War Thunder has just unleashed one of its final major updates for 2024 entitled ‘Firebirds’. It introduces a ton of new vehicles of all types, as well as changes to a number of maps, and visual tweaks.
The title ‘Firebirds’ refers to War Thunder’s ambition to introduce a number of light vehicles to suit a play style that the multiplayer game hasn’t fulfilled before. If you’re all about high risk, high reward, you will probably get a kick out of these new options.
Elsewhere, we have a revamped Abandoned Factory map, better testflights so you can practice your skills, and a whole host of visual upgrades. These include new new physics, graphic settings, and even ray tracing for the first time ever.
Let’s take a look at everything that’s new.
New Vehicles Arriving With the Firebirds Update
There are an absolute ton of new vehicles in War Thunder arriving with the Firebird update, so we’re going to break them down by type to help you check at a glance.





Ground Vehicles
USA | T77E1 | Skink | |
Germany | Luchs A2 | Osa-AK | |
USSR | Object 140 | Osa-ALM | |
Great Britain | Scimitar | Ram II | Osa-AK |
Japan | ICV | ||
China | PLZ05 | ||
Italy | Osa-AKM | ||
France | Leopard 2A4NL | Leopard 2A5NL | Leopard 2A6NL |
Sweden | BMP-2MD | ||
Israel | Sabra MK. 1 |





Aircraft
The new aircraft very much focuses on stealth, which is a potential brand new gameplay type in War Thunder. If you want to fly under the radar and destroy more powerful opponents without retaliation, check out the new options.
It’s worth noting that not all of the aircraft below are brand new planes. Several have just received cockpit updates.
USA | F-117A OCIP II | F-15E | |
Germany | Ju 87 | Su-22M4 WTD61 | |
USSR | Su-34 | BB-1 | Su-2 |
Great Britain | Tornado GR.4 | ||
Japan | AV-8S | ||
China | Mirage 2000 5Ei | ||
France | Mirage 2000 RMV | ||
Sweden | JA37DI | JA37DI F21 | |
Israel | F-15I Ra-am |

Helicopters
The Super Hind is the highlight of the new helicopters, providing a squadron vehicle that’s capable of decimating ground vehicles.
We also have a few cockpit upgrades for existing helicopters.
USA | OH-58D | |
USSR | Mi-8 AMTSh-VN | |
Great Britain | Super Hind | |
China | Mi-35M | OH-58D |
Italy | A-109EOA-2 |

Naval Fleet
Last, but certainly not least, we have a few powerful new ships that can hold their own in intense combat thanks to their strong armour capabilities.
USA | USS Bagley | |
USSR | Pr.253L | |
Great Britain | HMS Repulse | |
Japan | JDS Murasame | |
Italy | MS 444 | RN Francesco Caracciolo |
France | Dunkerque |
Abandoned Factory and Airfields Overhaul
A bunch of different maps have seen a total overhaul, bringing them up to standard with the rest of the game. Or, perhaps in Abandoned Factory’s case, taking it to a whole new level.
This existing map has been given a bit of an overhaul, introducing more foliage and broken structures to make it feel more abandoned than ever before.




Over in the test flights space, these have had a serious improvement, with more enemies and bases to destroy. You can also spawn directly in the air if you just want to crack straight on with shooting enemies.
You can even choose them! You can spawn any type and rank of vehicle to battle, as well as opt to arrive at a hostile air defense zone.
Finally, airfields have been revamped too, and now feature a lot more fine details like skid marks and taxiways. It all adds up to a heck of a lot more realism, basically.


Overhauled Visuals and Ray Tracing
Rounding up the new features in the War Thunder Firebirds update is a massive overhaul to the visuals. Again, it all focuses on introducing more realism to the game.
There are new rain and snow weather effects, and aircraft vapour and afterburner effects. It will all just function how you expect it to in real life.
In the physics space, you can now push around static vehicles, like train carriages, when driving around as a powerful tank. That will even have gameplay ramifications, as you can smash through trains to get the jump on your opponents.
War Thunder has also finally introduced ray tracing to the experience, including new shadow maps, ambient occlusion, and reflections.
Lastly, you can now use FSR 3.1, DLAA, XeSS, or TSR for additional anti-aliasing or upscaling options.
Check out the full patch notes on the official website.