[2019] ST: Graf Zeppelin and Hakuryu

Graf Zeppelin bombers got several improvements:

Armor penetration increased by 11 mm.


Attack time increased from 6 to 8 s.


Bomb falling speed increased by 13%.


Inner and outer ellipses slightly reduced in size.

Due to the behavior of the aircraft at the beginning of the attack, the use of Graf Zeppelin dive bombers is noticeably different from the dive bombers of other aircraft carriers. These changes will make the use of Graf Zeppelin squadrons more comfortable.

Hakuryu’s alternative J5N Tenrai Type 91 mod. 8 torpedo bombers also got some improvements:

Attack preparation time reduced from 5 to 2.5 s.


Aiming speed during preparation increased.


Attack time lowered from 10 to 8 seconds.


Torpedo arming range reduced from 1182 m to 698 m.


The smallest possible spread of torpedoes slightly reduced.


Time between attacks decreased from 4 to 2 s.


The Repair consumable regenerates half the HP that it does on the standard torpedo bombers.


Damage reduction during attacks removed.


Unlike other squadrons, J5N Tenrai Type 91 mod. 8 are vulnerable to AA fire at all stages of the attack, but the squadron returns under the player's control immediately after the drop.

Hakuryu offers two concepts of torpedo bombers: the main ones imply standard use, and the alternative ones encourage attacking from a distance. The changes will increase the effectiveness of the second option. Hakuryu J5N Tenrai Type 91 mod. 8 will be most effective as a ranged weapon which requires more skill. If used correctly, they will reward the player with great damage due to each flight’s 4 torpedoes. Consider their vulnerability: when entering the middle AA zone, the entire squadron is likely to be lost.

Changes to Hakuryu can be tested on the Public test for 0.8.4.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary.

Hey Spitfire175,

This was posted by Sub_Octavian on March 14th: It should be noted that even the ships purchased in or marketed through Premium store are a part of a big game we all play. That means our decision does not isolate any ship from systematic changes applied to a group of ships on common basis or to the whole game. For example, a change to the Radar mechanics affects all ships equipped with Radar, a Smoke mechanics change affects all ships with smoke, etc.

When a change affects a whole class of ships, premium ships are not immune to the changes. They still fall under the appropriate ship type for the changes. In this case, this is a change for all CVs and not one CV in particular when you are referring to the change in the most recent Developer's Blog.