[2023] Meet Major Update “Air Superiority”!

A lil somethin somethin: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page here.

Welcome to Air Superiority! We’re ending 2023 in style with the awesome Air Superiority major update. Top-tier jets have been added to several nations, some of which include the F-15, the Su-27 and J-11, the Mirage 4000, plus the JAS39. We’ve introduced Rank VIII for ground vehicles, and subsequently new tanks: M1A2 SEP2, Leopard 2A7V, T-90M, VT-4A1, Strv 122B+ and Challenger 3 (TD)! The USA gets the brilliant USS Roanoke and a few other ships come in for other nations, while Volcano Valley is here for aircraft, set in the beautiful peninsula landscapes of Russia. The ability to use universal backups while in battle and tutorial missions for using aircraft missiles have also been added, and we’ve reworked all types of fire graphics for vehicles and burning buildings to make them look better in general.

There’s dozens of bug fixes, changes and additional new vehicles, so read on to find out what it’s all about.

Please feel free to leave your feedback on this Major update in the feedback thread by clicking here

Ground Vehicles: Rank VIII & several modern MBTs! One of the main highlights of this major update is the introduction of Rank VIII for ground forces! A new rank means new vehicles of course, so you’ll be able to get your hands on the M1A2 SEP2, T-90M, Challenger 3 (TD), Leopard 2A7V, VT-4A1 and Strv 122B+! Want to research Britain and America’s new tank faster? Check out the premium M1A1 HC Click-Bait pack for the USA and the Challenger 2 (OES) for Britain. Oh, and some Rank VII vehicles have also moved up to Rank VIII for all nations — overall, there’s 11 new ground vehicles that have been added — check them out!

M1A1 HC Click-Bait T-90M Leopard 2A7V M1A2 SEP V2 Challenger 3 TD USA

• M1A1 HC Click-Bait (Pack)
  
• M1A2 SEP V2

Germany

• Leopard 2A7V
  
  

USSR

• T-90M
  
  

Great Britain

• Challenger 2 (OES) (Premium)
  
• Challenger 3 TD

China

• VT-4A1

Italy

• Tigris (Premium)

France

• TPK 6.41 VPC

Sweden

• Strv 122B+

Israel

• M109A1 Roshev
  
• M113A1 TOW

Japan

• Type 99

Aircraft: The F-15, Su-27, Mirage 4000 and JAS39 are here to shine! Hear the sound of an eagle? That’s the F-15 Eagle! Say hello to new top-tier jets — the awesome F-15 comes in for the USA (F-15A), Japan (F-15J), and Israel (F-15A), and the USSR gets the Su-27 and China gets the J-11 equivalent. The nimble Gripen is also here, with JAS39A for Sweden and South Africa’s JAS39C for Britain, while France gets the large and dual-engine Mirage 4000. In addition to this, the awesome AMX for Italy, a c*ckpit remake for the Firefly FR Mk.V, and the handy Tornado IDS WTD 61 premium pack for Germany that’s great for ground attacks. Check them out!

Tornado IDS WTD 61 F-15 JAS39 USA

• F-15A
  
• PBY-5/5a (model update for the entire line)

Germany

• Tornado IDS WTD 61 (Pack)
  
  

USSR

• Su-27
  
  
  

Great Britain

• Firefly FR Mk.V (c*ckpit update)
  
• JAS39C
  

Japan

• F-15J

China

• J-11

Italy

• AMX

France

• Mirage 4000

Sweden

• JAS39A

Israel

• F-15A

Naval Vehicles: The Devastating USS Roanoke! 6 nations have now received interesting naval vessels each — one in particular is the USS Roanoke, which is perfect for engaging with surface targets as well as air targets. France and Italy get a Rank V premium Battleship, the Courbet and RN Leonardo da Vinci, bringing their naval premiums up to par with other nations. Britain and Japan also get an interesting ship each, but be sure to check out the full list below!

USS Roanoke USA

• USS Roanoke

USSR

• Novorossiysk

Great Britain

• HMS Orion

Japan

• Asagao

Italy

• RN Leonardo da Vinci (Premium)

France

• Courbet (Premium)

Locations & Missions: Volcano Valley! Volcano Valley is a new location for aircraft battles. Inspired by the nature of Kamchatka which is a peninsula located at the very edge of Russia, this new map offers you beautiful scenery including erupting volcanoes and a lovely river. In addition to this, Hürtgen Forest has received some changes based on your feedback, so be sure to check both of these out and let us know what you think.

