War Thunder adds cluster bombs to Air Battles in the Eagle's Shadow update
Gaijin says cluster bombs are coming to War Thunder Air Battles in the Eagle's Shadow major update, with several types planned for different nations.
Gaijin Entertainment has announced that cluster bombs are coming to War Thunder’s Air Battles. They’ll arrive in the Eagle’s Shadow major update, according to a dev blog posted on 2 November 2026. The source doesn’t give a release date for the update.
What they do
A cluster bomb works like any other bomb when you drop it. At a set altitude, though, a fuze triggers and the casing spreads a bunch of smaller submunitions across a wide patch of ground.
Gaijin says that makes them far better than a conventional bomb of the same weight against groups of lightly armoured or unarmoured vehicles.
Where they’ll shine
In Air Battles and Nuclear Escalation, Gaijin points to AI-controlled vehicles clustered around key bases as the ideal target. Expect them to be effective against:
- Anti-aircraft systems
- Infantry fighting vehicles
- Armoured personnel carriers
- Just about any transport vehicle
Planned bombs
Several types are planned for different nations:
- CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition (US): 202 submunitions combining shaped-charge penetration, fragmentation and incendiary effects.
- RBK-500 (Soviet/Russian and Warsaw Pact aircraft): a 500 kg bomb carrying anti-tank submunitions.
- BL755 (British): 147 high-explosive fragmentation submunitions.
- BM-400 and BLG-66 Belouga (European): the Belouga’s submunitions are ejected through specialised openings in the casing.
Gaijin says that in gameplay terms, the destructive impact will be roughly equivalent whichever type you carry.
The studio says more details on the major update are coming soon.
