Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• Object 195 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Kurganets-25 Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
• Msta-S Tier 9 Premium Self-Propelled Gun
• Khrizantema-S Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer
• T-72B3 Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Apocalypse Treasure Trove with 10.000 Gold
• Commander Loot Crate

Between September 23 and September 30, 2021, the following items will be available:




The Object 195 Main Battle Tank is one of the 1980s Soviet supertanks, intended to fight the next generation of NATO MBTs. It was developed in Nizhny Tagil by the experienced Uralvagonzavod design bureau (UKBTM), which was responsible for such legendary tanks as the T-72 and T-90. Much like other such prototypes, it was designed to be armed with massive 152mm smoothbore cannon in an unmanned turret. A single prototype was built and it allegedly passed state trials between 2008 and 2010 but the project was discontinued due to a lack of financing. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Object 195 is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank and one of the most versatile vehicles you can get your hands on thanks to a combination of excellent armor, unmanned turret, 152mm hard-hitting gun and one special feature – the coaxial 30mm autocannon that allows you to take out unarmored targets without having to waste a shot of your main weapon.

The Object 195 Tier 10 Premium MBT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.








The Kurganets-25 Infantry Fighting Vehicle is intended as a cutting edge future replacement to the old BMP series in Russian service. While not as chunky and expensive as the T-15 Armata super-heavy IFV, it’s designed to finally offer the 21st century protection levels the Russian military has been demanding for a long time. However, the design turned out to be quite expensive and while it is currently undergoing state trials, it is unlikely to be ever mass-produced. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Kurganets-25 is a Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer. Even though it offers decent protection and mobility for its class, this vehicle is all about firepower. To make sure you always have the right tool for the job, it comes with three distinctive weapon systems – a 57mm autocannon for light targets, fast and small Bulat missiles for highly mobile targets and, finally, full-sized ATGMs that can defeat pretty much anything on the battlefield. If dealing damage is your thing, few vehicles will match your playstyle better.








The Msta-S SPG was developed as a replacement to the older 2S3 Akatsiya. The goal was to match (or surpass) the newly developed NATO artillery pieces with long 155mm guns. The production began in 1988 and is currently ongoing with a modernized variant rolling out for the Russian military. More than 500 Msta-S SPGs are still in Russian service and dozens were exported to several other countries. It has seen some combat during the Second Chechen War and the War in Donbass. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Msta-S is a Tier 9 Self-Propelled Gun, which makes it only usable in the Global Operations mode and in PvE. It comes with two shell types – a slow-flying one with a high flight arc, and a fast-flying one for use against more mobile targets.








The Khrizantema-S is a dedicated tank hunter, built on a modified BMP-3 hull. The first Khrizantema-S prototype appeared in public as early as 1996 with the initial production variant (9P157) entering service in 2005. Around 2010, an upgraded variant called 9P157-2 appeared with a modernized Ukrainian optics system and a hull machinegun the original model lacked. This variant was in use until 2017. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Khizantema-S is a Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer. It is quite a stealthy vehicle armed with a twin ATGM launcher. The key to achieving excellent results with this machine is long-range ATGM sniping followed by rapid relocation. The missiles are quite powerful and make hits easy thanks to their excellent performance.








The T-72B3 is the most modern Russian T-72 variant currently in service. It is a heavily upgraded version of the T-72B, featuring Kontakt-5 ERA kit and an improved Fire Control System. Together, these modifications allow the aging T-72 to serve well into the 21st century. You can learn more about its history in our dedicated article!



In Armored Warfare, the T-72B3 is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. It continues the tradition of other Russian tanks. Its low silhouette, good mobility, powerful 125mm gun and its advanced ERA kit make it a formidable opponent. This version of the T-72B3 is offered without any camouflage.








Today, we have a special offer for you. A veritable treasure trove of 10.000 Gold awaits you at a discounted price.



Please note that this item can only be purchased once per user. You can find out more about Gold and its uses in our dedicated article.








This week, we’ve prepared another special offer for you in the form of a brand new Commander Loot Crate, featuring, amongst other things, some of the rarest commanders in the game!



This Loot Crate gives you the opportunity to obtain the following items:

• Commander Ofelia Kitescu
• Commander Austin Harper
• Commander Alexander Cortez
• Commander Alisa Korhonen
• Commander Erin O’Connell
• Commander Jorge Alvarez
• Commander Joshua Seagrove
• Commander Fyodor Sokolov
• Platinum Commander XP Insignia tokens
• Gold Commander XP Insignia tokens

The mechanics are very simple. Each crate allows you to win one of the listed items (or its value in Gold if you have it already, in this case 1.000 Gold per commander).

To learn more about what's in a chest simply click on it, this will launch a small pop up window to show you what’s inside!