Volcano Valley
Roadmap Additions: Login through WT Mobile! Are you currently on a high login streak but worried about losing it, perhaps you’re on vacation without a PC or your WiFi has gone down? Not to worry any longer, as one of the final Roadmap changes which is being able to login to WT Mobile to continue your login streak has been added. Simply log into WT Mobile with your Gaijin account and your login streak on the PC version of War Thunder will continue without an issue.

You can also check out the latest Roadmap news that we published earlier this week here.

New Mechanics, Fire Graphics & Awards!
We’ve now added the ability for you to activate universal backups in the respawn window while in a battle, meaning you won’t need to activate them before the battle begins. We’ve also added some sweet new achievements, including the “Peaceful Atom” one that you can get for shooting down a nuclear-bomb aircraft that hasn’t yet dropped its bomb. For buildings and vehicles, fire graphics have been reworked and look better in general. The full list of new mechanics, graphics and rewards are in the major changelog.

Training Tutorials for using Aircraft Missiles to help enhance your gameplay! With the addition of many different types of missiles to the game, keeping up with what exactly they do, or how they work can be difficult. In this major, we’ve added Training Missions for jet aircraft that you can access through the modification window by clicking on the Test button on a missile that you’ve researched. These missions are specifically for air-to-surface missiles with manual guidance, as well as air-to-air missiles with an infrared seeker. In these missions are step-by-step instructions on what controls to use so that you can learn exactly how to fire missiles, so make sure to take advantage of this!

There’s plenty more to look through Major updates mean many changes, and that’s exactly the case here. Some gun sounds have had a revision and sound richer, fly-past sounds have been greatly improved, a new voice narrator has been added to some top-tier Chinese aircraft, and tank crews from several nations have received new voice acting. Most importantly, there’s a huge list of bug fixes. The full list of changes is in the major changelog, so be sure to have a look to see what’s changed! That’s it for 2023 in terms of major updates for War Thunder — thank you and enjoy.

Download the update and join the battle!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/236390/War_Thunder/

Changelog for Update 2.33.0.14 — the Major Update

Due to spatial constraints on Steam, the full changelog is unable to be posted here. The full changelog can be viewed in-game, or found on our official website here.[warthunder.com]

New vehicles Aircraft USA

• F-15A
  
• PBY-5/5a (model update for the entire line)

Germany

• Tornado IDS WTD 61 (Pack)

USSR

• Su-27

Great Britain

• Firefly FR Mk.V (c*ckpit update)
  
• JAS39C

Japan

• F-15J

China

• J-11

Italy

• AMX

France

• Mirage 4000

Sweden

• JAS39A

Israel

• F-15A

Ground vehicles USA

• M1A1 HC Click-Bait (Pack)
  
• M1A2 SEP2

Germany

• Leopard 2A7V

USSR

• T-90M

Great Britain

• Challenger 2 (OES) (Premium)
  
• Challenger 3 TD

Japan

• Type 99

China

• VT-4A1

Italy

• Tigris (Premium)

France

• TPK 6.41 VPC

Sweden

• Strv 122B+

Israel

• M109A1 Roshev
  
• M113A1 TOW

Naval Fleet USA

• USS Roanoke

USSR

• Novorossiysk

Great Britain

• HMS Orion

Japan

• Asago

Italy

• RN Leonardo da Vinci (Premium)

France

• Courbet (Premium)
  
• Vauquelin

New locations and missions

• Volcano Valley — a new aircraft location has been added with two available: Ground Strike for Arcade battles and Operation for Realistic battles.

Location and mission updates

• Visual improvements have been added to the tank test drive area.
  
• Hürtgen Forest — this location has been reworked based on player feedback: spawns covered, blocked line of sight for shoot throughs.
  
• Middle East — this location has been reworked based on player feedback: spawns covered, blocked line of sight for shoot throughs.
  
• The following missions have been changed with the location of the bombing bases in them depending on the rank of the battle:
  • [Operation] Lake Ladoga.
    
  • [Operation] Ladoga. Winter 1941.
    
  • [Operation] Moscow. 42nd kilometer.
    
  • [Operation] Moscow. Naro-Fominsk.
    
  • [Operation] Moscow. Serpukhov.
    
  • [Operation] Moscow.
    
  • [Operation] Smolensk. 1941.
    
  • [Operation] Smolensk. 1941.
    
  • [Operation] Berlin.
    
  • [Operation] El Alamein.
• For trees, wind attenuation when moving away from the model has been added to enhance the visual effect of model switching.
  
• Trains driving outside of the playable zone in missions on the Flanders map have been added.

Flight Model changes:

• PBY-5/5a (all variants) — the flight model has been updated. Improved sea worthiness. Improved handling on water.
  
