Committee, the construction of all battleships was stopped and their hulls were subsequently dismantled for scrap metal.




Meet the Sovetsky Soyuz, coming to War Thunder in the brand-new rank VII for Bluewater naval trees! This ship packs a serious punch, as it features 16 inch guns, great armor but is slightly on the worse side in terms of mobility. Read on for the full details.




All Project 23 ships were set to receive innovative 406 mm (16 inch) guns, and the Sovetsky Soyuz being one of them features nine of these guns in three three-gun turrets. These beefy guns can be loaded with armor-piercing rounds to use against heavily armored ships at long distances. For weaker ships, an option of semi-armor-piercing shells with very high armor-piercing values and an explosive charge of 88 kg is a great option to take them out.

For secondary weapons, there’s two calibers — six 152 mm turrets with two guns in each, and four 100 mm turrets with two guns in each. Both calibers are universal and have time fuzed shells as an option. To top it all off, the primary and secondary loadouts are complemented by 37 mm automatic cannons for short-range air engagements. There’s a total of eight of these turrets with four guns in each.




So we’ve seen that the Sovetsky Soyuz has excellent firepower, but does its armor hold up? Yep! This ship features a main armor belt that starts directly from the deck and goes just below the waterline. The average protection here is about 375 mm, however the thickest armor reaches about 420 mm to protect the ammunition elevators of the front two main turrets. Below the waterline is a Pugliese anti-torpedo system that in the stern of the ship protects vertical compartments. Under the 25 mm thick anti-splinter armor deck is the main armor deck that reaches an amazing 155 mm of armor. We must not forget the main turrets that are also well-protected, with only the best armor-piercing shells being able to penetrate the barbettes.

With a displacement of just over 65,000 tons, the Sovetsky Soyuz suffers from performance issues as one might expect. The ship accelerates very slowly to its maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h), and the turning radius is also very large. Although only the best battleships in the game (including those we’ll announce later 😃) can pose a real threat to the Sovetsky Soyuz, the slightest mistake in a duel can be fatal. The Soyuz should be played with low mobility and not that impressive short-range AA in mind!



That’s a wrap. The majestic Sovetsky Soyuz will be one of the new rank VII battleships coming to War Thunder in the next major update. Keep an eye on our website for more dovblegs coming your way!

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. Normandy and the Soviet Union, Libya and the Philippines — take part in battles using vehicles corresponding to these historic conflicts and earn rewards! 



The son of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt distinguished himself both in politics and at the front. He fought in both World Wars on the front lines, even becoming a Brigadier General. During the Normandy Landings, he personally led his troops and was one of the first to land on Utah Beach. At the age of 56, he was the oldest member of the D-Day landing party; however due to heart problems and arthritis, he was forced to walk with a cane. Despite this, he carried out all of his tasks flawlessly and for his heroism, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until July 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.

You can read a detailed description of which task is for which day and your overall progress by going to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

From June 4th to June 7th 1942, the most important battle in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War took place. Thanks to the interception of encrypted enemy messages, the Americans were able to prepare for the battle and take advantage of the disunity of the Japanese forces, inflicting a crushing defeat on them. Japan lost four aircraft carriers and more than 3,000 sailors and airmen, including well-trained pilots, and ultimately the strategic initiative in the war.

On June 6th 1944, the largest amphibious landing in history took place. More than 150,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, opening the Western Front in Europe. By the end of the summer and with the capture of Paris, the ambitious Operation Overlord had succeeded entirely.

On June 10th 1944, Soviet troops launched a large-scale offensive, north of Leningrad. Finland’s defenses of the Karelian Isthmus crumbled and on June 20th, they took Vyborg. The Finns transferred troops from Eastern Karelia to Vyborg, allowing the USSR to take Petrozavodsk on June 28th. Peace negotiations then began. On August 4th, Marshal Mannerheim became president of Finland, and on September 19th a peace treaty was signed.

On June 13th 1944, British troops advancing through Normandy as part of Operation Overlord unexpectedly encountered German forces near the town of Villers-Bocage. At the beginning of the battle, the Germans were able to take advantage of the surprise and superiority of their heavy Tiger tanks. Despite this, the British regrouped and successfully repelled the German attack, with their tanks operating without any infantry support.

On June 15th to 17th 1941, Allied forces attempted to lift the siege of Tobruk in Libya. For the first time, the Wehrmacht was forced to defend itself, but despite this, Field Marshal Rommel’s masterful counterattack forced the enemy to retreat, nearly encircling a significant part of the British forces. Operation Battleaxe had failed.

On June 19th to 20th 1944, the largest carrier battle in history took place in the Philippine Sea. It involved 24 carriers, launching more than 1,300 aircraft. By this time, the Americans had technical superiority and had concrete plans for Japan, while Japanese pilots were under trained. As a result, Japan suffered a crushing defeat and lost a significant number of its pilots.

Shortly after the invasion of the USSR, German forces encountered heavy KV tanks in combat for the first time. This new armor rendered Germany’s anti-tank guns obsolete against them. However, Soviet forces were poorly organized and supplied. Due to the lack of shells, some tank crews abandoned their vehicles, while others went into battle and were forced to literally crush enemy guns with their tracks, having no other options. Victory remained with Germany.

On June 28th 1942, the execution of the “Blau” plan began. German leadership sent a significant part of the Wehrmacht forces to seize the Caucasian oil fields to provide the army with fuel. Stalin however was waiting for an attack on Moscow, so at first “Blau” had notable successes: in early July, German troops captured the western part of Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don. After that, Hitler ordered to split his forces, sending some of the Caucasus and some to Stalingrad. As a result, Germany suffered defeat on both fronts.