Please note:

After opening the crate, you will immediately roll on one of the items that are inside this Loot Crate and will see what you receive before you have to actually pay anything. No more random chances – you immediately see what you get and what you don’t. You can then opt to purchase the item you rolled on for the Loot Crate’s price. Until you do so, you will be unable to buy any other Loot Crate of the same type.





We hope that you will enjoy the offer and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

As you may already know, on September 29, we are planning to launch an in-game event celebrating another Armored Warfare anniversary. The event is called Riders on the Storm and its main prize will be the M60A3 SLEP Tier 6 Premium MBT (which we’ll tell you more about later) along with a semi-historical skin for it, but other prizes will be obtainable as well, including this article’s topic – the U.S. Vietnam War camouflage.



During the Vietnam War, the United States Army did not use a standardized set of camouflages. Most vehicles were painted in dark green and khaki colors but the exact shade of those was (likely contrary to what the manuals said) not exactly standardized either. That doesn’t mean, however, that the U.S. wartime vehicles weren’t ever camouflaged. Various patterns unique to specific units or even individual vehicles were fairly common.



For the upcoming event, we chose one of the most attractive patterns we could find. The history behind it is, unfortunately, very hazy. Only one photo of it is available and the M113 on it belongs to an unknown unit. Unverified internet sources claim the M113 belonged to the F Company, 1st Battalion of the 50th Infantry Regiment, which was active in Vietnam between December 1967 and January 1969 as a LRP special operations unit (long-range reconnaissance patrol, a precursor of U.S. Rangers).



SpecOps units were (and still are) known not only for their unorthodox weaponry and tactics, but also for the use of unusual camouflages and paint jobs, so this one does seem to fit the profile and despite the pattern clearly being designed for jungle concealment, you’ll be able to use it in any environment that and on any vehicle that allows you to do so.

But if you’re more into more traditional paintjobs and are interested in making your lower Tier vehicles historically accurate, we have something for you as well. One of the prizes of the abovementioned event will be a new base paint called Vietnam War Khaki.



The color is based on the dark green paint used by the U.S. forces deployed in Vietnam. The shade we chose will be a dark one, matching that of an M48 tank that can be seen in the War Remnants Museum in the Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon).



We hope that you’ll enjoy these prizes and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

The Apocalypse season concludes with the fourth and final major content pack, Update 0.37 “Seal of Frost”



Here’s what you can look forward to right now:




The fourth and final mission of the Apocalypse Special Operation awaits you in this update.



The mission of the Apocalypse arc takes place in Batumi, a city that froze over following the supervolcano explosion, which took place at the end of the Spirithaven arc. In it, Igor Kopylov and Ivo Rinaldi encounter another person from Rinaldi’s dark past.



In this mission, your squad will be separated into two teams that have to cooperate with each other to survive. Coordination is the key to success, making this mission easy to learn but difficult to master. As usual, this mission comes with its own set of new achievements and rewards.



As an additional feature, any player who completed at least one Apocalypse Special Operation (that is, Plague, War and Famine) in the past will have immediate access to the “Death” Special Operation.




Update 0.37 “Seal of Frost” is also bringing a new Contract with a special new reward – the Argentinian TAM 2IP Tier 7 Premium Light Tank replacing the T-90A Burlak.



This Light Tank will come with a brand-new special ability called Laser Lock, significantly increasing your accuracy over a short period of time. On the downside, activating this ability will make the TAM 2IP illuminate its target with a laser visible to all players on the battlefield even if you aren’t spotted. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



However, please note that the new contract will not be available upon delay. For the sake of quality, we have decided to prolong the Burlak contract for a few more days to ensure the vehicle will reach you properly tested and balanced as well as to give you some more time to finish your older contract. The TAM 2IP contract will launch after September 30, 2021.




Update 0.37 will be available at least until December and we have plenty of extra content prepared for you to enjoy during the upcoming months. These include:

• Tier 1 to 6 balance overhaul that we’ll tell you more about in the near future
• More Storyline Campaign missions (learn more)
• Riders on the Storm – special anniversary Vietnam War-themed event with a Premium vehicle (M60A3 SLEP MBT) as one of its prizes, launching on September 29, 2021
• Brand-new MPF Light Tank Tier 10 Premium LT (learn more about it in our dedicated article)
• New Raid event with a set of high-tech sci-fi skins for your favorite high-Tier vehicles along with new mechanics (coming in late October)
• Further events, improvements and fixes

You can read more about the contents of Update 0.37 “Seal of Frost” below:




Gameplay Mechanics


General Changes

• Added the option to view skins on vehicles that aren't purchased yet (this can be done via a context menu button)
• Reload time bonuses now properly influence the reload time between shell types (for vehicles that do not have the instant shell type switch feature available)
• Changed the top-down ATGM mechanics so that their launches result in less no-damage results (they become more reliable)

Vehicles


Challenger Series

We have adjusted the side armor of the Challenger series again, this time reducing to a half of the buffed value. During the last round of buffs, we might have overdone it a bit, making the Challenger flanks completely impervious to incoming ATGM fire. This is not the intended state. Instead, the flanks should be penetrable by ATGMs of the same Tier when fired at without any angling and that's how it's going to be with the abovementioned change in place.