• F-16A (all variants)/AJ/C-Block 50/D-Block 40 Barak II — fuel tank inerting system has been added.
  
• Jaguar (all variants) — a bug that caused the incorrect display of performance changes when installing the New boosters modification has been fixed.
  
• AM-1 Mauler — a bug that led to an uncontrollable turn of the aircraft during takeoff when using the “Mouse Aiming” control has been fixed.
  
• P-39 (all variants) — the flight model of this aircraft has been completely updated according to the current capabilities of the physical model. Polars of wings, fuselage, empennage, and propeller blades have been recalculated and corrected. Moments of inertia have been corrected.

Interface

• The disappearance of destroyed fuel tanks, anti-torpedo buoys, and coal bunkers in the ship’s hit camera has been fixed. Their display in full or damaged state has been placed on the back layer so that they do not overlap the internal modules.
  
• Weapon group icons have been added to the gun indicators above the action panel — Main Caliber, Auxiliary or Anti-Aircraft.
  
• A more visual indication of the impact of proficiency vs skill improvement for crew experience points has been added to the crew skills window.

Economy and research

• The required level for ground vehicle crews when purchasing the “Expert” qualification have been reduced due to Rank VIII vehicles being added:
  • Rank IV: Level 30 → Level 25;
    
  • Rank V: Level 45 → Level 35;
    
  • Rank VI: Level 55 → Level 45;
    
  • Rank VII: Level 60 → Level 55.
  
  
• The required level for ground vehicle crews when purchasing the “Ace” qualification have been reduced due to Rank VIII vehicles being added:
  • Rank II: Level 50 → Level 45;
    
  • Rank III: Level 60 → Level 50;
    
  • Rank IV: Level 70 → Level 60;
    
  • Rank V: Level 80 → Level 70;
    
  • Rank VI: Level 85 → Level 80;
    
  • Rank VII: Level 90 → Level 85.
• The cost of researching and purchasing ground vehicles of rank VI-VII has been reduced, and some vehicles have been moved from rank VII to rank VIII. The values of the following parameters have been reduced: the purchase price of vehicles in SL; the cost of putting vehicles in crew slots in SL; the purchase price of Expert Crews; the total cost of purchasing modifications in SL; the cost of researching vehicles in RP; the total cost of researching modifications for RP. For vehicles transferred to a higher rank, the RP earnings multiplier, and in some cases the SL earnings multiplier have been increased.
  • Table with generalized changes for vehicle parameters.[docs.google.com]
    
  • Table with detailed changes for vehicle parameters.[docs.google.com]
• The parameters for some squadron ground vehicles have been adjusted in accordance with changes to similar researchable vehicles: the RP earnings multiplier has been increased, the SL earnings multiplier has been increased; the cost of researching squadron vehicles with squadron points has been increased, and the purchase price for Golden Eagles has been increased.
  • Table with detailed changes for vehicle parameters.[docs.google.com]
• A new progression rule has been established for Rank VIII vehicles — both MBTs and other vehicles with high-caliber guns. For the tank’s ammunition, along with a HEAT-FS shell, one of the APFSDS shells is available immediately after purchasing the tank. We’ve decided to introduce this rule due to the fact that Rank VIII MBTs have well developed, all-round HEAT defense, and HEAT shells can be ineffective even against the side protection of tanks.

Customization and Achievements

• New Gaijin.net achievements for using nuclear weapons, destroying an aircraft carrying nuclear weaponry, and using guided bombs have been added.
  
• The ability to not lose the daily login streak in War Thunder by playing War Thunder Mobile has been added. The link with QR-codes for downloading War Thunder Mobile has been added to the daily login streak window.
  
• The colors for the standard and desert camouflages for modern Italian armored vehicles have been adjusted. The three-color camouflage has been fixed (the shape of the spots have been changed and the colors have been adjusted).

Awards

• A reward for shooting down an enemy aircraft that is carrying a nuclear weapon has been added: “Peaceful Atom”. This reward is given in Ground Arcade and Realistic battles and only if the delivery aircraft has not yet dropped the nuclear bomb.

Interface

• Training missions have been added to the vehicle modification window, allowing you to familiarize yourself with the weapon that a modification unlocks and test them. Training missions are available after researching and purchasing the corresponding modification. If you have not yet familiarized yourself in a mission for a weapon, the modification is marked with a “new” icon, which shows from in the hangar to the mission itself: on the “Modifications” button, on the modification itself and on the “Test” button, which starts the mission. The “new” icon disappears on all weapon modifications when viewing any single modification of a given weapon type. For example, if you view any missile with IR seeker (let’s say AIM-9L), the icons will disappear on all missiles with IR seeker (AIM-9B, AIM-9G, R-60, R-73 etc.). You can always return to the modification window and test any weapon that you are interested in again. Missions are currently available to test the following aircraft weapons:
  • Air-to-surface missiles with manual guidance;
    
  • Air-to-surface missiles with laser guidance on an aircraft with a stabilized target designator, but without a targeting pod;
    
  • Air-to-air missiles with an infrared seeker.
    
