update · June 4, 2026
War Thunder Heavy Cavalry Update Adds Arresting Gear and Visual Reworks
War Thunder's Heavy Cavalry update introduces graphical reworks for Ash River, 38th Parallel, and winter Ardennes, alongside the addition of arresting gear at ground airfields.
Tankers and pilots preparing for the Heavy Cavalry update can expect major visual overhauls across classic ground battle locations alongside new landing mechanics for aircraft equipped with tailhooks.
Ground Location Reworks
The 38th Parallel and Ash River locations feature completely redesigned game environments, objects, buildings, and roads. A new winter version of the Ardennes map is also introduced. While navigation and layout layouts are preserved, the visual updates aim for a more realistic and cinematic combat environment. Note that 38th Parallel is temporarily unavailable in random battles while performance drop issues are resolved.
Arresting Gear Integration
Arresting gear systems have been added to ground airfields, using sequential cables connected to braking systems to shorten landing runs for compatible aircraft. Planes equipped with an arresting hook will deploy the gear automatically when the landing gear is lowered by pressing the 'G' key by default.
Why this patch matters
The Heavy Cavalry update modernizes key battlefields visually while introducing a practical landing mechanic that makes carrier-capable aircraft safer to operate on short land strips.