🇺🇸Celebrate US Armed Forces Day With A New Decal!

The third Sunday in May marks US Armed Forces Day, a day where people pay tribute to all US personnel. The US accounts for a third of global military spending, and in 2026, the US military budget is expected to reach a trillion dollars.

⭐️Get the “US National Armed Forces Day 2025” decal!

You can get this new decal for this day!

When: From May 16th (11:00 GMT) until May 19th (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using US vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “US National Armed Forces 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 → US Armed Forces Day.
▪️You can find the decal in the Holiday tab in the customization menu.

🌪Get the HF-24 in the Spirit of the Tempest Event!

Today we’re announcing the aircraft event, dedicated to an Indian aviation classic. In this event, you can get themed decals, a player profile icon and the very first domestically produced Indian combat aircraft — the HF-24, which was in service from 1967 until the late 80s.

🏪From May 22nd (11:00 GMT) until June 5th (11:00 GMT), earn mission points in Air Battles, unlock stages and receive rewards!

🇮🇳🇬🇧HF-24 — An Event Vehicle Jet Fighter for Great Britain at Rank V

The HAL HF-24 Marut (Hindu for “Spirit of the Tempest”), designed by German aircraft engineer Kurt Tank, was India’s first domestically produced combat aircraft. This jet fighter can accelerate to almost the speed of sound, is armed with four 30 mm ADEN cannons and can carry up to 4,000 lb of bombs and rockets.

🎁Rewards are given when you complete a specific number of stages
▪️For 1 stage: trophy with random reward
▪️For 2 stages: one of the decal rewards
▪️For 3 stages: trophy with random reward
▪️For 4 stages: one of the decal rewards
▪️For 5 stages: trophy with random reward
▪️For 6 stages: “Indian Pilot” profile icon
▪️For 7 stages: a non-tradable coupon for the HF-24

➡️LEARN MORE

🦡Badger IFV: A Beast Yet To Come

Meet the Badger IFV, a South African light tank featuring a 30 mm gun on the Patria chassis, still yet to be delivered to the South African Army.

🇿🇦🇬🇧Badger IFV: A Light Tank for Great Britain at Rank VI

At a glance:
▪️Fast-firing 30 mm automatic cannon with APFSDS rounds
▪️Patria chassis with a top speed of 100 km/h
▪️Stabilized turret with thermals
▪️3 crew and light armor

👋Introducing the Badger IFV!
A brand-new top-tier light tank is arriving for Great Britain in the next major update! Meet the Badger IFV, a South African vehicle intended to replace the Ratel in the real world, however its future is still uncertain. Featuring a 30 mm automatic cannon and the Patria chassis, the Badger IFV will be potent in the light tank role. Let’s take a look at what this furry animal is all about!

🛍 You can greatly speed up the research of the Badger IFV with this pack: Challenger DS Pack
🛍Kick-start your British vehicles research with this starter pack: British Starter Pack

🚚🚀EldE 98: Missile Trolley

Today we’ll be taking a look at the EldE 98, an advanced SAM system with all-aspect IRIS-T missiles for the top of the Swedish ground forces line!

🇸🇪EldE 98: An SPAA (SAM) for Sweden at Rank VIII

At a glance:
▪️IRIS-T missiles, but just four of them
▪️Long range detection
▪️Unique layout, as the missiles are located on a trailer

👋Introducing the EldE 98!
Sweden’s new end of the line anti-aircraft missile system featuring the long-awaited IRIS-T missile is coming to the game in the next major update! This vehicle has excellent maneuverable missiles and is rather unusual in its unconventional layout. Specifics, here we come!

🛍Kick-start your Swedish vehicles research with this starter pack: Swedish Starter Pack
🛍You can greatly speed up the research of the EldE 98 with this pack: Strv 121B Christian II Pack

🇬🇧🇮🇱Weizman’s Spitfire Returns on the Anniversary of the last Empire Air Day!

