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In the early 20th century, battleships became the ultimate symbol of naval power. The world's great maritime nations poured astronomical sums into building or procuring armored giants carrying massive guns.

Like many other pieces of Soviet military hardware, T-72 tanks ended up in the hands of countries around the world after the Cold War. T-72 operators included nations across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia, as well as several Western countries, such as Finland.

Abdulaziz ibn Abdurrahman Al Saud became the Emir of Riyadh in 1902 and, over the next 30 years, devoted all his efforts to uniting the surrounding emirates under his leadership. He succeeded, and on September 23rd 1932, he proclaimed the establishment of a new state: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

One of the most important and painful events in the history of the Russian Navy in the early 20th century was its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. After the losses suffered by the Pacific squadrons, the naval command began seriously considering a major modernization of the fleet. The war had exposed numerous shortcomings: from logistics, reconnaissance, and communications to the armor and armament of the ships themselves.

Some vehicles in War Thunder are especially long-awaited by players. A perfect example is this experimental General Dynamics project, which has finally made its way into the game as the main reward of the Space Program event. We’re talking, of course, about the F-16XL. Be honest, were you waiting for this one? Then welcome aboard!

The summer of 1943 was hot in more ways than one. Near Kursk, one of the largest battles of the Second World War was about to begin. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, along with thousands of armored vehicles and aircraft, were concentrated on both sides of the front. The Wehrmacht was preparing Operation Citadel, hoping to regain the strategic initiative after its defeat at Stalingrad. The fields of the Belgorod and Oryol regions became a vast staging ground, where thousands of fighting vehicles started their engines in the early morning haze.

Some combat vehicles get a special kind of attention from War Thunder players, and sometimes even earn their own nicknames, although not always flattering ones. The French AML-90 wheeled light tank and its South African cousin, the Eland 90, are perfect examples. Today, we’re taking both of them for a spin to see why players have grown so fond of these little machines.

Among the many combat helicopters ever built, the Soviet Mi-24 has always stood out for its unusual concept of a "flying infantry fighting vehicle.” The Mil Design Bureau created a helicopter capable of carrying troops while also providing fire support to forces on the ground. In practice, however, the troop compartment was rarely used. In Afghanistan, during the Iran-Iraq War, and in other conflicts, the Mi-24 was far more often employed as an attack helicopter.

While we wait for the vehicles of the next update, this is a perfect time to dig into the far corners of the hangar and take out an old War Thunder veteran that recently got a reason to make a comeback. Today we’re looking at a fairly rare and often overlooked American carrier-based fighter, the F9F-8, better known by its rather fitting name, Cougar. Let’s take off!

After the First World War, many engineers became fascinated with controversial and sometimes downright bizarre ideas. Tanks had only recently appeared on the battlefield, so there was still no consensus on how this new type of fighting vehicle should be designed. Every country had its own vision of the future.