War Thunder News

The British Royal Air Force was founded at the end of the First World War on April 1st, 1918. During the interwar period, the RAF became the largest air force in the world. Thanks to its excellent aircraft and skilled pilots during the Second World War, the RAF achieved victory in the skies during the Battle of Britain, successfully defending the homeland against Nazi Germany.

One of the Royal Air Force’s most famous aircraft in the second half of the 20th century was the Hawker Siddeley Harrier jet. It was the first aircraft to enter production that featured vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities. It entered service on April 1st 1969 and served until 2006 after several upgraded modifications.

[h2]The Typhoon Mk Ib and Attacker FB.2 are temporarily available for Golden Eagles! [/h2]
In honor of the RAF’s birthday, the Typhoon Mk IB and Attacker FB.2 are available for 1,930 and 8,020 Golden Eagles respectively.

When: From March 28th (14:00 GMT) until April 2nd (11:00 GMT).
Where: Great Britain > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

About these aircraft

• The Typhoon Mk Ib differs from the Mk Ia model in that it has four 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons instead of machine guns. It can carry a variety of bombs from 250 lb to 1,000 lb, as well as eight RP-3 rockets.
  
• The Attacker FB.2 was a carrier-based jet fighter produced by Supermarine in the 1950s. This variant features a more powerful engine and four 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, while its external weaponry includes 500 lb and 1,000 lb bombs and 12 RP-3 rockets.
  

[h2]The return of the AV-8 and discounts on British and American Harriers![/h2]

When: From March 28th (14:00 GMT) until April 2nd (11:00 GMT).
Where: USA / Great Britain > Aviation > Premium vehicles.

The AV-8A makes a return and is available to purchase for Golden Eagles! There’s a 30% discount on this aircraft during this event, where it costs 6,237 Golden Eagles. When this event finishes, it will stay and cost 8,910 Golden Eagles.

During the same period, you can get the Harrier GR.1 (rank VI) for 6,363 Golden Eagles and the AV-8B Night Attack (rank VII) pack in the Gaijin.net store with a 30% discount!

[h2]AV-8B Night Attack Pack[/h2]
69,99 48,99

• AV-8B Night Attack (Rank VII, USA)
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  

To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store.

About these aircraft

• The AV-8A (rank VI) is the American designation for the Harrier and was the first American aircraft in the game capable of VTOL. This aircraft can accelerate and climb very quickly, and its wide range of weapons — from rockets and bombs to AIM-9G Sidewinder air-to-air missiles — make it a good all-rounder!
  
• The Harrier GR.1 (rank VI) was the first Harrier production variant, put into service in 1969. This aircraft can accelerate and climb very quickly, and can carry a wide range of weaponry, from rockets and bombs to the very short-range SRAAM air-to-air missile!
  

[h2]Get the “RAF Day 2025” decal![/h2]

For the anniversary, you can get this themed decal.

When: From March 31st (10:00 GMT) until April 3rd (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using British aircraft at rank III or higher to receive the “RAF 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, [Assault] mode and Helicopter PVE battles.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → RAF Day.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the customization menu.
  

In this month’s Pages of History, you will find yourself in the midst of key historical events across different theaters of war. Iraq and Cambodia, Norway and Austria — take part in battles using vehicles corresponding to these historic conflicts and earn rewards! 

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From April 1st until April 30th, you’ll have access to 8 tasks consecutively. Completing each task will grant you a trophy with a reward, completing all of the tasks will earn you a unique player icon!

[/h3]


[h3]Pavel Yakovlevich Golovachev[/h3]
Pavel Golovachev was a Soviet pilot ace who fought throughout the Second World War and scored at least 30 aerial victories. He was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union twice. During the East Prussian Operation in December 1944, Golovachev ran out of ammunition after pursuing a German reconnaissance aircraft and opted to ram it. He destroyed the enemy’s tail with the propeller of his La-7 and was then able to pull out of spin and return to the airfield. For this, he received the Order of the Red Banner and later a second title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He scored ten more victories near Königsberg using this La-7, later switching it for the Yak-9. He ended the war in the skies over Berlin.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until May 3rd (11:30 GMT) without completing tasks. To find it, go to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

[h2]Trophy reward for each task[/h2]
Completing each individual task will give you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backups;
  
• Premium account for 1 day;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).
  