General Changes

• Improved the appearance of all wheels of wheeled vehicles in the game
• Fixed a number of small model issues

Abrams AGDS

• Increased the ATGMs carried from 24 to 36

BM Oplot

• Fixed this vehicle's collision model (the issue that allows other vehicles to drive under it, lifting it in the air)

Ramka-99, BMPT Mod.2017, BMPT Mod.2000

• Fixed the cage armor areas to work correctly as cage armor

BMPT-72 Hades

• Added the Supercharged Soft-Kill APS ability to match that of the progression BMPT-72

CV90 Mk.IV

• Added a turret ring to the armor model
• Fixed some smaller texture issues

CV90105 TML

• Fixed an issue where the aiming point wouldn't match the actual impact point with the turret facing backwards

Griffin 50mm

• Renamed the TACTO module to ATCS (Active Thermal Cloaking System), the functionality remains the same

K1A1

• Increased the ammo carried from 36 to 44

Leopard 2A6

• Improved the overall visual quality of this vehicle's model, including its textures
• Fixed a number of small visual issues
• Fixed the turret's collision model so that it no longer interferes with environmental objects
• Adjusted the decal positions so that it no longer interferes with some skins

M1A2

• Returned the fourth unlockable Reputation module to this vehicle's Upgrade section

M48 GAU-8

• Improved the overall visual quality of this vehicle's model, including its textures

M60A3

• This vehicle now has working reverse lights

Object 195

• Updated this vehicle's mobility model so that it no longer feels like a bouncy ball when driving over obstacles. Instead, it now feels heavier, losing more speed when turning with a slight tendency towards oversteer

PL-01

• Renamed the ADAPTIV module to ATCS (Active Thermal Cloaking System), the functionality remains the same

PLZ-05

• The alternative cannon now has a machinegun available with it

RST-V Shadow

• Fixed the incorrect reload time displayed in the vehicle's characteristics

Sprut-SD

• Improved the overall visual quality of this vehicle's model, including its textures

Strv 2000

• Fixed the aiming issue with both weapons' aiming points being switched

T-80U

• Fixed a number of small visual issues
• Fixed the closed optics on the Metal Rat skin

Type 10 Hitomaru

• Activating the Dynamic Suspension feature now lowers the tank considerably more than before

Player versus Player

• River Point: Fixed an issue where the grass appeared too bright

Global Operations

• Desert Crossing: Fixed some map models that disappeared in a recent update
• Desert Crossing: Fixed this map's lighting (including the sandstorm phase)
• Waterway: Fixed the collision model of several towers on the map

Player versus Environment


New Special Operation

In this Update, we are rolling out a new Special Operation called Death, along with several achievements, including:

• Death
• Frozen Vehicles
• Frozen Madness
• Guardian Angel
• Battering Ram
• Class-specific achievements as usual

You can read more about this Special Operation in our dedicated article. Additionally, we've changed the Garage look to meet the new Special Operation. Please note that we've also put a new mechanic in place – if you played any of the previous three "Apocalypse" Special Operation missions (Plague, War and Famine), you can skip to "Death" immediately.

General Changes

• Fixed an issue where the intended amount of AI vehicles wouldn't sometimes spawn
• PL-01 will no longer appear both in PvE and in Special Operations as an AI lieutenant
• Cerberus: Fixed an issue with some Lieutenants not spawning correctly
• Desert Fox: Fixed an issues where enemy snipers appeared to be flying in the air
• Desert Path: Fixed an issue where AI vehicles would sometimes get stuck on some objects in the port area
• Desert Viper: Fixed an issues where enemy snipers appeared to be flying in the air
• Dire Wolf: Fixed an issue where AI vehicles sometimes wouldn't drive towards the first objective
• Watchdog: Removed the 0/1 tags from optional objectives
• Special Operation "Famine": Fixed the warship's collision model so you do not get stuck anymore

User Interface

• The announcement about your crews achieving new levels no longer appears in the Debriefing window if your vehicle already has Level 5 crews
• Added a new setting allowing you to choose the maximum dirt amount on your vehicle in battles
• Fixed an issue where your avatar wouldn't change in the Chat window if you changed it with the window open
• Improved the event UI by highlighting the uncompleted stage rewards
• Fixed several smaller UI issues

