✈️ The Soviet Spitfire Mk IXc Temporarily Returns for Golden Eagles!

Vasily Matsievich was born on April 13th, 1913. He fought in the Second World War as a squadron commander and shot down 16 enemy aircraft and won another 6 aerial victories as part of a group. For his exemplary performance, he was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

Towards the end of the war on February 20th 1945, Matsievich received the Spitfire Mk IX and participated in Soviet testing for it.

🚩The Spitfire Mk IXc (USSR) is temporarily available for Golden Eagles!

This Spitfire is available for 6,090 Golden Eagles.
When: From April 11th (13:00 GMT) until April 14th (13:00 GMT).
Where: USSR > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

About this aircraft
▪️The Spitfire Mk IXc (Rank IV, USSR) features a good rate of climb and is excellent in turn fighting. This aircraft has two 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons and four 7.7 mm Browning machine guns in the wings, making it great for shooting down other aircraft.

🛠Update 2.45.1.50

Aircraft
▪️Tornado GR.4 — a bug where text keys were displayed on the HUD in the cockpit when selecting AIM-9 missiles and BOL countermeasures has been fixed.
▪️F/A-18C Early — a bug where target acquisition of any target by the targeting pod prevented seeker activation of AIM-7P missiles has been fixed.

Ground Vehicles
▪️A bug that led to desynchronization of the position of moving ground vehicles has been fixed.
▪️The following changes will, among other things, result in the sound on ground vehicles becoming more consistent, stable and predictable overall, in particular, it should no longer be the case that ground vehicles at distances of up to 215 meters, which are behind obstacles, do not make engine and track sounds:

▪️The principle of absolute detection of enemies in ground vehicles has been changed. The "absolute detection" parameter no longer depends on the level of the vehicle crew's "Keen Vision" skill and is equal to the value that was previously the maximum for a fully upgraded “Ace” crew — 215 meters (for vehicles with the "Improved Optics" modification, this parameter is 280 meters). This parameter is responsible for the range at which information about enemy vehicles is transmitted by the server to the client, regardless of whether the player sees the vehicle or whether the terrain or objects in the location interfere with this. The change has been made for transparency — despite the fact that the parameter was described in the crew's “Keen Vision” parameters, its presence, its impact on the game, and connection with sound in cases where the vehicle is out of direct line of sight were not obvious.
▪️A bug where the sound of the engine and tracks of a scouted target might sound from greater distances than the engine and tracks of a target detected in other ways has been fixed.
▪️The theoretical radius of audibility of the engine and tracks of ground vehicles has been reduced from 400 to 215 meters. In fact, this did not noticeably affect audibility in combat since previously, due to volume settings, vehicles further than 215 meters could only be heard in ideal conditions (in silence) along the line of sight, while behind obstacles, vehicles could be heard at a distance of more than 215 meters only due to a bug with the increased range of sound playback for scouted targets.
▪️These changes, among other things, will lead to the fact that now information about enemy ground vehicles will appear on the client either at a distance at which the sounds of the engine and tracks are just beginning to be played (with minimum volume), or even at a greater distance (in the case of vehicles with the "Improved Optics" modification), which will eliminate abruptly appearing sounds of engines and tracks of ground vehicles.
▪️The ranges of the sounds of gun shots have not undergone any changes and are still always reproduced if the shot occurred within a radius of 2 kilometers.
▪️A bug where enemy engine sound could disappear behind obstacles, leaving only the sound of the tracks, has been fixed.

Naval Vessels
▪️A bug that caused the turrets to not adjust fire to the crosshair in Naval Arcade Battles and instead fire at the same location on the enemy ship has been fixed.
▪️A bug that caused modules in the X-ray on coastal fleet vessels to sometimes disappear in test sail has been fixed.

Sounds
▪️The volume of sound of a critical angle of attack has been reduced for all modifications of the F/A-18, as it could have been too frequent, hence annoying.

👁Eye in the Sky: Meteor FR Mk.9

Today we’ll be taking a look at the main reward in the Eye in the Sky vehicle event that started today: the Israeli Meteor FR Mk.9!

🇮🇱Meteor FR Mk.9: An Event Vehicle Jet Fighter for Israel at Rank V

At a glance:
▪️Four 20 mm cannons.
▪️Large ammunition capacity.
▪️Good rate of climb.
▪️Ability to fire rockets.

