Hello everyone, after what has been what felt like an eternity of awesome Navy work, including being called Willy Warren in a TV interview, I once again have the chance to bring to you some War Thunder news. It is safe to say there is a lot to talk about so prepare for the biggest War Thunder post you have seen today, as we have plenty of devblogs for your reading pleasure such as new MBTs, an answer to the Tunguska and a whole new navy. This Post will go nation by nation so readers can go through the devblogs so far in a logical order. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

USSR:

9P149 “Shturm-S”:

So far the only Soviet addition to be revealed so far, the Soviet Ground Forces are receiving a new rank VI MT-LB based ATGM carrier. It will come with a choice of 2 ATGM variants, the ‘Shturm’ missile which has an armour penetration value of 560mm and an upgrade in the form of the ‘Ataka’ missile which has an improved armour penetration value of 800mm which will be able to penetrate the weak spots of most top tier MBTs. It is also incredibly stealthy, with its low profile. Combining this with its amphibious capabilities will allow this vehicle to appear in unexpected places and take advantage of unaware opponents.

The main downside for this ATGM carrier, however, is its pitiful armour. With a maximum value of 14mm at its best, .50 calibre and aircraft cannons will be able to destroy this vehicle incredibly easily. It is the perfect example of a glass cannon and should be played as such, using terrain to your advantage and keeping away from frontline combat, taking a rear or flank position so that you can provide accurate fire support to your team. This is possible due to the 5km range on your missiles. Overall, this is set to be an interesting vehicle and with its improved ATGMs will be a good support vehicle for any rank VI or VII Soviet line-ups.

USA:

Bradley ADATS:

For all American players, you can rejoice as the answer to the Tunguska has finally arrived in the form of the Bradley ADATS. Armed with the ADATS you come with the ultimate multi-purpose missile which can deal with both aircraft due to its radar abilities and with 900mm of penetration, this rank VI vehicle can help the team with any stubborn ground targets that may be present. For secondary armament, it comes armed with the same 25mm the regular Bradley is armed with so it can be used to deal with lightly armoured ground targets or aerial targets that have come within range.

The main downside is similar to the 9P149 as it does not come with a lot of armour so don’t expect to handle any hits above rifle calibre munitions. This is further compounded by its size which makes it an easy target to identify and considering its capabilities, it will most likely be considered a priority target for anyone intending to take to the air. As such it will be a very similar play style to the Tunguska, however, with its multiuse missiles it can be expected that this machine will be used in many comical ways.

France:

F-86K Sabre Dog:

France is getting a new top tier jet in the form of the export version of the F-86D, the F-86K. This is a 20mm armed variant of the sabre we know and it comes with a few important modifications: radar, afterburners and sidewinders. For the 20mm it comes with 528 rounds of ammunition and can carry 2 AIM-9B missiles. Finally, in terms of statistics, it has a top speed of 1115 km/h (692 mph) which while not the fastest in game, still gives it enough speed to deal with opponents of a similar build such as the G.91 or other sabres.

For this plane though, it has 2 major disadvantages: 1st generation air to air missiles and the opposition it might face. With first generation AAMs, they do not have a high G-force overload (the AIM-9B has an overload of 6G) as such a sharp turn can throw this missile off and it will have the potential to face supersonic jets like the MIG-19 or the T-2. This will have a similar playstyle to other subsonic top tier jets and with a decent top speed can be used to catch unaware supersonic jets.

Leclerc S1:

France is also finally receiving their rank VII MBT in the form of the Leclerc S1. This MBT comes armed with a GIAT 120mm autoloading cannon with a rate of fire of 12 rounds every minute, so a reload of 5 seconds. Following suit with other MBTs, it comes with an impressive armour layout with protection of 600-700mm against kinetic rounds and 1200mm against chemical rounds. The final impressive element attached to this tank is its speed with a top speed of 71 km/h (44 mph) on paved roads and an excellent 38 km/h (27 mph) in reverse.

However, it comes with a small crew meaning if the turret crew is knocked out the tank will be too. While we do not know the armour layout yet, I suspect this will play like the Leopard 2A5 and will be able to rush to advantages spots and take advantage of enemies that are out of place. It will be a must get tank for any French tree players.

Germany:

Me 264:

So far for Germany, the Messerschmitt Me 264 is the latest addition to the German air forces which will supplement their heavy bomber line. It comes with a payload of 4.4 tonnes and can carry a wide range of bombs from 250kg up to 1,800kg. It also comes with four 13mm machine guns and two 20mm cannons for defence but we shall discuss its layout in its disadvantages.

The main downside for the Me 264 is the position of its defensive armament as it leaves its ventral position extremely vulnerable to enemy fighter attack. It is also a slow bomber compared to the other German bombers with a top speed of 520 km/h. As such, I feel that this bomber will be a bit of a disappointment for German Heavy bomber fans but it is nice to see it in game.