Issues and Corrections

• Fixed an issue where assist damage when it's your infantry that's doing the spotting wouldn't count towards assist damage contract missions and other such objectives
• Fixed an issue on several maps where normal trees would have ash and cinder falling from them. This effect is now only used on trees that are actually on fire
• Fixed an issue where player vehicles would disappear and appear again during Special Operations countdown
• Fixed an issue with the broken collision model of some objects on various maps (for example the Zubr landing craft in the last mission of the Caribbean Crisis Special Operation)
• Fixed an issue where vehicles could show an incorrect Mastery Flag
• Fixed an issue where your crew sometimes wouldn't inform you if your APS got destroyed or repaired
• Fixed the low-res texture of the city gate on the Garage and on the Famine map
• Fixed the appearance of rain on water on some maps
• Fixed some smaller issues with Sniper's animations
• Fixed a number of small visual issues
• Fixed several issues causing the game to crash

See you on the battlefield!

On the 21st of September 2021, starting from 8:00 CEST (20th of September, 11 PM PDT), the server will not be available for 5 hours due to the application of Update 0.37 "Seal of Frost"



Please note that the content of this major update will be disclosed in a separate post. During this maintenance, the following extensions will take place:

• The Burlak Contract will be prolonged until September 29, 2021
• The Northern Wind Battle Path will be prolonged until October 1, 2021

Commanders!

For today’s offer, we’ve prepared a series of Battle-Hardened bundles for four Chinese progression MBTs, including the Type 99A2. These discounted bundles contain Gold as well as the Battle-Hardened status, which will turn your Progression vehicle into a semi-Premium one by increasing its Credit income, Experience income, and by improving its matchmaking quality so that you meet lower Tier opponents in battle than usual, much like Premium vehicles do.



The discounted Battle-Hardened bundles are available for the following vehicles:

• Type 99A2 Tier 10 MBT (50% discount)
• Type 99A Tier 9 MBT (45% discount)
• Type 99 Tier 8 MBT (35% discount)
• VT-4 Tier 8 MBT (35% discount)

Please note that if you do not own the vehicle in question, you will receive the Battle Hardened status price in Gold instead.



We hope that you will enjoy the offer and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today, we’d like to tell you more about an upcoming high-Tier vehicle that will become obtainable in October – the American MPF Light Tank.



Right off the bat – the name for this vehicle is not official with the most common designation used being something like “Mobile Protected Firepower General Dynamics prototype.” That designation tells you pretty much all the basic info about this tank – it’s a prototype by General Dynamics, participating in the Mobile Protected Firepower program. As such, it is an offshoot (or an evolution, of you will) of the Griffin design described in a dedicated article.

The Mobile Protected Firepower program was launched a few years ago to give the Airborne units something they've been lacking since the 1990s – a proper Light Tank replacing the M551 Sheridan, which can now be only seen in museums. Following several expos and a series of negotiations, two companies decided to submit their proposals in earnest – General Dynamics with its new platform and BAE with its Light Tank, which is essentially an overhauled version of the old Armored Ground System from the 1990s. In U.S. service, these vehicles are supposed to replace the M1128 Stryker, which is suffering from multiple issues and a decision was taken in May 2021 to phase the entire platform out.



Contrary to some rumors, the General Dynamics MPF prototype isn’t based on the Abrams – not even the turret. However, the turret does have a layout similar to that of the Abrams, which is an intentional choice to ease the training of new crews.

The whole thing weighs roughly 38 tons and offers STANAG 4569 Level 6 frontal protection in its basic form, making it frontally resistant to 30mm autocannons. The hull itself is reported to be made of aluminum and steel alloys with the option to be upgraded with extra composite plating or an Iron Fist APS. Much like the Abrams, it has a crew of four – the gun is loaded manually from a bustle-mounted ammo rack.



The gun the vehicle’s armed with is a low-recoil M35 105mm rifled cannon firing standard NATO ammunition – definitely an upgrade over the Stryker, which cannot fire full charge ammo and is reduced to using proprietary armor-piercing ammunition. The nominal rate of fire is listed as 12 rounds per minute. Additionally, the vehicle is fitted with cutting-edge optics and FCS based on the M1A2C, which include:

• CITV panoramic commander optics
• Raytheon gun optics
• Pilar V acoustic gunshot detection system
• AI firing assistant

The vehicle is propelled by a brand-new engine by Cummins called ACE (Advanced Combat Engine), a very compact opposite-piston Diesel producing some 1000hp. It is paired with the Allison 3040 MX Cross-Drive automatic transmission, allowing it to go as fast as 80 km/h. The suspension is hydropneumatic, non-adjustable instead of the usual torsion bar system, which does, amongst other things, reduce the vehicle’s height considerably.

