The 1.71 update of Gaijin’s tank and air combat action game War Thunder brings long-awaited ground and air vehicles from the Cold War period. There are also new maps and finally turret control from the first-person perspective. Learn everything about the update and the new vehicles here.
The Second World War is slowly running out of steam and we have almost seen it all. However, the era of the Cold War that followed is hardly addressed in games. But the developers at Gaijin Entertainment have focused on this exciting era with update 1.71 for War Thunder and are offering plenty of ground and air vehicles from the 60s and 70s. New maps and improved gameplay mechanics are also included in the update.
War Thunder – Update 1.71 “New Era” – Modern Technology for Tanks
The highlight of update 1.71 is the new ground vehicles at rank VI. These vehicles are all from the 60s and 70s and are therefore significantly more modern than the current fleet in War Thunder. With the technological advances come new technologies to the battlefield, including:
- Stabilized guns for better firing on the move
- Improved smoke launchers
- More hydraulic adjustable suspensions
- Guided missile launchers
- Composite and reactive armor
War Thunder – New Tank Protection – Composite and Reactive Armor
Especially the new armor technology is a novelty in War Thunder. In the 60s, grenades were first built that could penetrate 400mm of armored steel. However, since thicker armor layers were no longer militarily sensible, two new methods of armor protection were developed:
- Composite armor: Different materials are layered on top of each other. The result provides protection just as good as steel but requires less mass and can therefore significantly increase armor.
- Reactive armor: This curious protection measure uses explosive charges attached to the outer shell, which counteract the force of an incoming projectile with the power of their explosion, thereby reducing its focus and impact strength. This also neutralizes the armor-piercing “jet” of a shaped charge projectile.
Especially the reactive armor effectively protects in War Thunder against H.E.A.T. (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) rounds, but is less effective against conventional ammunition. Also keep in mind that the highly effective reactive armor works only once in the game. If an area that has already triggered its defense charge is hit again, the extra protection there is lost and hits directly against the underlying armor.
Also good to know: You can trigger the reactive armor with large-caliber machine guns. Therefore, the good old onboard MG is a great way to strip modern tanks of their extra protection in close combat!
War Thunder – New Tanks from the 60s and 70s!
The new vehicles for War Thunder particularly benefit from modern technology. The tanks at rank VI are from the 60s and 70s. They faced each other menacingly across the borders of the Iron Curtain or rolled over the battlefields of the Vietnam War. The following tanks are newly introduced in the game with update 1.71:
- The German Main Battle Tank KPz-70: This tank was built in cooperation with the USA, so the US version is under the name MBT-70 in the research tree of the Americans. The KPz-70 is a powerful machine, whose composite armor is ideal against APDS munitions. However, the KPz-70 is vulnerable to HEAT rounds.
- The Russian Main Battle Tank T-64A: The legendary T-64 was a revolution in tank design in the late 60s and was to be pioneering for a whole generation of modern Soviet tanks. The T-64A was the first tank to use reactive armor. Below, the tank carries stylish composite armor. Thus, the T-64 is ideally protected.
- The US Tank Destroyer M50Ontos: This little rascal is equipped with 6 105mm guns, which can penetrate up to 380mm of armor steel. In the Vietnam War, it was only used to a limited extent, but in War Thunder it should see more action.
- The British Main Battle Tank Chieftain MK 10: This upgrade of the Chieftain model has additional composite armor. This makes the tank much more robust against modern weapons.
- The US Tank M60A1 (Rise): This old tank has been equipped with thick reactive armor for rank VI, which serves it well against HEAT munitions.
- The Light Tank BMP-1 from Russia: This famous tank can easily swim and has a favorable silhouette. Thus, it can strike particularly hard from the “Hull-Down” position. Especially with its guided missile launcher!
- The British Rocket Launcher Tank FV102 Striker: This little speedster has a multiple rocket launcher with which it fires 5 anti-tank missiles in one go. With some skill, you can take out opponents in droves!
In addition to the rank VI tanks, a number of other vehicles are introduced to the game, including the hefty Japanese Type 5 Ho-Ri or the Krupp-Steyr armed vehicle as a concept from the Second World War. New aircraft like the XA-38, the F4U or the P-51H Mustang are also coming.
War Thunder – New Battlefields and Rear Gunner Action with Update 1.71
To enjoy the many new tanks, there are two new locations with patch 1.71.
- Fulda Gap: This battlefield is located near Fulda in Germany and could have been the first battlefield of World War III in the event of an escalation. Both sides could have quickly advanced through the “Fulda Gap,” so the location would have been fiercely contested. The map is dominated by picturesque farms, fields, and a castle.
- Imperial Garden: This beautiful map is located in Japan and is dominated by the picturesque grounds of a palace with gardens. The magnificent architecture offers good protection from gunfire before inevitably shattering.
If you prefer more realistic air battles, you can participate in the battle for air superiority over the Hürtgen Forest. There, the longest battle between the Wehrmacht and the Allies took place during the Second World War.
This scenario is a good opportunity to test a new feature from patch 1.71: you can now control the rear gunner position from the first-person perspective!
Fans of Japanese tanks will find here the best and worst Japanese tanks in War Thunder.