From 1934 to 1939, the United Kingdom hosted annual air shows and open days at air bases. This event was called “Empire Air Day” and its intention was to show the general public the work of the Royal Air Force. The last air show in this event took place on May 20th 1939, where many aircraft took part, including the Supermarine Spitfire, which amazed the audience with its speed.

Weizman’s Spitfire LF Mk.IXe is now available for Golden Eagles and is here to stay!

This Spitfire is back for good and is available for 4,880 Golden Eagles.
When: From May 20th (11:00 GMT).
Where: Israel > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

About the Spitfire
▪️Spitfires were widely used both in the Second World War and after it. In 1948 during the Israeli War of Independence, they were used by both sides of the conflict. This Spitfire LF Mk.IXe was flown by Ezer Weizman, the future commander of the Air Force and later the President of Israel. Featuring an excellent rate of climb, this Spitfire is very maneuverable and is great at low altitudes. It’s armed with two 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons and two 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns. For use against ground targets, it can carry two 250 lb bombs and 16 8-cm Flz.-Rakete Oerlikon rockets. Just make sure to hit the target!

‼️ Fair Play: May 2025

The fight against cheaters continues tirelessly, and today we’re ready to provide you with a list of rule breakers who have been banned over the past month. Thank you very much for your active participation in identifying rule breakers and submitting reports! You can use the battle replay function on our website to report players who you suspect have violated the game’s Terms of Service and the License Agreement. Instructions on how to do this can be found here.

🤕Banned accounts

Since our last fair play, we’ve banned 4781 accounts that were found to have violated the rules. Specifically 3.2.3 of the EULA namely in the automation of gameplay (using bots) and cheat software. For complete transparency, we’re publishing the full list of these banned players. This list will be available for two weeks after the publication of this article.

557 more accounts have been banned for a week or more for intentional teamkills.

📜For complete transparency, we’re publishing the full list of these banned players. This list will be available for two weeks after the publication of this article.

⭐️Recommendations
We recommend that you set a strong password for your account and enable two-step authentication in your profile security settings. We have the following 2FA options available: email, SMS, TOTP (Gaijin Pass/Google Authenticator), and Telegram bot, which we suggest trying if SMS 2FA messages are not reaching you.

We’d also suggest that you turn on 2FA for the email that is linked to your Gaijin account for additional security, as this will protect your account from fraudsters. And remember, don’t use prohibited client modifications and never share your account information with anyone.

🎤A frog records a voice
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The message is heard:

🐸It is wednesday, my dudes

🏆Meet the Winner of TITAN 2025: Team AVReS!

Last Sunday, the TITAN 5x5 Tournament, the first major WTCS event, came to an end. After qualifying on the first weekend, AVReS showed us a remarkable performance in the play-off phase, going undefeated and beating the team DODEC 3-2 in an intense final on the Sinai map. Team AVReS leads the WTCS overall standings with a total of 127 points!

Congratulations to the AVReS team on their victory in the TITAN 2025 event.

All teams in TITAN fought valiantly and showed some of the best action ever in tournaments. We congratulate and thank them for their participation!

🥇Who is the Most Valuable Player (MVP)?

Congratulations to Leozander, one of the leading French players from team ForFeet for being crowned MVP of Titan 2025!

Their dominance in the skies, impeccable teamplay, and brilliant strategic moves left a lasting impression on the jury. This well-deserved recognition as MVP of the first Major of the season marks a powerful start, and we can't wait to see who will the next MVP for Armored Apex!

We also want to congratulate Banujek and Tonyolo for their respective 2nd and 3rd place in the jury votes. It’s impossible to forget the amazing air kill Banujek showed to us!

❗️Information on the league's second major event

In the coming weeks, you'll be able to train every weekend and get ready for the WTCS Major II, which will be in a 4x4 tank format - Armored Apex.