Japan:

PG 02:

The rank II pre-order for the Japanese Naval Forces, the PG 02 is set to be a fun low tier PT boat, armed with a 20mm Vulcan cannon that will allow it to shred any plane or boat it comes across, with APCR shells for bigger vessels. It also has a top speed of 50 knots (90 km/h or 56 mph) and combining this with the smoke grenades it comes with, the PG 02 will be able to early capture and points it comes across.

As to be expected with boats this size, however, it does not have any armour that will prove useful and it will evaporate if it is hit by a high calibre shell. It should also be noted that due to the hydrofoil design, it will suffer at lower speeds, meaning it will have to rely on its speed to survive. Overall, the PG 02 is a nice boat to get into the Japanese Naval Forces and will provide a fun boat to play.

No.4 Type CH-8:

The No.4 Type CH-8 is a regular rank II for the Japanese tech tree and it comes with a lot of depth charges, it carries 18,160 kg worth of them. A total of 18 depth charges which are dropped conventionally and it comes with an additional 4 which are launched via mortar. The final advantage this vessel has is that she is large for her tier and will be able to take a lot of punishment before she is sent to the bottom.

However, the vessel comes with no armament over 40mm which means while she will do well against PT boats and aircraft, she will suffer against vessels of a similar nature or larger as she will not have the same damage output. She is also a very slow vessel so don’t expect to be winning many races. Thus, I feel that at top tier this will be an excellent vessel to combat PT boats and protect capture points, however as soon as it gets into bigger battles it will suffer due to lack of armament and inability to escape bad situations.

Kiyoshimo:

Following tradition with a new navy, the Japanese get a premium version of their main tree destroyer, in this case, the Yūgumo at rank III which has an expanded Anti-Aircraft suite. It comes with 24 25mm cannons split amongst single, double and triple mounts and it has six 127mm main cannons and eight long lance torpedoes.

It is set to be quite a good destroyer, however, players should be mindful that, similar to the German light cruisers, the majority of its main armament is located towards the stern as such you will not be able to advance and get your maximum firepower. It will make a welcome addition to any collector’s garage.

Akizuki:

The top destroyer at rank III for the Japanese, the Akizuki is the embodiment of anti-aircraft destroyer. It comes armed with eight dual-purpose 100mm cannons in dual mounts, 35 25mm cannons again across single, dual and triple mounts and finally it comes with a quadruple 610mm torpedo launcher. This vessel will have no issues at keeping the skies clear for other friendly vessels.

However, the vessel will struggle against well-armoured targets due to two reasons: 1. the calibre of its main guns being the lowest on any destroyer and 2. it only has HE variants for its shells, meaning it will have to rely on torpedoes or fires to damage tough targets. However, if players use it for its intended role, the Akizuki will be clearing the skies of enemy planes in no time.

Kuma:

The first light cruiser revealed for the Japanese, the Kuma at rank IV comes armed with seven 140mm mounts and is capable of bringing a maximum of six onto a target for a broadside. This is further supplemented by four sets of dual 533mm torpedo launchers which shows the Kuma has the firepower to deal with any large surface threats she may come across. She also has average armour, with a maximum of 63mm on her belt meaning she can sustain some hits from HE, but don’t expect much when encountering AP shells.

The Achilles heel for the Kuma, however, is her secondary and anti-air armament or rather lack of. She comes with two 80mm cannons and two machine guns to cover her, which means the ship will provide an easy target for any players in the skies. As such this ship will be able to deal with surface targets, but it is recommended to stay near friendly vessels so that your anti-aircraft abilities are supported.

Furutaka:

The Furutaka is the most recent devblog as of this post, and also the first heavy cruiser to be announced. She will be placed at the top spot of rank IV and comes with an impressive array of armament, armed with six 203mm cannons in twin mounts (being after her 1937 refit) and comes with two sets of quadruple 610mm torpedo launchers. It has an ok armour belt of a maximum of 76mm which should negate some HE damage and it has a top speed of 32.9 knots (61 km/h or 38mph).

Just like the Kuma, her main disadvantage is her anti-aircraft armament which consists of four 120mm cannons, four dual 25mms and two dual 13.2mm machine guns. This means that again just like the Kuma, the Furutaka will be excellent at dealing with surface targets, however, it will need to rely on teammates to support it against aerial threats. Overall I feel that it will be a nice end to the Japanese cruisers for now and will provide a ship that is worth grinding for.

So, for those of you who have made it this far, I must congratulate you for your persistence. It looks like 1.89 is set to be a very interesting patch and it appears that so far most people have had something they are looking forward to announced (unless you are a Royal Navy fan such as yours truly). What vehicles excite you the most? Anything you are hoping to be added? As always I will see you all next time.