The Hawker Tempest first flew on September 2nd, 1942. It was one of the best fighters of the Second World War, with unrivaled speed at low altitudes, allowing it to combat early jet fighters and intercept missiles. More than 1,700 Tempests were produced, serving with the Royal Air Force and the air forces of New Zealand, India and Pakistan. One also ended up in German hands.

 

The German Tempest Mk V (rank IV) is temporarily available at a 30% discount for 4970 Golden Eagles.

 

When: From September 2nd (12:00 GMT) until September 5th (12:00 GMT).

Where: Germany > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

 

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About this aircraft

• On October 15th, 1944, German anti-aircraft guns shot down a Tempest MK V near Munster. The pilot bailed out and was captured, but the aircraft was repaired and went for testing. In the game, this aircraft boasts excellent flight characteristics, impressive maneuverability, four 20 mm Hispano cannons and of course premium bonuses!

As a result of the actions of the USA and the Allies in the Pacific theater of military operations, the main Japanese forces at sea and in the air were defeated. In August 1945 after the use of atomic weapons, the declaration of war by the USSR and an offensive by Chinese forces, Japan surrendered. This was formally confirmed on September 2nd, 1945, 80 years ago today. Celebrate the anniversary of the end of World War II with us in War Thunder!

 

All in celebration of the 80th anniversary.

 

 

When: From September 2nd (09:00 GMT) until September 8th (09:00 GMT).

Tasks:

• Earn 3,000 mission points with US vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “V-J Day 2025” decal.

• Earn 3,000 mission points with Chinese vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “New 4th Army Chevron” decal.

• Earn 10,000 mission points with Chinese vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the Thompson M1928 (China) decoration.

• Earn 10,000 mission points with US vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the Chester William Nimitz profile icon.

Please note: After finishing the task, you’ll need to collect the reward manually.

• You can complete the task in random battles, except for \[Assault] mode.

• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II.

• The “V-J Day 2025” decal is in the “Holidays” section in the customization menu. The “New 4th Army Chevron” decal is in the “China → Tanks” section.

Replenish your hangars with some discounts!

 

When: From September 2nd (09:00 GMT) until September 8th (09:00 GMT).

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

• 30% discount on all premium vehicles at rank I-IV in the Chinese research trees

• 50% discount on starter packs for the USA, China, Great Britain and the USSR in the Gaijin store

Thanks for submitting your awesome screenshots! This week, we would like to showcase high-caliber machines. What they lack in practicality is made up for in firepower- so load the HE, and aim well! 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 #WTscreen187. You have time until the 5th of September 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 tank or vessel with a caliber of 130mm or greater. For aircraft, 30mm caliber or greater.
  
• You must add the #WTscreen187 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=3554318875
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3554442861
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3556947336

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3555125276
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3555001484
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3555501506

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

Meet the Soviet Be-6 flying boat with new turboprop engines in PLA Air Force service!

 

The Qing-6 is a Chinese modification of the Soviet Be-6 flying boat, created by the Beriev Design Bureau. Development of the aircraft began in 1943, and the first flight of the prototype took place in 1945. The production variant was accepted into service in 1951 and differed from the prototype due to its more powerful ASh-73 engines and enhanced 23 mm NR-23 cannons instead of UBT machine guns. The Be-6 was intended for maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine operations, patrolling, cargo transportation and mine laying. In total, about 120 of these aircraft were built in the USSR from 1949 to 1957.

In the 1950s, China received several Be-6 aircraft to equip its naval forces. In the 1970s, due to the engines reaching end of service life, Chinese engineers carried out a major modernization of the aircraft. They replaced the ASh-73 piston engines with upgraded turboprop engines, which improved the aircraft’s flight characteristics and reliability. The modernized variant was designated Qing-6, and remained in service until the late 1990s.

In War Thunder’s next major update, China will receive its own version of the Be-6 flying boat, coming to the game as a premium for Golden Eagles. One of the most interesting and effective floatplanes in the game is getting new engines, while retaining its main advantages: an excellent payload and powerful defensive weaponry. Let’s take a look at the Qing-6!

In addition to the dark blue livery, the main difference between the Qing-6 and Be-6 is upgraded Chinese-made turboprop engines. These engines are not going to make this massive plane as fast as a jet, but a speed of over 520 km/h after dropping its bombs is already quite good! It’s also worth noting the comparatively good control of the Qing-6 for its size, which helps to accurately bomb targets and perform defensive maneuvers. 

The bomb loadout has also changed, somewhat! When flying this large plane, you’ll now have access to 250 kg incendiary bombs. Next to this, the familiar bomb loadouts are available: eight 250 kg, two 1500 kg bombs, a pair of torpedoes for naval battles, and the most popular loadout of eight 500 kg bombs, allowing you to destroy several bases in Air Battles in a single sortie!

