War Thunder’s DIRCM Overhaul Will Let Missile Salvos Overwhelm Jammers
The new system will use missile-warning cues, engage one threat at a time, and show its activity on vehicle animations and aircraft radar scopes.
War Thunder’s upcoming major update will replace its broad, always-on DIRCM behavior with directional jamming aimed at detected threats. Each jammer will handle one threat at a time, so firing several missiles together can overwhelm it, according to Gaijin’s Steam announcement.
Until now, DIRCM has behaved much like regular IRCM. With IRCM enabled, a jammer emits across a wide fixed sector around its vehicle, regardless of a threat’s position, and can affect several threats at once. The new system will use turret mechanics to aim a narrow jamming signal at a detected missile.
A missile launch warning system will cue DIRCM, so a missile it does not detect will not be jammed. After a processing delay comparable to an active protection system, the jammer will turn toward the threat and begin emitting. It will stop after the threat is dropped or, if the missile veers off course or stops approaching, after a short delay. That frees the jammer to engage another target.
The overhaul also makes the equipment visibly track its targets. The MUSS jammer on the Schützenpanzer Puma and the L-370 Vitebsk jammers on the Ka-52 will turn toward threats they are engaging. In night vision mode, they will emit a strobing light, and disabling IRCM will return them to a stowed position.
Aircraft crews will see which threats DIRCM is engaging on the RWR scope, along with a blinking JAM indicator whenever a jammer is active.
The changes will cover lamp-based jammers on the Ka-52 and all Schützenpanzer Puma versions, as well as laser DIRCM on the Mi-28NM, all AH-64E versions, Z-10ME, and Mi-8AMTSh-VN.
How much difference do you think the one-target limit will make when missiles are fired in a group? For more on the DIRCM overhaul and War Thunder’s upcoming major update, follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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