War Thunder’s Eagle’s Shadow Update Will Add Cluster Bombs to Air Battles
Gaijin named 5 designs, including the 202-submunition CBU-87 and the British BL755 with 147 submunitions.
Cluster bombs will give War Thunder pilots a way to hit groups of lightly protected ground targets across a broad area when the Eagle’s Shadow major update arrives. Gaijin explains the planned weapons in its Steam dev blog.
Unlike a conventional bomb, a cluster bomb releases multiple submunitions. A fuze triggers at a predetermined altitude, spreading them over the ground. Gaijin says the weapons are suited to concentrations of lightly armored or unarmored vehicles, where they can cover more area than a conventional bomb of the same weight.
In both Air Battles and Nuclear Escalation, their targets will include AI-controlled vehicles concentrated around key bases. Anti-aircraft systems, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and transport vehicles are among the units the weapons can hit.
The planned lineup spans several nations. The American CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition carries 202 submunitions with shaped-charge penetration, fragmentation, and incendiary effects. Soviet and Russian aircraft, along with aircraft from Warsaw Pact nations, will receive the 500 kg RBK-500 with anti-tank submunitions. Britain’s BL755 carries 147 high-explosive fragmentation submunitions, while France’s BM-400 and BLG-66 Belouga are also planned. The Belouga’s submunitions exit through openings in the bomb casing. Their gameplay impact will be roughly equivalent across types, despite differences in their submunitions.
Which of these cluster-bomb designs would you most like to see in action? Follow the update’s weapon additions 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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