Did you know? The Qing-6 is the only Chinese plane designated as “Qing”, while other Chinese military planes are generally named after the type of the aircraft.

One of the Qing-6’s trump cards is its defensive armament. Five 23 mm autocannons in three turrets! This is a very impressive deterrent against enemy fighters, who may be tempted by the Qing-6’s apparent slowness and large size. Here’s two pieces of advice for future pilots: avoid attacks on your aircraft from below and behind, as the turrets in this area cannot fire. Try to let the enemy get closer, ideally in the upper rear area so that you can unleash the powerful defense guns at once! 

So, that’s it for today. We’re eagerly awaiting the Qing-6, which will become China’s first premium medium-range bomber, significantly helping pilots research the Chinese air tree from rank I to rank V a lot faster. We hope you enjoy this fan favorite aircraft upon the release of the next major update, and we’ll see you soon for more!

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

• A bug that caused collision issues when ground vehicles came into contact with cedar trees on the Japan map has been fixed.

• A bug where the active scouting recharge animation would sometimes not display when viewed through the gunner’s sight or binoculars has been fixed. During these instances the recharge mechanic worked correctly, only the display was incorrect. (Report).

 

• A bug that caused the display to be stretched to an incorrect aspect ratio when using a screen resolution higher than native (DSR — Dynamic Super Resolution) has been fixed. (Report).

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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, pre-orders for the USS Maryland for the USA and HMS Nelson for Great Britain have started!

USS Maryland (BB-46), the third Colorado-class battleship, was launched in 1920 and commissioned in 1921. Prior to the Second World War, she served as the fleet flagship, participating in numerous exercises and making visits to Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. On December 7th, 1941, USS Maryland was in Pearl Harbor, where she received minor damage from Japanese bombs, while her neighbor Oklahoma capsized. After repairs, Maryland returned to service in 1942, took part in the Battle of Midway, and patrolled Fiji.

From 1943, USS Maryland went on the offensive. She participated in artillery support for the landings on Tarawa, Kwajalein, and Saipan, but was damaged by a torpedo. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, she repelled the Japanese fleet in the Surigao Strait, but was damaged by a kamikaze attack. During the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945, USS Maryland was again damaged by a kamikaze strike, forcing her to go for major repairs. In August 1945, after completing her modernization, USS Maryland headed back to the combat zone. After the surrender of Japan, she took part in the operation to return American servicemen to their homeland. After the war in 1947, she was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1959.

Meet “Old Mary”, one of the latest and most advanced super-dreadnoughts for the American Bluewater fleet, coming to War Thunder in the next major update. USS Maryland is the sistership of the formidable USS Colorado. She relies on eight powerful main caliber guns, rapid-fire secondary caliber guns and numerous automatic anti-aircraft weaponry. USS Maryland is very well armored — the armor thickness in the armor belt area reaches 343 mm! She also has a large crew, guaranteeing good survivability even when under immense fire from the enemy team. Like most pre-war dreadnoughts, USS Maryland does not have the best speed, and the gigantic main caliber turrets take a long time to turn to the target. Because of this, make sure to use this battleship at long distance fights, something this ship is best at.

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The Treaty of Washington limitations forced naval command to revert to the plans for the previously canceled ships in a highly modified form, leading to the development of battleships HMS Nelson and her sistership HMS Rodney.

HMS Nelson was completed in June 1927. Her armament consisted of a total of nine 16 inch guns in three triple gun turrets and twelve 6 inch guns in twin turrets. She was the first British warship to have a tower bridge that incorporated gun directors and a mast, and had flush decks like the previous “Lord Nelsons” from 1908. She was powered by Brown-Curtis geared turbines driving two shafts and had a speed of 23.5 knots for 46,000 HP.

HMS Nelson served as flagship in both the Atlantic and Home Fleets for 14 years, participating in various operations. She took part in the search for Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Later in the Second World War, HMS Nelson was deployed to the Mediterranean Fleet, participating in operations like the Torch landings and the invasion of Sicily. Throughout the war, HMS Nelson was involved in key operations, including escorting convoys and engagements against German forces. She narrowly avoided major disasters while participating in D-Day bombardments before undergoing repairs in the U.S. Following service in the East Indies Fleet, Nelson contributed to the Japanese surrender in Malaya.

After the war, she served briefly as flagship before being sold for scrap in March 1949, marking the end of her noteworthy career in naval history.

