War Thunder, for the second time in a while, has found itself at the center of illegal military leaks, this time over details of the Eurofighter Typhoon"s radar systems, which were posted by a user who was later suspended for the breach.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, supersonic fighter jet primarily used by the air forces of the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. It was added to War Thunder"s multiplayer mode earlier this month. As often happens when new vehicles are introduced, players on the game forum discussed the accuracy of the Typhoon"s in-game representation.
One point of contention was the scanning capabilities of an aircraft radar system, the CAPTOR. In an apparent attempt to substantiate claims, a user posted what has since been removed as restricted material. The account responsible for posting the material has also been banned. This comes after the Italian Ministry of Defense, whose manuals could have been cited in some of these documents, made claims in the past that those are excluded from public access for security and commercial protection.
In September, a technical manual for the AH-64D Longbow attack helicopter—the US Army"s primary attack helicopter—was also uploaded to the forum. In the first half of this year, users have also shared the manual for the Eurofighter Typhoon DA7 and technical details on the F117 Nighthawk, all of which are export-restricted.
These leaks are not isolated to the Eurofighter Typhoon or events within the past year. In 2021, schematics for the Challenger 2 tank were posted. In 2023, restricted intel for the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and more than a dozen technical manuals for the F-15E US strike fighter emerged on the forum, although at that time, the latter vehicle was not even in the game.
The community manager has since issued (via The Verge) repeated warnings, which constitute threats, that said action would result in legal action, as the game"s developers do not wish to receive or use any classified material.