Performance-wise, the General Dynamics proposal looks comparable to its BAE counterpart. Both companies together received 750 million USD to deliver 12 prototypes each. The prototype of this vehicle was first show to public in April 2020 and both MPF prototypes were delivered for testing to the 82nd Airborne Division stationed in Fort Bragg in December of the same year. The testing is currently ongoing with the winner bound to be declared in the summer of 2022. Full scale production is expected in 2025.



In Armored Warfare, the MPF Light Tank will be a Tier 10 Premium Light Tank.

But before we get into any details, here’s the usual disclaimer:

The numbers below are very preliminary as the vehicle has not been properly tested. They are sure to change and should only be discussed as an indicator of how we’d like to set the vehicle up.

With that being said:

As Light Tanks go, the MPF will definitely be on the heavier side of the spectrum. It may not be the most agile vehicle on the battlefield (despite its excellent maximum speed), but it will be well-armored for this vehicle type. Its already formidable base armor (more akin to MBTs than LTs) will be reinforced by NERA elements covering the lower frontal plate, sides and frontal turret.



Additionally, the vehicle will be fitted with the Iron Fist APS and will feature the Supercharged APS Active Ability. Add a decent hitpoint pool to it and you’ll have a tank that can go toe to toe with many MBTs, at least for a limited time.

We’ve also upgraded the firepower compared to the real-life prototype. Instead of a 105mm rifled cannon, the MPF will be fitted with the 120mm XM291 smoothbore with advanced ammunition:

• DM63A1 APFSDS (850mm of penetration, 600 damage)
• M325 HEAT-MP (950mm of penetration, 720 damage)

With the reload time being 5 seconds, we’re looking at the 7200 and 8640 damage per minute respectively. Add solid accuracy to the mix (0.099) and you have a lot of firepower in a rather compact package.



Mobility-wise, we’ve also pushed the limits of realism a bit further. Thanks to its 1000hp diesel engine, the maximum speed will reach 80 km/h (95 km/h with an extra module) but the acceleration won’t be all that great with 0 to 32 km/h in 4.46 seconds. On the upside, the vehicle will feature active suspension, which means that the usual gun depression and elevation of -7/+20 will improve to -10/+23.

And last but not least, there’s the viewrange (430m) and camouflage factor (15% or 17% with an upgraded module). While the viewrange value will be adequate, the camouflage factor will prevent you from playing long-range sniper effectively.



In summation, this vehicle will be a front line fighter that usually doesn’t have to hide behind a row of MBTs and doesn’t need to be afraid to take some damage. It will feature a number of defensive capabilities such as the APS and the ability to hide its lower frontal plate behind terrain obstacles, but with its poor camouflage, it will only make a mediocre long-range fire support vehicle. Its place is in the thickest of fighting and that’s how it’s meant to be played. As a result, this Light Tank will be relatively forgiving even in unskilled hands.

We hope that you will enjoy it and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

Today, we’re launching the first episode of the Storyline Campaign in the form of Episode 1. For more information about the campaign itself, please visit the Storyline Campaign Hub.



For more info, please visit the website announcement.

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

• AFT-10 Tier 10 Premium Tank Destroyer
• ZTQ-15 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank (and the Electra and Serenity skins for it available separately)
• Sea Dragon skin for the Type 99A Main Battle Tank
• VT-5 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank
• Type 96B Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
• Type 89 Tier 7 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
• Northern Wind Loot Crate with Battle Coins and Battle Coin Boosters

Between September 16 and 23, 2021, the following items will be available:




The AFT-10 is a tracked ATGM carrier based on a ZBD-04 IFV hull that carries eight massive Red Arrow-10 guided missiles. In their latest version, these modern ATGMs are capable of devastating even the most modern MBTs at extreme distances and the AFT-10 was designed to do just that – to stop enemy assaults dead in their tracks. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the AFT-10 is a Tier 10 Premium Tank Destroyer. Its massive ATGM launcher immediately draws comparison with another Tier 10 vehicle, the Kornet-EM. But where Kornet-EM is all about speed, stealth and missile ambushes, the AFT-10 is about one thing and one thing only – uncompromising firepower. It is capable of unleashing devastating missile salvos that can knock out even Tier 10 MBTs in seconds. Additionally, its missiles have a very high penetration value, which means that no matter the angle, no target is truly safe from its reach.

The AFT-10 Tier 10 Premium TD is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.








