Striking a near perfect balance of mobility, protection and firepower, the Italian Zara-class heavy cruisers are considered to be among the best ships of their class at the time of their construction. Soon, the lead ship of the class - Zara - will reinforce the top rank of the recently introduced Regia Marina in the upcoming War Thunder major update!

Zara-class, heavy cruiser, Italy, V rank.

Pros

• Strong armor protection
• Excellent firepower

Cons

• No torpedo armament

In War Thunder, the Zara-class of Italian heavy cruisers are arriving to the game as part of the upcoming update to reinforce the top rank of the Regia Marina tree, introduced with the previous major update. Subsequently, Italian captains will have the opportunity to take command of the lead ship of the class - Zara herself!

Sharing a great deal of visual resemblance to its predecessor, the similarities between Trento and Zara are most noticeable in the latter’s primary armament. Namely, Zara features an identical loadout of eight 203 mm (8-inch) cannons, split into four twin turrets, resulting in an identical level of firepower at first glance. However, a distinct difference between the two ships is Zara’s ability to fire her guns at a much faster rate - up to 3.8 rounds/min under ideal conditions! 

The secondary armament on Zara also remains identical to that found aboard Trento - three double 100 mm dual-purpose turrets to either side of the ship’s superstructure will help deal with aircraft and other vessels at longer ranges. However, Zara is only equipped with four twin 37 mm cannons and another four dual 13,2 mm machine guns comprising its anti-air arsenal. Furthermore, Zara has no access to torpedo launchers, meaning that aspiring captains are well-advised to keep close distance to some of their allies in order to make up for these two deficits.

A key aspect which sets Zara apart from not only its direct predecessor, but indeed all other vessels in the game currently, is the ship’s superb armor protection. Being protected by 150 mm of armor plating along the belt and vital components such as the barbettes and conning tower, Zara will become the most heavily armored warship to appear in War Thunder naval battles after the release of the next major update. As a result, this formidable warship can withstand substantial battle damage, while being virtually impervious to fire even from other cruisers at longer engagement distances!

Naturally, to achieve such excellent protection, but still keep the ship within a reasonable displacement, Italian shipbuilders needed to make some sacrifices when it came to mobility. Therefore, unlike Trento, Zara is fitted with far lighter machinery, with her turbines being able to generate about a third less power output compared to Trento, rated at 95,000 horsepower. As a result, Zara is only able to achieve a more modest top speed of 32 knots (59.2 km/h).

Zara has set course for War Thunder naval battles and is expected to dock in player ports with the release of the upcoming major update. In the meantime, keep your binoculars at hand and be on the lookout for more news as we continue revealing what the next content update has in store for you. Until then, calm seas and happy hunting captains!

The War Thunder Team

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