📆Here are the key dates for this tournament
▪️Open Qualifier I : 14th-15th June
▪️Open Qualifier II : 21st - 22nd June
▪️Playoff: 28th June - 29th June - 5th July
▪️FINAL: 6th July

All first matches of the tournament will start at 15:00 GMT and Twitch live streamed at 14:40 GMT.

You can start practicing now! Good luck to you all!

➡️TOURNAMENT PLATFORM

🛍 Don’t miss the Thunder Tactiks Pack

The Kit Includes:
🔹Unique decal: "Thunder Tactiks"
🔹Unique camouflage: Bf 109 F-4 "Thunder Tactics"
🔹Unique camouflage: Sd.Kfz.234/2 "Thunder Tactics"
🔹300 Golden Eagles

🔚HMS Vanguard: End of an Epoch!

Meet HMS Vanguard, the last battleship built, coming as a historic addition to Great Britain’s Bluewater fleet!

🇬🇧HMS Vanguard: A Battleship for Great Britain at Rank VII

At a glance:
▪️381mm (15”) main guns!
▪️Great anti-aircraft battery
▪️Decent speed and maneuverability
▪️Average armor

👋Introducing HMS Vanguard!
Truly BIG ships are making their way into War Thunder and will settle into a new rank for Bluewater naval trees: rank VII. Meet HMS Vanguard, the last battleship ever built! Featuring 15 inch guns, decent speed, armor and plenty of anti-aircraft firepower, this ship is modeled on how she appeared just after launching. Let’s take a closer look at the details!

🛡CS/SA5: Ground Shield!

Meet the modern CS/SA5 Chinese air defense system coming to War Thunder in the next major update!

🇨🇳CS/SA5: An SPAA (SAM) for China at Rank VIII

At a glance:
▪️Rapid-fire 30 mm cannon
▪️FB-10A missiles
▪️Good top speed
▪️Large in size

👋Introducing the CS/SA5!
The next major update is going to please many players with new end of the line SAM vehicles! What better way to introduce them than with the CS/SA5 for China, which is based on a wheeled 8x8 chassis. Read on for the specifics!

🛍Kick-start your Chinese vehicles research with this starter pack: Chinese Starter Pack
🛍You can greatly speed up the research of the CS/SA5 with this pack: Al-Khalid-I Pack

⛵️A Decal and VLT-2 for National Sailor’s Day in France!

The French Navy has been around since the Middle Ages. It carried crusaders across the Mediterranean and was a participant in the Hundred Years’ War. In 1690, France won one of its most impressive naval victories in the Battle of Beachy Head, having sunk 10 Anglo-Dutch fleet ships without losing a single one of their own.

🇫🇷The VLT-2 is now available for Golden Eagles and is here to stay!

This boat is available for 4,880 Golden Eagles.
When: From May 22nd (11:00 GMT).
Where: France > Coastal fleet > Premium vehicles.

About this boat
▪️The VLT-2 is not very well protected, but has good mobility and is well armed. It has two 40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 3 guns (one at the front and one at the back) and two 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannons. This boat can also take two 550 mm torpedoes as well!

⭐️Get the “Emblem of the Fusiliers marins” decal!

When: From May 22nd (11:00 GMT) until May 26th (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using French naval vessels at rank III or higher to receive the “Emblem of the Fusiliers marins” 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 → National Sailor’s Day in France.
▪️You can find the decal in the “France → Navy” tab in the Customization menu.

🌪Spirit of the Tempest: HF-24 Marut

The main reward in the Spirit of the Tempest is the first Indian combat aircraft, the HF-24 Marut, designed by Kurt Tank!

🇮🇳🇬🇧HF-24: A Strike Aircraft for Great Britain at Rank V

At a glance:
▪️High maneuverability
▪️Up to 4,000 lb of bombs
▪️SNEB rockets in a retractable pack
▪️30 mm cannons!
▪️Subsonic
▪️No guided missiles

👋Introducing the HF-24 Marut!
Meet the main reward in the Spirit of the Tempest event that started today: India’s first domestically designed combat aircraft, the HAL HF-24 Marut! This is a subsonic strike aircraft with good acceleration, excellent controllability and strong weaponry. Let’s dive in!

