We’re very happy to finally introduce the legend of legends, a ship that holds many records and cultural significance: the mighty Yamato will be joining War Thunder in the Leviathans major update!

Yamato: A Battleship for Japan at Rank VII

At a glance:

• 460 mm (18.1 inch) main guns!
• Very thick armor
• Over 150 anti-aircraft guns
• Sluggish Maneuverability

Introducing Yamato!

Yamato represents arguably the most powerful battleship ever created, with the largest guns, some of the thickest armor, a sophisticated fire control system, all rounded off with a veritable mountain of anti-air defenses. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look!

We might as well get into the guns, it’s what you’re here for! Yamato is equipped with nine 460 mm (18.1 inch) guns in three turrets, the largest caliber ever fitted to a warship. It will be able to field two shells, AP and HE. The high explosive shell, despite being gigantic, is not quite as effective as contemporary HE shells on smaller 406 mm guns. It’s still packed with around 60kg of explosive filler, which is huge, but does lack when compared to other large guns.

This, ultimately, is because Yamato is a battleship killer, and so the AP shells have the spotlight. With a maximum penetration of well over 800 mm of armor, at regular combat ranges there will be little armor that could challenge these shells, on top of their incredible penetration they’re also packed with around 34kg of explosive, making an accurate hit into an enemy warship more than likely lethal.

To further add to this immense firepower, the accuracy of these guns is similarly effective thanks to a sophisticated fire control array, which results in acceptable accuracy even at absolute max range. The fire rate however is predictably slow, though not crushingly so, at around two shots per minute. Yamato will appear in the final fit, which means it’ll be stacked with dual-purpose 155 mm and 127 mm guns, and 154 anti-air guns!

As Yamato weighs in at around 72,000 tons, overall speed can be considered as modest, which in itself is still fairly impressive. It can reach a max speed of around 27 knots or 50 km/h, with a fairly large turning circle. This staggered maneuverability is certainly one of Yamato’s weakest areas, as while the armor is incredibly strong, it is not invulnerable, making positioning key.

While there are too many individual armor parts to cover in detail here, the overall protection is very effective. The main belt armor measures in at over 400 mm with angling, and the deck armor at around 200 mm at a minimum. The thickest armor however can be found on the turret face itself, a colossal 650 mm of thickness, which is among the thickest armor ever fitted on a warship.

While these are staggering numbers on paper, enemy AP shells from common ranges will be able to punch through the armor of Yamato if caught at an angle or flat on, which makes positioning this super leviathan especially vital. Long range is easily the most ideal spot for this ship — fielding the most powerful AP shell of the war, there is no range at which an enemy ship will be safe — and as such there’s no reason to weaken Yamato’s defense by getting closer to the enemy.

We’re absolutely thrilled to be introducing the final boss of battleships into War Thunder, she’s very powerful, so be sure to treat her well when she arrives in the Leviathans major update! That’s it for today, thank you for reading and stay tuned for even more!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.