The ZTQ-15 is the current most modern domestic Chinese Light Tank and is reserved for the Chinese military only with its export counterpart, VT-5, offered for export. The ZTQ-15 Light Tank is intended to be used in mountainous regions of China where standard MBTs are all but impossible to operate. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the ZTQ-15 is a Tier 9 Premium Light Tank. It combines excellent mobility with plenty of firepower as well as adequate protection for its Tier and vehicle class. It also features several neat elements that increase its value on the battlefield, such as its active suspension and the ability to launch guided missiles from its gun or its advanced ERA. For players who prefer fast-paced, high-risk and high-reward combat style, it’s one of the best options out there.



We are separately offering the brand-new Electra skin for this vehicle in a bundle, which includes:

• Electra skin for the ZTQ-15 LT
• 14 days of Premium Time
• 3.000 Gold

The Serenity skin for this vehicle is also available in a similar bundle:

• Serenity skin for the ZTQ-15 LT
• 14 days of Premium Time
• 3.000 Gold

This gorgeous sea dragon-themed blue skin is available for the Type 99A Tier 9 progression Main Battle Tank. Harness the ferocity of this mighty mystical animal and intimidate your enemies with your awesome war paint!



This skin is available as a part of a bundle, which contains the following items:

• Sea Dragon skin for the Type 99A MBT
• 3 days of Premium Time
• 500 Gold

The VT-5 is a modern Chinese Light Tank that was developed specifically with export in mind. There are many reasons why a country without its own tank development should opt to purchase a Light Tank instead of a full-scale Main Battle Tank. It’s equally as fast if not faster with equal firepower but, what is most important, it is affordable. The VT-5 excels in all these categories. While its armor cannot match that of an MBT, it can protect its crew against most infantry threats thanks to its ERA and cage armor sets. It also has a powerful 105mm gun capable of firing guided missiles, it is packed with advanced electronics and is supremely agile thanks to its 1000hp diesel engine. Simply put, wraps cutting edge technologies up into an affordable bundle. You can learn more about it in a dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the VT-5 is a very powerful Tier 9 Premium Light Tank. Fast and agile, it features solid levels of protection (the configuration in the game is the one featuring the ERA kit as well as the turret cage armor) and a good rate of fire. Additionally, its gun is capable of firing guided missiles. It’s an ideal machine for players who value speed and agility, as it offers plenty of both. The VT-5 is capable of dancing around its opponents on the battlefield, outperforming even some AFVs in mobility.








The Type 96B MBT, as its name suggests, is an evolution of the Type 96A, featuring such elements as an upgraded fire control system and a much more powerful engine, resulting in considerably better mobility and speed. Unlike the Type 96A, however, the Type 96B is a prototype, designed for the Chinese military team to use during the annual Tank Biathlon event in Russia. In 2017, the Chinese team won the second place, being defeated only by Russia. You can learn more about its history in our dedicated article!



In Armored Warfare, the Type 96B is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. Gameplay-wise, it’s very agile and fast for its class and uses advanced ammunition, making it highly suitable for players who prefer mobility over armor protection, even though it can take a lot of punishment as well.








The Type 89 Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the current Japanese service IFV. It was built in very small numbers between 1989 and 2004. The low-production meant that, with the development costs sunk into it, each unit was incredibly expensive. In fact, to date, the Type 89 is the most expensive IFV in the world. Otherwise it’s generally unremarkable – last generation steel armor, a 35mm autocannon and massive guided missiles (that were also meant for landing ship destruction instead of just anti-tank combat) are generally being all phased out by now. The Type 89 is, however, still waiting for its replacement. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



In Armored Warfare, the Type 89 is a Tier 7 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle that is capable of not only deploying Mechanized Infantry, but also to destroy its targets at long distances using its powerful guided missiles. It is also fast and maneuverable, but does not feature thick armor.








This Loot Crate contains Northern Wind Battle Coins and Boosters.

• Battle Coins are the primary currency of the Northern Wind Battle Path campaign and are used to progress through it and to obtain its prizes.
• Battle Coin Boosters are usable only during an active Battle Path and increase your Battle Coin income by 900 percent for two hours.

Please note that you have to obtain the access to a Battle Path to use both items.

Also please note that you may not purchase more than 30 loot crates of one type per day.





We hope that you will enjoy the offer and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

On the 16th of September 2021, starting from 8:00 CEST, the server will not be available for two hours due to a planned server maintenance.



Please note that the maintenance can be extended beyond the abovementioned timeframe. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Commanders!

Update 0.37 is going to bring multiple new features to the game and today, we’d like to tell you about the first one, which is also one of the more important ones. In September, we’re going to be introducing Burlak's replacement – the TAM 2IP Tier 7 Premium Light Tank.



The name TAM stands for “Tanque Argentino Mediano”, or Argentinian Medium Tank in English, making it fairly self-explanatory, because that’s what TAM is about. As many things Argentinian, it is of German origin and its history goes all the way back to the 1970s.

