Dear players,

We have another round of questions and answers for you, with War Thunder producer Vyacheslav Bulannikov!

Aviation

Q. Will Germany be getting its own Phantom variant soon or the MiG-21Bis DDR?

• We plan to add a german F-4 this year, more precisely about how “soon” we can not say.

Q. Can we expect to see the Sea Harriers (FRS.1 and FA.2) for the Royal Navy aircraft branch in the future? Perhaps also the Indian Navy FRS.51 with Matra Magics?

• So far we can only say that Sea Harriers are in our plans.

Q. Will we see “swing-wing” aircraft in War Thunder soon?

• Yes.

Q. Currently, post war British jets are still using WW2 era bombs. Are there plans to revamp these loadouts for post war bombs?

• We have quite a few reports about various historical inaccuracies. We are aware of this flaw and will definitely fix it on a first-come, first-served basis.

Q. Do you plan to add vapour clouds for modern aircraft when pulling high G loads?

• If you mean the Prandtl-Loeart effect, it is already implemented in the game when approaching the sound barrier, but we plan to improve it visually and add this effect also when maneuvering under certain conditions.

Ground Forces

Q. Are there any plans for more Multi-Purpose ammunition, like PELE/FAPDS for example?

• There are no concrete plans. The question requires some study but we think such ammunition can be useful in the game.

Q. Can we expect to see the modern MBT for Japan in the coming updates to make Japan more competitive?

• The Japanese Type-90 tanks are quite effective at their BR. The recent BR changes may affect them and efficiency may decrease, but here we have an opportunity to raise the rate of fire (according to some sources it may be higher than now). As for brand new tanks, we don’t have many options for “modern MBTs” for Japan, in fact only the Type-10 remains, which is even more of a mystery compared to other MBTs. Although we think with time it will appear in the game, although its defense characteristics will most likely be assumed.

Q. Currently the commander view on modern tanks still reflects the “binocular view” of WW2 era tanks. Is it possible we will have more realistic CITV in future for modern tanks with Commander cameras?

• We are working in this direction. The results will be reported separately in the devblogs.

Naval Forces

Q. With the split between Blue-Water Fleet and Coastal Forces, is it possible we could see some nations receive an example of one tree but not the other? For example where examples of smaller boats are harder to find or the opposite where one navy does not have lots of examples of larger warships?

• We think it is possible, but first we will try to add to the game fleets of those nations which have both fleet research trees.

Q. Is it possible we could see a Naval / Ship Arcade Assault mode similar to tanks and aircraft? This mode is particularly useful for stock vehicles and helpful for obtaining early modules.

• We haven't made any such plans yet, but we will think about it.

Helicopters

Q. Are there any plans to implement “Buddy Lasering” to Helicopters with laser guidance? Where a teammate can designate and lock a target for a compatible teammate vehicle?

• There are such thoughts, especially since technically it is quite simple to implement, but we need to think about the implementation and the meta.

Q. Do you plan to add any helicopters for Squadron vehicles?

• Not in the coming updates of the squadron vehicles.

Q. Some helicopters like the Lynx, Huey family and Scout could have a door gunner on either side of the helicopter with a high calibre machine gun or gatling gun. Is it possible we could ever see this configuration in game with player controlled and AI gunners the same way bombers have them?

• Not excluded, especially since there were variants with guns in such units, for example the French used up to MG15120.

Misc

Q. Will it be possible to re-order crews? As in drag or slide existing crews left or right in a lineup for better rearrangement?

• There are a lot of technical features that prevent from doing it quickly and easily, so probably not. 

Q. Will it be possible to select a specific shell in each belt in the aircraft protection analysis system? Right now you can simply fire the highest shell of any belt and not pick specific examples. 

• Yes, such functionality for armour analysis is in the plans, as well as adding aviation threats to the armour analysis of ground vehicles. 

Q. Do you plan to continue remodeling obsolete aircraft models? For example A6M series which clearly show polygons on the hood for example. In addition such work will allow you to add new models. A6M8 “Model 54” and Zero A6M7.

• Yes, it is planned

Q. Although aviation has a guided missile tag display will we see warning systems similar to the top helicopter ones. There are vehicles in the game which were equipped with such: F-4 Phantom II with AN/(APR-26 warning system for example?

• Top helicopter systems detecting missile launches in the optical spectrum by the flare of the starting engine. AN/APR-26 is a station for detecting the fact of the SAM launch are quite specific samples. For countering aviation missiles such stations may be useless but those radar stations that can give information to pilots about the change of operation mode of the enemy fighter's onboard radar and distinguish between search, track and for example illumination modes will certainly appear in the game.

Q. It's been a long time since there was any news about World War mode. Are there any works being done on it and when we should expect the start of the new season? 

• The work is ongoing. The mode will regularly receive new seasons with new features and content, so keep your eyes out for announcements.

The War Thunder Team