[h2]Other terms[/h2]

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles except for “Assault” mode.
  

You can read a detailed description of which task is for which day and your overall progress by going to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

[h2]April 1st — April 4th[/h2]
[h3]Battle of the Karbala Gap[/h3]
By early April 2003, American forces invading Iraq had approached the Karbala Gap from the south, where the road to Baghdad ran. General Hamdani, who was guarding the gap, asked the General Staff for reinforcements. However, the commander of the Republican Guard, Qusay Hussein, succumbed to American disinformation. Convinced that the real attack would come from the north through Turkey, he withdrew a significant part of the forces under Hamdani’s command. The Iraqi counterattack in the gap completely failed, and Baghdad fell on April 9th.

[h2]April 5th — April 8th[/h2]
[h3]Battle of Königsberg[/h3]
The key moment of the East Prussian operation was the assault on Königsberg, which began on April 6th 1945. The USSR had a precise plan of the fortress, allowing them to accurately calculate all the details of the attack. On April 9th, General Otto Lasch, contrary to Hitler’s orders, announced his capitulation.

[h2]April 9th — April 12th[/h2]
[h3]Operation Weserübung[/h3]
On April 9th 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway as part of Operation Weserübung. The Germans moved in and occupied Denmark and was captured within hours, but Norway put up a fight. The fighting on its territory lasted for two months until the royal family and government were evacuated to England in June.

[h2]April 13th — April 16th[/h2]
[h3]Grazko-Amshtettinskaya Offensive Operation[/h3]
On April 15th 1945, the USSR began a large-scale offensive operation on Austrian territory, with the goal to defeat the German Army Group South and meet American troops in the west of the country. The operation ended with the capitulation of Germany, although individual Wehrmacht units in Austria continued to resist even after peace was declared.

[h2]April 17th — April 20th[/h2]
[h3]Capture of Hamburg[/h3]
In the final month of World War II, defeated Wehrmacht forces fled from the west and east to the Jutland Peninsula. Hamburg, the last major city on the approach to the peninsula, was attacked by British troops, who initiated the capture of the city on April 18th 1945. After the death of Adolf Hitler on April 30th, negotiations began regarding the surrender of the city. On May 3rd, the Allies occupied Hamburg.

[h2]April 20th — April 23rd[/h2]
[h3]Operation Vulcan[/h3]
By the end of April 1943, Axis forces were surrounded in Tunisia, with their fate sealed. Despite this, they did not surrender. Advancing British infantry were surprised by well-hidden German paratroopers, and their unprotected advancing tanks were attacked by incendiary bombs and disabled by mines. Operation Vulcan, the penultimate operation in the North African theatre, had failed.

[h2]April 24th — April 27th[/h2]
[h3]Operation Toward Beit-ol-Moqaddas[/h3]
On April 24th 1982, Iran launched an operation to liberate the city of Khorramshahr, which Iraq had captured at the start of the war. With equal forces, the Iranians achieved a decisive victory, encircling and then defeating Iraqi forces in the city. The success of the operation allowed Iran to reach the border between the countries and subsequently transfer military operations to Iraqi territory.

[h2]April 27th — April 30th[/h2]
[h3]Cambodian Invasion[/h3]
On April 29th 1970, an operation by American and South Vietnamese forces began in Cambodia. Its goal was to support the Lon Nol government in the civil war against the Khmer Rouge and destroy North Vietnamese camps in the country. President Richard Nixon called the operation “the most successful military operation of the entire war”, but within five years both South Vietnam and the Lon Nol government in Cambodia had fallen.

[h2]Aircraft[/h2]

• A bug that caused the markers of allies and enemies to not appear for spectators in Air Realistic Battles has been fixed. (Report).
  
• MH-60L DAP — a bug that caused the new stat card of the LR30 shell to not display the cumulative jet penetration has been fixed. (Report).
  

[h2]Graphics[/h2]

• A bug with ray tracing denoiser that caused bright colored artifacts to appear on buildings and colored artifacts to appear in reflections of explosions on glass has been fixed.
  
• Halo effect on the edges of objects located against the ray traced water background has been significantly reduced.
  

[h2]Locations[/h2]

• Second battle of El Alamein — a bug that caused the rock texture to appear on some sand dunes has been fixed.
  

[h2]Interface[/h2]

• A bug that caused the new torpedo stat card to not include information on the drop speeds and altitude ranges has been fixed. (Report).
  