South America in general is, when it comes to arms, a really interesting place, depending how you look at things. After the Second World War, the continent was flooded with cheap American surplus with a considerable portion of obsolete WW2 armored vehicles ending south of the Mexican Gulf. Nothing strange about that, but many South American militaries would then upgrade and keep these vehicles operation for decades. Some derivatives of WW2 vehicles are currently still in service.

This strange state of things is based on the principle that you don’t really need cutting edge armor when your opponent has the same junk as you. Combine it with the usual poverty and political instability in these countries (preventing any side from selling them modern tech) and you have a perfect recipe for making really old armor last forever.



There are, of course, exceptions to this. Argentina, for one, prides itself in having developed domestic industry and wealth to match and being armed with leftover junk in the 1970s just wouldn’t do, especially not when your northern neighbor is large Brazil, with whom you have an ongoing land dispute over the Alto Paraná basin.

The Argentinians first tried to get some more American equipment in addition to their old M3 halftracks and Firefly Shermans, but the USA wouldn’t sell. Europe was the next best option and Argentina managed to obtain 80 AMX-13 Light Tanks in addition to 180 AMX-13 based APCs. Not bad, but not exactly groundbreaking and no match for more modern tanks that were starting to appear in the 1970s.

To deal with the situation, Argentina launched a program together with Germany in 1973 to develop a new tank in the medium category. Realistically, the TAM is more a Light Tank than anything else, but the reason they went for the Medium designation was to differentiate it from the AMX-13 Light Tank, which really is a lot lighter.

The reason why they chose this weight and capability category was simple – price and, more importantly, Argentina’s infrastructure. For one, Argentina is a diverse country when it comes to terrain types, and its roads and bridges couldn’t support sixty-ton behemoths. What Argentina was looking for was something with the firepower of an MBT, but in the 30 ton category.



Additionally, Argentina was looking to use the same chassis for a number of other variants, primarily an IFV, but also an SPG, a self-propelled rocket launcher, a command vehicle and several more. Part interchangeability was the key here, as not only it was a practical solution, but it was also something Argentina was used to from the AMX-13 chassis.

The result of the endeavor was a platform based on the West German Marder IFV. The tank variant, which we’re discussing today, had fairly light steel-only armor (frontal protection against 40mm autocannons), although the engine was located in the front, adding to the survival chances of the crew considerably.

The tank was armed with a variant of the Royal Ordnance L7 105mm rifled cannon, which was an excellent choice at the time, offering both great firepower and access to NATO standard ammunition. The gun was modified in Germany and license-manufactured with some modifications in Argentina under the designation FM K.4 Modelo 1L. The vehicle was powered by a 720hp MTU MB883 Ka500 diesel engine, giving it, as you can imagine, excellent mobility, since it was so light. Its maximum speed was 75 km/h.

Overall, it surpassed Brazil’s M41 Walker Bulldogs in practically every way, giving Argentina a distinctive edge. But, unfortunately, the production was delayed and hampered by budget cuts. The production ran between 1979 and 1983, when it was stopped due to a lack of funding. It was renewed a decade later, in 1994, if only for a year. Overall, 256 TAM tanks were built and 218-231 (sources vary) are still in service to this day alongside Austrian SK-105 Kürassier Light Tanks.



Which is a problem for Argentina. By now, these tanks are fairly obsolete and Brazil has long since replaced its Walker Bulldogs for Leopard 1 and M60A3TTS MBTs. The TAM tanks were never exported, although not for the lack of trying. Potentially interested parties included Malaysia, Panama and Ecuador, but each of these tenders fell through for one reason or another. Argentina even attempted to export the tank to Iran and was prevented by doing so by Saudi Arabia and Israel’s influence. As a result, the production plant closed in 1995 and all the produced TAMs stayed in Argentina.

Since 2010, there have been several attempts to upgrade the TAM with Argentina ordering 74 of its TAM tanks modernized to the 2IP standard with the entire upgrade process taking place in Argentina at Arsenal Group 601 (Agrupación de Arsenales 601).

However, so far, all of them have have failed due the lack of money. The first one was the TAM 2C prototype by Elbit with multiple firepower-related upgrades, but was never accepted because it was too expensive. In 2015, another prototype was unveiled – the TAM 2IP.



Right off the bat, it’s clear that there’s only one reason behind this upgrade – the lack of funding to procure new MBTs. While buying new tanks might sound easy (and there are many options on the market), it is anything but. The tanks represent only a fraction of the total costs with the rest being the supply chain, training, repair facilities, ammunition and many other elements. In this regard, it makes sense that the Argentinians would choose to upgrade. With that being said, it seems that many of TAM 2C’s firepower upgrades – including new FCS and gun optics – have been dropped.