Meet one of the most famous Royal Navy battleships, HMS Nelson! This ship features an amazing combination of high firepower, excellent survivability and good speed. The main armament of HMS Nelson is nine 406 mm main caliber guns in three, three-gun turrets. Interestingly, all of them are concentrated in the bow of the ship, whereas on the other hand, the 152 mm auxiliary guns are located to the stern. The anti-aircraft battery deserves a special mention, as unlike the poor anti-aircraft battery of her sistership HMS Rodney, HMS Nelson has a total of 129 long, medium and short-range air defense guns! HMS Nelson’s armor is definitely not weak, as the main area belt reaches 356 mm, while the armor plates are located at an angle, which provides a good effectiveness thickness. Surprisingly, this monster is quite easy to control and will not let you down even in active combat. HMS Nelson’s speed exceeds 43 km/h, and the huge main caliber turrets can very quickly aim at targets!

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

The legendary in-game King Tiger with the early turret type (commonly known as the “Porsche” turret) will soon be receiving a new visual model and numerous internal module improvements. Meet the redesigned Tiger II (P), coming in the next major update!

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First, let’s take a look at the Tiger II (P) from the outside. We’ve given it some general geometry corrections, especially noticeable on the turret, which underwent the most extensive reworking. A protective ring was added around the turret ring, which was previously a very vulnerable area. Zimmerit has now been added to the hull and turret. This is a special compound that was applied to Wehrmacht armored vehicles to protect against magnetic mines, though as far as the game is concerned its purely cosmetic. Spare tracks have been added to the sides of the turret too, slightly increasing the protection. The actual tracks themselves are also new.

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Next, what about the internals? The armor will be updated to the more accurate volumetric model, correctly reflecting the dimensions of the tank’s protective structure when it’s hit. The models of the internal modules have also been reworked, becoming more detailed and accurate.

You’ll be able to see the updated Porsche Tiger II for yourself very soon! And in one of the future major updates, we also plan to make improvements to the external model of the Tiger II (H), so make sure to keep an eye out for that!

Recently, Bluewater fleet naval trees were extended to rank VII, and as a result we’ve now updated the research system to make progression faster and more balanced overall. The infographic shows the updated cost for researching and purchasing Bluewater fleet ships at each rank for each nation.

(click here to expand image)

The cost of researching and purchasing Bluewater fleet ships at ranks I-VII has been altered (generally reduced). Values of the following parameters have been changed: the purchase price in Silver Lions, the crew cost, the Expert crew price, the price of modifications in Silver lions, the amount of research points needed to research a vessel, and the amount of research points needed to unlock modifications.

Note that the calculations do not take into account grouped vehicles, since their research and purchase are not required to advance through the Bluewater fleet research trees.

August von Mackensen joined the 2nd Prussian Life Hussar Regiment, known as the “Black Hussars” at the age of 20. He earned his first honors in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, and served as a field marshal general in the First World War, commanding an army group named after him. A battlecruiser built in Germany during the First World War was also named after him — this same battlecruiser is the main reward in this new naval event!

Battlecruiser Mackensen was a further development of the successful Derffinger design, featuring improved speed and armor, and significantly superior armament — 350 mm guns instead of the previous 305 mm. Construction of the lead ship of the Mackensen class began in 1915 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. However, military difficulties led to significant delays. By November 1918, Mackensen had reached 85% completion, but according to the Treaty of Versailles, she and the other three ships in the class were scrapped between 1921 and 1922.

In War Thunder, Mackensen is a solid competitor against other late First World War ships. The main advantages of this vessel are excellent armament consisting of eight 350 mm guns, good armor protection and a maximum speed of 28 knots (around 50 km/h), making Mackensen one of the fastest battlecruisers of the era. The weak point however is the lack of automatic short-range anti-aircraft weaponry. Mackensen can also take large 600 mm torpedoes into battle in five torpedo tubes.

Among the rewards in the event is also this chest. When opened, there is a chance to receive one of the following items:

• 50,000 - 100,000 Silver Lions

• Silver Lion and Research boosters

• Random Wagers and Orders

• Universal Backups (1 - 3) 

• A random available camouflage for a vehicle you own

• 1 day of Premium Account

Each stage can be obtained for 45,000 mission points, where every new stage completed will give you a new reward.

 

 

You’re able to earn mission points in Naval Battles at Rank III or above in Arcade and Realistic Battles. The number of mission points to complete a stage depends on the game mode and the maximum Rank of the vehicle that you use in battle. There’s a multiplier for earning mission points, which is shown in the task description in-game.  

 

You can also earn mission points by using event vehicles that are Rank I and II. Event vehicles that can be used have the name of the event that they were obtainable in on their stat card.

 

• For 1 Stage: trophy with a random reward

• For 2 Stages: “Coat of arms of August von Mackensen” decal

• For 3 Stages: trophy with a random reward

• For 4 Stages: “Flag of the Prussian Navy” ship flag

• For 5 Stages: trophy with a random reward

• For 6 Stages: “August von Mackensen” profile icon

• For 7 Stages: trophy with a random reward

• For 8 Stages: non-tradable coupon for Mackensen

• For 9 Stages: unique Two-tone geometric camouflage for Mackensen and four random modifications for Mackensen

 

Incomplete stages can be purchased for Golden Eagles, but if you’re significantly close to completing a stage, its price will be significantly reduced.