• A bug that caused the penetration of HESH shells to show as cumulative in the stat card has been fixed.
  
• The fade animation of the context menus of vehicle and crew areas in the crew slot has been removed.
  
• A bug where it was impossible to open the context menu from the crew area in the crew slot when using a gamepad has been fixed.
  
• A bug where some award icons did not display correctly in the Achievements profile tab has been fixed.
  

[h2]Other[/h2]

• A bug where replays would not show the position of aircraft turrets when they were not firing has been fixed.
  

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

On March 28th 1923, the Italian Air Force was founded as a separate unit called Regia Aeronautica. After World War II and the abolition of the monarchy, it was renamed Aeronautica Militare. When the Italian Air Force decided to modernize in the late 20th century, it purchased the Eurofighter Typhoon — these aircraft now make up a significant part of the Aeronautica Militare’s fleet.

[h2]30% discounts on Italian vehicles![/h2]
The following Italian aircraft are available at a 30% discount!

When: From March 27th (14:00 GMT) until March 31st (11:00 GMT).
Where: Italy > Aviation / Helicopters > Premium vehicles.

• G.55S (rank IV) — 3010 Golden Eagles
  
• Ariete (rank VI) — 6111 Golden Eagles
  
• A-129 International (p) (rank VI) — 6363 Golden Eagles.
  This helicopter is only available to purchase for the duration of this event.

About this helicopter

• The A-129 International (p) is an early export variant of the A129 Mangusta attack helicopter that differs from the original, in that it has more powerful engines and a 12.7 mm machine gun. This maneuverable helicopter features an IRCM, thermal sight and for use against ground targets, the Hydra-70 M247, AGM-114B Hellfire and BGM-71D TOW-2s!
  

You can also purchase all of the vehicles in a special bundle in the store with a 50% discount:

[h2]Italian Air Force Day 2025 Bundle[/h2]
133 66.3

This bundle includes:

• Fiat G.55S Pack
  
• Mangusta Pack
  
• Ariete
  

To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store.

[h2]Get the “Emblem of the "Frecce Tricolori" Squadron” decal![/h2]
Check out this themed decal for the day!

When: From March 27th (14:00 GMT) until March 31st (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using Italian aircraft at rank III or higher to receive the “Emblem of the "Frecce Tricolori" Squadron” decal! 

Additional details:

• Your activity must not be below 70%.
  
• You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, [Assault] mode and Helicopter PVE battles.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Italian Air Force Day.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Italy → Aircraft” tab in the customization menu.
  

“Emblem of the "Frecce Tricolori" Squadron” decal

Check out the new camouflage trophy for Hornet’s Sting that includes 40 camouflages from 39 authors from WT Live! Out of these 40, 19 are historical, 18 are semi-historical and 3 are fictional. We’ve made sure to include some more mid-rank vehicle camouflages, plus include a camouflage for each in-game nation. You can also get a unique decal relating to the update and rare vehicles in the form of coupons.

[h2]Contents of the Hornet’s Sting trophy:[/h2]

• Coupons for rare vehicles.
  
• 19 camouflage coupons for ground vehicles.
  
• 18 camouflage coupons for aircraft.
  
• 1 camouflage coupon for naval vessels.
  
• 2 camouflage coupons for helicopters.
  
• Coupon for the Hornet’s Sting decal.
  

Some camos in this trophy:
[expand]

[/expand]

[h3]

To unlock the trophy, you’ll need the new “Hornet’s Sting” key that can be purchased on the Market for GJN. Read more about the Market and Gaijin Coins on the Wiki.

[/h3]

[h2]How to get the trophy[/h2]
Camouflage trophies can be earned with a certain probability after any battle on vehicles rank II or higher, with activity of no less than 50% (except for [Assault] PvE mode). PlayStation and Xbox players can purchase the trophy in the Item Shop and open it with Golden Eagles. Read more on our Wiki.

PC players must purchase a key from the Market to open the trophy, with part of the cost going to the camouflage creators. You can activate a key from the trophy on your account or sell it on the Market for Gaijin Coins — just like the trophy itself.

You can become a creator of user camouflages — check out an updated guide on our wiki! It will bring you both glory and real money as a part of the War Thunder partnership program Additionally, all authors who are included in these trophies will receive a unique title, player icon and decal. Join the creative team over on WT Live!