Ground equipment modules

There's no need for tank commanders in War Thunder to worry about the condition of their vehicle's hull, but that doesn't mean one can just fire left and right until the tank is out of shells.

The tank commander is responsible for a large number of critical modules hidden beneath that thick armour and allowing any of them to become damaged or lost could put an end to a victory streak.

Engine

The engine is the most basic and essential module of the tank. That's right, it's even more important than the crew. Losing one or even two crew members is a lot less terrifying than completely losing mobility while under enemy fire. The engine is usually located in the rear, i.e. the least-protected part of the tank. So if it does get hit, one should stop and evaluate whether the tactics they are employing are really as effective as they were on the drawing board. In addition, the engine is a flammable module. If its condition drops all the way to "black," there's a good chance the vehicle will catch fire. Diesel engines may have a significantly lower chance of catching fire, so it can help to know which kind of motor is propelling the tank. The module is also rather sturdy and can easily stop shrapnel, and sometimes even an entire shell.

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module takes damage in a linear fashion. It is affected by any form of damage, and the greater the damage inflicted, the lower the effectiveness of the module.

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB/SB
Orange/Red	Substantial drop in power
Black	Very significant drop in power, minimal mobility is maintained	The vehicle cannot move

Transmission

The transmission is the mechanism that transfers power from the engine to the wheels or tracks. Losing the transmission is just as bad as losing the engine. It can also catch fire, starting at the engine and ending at the front rollers. The location of the transmission can be either on the front or the rear of the tank.

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module takes damage in a linear fashion. It is affected by any form of damage, and the greater the damage inflicted, the lower the effectiveness of the module.

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB/SB
Orange/Red	Substantial drop in power
Black	Slow movement is possible	The vehicle cannot move

Cannon breech

The cannon breech is the mechanical part of the gun where the loader loads the shell, where the process of arming the shell warhead undergoes, and also the piece that will withstand the explosive pressure of a shell firing. As a rule, it is located inside the tanks turret or cabin. This means it is really well protected, but if it does take damage, the entire vehicle will be in danger. The thing about this module is that, if the gun breech is damaged, it might not launch the shell, which could lead to a huge explosion inside the vehicle when playing on the RB and SB modes. This will disable most modules and probably lead to the destruction of the tank. The player who damaged the gun breech will earn the frag. The more badly the gun breech is damaged, the higher the chance of a detonation when firing.

Even if the tank somehow miraculously manages to remain combat-ready following the detonation, the gun breech itself will be completely destroyed and require lengthy repairs.

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module takes damage in a linear fashion. It is affected by any form of damage, and the greater the damage inflicted, the lower the effectiveness of the module

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB/SB
Orange	Substantial chance of a misfire without a detonation	Substantial chance of detonation
Red	Significant chance of a misfire without a detonation	Significant chance of detonation
Black	Very significant chance of a misfire without a detonation	The tank cannot fire

Radiator

The radiator is a fairly massive module that is responsible for cooling the tank's engine. It is usually located near the engine, on either side or sometimes above it. A destroyed radiator emits large white puffs of steam and hissing sounds, which can make your tank easier to spot, and slowly damages the engine over time. It takes about 20s to begin overheating, and another 20s to fully break down an otherwise undamaged engine. A broken radiator provides limited mobility for a limited time. It is best to get behind cover and repair or engage and destroy your attackers before your engine fails.

Fuel tank

The fuel tank contains the life and blood of the tank, containing either petrol or diesel to power the tank's engine. Although it is essential in battle, it is pretty much the bane of the tank crew. Damage to the gas tank can lead to a fire or even an instantaneous detonation of fuel vapour, which is guaranteed to immediately destroy the vehicle. The chance of an explosion depends largely on the type of fuel and the shell used to damage the tank. APHE and high-explosive shells have the highest chance of causing an instantaneous explosion.

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module does not take damage in a linear fashion. Its condition has no effect on the vehicle's combat effectiveness.