👋Introducing the Meteor FR Mk.9!
The Israeli Air Force Meteor FR Mk.9 is a compact jet fighter distinguished by powerful 20 mm cannons, good acceleration and the ability to carry rockets. This jet aircraft, along with decals and decorations can be obtained in the Eye in the Sky aircraft event that started today — check it out in the link below! Let’s take a closer look at what this aircraft has to offer.

➡️LEARN MORE

🎯Planned Battle Rating changes for April 2025

Welcome to our Battle Rating change proposals for the month of April

We’ve got several Battle Rating changes for aircraft, helicopters, ground vehicles and naval vessels.

➡️Click here to see the table of planned changes

🛠Update 2.45.1.58

Ground Vehicles
▪️A bug that caused ground vehicles to sometimes ‘bump’ upwards when driving over small destructible objects has been fixed.

Naval Vessels
▪️A bug in Naval Arcade Battles that caused the guns to compensate for range incorrectly if no target was selected has been fixed. This bug, among other things, made firing behind obstacles harder.

Graphics
▪️A bug that caused vehicles to not get wet during rain has been fixed.
▪️A bug that caused the decals in replays to dissappear or change when changing graphics settings has been fixed.
▪️A bug that caused the image in the right eye to be black in VR when DLSS was enabled, has been fixed.

Sound
▪️The sound of the GSh-6-30 aircraft cannon has been adjusted to emphasize the fact that it’s a rotary cannon.

🥚Happy Easter!

Easter is the main holiday in the Christian calender, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is observed on different dates in both Catholic and Orthodox traditions, but this year those dates coincide on April 20th.

Until April 23rd (7:00 GMT) activate the code "HAPPYEASTER" on the special webpage and receive the decal “Easter Egg” next time you log into War Thunder.

After activating the code play 3 battles in any vehicle of Rank II and up to receive the “Easter Bunny” decal.

1️⃣Battle Pass Season 19: “First Sample” and Its Warbond Shop!

Season 19 celebrates the first T-44 tank and some of the first examples of the most popular types of Soviet weaponry. This includes the AK-46 decoration which was the first sample of a legendary AR, plus the RPG-2 decoration — the first mass-produced rocket-propelled grenade launcher! There are warbonds, decals, boosters, Silver Lions, premium account time, wagers, decorations and vehicles. Don’t forget about the Warbond shop, running in parallel with this Battle Pass season. We’ve added Random Camouflage trophies for naval vessels thanks to your requests, so you can now decorate your ships with camouflages bought with Warbonds! All details below!

🏆Rewards in Season 19

🚩T-44 “First Sample” (FM) (USSR)
A Premium Medium Tank for the USSR at Rank IV

🇫🇷Amiens (France)
A Premium Sub-chaser for France at Rank III

Battle Trophy with Past Vehicles
Missed out on previous Battle Pass vehicles? The Battle Trophy has you covered, featuring four vehicles from past Battle Passes or events. Opening this trophy will give you one vehicle from the list. If you have them all, you’ll instead receive Silver Lions and the special “Golden Battles Wager”, allowing you to earn up to 1,000 Golden Eagles.

🔹ORP Garland (Great Britain)
🔹USS Detroit (USA)
🔹Matilda Hedgehog (Great Britain)
🔹Tandem MAI (USSR)

➡️LEARN MORE

‼️ Scheduled Maintenance on 22.04.25

On April 22nd at 07:00 GMT, we plan to conduct a brief update of the matchmaking infrastructure. As a result, the game servers may be unavailable for about 10 minutes.

The rules for calculating the average Battle Rating in Air Arcade Battles have been simplified. Previously, the rounding of the rating could depend on the number of aircraft in the crewslots when a player used fewer than three aircraft. For more details on matchmaking based on average Battle Rating, please check out the article on the Wiki.

Thank you for your understanding!

⚔️Try out “Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses”, An Asymmetrical Battle for Air Supremacy!

Get your pilot helmets on, it’s time for a new challenge! Today, we’re presenting the “Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses” (SEAD) event — a new asymmetrical game mode where one team takes on the role of the attackers, and the other team defends strategically important S-75 SAM positions.

Take part in this two day event and test out some new mechanics that we’re working on!

