War Thunder’s Eagle’s Shadow Update Will Let Players Pick Missile Impact Points
Helicopters will gain man-in-the-loop guidance, ground ATGMs will get pre-launch impact-point selection, and most infrared missiles will target aircraft engines.
War Thunder’s upcoming Eagle’s Shadow update will let players pick impact points for several guided weapons and send most infrared missiles toward hot aircraft components such as engines. Gaijin’s Steam dev blog details changes to man-in-the-loop guidance, ground-vehicle ATGMs, and infrared seekers.
The additions join previously announced cluster bombs, which are intended to hit groups of lightly protected ground targets. Eagle’s Shadow will pair that area attack option with more selective missile guidance.
MITL weapons will allow specific impact points
Aircraft already use munitions with man-in-the-loop (MITL) guidance, which can be steered without a direct line of sight between the launch platform and the target. Eagle’s Shadow will extend that capability to helicopters. Previously, a weapon could lock onto a random point on a vehicle and retain it even after the target was reacquired. The update will let players change the aim point: after locking onto a target, click the left mouse button, aim at the desired spot, then click again to direct the munition there.
Ground vehicles will not receive MITL control for balance reasons, but their ATGMs will also get more precise targeting. Missiles such as the Spike will let players select a specific point on a target before launch, rather than treating the entire vehicle as the aim point.
Most infrared missiles will favor aircraft engines
Air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles with infrared seekers have previously aimed toward the center of an aircraft model, regardless of seeker technology. In Eagle’s Shadow, most will instead guide toward the aircraft’s hottest components, such as its engines.
Missiles with imaging infrared seekers, pseudo-imaging seekers, or angular-gating seekers are exceptions. Those systems perceive the aircraft as a single target, so they will not use the new component-focused guidance.
Which guidance change do you think will make the biggest difference in a match? Follow the Eagle’s Shadow weapon changes through 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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