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB
Orange/red/black	The chance of detonation does not change and depends on the vehicle and the round fired at the vehicle

Track

Tracks – each tank has two of them (Unless it is the T95 or Object 279, which both have four of them!). Hopefully, an explanation isn't needed on what tracks do for a tank. If the tracks take a hit, this can usually be considered lucky except for a casemate self-propelled gun. Being forged from structural steel, these modules provide priceless millimeters of armour and if they are hit by a HEAT shell, the fuse may go off resulting in the round failing to penetrate the tank's hull armour. The tracks are also repairable, so these losses are quite recoverable. Repairs begin automatically in any mode if the vehicle goes several seconds without moving.

Ammo rack

The ammo rack is another module that can explode and render the tank a burning hulk on the battlefield. It represents the rounds for the tank's main gun stored around the interior. In reality, a tank would have several ammo racks distributed among various parts of the vehicle in keeping with historical data. As ammo is expended, the ammo racks inside the vehicle disappear and can no longer be damaged or destroyed. It can sometimes be useful to only load the tank with a partial ammo supply in order to keep the ammo out of its most vulnerable parts. Ammo can also be located in different parts of the tank if the vehicle (the IS-2, for example) uses separate loading, where the shell and the propellant charge are separate parts of the shot.

Detonating a tank's ammo rack is rather difficult. Even a direct hit might only just destroy the shells and make them useless, in which case they just disappear (and they can no longer be used in combat). Moreover, the ammo racks are only particularly vulnerable to certain shell types (high-explosive, APHE, and HEAT).

Barrel

The barrel is the external part of the gun where the shell travels down to obtain its muzzle velocity and accuracy. It can't come into physical contact with objects on the battlefield, but it is susceptible to damage. A heavily damaged barrel might not be able to withstand the pressure from propellant gases during a shot, in which case it will explode and turn into something pretty like a combat butterfly, yet useless as it drastically hampers the muzzle velocity (hence penetration values) and accuracy. It is strongly recommended to repair the barrel when it takes damage. It takes much less time than replacing a destroyed gun. Since it is outside the cabin, an exploding barrel will not damage the tank. Its behaviour after that depends on the difficulty mode.

• AB: the tank can still fire with the destroyed gun, but the accuracy and penetration of the shells will be significantly reduced.
• RB: a destroyed barrel will signify a very vulnerable, and easy target for the enemy, since it completely prevents a tank from firing and is visible from a distance.

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module takes damage in a linear fashion. It is affected by any form of damage but has a chance of retaining combat readiness.

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB/SB
Orange	High chance of destruction	High chance of destruction
Red	Destruction is practically guaranteed	Destruction is practically guaranteed
Black	Destroyed, but can fire	Destroyed. The tank cannot fire

The Crew

The crew are the living soldiers who have been through hell, high water, and the "how the heck did they penetrate my armour?" feeling with the players. According to the game's mechanics, each crew member is an independent unit, and, just like the other modules, they are susceptible to damage. Their striving for victory allows the crew members to perform their duties equally effectively regardless of how much damage they have taken. Only the "black" status indicates that a crew member has been fully incapacitated until the end of the battle. The Crew Replenishment upgrade allows for the summoning of one replacement soldier per battle. If only that could be done with the engine...

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module does not take damage in a linear fashion. Its condition has no effect on the vehicle's combat effectiveness.

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB
Orange/red	The crewman's effectiveness is unaffected
black	The crewman cannot perform his duties

Horizontal and Vertical aiming mechanisms

The horizontal and vertical aiming mechanisms allow the gun to move along the horizontal and vertical axes.

The mechanisms are compact, yet vulnerable modules. If they take damage, they can prevent the turret from turning and/or being raised or lowered, which can significantly reduce the vehicle's effectiveness. It isn't the most frequently damaged module, since even without it, there is still small chance of aiming at least roughly by turning the tank's hull.

Module's behaviour when taking damage
This module does not take damage in a linear fashion. Its condition has no effect on the vehicle's combat effectiveness.

Mode / Type of Damage	AB	RB
Orange/red	Aiming speed is unaffected
Black	Significantly reduces aiming speed	The aiming mechanism is fully disabled

Take good care of the engines, fuel tanks, and ammo racks... Actually, just take good care of everything.