➡️Click here to find out more details about the Spirit of the Tempest event

🚤Pre-order: Battleship Gneisenau

🇩🇪This ship will soon be joining the German Bluewater fleet as a premium in the next major update, completing the Scharnhorst class in the game. Building upon the strengths of its sistership, Gneisenau most prominently features its originally intended upgrade to its main battery while retaining its signature superb protection and mobility. Let’s dive in!

From the outset, Gneisenau was planned to receive an upgraded suite of 380 mm main battery guns during its service life. Although this ultimately never materialized due to the war situation, you’ll soon be able to play this ship in its ultimate form! Swapping its triple 283 mm main battery for a twin 380 mm one results in Gneisenau receiving a monstrous upgrade to its firepower. As a result, this ship is capable of engaging in direct firefights with even the most heavily armored opponents.

While Gneisenau’s primary battery received a substantial upgrade, the remainder of the ship’s specifications remains similar to Scharnhorst. As a result, you can count on a superb match with both excellent protection and good levels of mobility. Furthermore, Gneisenau also packs some serious firepower in terms of its secondary and anti-air power, resulting in the ship being well protected against attacks from smaller vessels as well as airborne threats. Thanks to the premium status of this ship, you’ll be able earn more research points towards your German Bluewater fleet tree.

➡️ Pre-order - KMS Gneisenau Pack

The Kit Includes:
🔹KMS Gneisenau (Rank VI, Germany)
🔹3000 Golden Eagles
🔹Premium account for 30 days
🔹Pre-order bonus: unique "Glorious Hit" title
🔹Pre-order bonus: unique "Gneisenau ship crest" decoration (available after the next major update)

🚤Pre-order: Battlecruiser Sevastopol

🚩Sevastopol was designed as a classic battlecruiser, featuring powerful main weapons and good top speed but with relatively light armor. This ship features three twin-gun turrets with 380 mm guns, which are capable of taking out cruisers as well as battleships. Secondary weapons include four twin-gun 152 mm turrets, four twin 100 mm universal guns and anti-aircraft machine guns.

The Sevastopol’s main armor belt is relatively light, being only 230 mm. Soviet engineers paid extra attention to the armor under the waterline, and for the first time in the Soviet fleet, a 50 mm thick anti-torpedo bulkhead was implemented. Due to the increased displacement, newer engines were needed, meaning Sevastopol has an excellent speed of 32 knots (about 60 km/h).

All of this combined makes Sevastopol a powerful ship that’s capable of dealing devastating blows due to its main caliber to enemy ships on the high seas! Thanks to the premium status of this ship, you’ll be able earn more research points towards your Soviet Bluewater fleet tree.

➡️ Pre-order - Sevastopol Pack

The Kit Includes:
🔹Project 69I Sevastopol (Rank VI, USSR)
🔹3000 Golden Eagles
🔹Premium account for 30 days
🔹Pre-order bonus: unique title Steel Guardian
🔹Pre-order bonus: unique flag with the coat of arms of Sevastopol (available after the next major update)

🚤Richelieu: The Last French Gunslinger

Today we’re taking a look at Richelieu, the lead ship of the last class of French battleships built during the 1930s in an effort to counter the latest capital ships of the Italian and German navies.

🇫🇷Richelieu: A Battleship for France at Rank VII

At a glance:
▪️Powerful 380 mm main battery
▪️Excellent speed
▪️Vast secondary arsenal
▪️Strong armor protection

👋Introducing Richelieu!
In War Thunder, Richelieu will soon join the ranks of the French bluewater fleet as its next top bluewater warship. Representing a further developed and upscaled version of an unorthodox ship design first pioneered by the French by Dunkerque, Richelieu brings with it significant improvements to both firepower and protection, making for a highly potent warship, worthy of representing French naval power in top rank battles. Let’s dive in!