Gaijin Entertainment announces that strategic bombers carrying conventional and nuclear weapons will become a new class of military vehicles in the online action game War Thunder. These giants will be joining the already available tactical aircraft, helicopters, ground vehicles, bluewater and coastal navy. The first test of these mighty machines has started today and will last until April 13th.
War Thunder players have had limited access to nuclear weapons for a while now in the form of streaks, which allowed them to spawn a nuke carrier if they performed well enough. Going forward however, these nuclear-cable aircraft will have their own research branch, introducing nuclear weapons to classic combined arms battles. Ground vehicles with high levels of protection still have a good chance of surviving tactical nuke blasts. They will not have as much of a chance against strategic strikes however, but teams can counter these attacks effectively by utilizing skillful air defense strategies.
The new limited-time event “Nuclear Thunder” will see players fighting in a large-scale conflict between the USA and USSR on a new Central American map. The mode features escalation mechanics that gradually unlock increasingly devastating weaponry – from conventional arms to tactical nukes, and eventually, strategic nuclear strikes. Participants will command tactical and strategic aviation equipped with nuclear ordnance of up to 1.6 megatons, supported by advanced electronic countermeasures.
The battlefield is dynamic: players will break through layered air defenses, destroy supply depots and convoys, disable airfields, and suppress enemy anti-air systems to shift the balance of the war. As the conflict escalates, new weapons become available. Tactical nuclear bombs of 5 and 30 kilotons appear first, followed by access to strategic bombers carrying megaton-class payloads.
At the highest escalation level, players can deploy the iconic B-52H and Tu-95M, capable of delivering devastating strikes that can decide the outcome of the battle. By participating in the event and completing stages, players can permanently unlock these legendary Cold War bombers that are still the backbone of the nuclear forces of the USA and Russia. The B-52H and the Tu-95M will be added to players’ research trees and remain available even after the event ends.
A key addition to War Thunder’s arsenal are the new anti-radiation missiles, designed to target radar-emitting air defense systems. These new missiles include the American AGM-88A HARM and the Soviet Kh-58U and Kh-25MPU. These will prove quite useful for breaking through anti-air defenses to deliver the final nuclear blow.