To prove War Thunder’s wrong modeling, the player provided secret information about the UK’s Challenger 2 tank.
The Challenger 2 main battle tank has been in British Army service since 1994. It has served in operational service in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. You can also find it in War Thunder, Gaijin Entertainment’s free-to play online war game. The War Thunder Wiki describes it as “a force that must be reckoned with on the battlefield, due to competent grades in firepower, armour/”>Challenger 2/a>, although it has a few distinct weaknesses, so a skilled commander is required to make the most out of it.
There is a fair amount of accuracy in the game. The “Simulator battle” mode focuses on the realistic vehicle and weapon physics. Players also engage in lively, detailed discussions about the hardware in War Thunder forums. This thread is 319 pages long, and it’s still growing.
However, things got out of control when one player showed a bit too much dedication to realism earlier in the week. One player claimed to be a Challenger 2 tank commander and a former member of the British Army’s Armored Trials and Development Unit. He complained that War Thunder’s ingame model makes it more vulnerable to enemy fire. To prove their point, they uploaded classified images from the Challenger 2 Army Support Publication which is the tank’s user guide.
The UK Defense Journal stated that the images had been heavily redacted and contained “UK Restricted” labels. However, these were crossed out and an “Unclassified” stamp was added. Gaijin, as you can see, was cautious and stated that proof of the document’s declassification would be needed as well as the source from which it was obtained before any action could be taken.
A senior technical moderator spoke out shortly after to state that the Gaijin had been in touch with the UK Ministry of Defense and had informed them–in writing—-that the manual was classified.
A representative from Defense Equipment and Support at MoD Abbey Wood stated that he could confirm that the extract is genuine. It has not been released by DE&S previously or is being considered for redacting. We don’t recognize the ‘Unclassified stamp’ as something that’s been used in DE&S.
In response to the classified message, the moderator stated that “continuing to disseminate the document you are in violation the Official Secrets Act as stated on the cover of it, an offence which could carry up to 14 years imprisonment if prosecuted.”
“Of course you already know this, you signed a declaration as a service personnel that you understood the act and the obligations it compel you to take. You are putting us (International representatives for Gaijin), particularly any UK citizens, in serious trouble. The warning warns that the unauthorised retention or use of protected documents is an offense.
Although it is not clear if the player is a tank commander or a member the UK military, the UK Defense Journal noted that their location in Tidworth, Wiltshire, is where the Royal Tank Regiment operates Challenger 2s. This could also be an error in declassification, and not a malicious act of treason to obtain a better videogame experience.
Even if the mistake was made in good faith, the whole incident is still fascinating. It all began over a disagreement about the size of the space between the main structure and the hull. This is a small detail but one that this guy takes very serious. It is not the first instance of something like this. Smin1080p, the community manager, wrote in his initial response to the post: “Last time such an document was shared that was claimed was ‘unclassified’ but it was actually still classified and was confirmed that it shouldn’t have been shared.” How many times has it happened that people have shared military secrets classified in War Thunder forums.
Perhaps the best part is that, while sharing classified MoD documents on the War Thunder forums may be a violation to the Official Secrets Act it is not an offense. The account that uploaded the images is valid and appears to be in good standing.
The dedicated War Thunder player involved in the Challenger 2 battle was unsuccessful. Although the documents were accurate, they are classified and therefore not accepted as valid source material. No changes will be made. I have reached out to Gaijin and will update this post if I get a response.
