Gaijin Entertainment have released the War Thunder Winged Lions update, making it the final big update for the popular vehicular combat game in 2021.

The Winged Lions update adds the final few touches to the game’s upgraded engine and renderers that have been gradually introduced throughout the year. Players can expect to see lots of small graphical enhancements, such as more variety in shell impact patterns, improved exhaust and dust animations, more in-depth collision animations, and more. Many of these effects are also directly influenced by the game’s weather effects and wind direction.

In terms of new content, the update also adds aircraft catapults to some vessels. This new mechanic allows certain ships to deploy player-controlled aircraft that can be used to scout or attack enemy targets, during which time your vessel will be controlled by the AI.

Every War Thunder update comes with tons of new vehicles, and Winged Lions is no exception. The Israeli tech tree gets a 4th branch of aircraft, covering many fighters and bombers used by the country throughout the middle and late Cold War era. Just a few of the new vehicles added in this update include several Israeli variants of the Mirage fighter, the F-105 Thunderchief, the MiG-27K, the M-51 Super Sherman, the Merkava Mk.2D, the Leclerc SXXI, the Bkan C1, the Type 10, the Scharnhorst cruiser, the USS Wilkinson, and many more.

You can find a trailer for the War Thunder Winged Lions update below:

Finally, War Thunder‘s annual Christmas event returns with Operation W.I.N.T.E.R. Players can earn stars by completing various tasks that can be exchanged for unique cosmetics such as decals, camos, winter gear decorations, and even exclusive premium vehicles. The event starts on December 17th and runs until January 10th.

You can find the rundown (via Steam) below:

War Thunder is the most comprehensive free-to-play, cross-platform, MMO military game dedicated to aviation, armoured vehicles, from the early 20th century to the most advanced modern combat units. Join now and take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea, fighting with millions of players from all over the world in an ever-evolving environment.

In War Thunder, aircraft, attack helicopters, ground forces and naval ships collaborate in realistic competitive battles. You can choose from over 1,900 vehicles and an extensive variety of combat situations many of which are exclusive. You can find yourself blasting your pursuers from a bomber turret, defending your teammates on the ground from an air raid with anti-aircraft guns, shooting down enemy planes with a firestorm from multiple rocket launchers, or trying to sink an enemy warship with a torpedo from a fast attack boat.

Features include:

• Seamless cross-platform gameplay between Windows PC, Linux, Mac, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One with Xbox Series X|S – everyone on the same server.
• Over 2,000 highly detailed aircraft, helicopters, tanks, warships and other combat vehicles crafted carefully from historical documents and surviving sources.
• 100 maps representing the main historical battle theaters.
• Intense PvP experiences in full-scale combat missions at various difficulty settings for all play styles and degrees of experience.
• Rich PvE content including dynamic historical campaigns and solo missions.
• Regular content updates including new vehicles, maps, missions and nations.
• Astonishing graphics, authentic sound effects and beautiful music creating an atmosphere to fully immerse yourself in.
• Create custom content for War Thunder and share it on War Thunder Live, with the prospect of earning real money through the Revenue Share Partner System!

War Thunder is available on Windows PC, Linux, Mac (all via Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.