update · January 14, 2026

War Thunder Update 2.53.0.52 Balances Damage and Fixes Vehicle Models

The latest War Thunder update resolves critical damage issues for missiles and HEAT shells, expands the F-106A drag chute speed threshold, and fixes visual bugs across multiple armored vehicles.

Gaijin Entertainment has released update v2.53.0.52 for War Thunder, delivering targeted fixes based directly on community bug reports. The patch addresses long-standing collision and damage calculation issues while correcting visual discrepancies for specific aircraft and ground vehicles.

Damage Model and Ballistics Fixes

Air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles making direct impacts on aircraft now deal correct, intended damage values rather than underperforming. Ground battles also see a major correction as HEAT projectiles have had a bug fixed where they occasionally failed to generate spall upon penetration.

Ground Vehicle and Aircraft Adjustments

The F-106A's maximum drag chute opening speed jumps from 200 km/h to 296 km/h. On the ground front, the BMPT-72 commander sight camera no longer suffers from alignment offset and zoom movement locks. The TOG II turret mortar smoke grenades now fire correctly toward the turret rather than the hull, and the Mark V's left gun barrel model now rotates smoothly with its breech.

Map Boundaries and Camouflage Corrections

African Gulf received a fix preventing Bluewater fleet ships from spawning outside playable boundaries, while Sinai's semi-transparent minimap issue has been resolved. Additionally, the AGS vehicle's MERDC camouflage unlock condition shifts from forest to winter criteria, and the Japanese-tree MiG-29N now correctly receives achievements tied to Malaysian vehicles instead of German ones.

Why this patch matters

Update v2.53.0.52 delivers essential mechanical corrections that directly improve combat reliability for both pilots and tankers.