  • Air-to-air missiles with SARH seeker.
• An aircraft’s parameters HUD is now displayed in the optical seeker view.

Game mechanics

• The ability to use universal backups in the respawn window without needing to activate them first in the modification window before a battle has been added.
  
• In Ground Realistic Battles, when an enemy is destroyed, a new skull destruction icon instead of the regular hit icon is displayed in the hit marker, signaling that the enemy has been destroyed.
  
• Contextual hints about the use of certain mechanics and equipment of ground vehicles have been added and occur when certain conditions are met. Each hint is only shown once per spawn; i.e. it can be shown again the next time you respawn in the current battle, or in the next battle. Each hint is shown no more than three times in three months. Whenever the corresponding mechanic is used, the game remembers this fact as showing a hint, so it doesn’t get shown to experienced players if possible. Currently the following tips have been added:
  
• When trying to use the target lock of radar/IRST from third-person view, if the target lock is available only from the sights or binoculars, a hint recommending to switch to the sights is shown.
  
• When trying to use the target lock of radar/IRST from the sights or binoculars, if the target is missing, a hint recommending to point the sight to the target is shown. The successful target lock from the sights or binoculars is counted as a successful hint show.
  
• When not moving for 40 seconds, a hint about the ability to use binoculars to safely inspect the area is shown. The total binoculars usage time of 3 seconds is counted as a successful hint show.
  
• When getting damaged from the front, if the vehicle has smoke grenades, a hint about the possibility to use smoke grenades is shown. Using smoke grenades under any circumstances is counted as a successful hint show.
  
• When getting damaged from the rear, if the vehicle has ESS, a hint about the possibility to use ESS is shown. Turning ESS on under any circumstances is counted as a successful hint show.

Graphical

• There has been a complete rework of all fires in the game. This includes fire on locations, for example volcano effects or burning buildings and also fires on tanks, boats and ships. A fire of each different module has its own visual effect of fire and smoke.
  
• Additional detail to the effects of large-caliber hits (from 80 mm) have been added.
  
• When a tank explodes, there is now a chance of fuel leakage and a subsequent fire.
  
• Updated and added new effects for the interaction of aircraft landing gear with various surfaces such as ground, snow, sand, concrete, asphalt and carrier decks. A unique effect has been added for each of the surfaces when the landing gear touches, moves and the interaction of air flows from the aircraft engines.

Sound

• Ultra-low frequencies have been added to the sounds of explosions, gun shots, and aircraft engines to give more richness to the game mix.
  
• The sounds of machine guns on ground and naval vehicles have been adjusted. More dynamic and characteristic sound features have been added to each weapon.
  
• The sounds of autocannons on ground units have been corrected: TNSh, ZSU-23-4 Shilka cannons, Oerlikon KDA cannons (Gepard SPAA), Oerlikon KAD B17 cannons, 2A14 cannons (PG87), Rh202 cannons. ZSU-23-4 Shilka cannons now sound like a twin 2A14.
  
• PKT and SGMT machine guns now have their own sounds. Before that, they had a set of general ones.
  
• The MG4 5.56 (PUMA) machine gun now has its own sounds. Before that, it has sounded like an MG42/MG3.
  
• Rockets and ATGMs that fly past have been given positioned fly-by sounds.
  
• The sounds of flying shells and bullets are now positioned around the player depending on the direction of fire.
  
• The sounds of hits to the player’s ground vehicles when in the gunner/driver view are now positioned depending on the direction of fire.
  
• A new type of voice informant has been added to the following Chinese aircraft: J-8F, J-11 and JH-7A.
  
• The phrases of the following tank crews have received updated and correct voice acting: Polish and French.
  
• The phrases of the following tank crews have received their own unique voice acting: Norwegian, Argentine and Indian.
  
• The following languages have received full voiceovers of the radio command messages: Portuguese and Spanish.
  
• The following languages have received additional voiceover phrases of the radio command messages (target designation, request for help, etc.): Portuguese, Spanish, Hungarian, Korean, Serbian and Turkish.
  
• Aircraft controls (control stick, thrust lever and rudder pedals) now emit sounds when moved inside the c*ckpit view, creating another channel of feedback between the player and the aircraft.