VIVE LA FRANCE! WAR THUNDER ROLLS OUT NEW NATION WITH FRENCH AIRCRAFT TO BE RELEASED WITH THE NEXT UPDATE

We are pleased to announce the release of a new, seventh nation in War Thunder - France! The 1.73 update will add more than 30 French aircraft to the game - from the fighters of the 30s to multirole post-war jet models.

Kirill Yudintsev, Creative Director of Gaijin Entertainment:
“Some of the French planes included in Update 1.73 were promising but never entered mass production because of the demands of World War II, so information on them was difficult to source. We spent more than a year in development, searching for various references and painstakingly recreating these rare planes to make War Thunder’s French aviation. We are sure that the pilots of War Thunder will look forward to finally testing these machines in battle.”

Fighter pilots will join the ranks of the French Air Force tree in the Dewoitine D.371, which was one of France’s first developments away from the old-fashioned biplanes to the faster but still maneuverable monoplanes. While the D.371 did not participate in the battles of World War II, it earned recognition during the Spanish Civil War, where it fought on the Republican side against the Nationalist forces, amongst them, future Luftwaffe aces. Three variations of this fighter with different machine gun armaments will be available immediately after release, as well as the premium D.371 H.S.9 with two 20mm cannons.

During the war, a growing characteristic of French aviation design was the tendency towards universal, multi-purpose combat aircraft. In the post-war era, this tendency became the standard design philosophy for French jet aircraft. By a successful combination of various offensive and secondary armaments, those aircraft could successfully perform the tasks of both fighters and bombers.

A prime example of this philosophy is the SNCASO SO.8000 Narval, a highly unusual fighter with a pusher propeller design. This aircraft can excel at a variety of tasks, from intercepting enemy aircraft to supporting ground forces and reconnaissance. In its standard configuration the SO.8000 features an impressive armament of six 20mm cannons, but if the aircraft is tasked to engage ground targets, it can be further equipped with 8 unguided rockets and two bombs.

Players who complete special marathon tasks or purchase pre-order bundles in our online shop will be the first who will be able to try out the new French aircraft. If you will pre-order before the release of the 1.73, you will receive as a gift exclusive in-game titles and decals:

For more information, read the full Dev Blog article on the Official War Thunder Forums!