🏪When: From April 22nd (11:00 GMT) until April 24th (11:00 GMT).
You can access the event from the hangar through: Events & Tournaments -> Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses

❓How the event works

The defending team in this event must protect AI controlled Soviet S-75 surface-to-air missile systems. Helping to defend these systems are AI controlled ZSU-23-4 “Shilka” anti-air vehicles. Both of these potent air defense systems pose a deadly threat to the attacking team — they’ll need to learn the terrain, come up with approach tactics and use the right selection of weaponry to be successful.

🎯Roles and Objectives

Attacking Team

Your mission is to destroy all S-75 SAM positions at all costs! Not only do the attackers have aircraft, they also have helicopters, opening up new possibilities for stealthy attacks and pinpoint missile strikes. The F-4E Phantom II serves as the primary strike force, equipped with rockets and bombs for ground targets, along with air-to-air missiles for engaging enemy aircraft. The AH-1F is armed with ATGMs and rockets, capable of providing more precise air-to-ground fire to take out the air defense missile systems.

Defending Team

Your mission is to defend the S-75 positions from the attacking enemy! Coordinate your actions with other players and build a layered defense to counter the attacking team. You’ll be equipped with the MiG-21bis, armed with air-to-air missiles to repel the enemy.

❗️Event Features

Here are some key event features that are useful to know:

▪️The gameplay in this event is asymmetrical. One team attacks and the other defends. This requires you to adapt to different roles and strategies.
▪️There’s no markers in this mode, so you’ll not see enemy markers on the map. Use your aircraft’s systems and piloting skills to find and destroy the enemy.
▪️Each player has 3 respawns, giving both teams the flexibility to experiment with tactics, and giving the attacking players the ability to use different types of vehicles.
▪️For the first time in an air mode, the attacking team has access to both helicopters and planes, offering unique opportunities in coordinating attacks to take enemies out from afar and support friendly planes.
▪️All players that have an aircraft of rank V or higher in their hangar can participate in the event.
▪️The vehicles that you’ll use in the event are automatically assigned and don’t need to be purchased.
▪️Vehicles have the spawn cost in SL, which will be refunded if the plane is not destroyed when the mission ends or if you exit the plane in the safe exit zones. The amount of refunded SL depends on the condition of the aircraft.
▪️Safe exit zones become available for aircraft once all the weapons of a certain type have been expended. If you have spawned in with air-to-ground weaponry, you will need to use all of it, air-to-air missiles are not taken into account, however, if you have spawned in with just air-to-air missiles, you will need to use all of them.
▪️You’ll be able to earn research points and Silver Lions by taking part in the event.

➡️LEARN MORE

🛠It’s fixed! №104

Today, we’ve rounded up and will be going over some of the bug fixes and improvements that we’ve made to the game today and over the past few weeks. If you’d like to catch up on every fixed bug, then be sure to check out the changelog section on our website.

✅Full synchronization

After a small update, a desynchronization issue that caused a difference in what the player saw and how the server assessed the situation, was discovered in the game. This problem affected ground vehicles, and the faster vehicles moved the more noticeably the server and client readings had discrepancies. We received several reports detailing this problem and want to thank everyone who submitted one! This issue was fixed shortly after it was discovered.

✅Interface Improvements

We’re always working on improving the user interface to make it a better experience for all players. We’ve now increased the number of players that you can add as friends and to your blacklist to 300.

In the chat menu in the hangar, the message delay is now separate for each chat, and the inactive “send” button displays a timer showing how long it will take until the next message can be sent. If your message is marked as spam by the system and not sent, you’ll now be notified about it and a timer will start until you can send it again.

Now let’s talk about some changes to the achievement menu in the player profile. First up is the names of operations in the Pages of History and other similar sections. We’ve made some visual improvements to them, long titles now fit on one line instead of being wrapped. We’ve also made it so that for events, you can now click on the Mark of distinction task from the main event section to go straight to the corresponding task.

We’ve also fixed a bug that prevented you from sending chat messages in the Custom Battles lobby screen, and made a ton of other UI fixes and improvements. Be sure to check out the full changelog for them all!

✅Faster Replenishment of Scout vehicles

Capturing points not only brings your team closer to victory, but also allows you to replenish your ammunition right in the heat of battle. You can also replenish reconnaissance vehicles that were used too, such as Scout UAVs in ground battles and scout Hydroplanes in naval battles. To ensure that players don’t have to wait too long for scout vehicles to return to service, we’ve halved the time it takes to replenish them in Realistic Battles to 45 seconds (was 90 seconds).