On May 29th 1970, the French Milan (“Kite”) jet fighter flew for the first time. This jet was created through an order from the Swiss Air Force and combined the Mirage III base with the Jaguar’s weapons. The core difference of the Milan was the folding canards at the front of the plane, nicknamed the whiskers.

The Milan is available with a 30% discount for 6363 Golden Eagles!

• The Milan is a very fast and maneuverable fighter, but is best suited for destroying ground targets thanks to its great payload of up to 3000 kg: air-to-ground missiles, various bombs of several sizes and rockets!

• A bug that caused the crew to call out enemy tanks when measuring the distance to train wagons has been fixed.

• A bug that caused any missiles installed on the BOL countermeasure pylons to cost 0 Spawn Points in Ground Simulator and Realistic Battles has been fixed. (Report).

• A bug that caused effects such as fire and smoke to be blurry when using TSR with upscaling has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused the water on some maps in Ground Battles to look pixelated up close has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused traces of hits on tank turrets to move abruptly when rotating the turret has been fixed.
  
• MiG-27M, MiG-27K — a bug that caused ground vehicles in the HUD area to render in at distances much lower than at other directions 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.

Today we’re taking a look at Richelieu, the lead ship of the last class of French battleships built during the 1930s in an effort to counter the latest capital ships of the Italian and German navies.

At a glance:

• Powerful 380 mm main battery
  
• Excellent speed
  
• Vast secondary arsenal
  
• Strong armor protection

Vehicle History

Richelieu was a French battleship laid down in 1935 and commissioned in 1940 as the lead ship of a new class of French battleships built in response to the naval buildup of Italy and Germany. Her design went to the limit imposed by the Washington naval treaty, featuring eight 380 mm (15‘‘) guns and a displacement of around 37,000 tons. The warship inherited a similar configuration to the preceding Dunkerque, an intentional design choice meant to save weight and reduce building time.

At the outbreak of the Second World war, Richelieu was still undergoing trials and rushed to Dakar to avoid falling into German hands during the 1940 armistice. In July 1940, British forces attacked Richelieu during Operation Catapult, damaging her to prevent her use by the Vichy regime. She remained at Dakar under Vichy control until 1942, when the Allied invasion of North Africa shifted political alignments. After joining the Free French, Richelieu was ferried over to the U.S. to undergo extensive refits. Richelieu was thereafter modernized with an improved radar, AA defenses, and American fire-control systems. Richelieu subsequently served with the British Eastern Fleet, escorting carriers and bombarding Japanese-held positions in the Indian Ocean and later supporting operations in Southeast Asia.

After the war, Richelieu represented French naval power during a transitional period, briefly supporting colonial operations before being placed in reserve. Technologically advanced for her time but soon rendered obsolete by air power and missile technology, she was decommissioned in 1968 and scrapped shortly after.




In War Thunder, Richelieu will soon join the ranks of the French bluewater fleet as its next top bluewater warship. Representing a further developed and upscaled version of an unorthodox ship design first pioneered by the French by Dunkerque, Richelieu brings with it significant improvements to both firepower and protection, making for a highly potent warship, worthy of representing French naval power in top rank battles. Let’s dive in!




Although Richelieu and Dunkerque share many design principles, also reflected in their visual appearance, don’t mistake them for being identical! In fact, French shipbuilders merely based Richelieu off Dunkerque’s design while scaling the specifications up to match its counterparts of the day. The most prominent example of this can be observed in the ship’s main battery. Although retaining the two bow-mounted quadruple turret layout, these have been upgraded to 15’’ (380 mm) caliber, thus significantly improving their range and effectiveness against more heavily armored opponents. The secondary battery is also upgunned to nine 6’’ (152 mm) cannons, thus further improving the warship’s deadliness in gun duels. Coming to the game in its late war refit, Richelieu will also feature a substantially bolstered anti-air suite composed of a total of 56 x 40 mm and 48 x 20 mm cannons in addition to its original 12 x 100 mm long-range anti-air cannons.

Interesting: Richelieu stands out as the only French battleship to serve actively with both Vichy and Allied forces during the war.



In addition to a deadly arsenal, French ship builders didn’t omit including improvements to other aspects of the warship either. For instance, Richelieu’s belt armor was increased to 330 mm, allowing it to effectively shield the warship’s critical compartments and modules from high caliber enemy fire even at medium range engagements. Additionally, despite having a higher displacement than its predecessor, Richelieu also features a more powerful propulsion system which in turn allows the ship to reach a top speed of just over 32 kts (59 km/h). As a result, Richelieu is most capable of leading the charge together with its allies thanks to its superb combination of firepower, gun layout, mobility and protection — a true steel wedge to cut through the enemy lines!



That’s it for this one! Richelieu has set course for War Thunder naval battles and is due to arrive in the next major update. In the meantime, keep scanning the news section as we continue to release new info on the upcoming update. Until then, calm seas and good hunting captains!

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

• A bug where it was impossible to disable automatic repairs, fire extinguishing and water pumping in some cases when joining an ongoing battle has been fixed. (Report).

• A bug where Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters might have started to appear as translucent squares on DX12 has been fixed.

• [Domination] South Kvarken — the lower Battle Rating limit has been decreased from 3.7 to 3.3. The upper Battle Rating limit has been decreased from 5.0 to 4.3.

• A bug where the sounds of engines, tracks and gunshots would not play when spectating other players has been fixed.

• A bug that could sometimes cause a player to be kicked from the battle after launching the client 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.