Let’s say you have earned 85% of the required mission points to complete a stage, then the price of purchasing this stage will be halved. If you’re near the finish line for a stage and are at 95% progress, then the price will be reduced by five times. For example, if you’ve scored 39,000 mission points, then the price for unlocking this stage will be 499 Golden Eagles. If you’ve scored 43,000 mission points, then you’ll only need 199 Golden Eagles. Remember to keep this in mind if you run out of time for a stage!

When you complete 8 stages, you’ll receive a non-tradable coupon for Mackensen, where using it will immediately activate the vehicle on your account. If you don’t want the vehicle and would like to sell the coupon on the Market, you’ll need the “Upgrade for coupon” item.

 

 

After receiving the “Upgrade for coupon” item, you can convert the non-tradable coupon into a tradable one and sell it on the Market. The tradable coupon can be sold after 6 days from the moment it’s created.

 

The “Upgrade for coupon” item is valid until September 25th (11:00 GMT). Until this time, you can use it or exchange it for War Bonds. Afterwards, it’ll disappear from your inventory.

 

You can track the progress of completing stages and receiving the “Upgrade for coupon” item by clicking on your Nickname > Achievements > Black Hussars. If you don’t manage to complete a stage on time or would like to purchase a stage, you’ll be able to do so until September 25th from the Achievements window, you can purchase each stage with Golden Eagles which will give you the corresponding rewards.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 T is a navalized variant of the “Emil” modification, developed in the late 1930s to equip Germany’s planned aircraft carrier, the “Graf Zeppelin”.

 

In the late 1930s, the German Kriegsmarine laid out plans to build up its fleet to match that of the Royal Navy at the time. As these plans involved building a carrier, it quickly became apparent that this type of vessel would also require specialized naval aircraft. Reluctant to shift away resources from its own build up of forces, the Luftwaffe proposed to develop navalized variants of existing aircraft types instead of developing completely new ones. This proposal ended up being accepted and soon afterwards resulted in the modification of several “Emil” models with arrestor hooks, longer wings with bigger ailerons and flaps to facilitate carrier operations. This became the Bf 109 T-1.

By 1940 however, shifting wartime priorities halted the construction of Germany’s Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier. As a result, the hastily converted Bf 109 T-1s were soon pressed into frontline service, losing some of their carrier modifications and becoming the land-based Bf 109 T-2. Being optimized for short runway operations, the Bf 109 T-2 quickly found itself operating with Luftwaffe units out of Norwegian airstrips where they remained until the end of 1941 before being replaced by other variants.

After that, the Bf 109Ts were relegated to secondary roles and were often used as trainer aircraft until late into 1944. In the end, only around 60 Bf 109 T-2s were ever built, making them one of the rarest variants of all series produced modifications of the Bf 109.

The Bf 109 T-2 is a special variant originally derived from the “Emil” series, built only in few numbers for Germany’s planned Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier. Though seeing only limited frontline use during the Second World War because of its specialized role, the Bf 109 T-2 represents a truly unique modification of the Bf 109 series. Keen to find out more about this hidden gem of the Messerschmitt family? Then join us as we dive deeper in today’s devblog.

As carrier operations vastly differ from regular land based ones, the Bf 109 E’s design had to be adapted to enable take offs and landings from short runways. This prompted engineers at Messerschmitt to augment the aircraft’s design by lengthening the wings, ailerons and flaps, which in turn improved the aircraft’s handling in low speed flying. All other specifications remaining identical to the land-based counterpart meant that the Bf 109 T-2 retained its excellent speed and agility while extending its performance envelope at low speeds. This improvement may come in handy for passionate dogfighters as it ensures the aircraft still remains controllable at speeds where the land-based variant would usually stall.  

Interesting: The Bf 109 T-2 remains one of the rarest series produced variants of the Bf 109 family with only around 60 units being produced.

Inheriting much of its design and specifications from its land based counterparts also means that the Bf 109 T-2 features access to the same arsenal as found on the already well familiar Emils. Featuring a combination of two machine guns and two powerful 20 mm cannons ensures the quick destruction of hostile aircraft. At the same time, the Bf 109 T-2 can also be equipped with a pylon capable of fitting the aircraft with 50 and 250 kg bombs and thus extending its capabilities to perform strike missions in Ground or Naval battles.

The Bf 109 T-2 will soon join the starting ranks of the German aviation tree as a new premium aircraft, available for Golden Eagles. Thanks to its premium bonuses and the overall good balance between performance and firepower, the Bf 109 T-2 will enable newer pilots to quickly climb the ranks, while veterans may add a unique variant of the legendary 109 to their collection! That’s all for today’s devblog — until the next one, clear skies and happy hunting folks!

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