✅Small objects that caused bumps

There was an issue where ground vehicles might behave weirdly when driving over small destructible objects like tables, chairs and fences. These objects should have turned into dust when run over and not affect a ground vehicle’s movement in any way — but instead, vehicles would sometimes ‘bump’ upwards. This has been fixed.

✅Issues when minimizing the game

There was a bug for PC players who minimized the game but left their ground vehicle driving in battle. If the game was minimized for a longer period of time while the vehicle was moving in battle, the turret rotated backwards, where upon tabbing back in, the turret was aimed in the wrong direction. This bug has now been fixed!

That’s not all
You’ll find the full list of improvements in separate update notes. Here’s some more: the sound of the nuclear siren no longer lags significantly behind the spawning of the nuclear weapon carrier, the principle of unconditional detection of enemies in ground vehicles has been reworked, and the hint about the enabled cyclic switching of radar targets no longer appears when using the horizontal targeting axis of the radar.

➡️Update 2.45.1.65
➡️Update 2.45.1.61
➡️Update 2.45.1.58
➡️Update 17.04.2025

✈️The FFA P-16 is Now Available on the Anniversary of its First Flight!

The Swiss FFA P-16 prototype attack aircraft first took to the skies on April 25th, 1955. A year later, the second prototype broke the sound barrier. Due to one of the test aircraft crashing, the Swiss government canceled the order for the P-16 and today only one example exists, located at the museum in Dübendorf

🇨🇭🇩🇪The FFA P-16 is now available for Golden Eagles and is here to stay!

This jet is available for 9,090 Golden Eagles.
When: From April 25th (10:00 GMT).
Where: Germany > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

About this aircraft
▪️The FFA P-16 features two powerful 30 mm Hispano HS 825 cannons and hardpoints that can carry 200 to 1000 kg bombs, incendiary bombs, Type R80 rockets and Flz Lwf 63 air-to-air missiles (AIM-9B).

🇮🇹A Decal for the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Italy!

The Italian Partisan Liberation Committee declared the beginning of an uprising against German troops occupying northern Italy and the remnants of Mussolini’s fascist regime on April 25th, 1945. Four days later the Germans agreed to capitulate, causing the unrecognized Italian Social Republic to cease to exist. The date of the beginning of the uprising was chosen as Italy’s Liberation Day — and today is the 80th anniversary.

⭐️Get the “Italy Liberation Day 2025” decal!

You’re able to earn this themed decal in honor of this day.

When: From April 25th (12:00 GMT) until April 28th (12:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using Italian vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “Italy Liberation Day 2025” decal!

Additional details:
▪️Your activity must not be below 70%.
▪️You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, and [Assault] mode.
▪️Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Italian Liberation Day.
▪️You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the customization menu.

🛠Update 2.45.1.76

Battle Ratings
❗️The planned Battle Rating changes have come into effect.

Aircraft
▪️UH-1D (Germany), UH-1B, UH-1C, Mi-8TB (Germany), Mi-8TV, Mi-24A, SA.342L Gazelle, Mi-24D (Italy) — modification to unlock ATGMs has been moved to Tier I in the modification research.
▪️UH-1B (Japan) — the number of rocket pods with 19 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets has been increased from 2 to 4.
▪️XP-50 — air respawn ability has been removed.

Ground Vehicles
▪️Vextra 105 — OFL 105 G2 shell and the modification to unlock it has been added.
▪️E.B.R. (1954) — PCOT-51P shell has been added.

Naval Vessels
▪️A bug that caused the “Camera Shake” option to not affect camera shake intensity on ships has been fixed.
▪️A bug that caused turrets to sometimes still not adjust fire to the crosshair in Naval Arcade Battles and instead fire at the wrong location has been fixed.

⛩A Tokyo Tower Decal for Golden Week in Japan!

Four holidays in Japan are celebrated within the same week. Showa Day, Constitution Day, Greenery Day and Children’s Day are celebrated from April 29th to May 5th. This is a long vacation and a reason to relax and have fun. We’re joining the celebrations with a new decal in War Thunder!

⭐️Get the “Tokyo Tower” decal!

Play some Japanese vehicles to get yourself this new decal!

When: From April 29th (10:00 GMT) until May 2nd (10:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using Japanese vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “Tokyo Tower” decal!