On the other hand, the vehicle received a new passive composite armor set that is based on IMI’s Iron Wall design, which is mostly effective against various EFP-type threats. This is a weird choice. Against kinetic threats, the armor offers relatively poor (STANAG 3659 Level 4) protection against 14.5mm machinegun bullets, which would make the combined side armor resistant to something like 30mm autocannons. EFP threats typically exist only in asymmetrical warfare, not something such a light vehicle would be very useful in.

A prototype of the TAM 2IP variant was delivered in 2016 in order to undergo military trials – and that was it. In retrospect, it’s clear that the project once again fell apart due to Argentina’s chronic funding shortage. Relatively recently, in February 2021, news broke out about “Argentina and Israel returning to former cooperation” with the first deliveries of upgraded TAM tanks scheduled for 2026. It seems that at least in this sense, the TAM and the Armata program have a lot in common.



In Armored Warfare, the TAM 2IP will be a Tier 7 Premium Light Tank.

But before we get into any details, here’s the usual disclaimer:

The numbers below are very preliminary as the vehicle has not been properly tested. They are sure to change and should only be discussed as an indicator of how we’d like to set the vehicle up.

With that being said:

While featuring thin armor and average acceleration only, this Light Tank will be all about one thing – damage output, making it especially suitable for PvE. On the other hand, it will also feature a very special ability called Laser Lock, which will come in handy in all sorts of situations. But let’s start, as usual, with its armor.

The armor’s there – and that’s about all that can be said about it. This tank’s thin steel plates will protect it roughly against 30mm autocannons, but little else. No APS or any other special systems will be present.



Moving on to its mobility – the vehicle weighs 30 tons and is powered by a 1000hp diesel engine, which is more than in real life, but we need to make sure the acceleration doesn’t lag behind what’s expected of this vehicle class. We’re looking at a maximum speed of 75 km/h. It will take 3.8 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h, although this value will be possible to reduce to 3 seconds by unlocking an additional progression module. Additionally, the Override Active Ability will be available from the start.

And, finally, there’s the firepower. Not to worry, things get better here. Much better. You see, the tank is armed with a 105mm rifled gun that’s very decent even in its basic form, which includes 3.8 second reload time, 0.1 accuracy and the following shells:

• M774 APFSDS (620mm penetration, 400 damage, 6316 damage per minute)
• M393A3 HESH (410mm penetration, 380 damage, 6000 damage per minute)

Furthermore, an improved APFSDS shell can be unlocked via additional progression:

• M1060 CV APFSDS (690mm penetration, 450 damage, 7105 damage per minute)

But that’s not all. Additional Progression will also give you a choice between two firepower upgrades.



The first upgrade will be a two-round Ready Rack for the gun with two seconds between shots, followed by 4.3 seconds of reloading time. To save you the number crunching – you will effectively trade a little damage per minute (roughly 100 points) for the ability to double tap. This can come in handy in situations where burst damage is more valuable than sustained fire.

The second choice will be a new Active Ability called Laser Lock. This is a brand-new mechanism unique to this vehicle. Pressing the Active Ability button will toggle the ability on and off. When activated, several things happen:

• A red laser beam appears, aiming at your target with ever increasing intensity and a timer begins
• After a short while, the beam reaches its maximum intensity, activating the ability in earnest
• At that point, you gain nearly perfect accuracy. Effectively, your gun will fire at the point you are aiming at with laser accuracy

This beam does not influence your camouflage factor, but it is visible whether you are spotted or not. In other words, it will draw attention to your position and will allow the enemies to fire at your position blindly. Deactivating the ability also takes a little time and is followed by a 10 second cooldown. Please note:

• The laser beam cannot pass through foliage, buildings or vehicles, but it does pass through smoke
• Its accuracy is not absolute – while it does reduce the aim circle size to nearly a point and improves accuracy on the move, violent gun and turret movements will result in an aim circle size increase (this is to prevent several unintended situations and abuse of the ability)

Once again, please note that the abovementioned feature description hasn’t been tested yet and represents the initial stage of the feature. Changes are not only possible, but also likely. Feel free to submit your feedback on our Discord!



As for the rest of the vehicle’s traits, it’ll have 430m of view range, 25% camouflage factor and a hull traverse rate of 36.55 degrees per second.

At first glance, the TAM 2IP will be a rather standard damage dealer and a versatile Light Tank, but in reality, the playstyle will definitely depend on the final version of the Laser Lock ability. As you can imagine, this ability will require thorough testing, which is why the tank itself will not be available (even on the Alabino map) right upon the launch of Update 0.37. Instead, the Burlak contract will be prolonged by 9 days with the TAM 2IP contract only launching after September 30, 2021.

Either way, we hope that you will enjoy this new Contract reward and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!