War Thunder players have a notable history of leaking confidential military files simply to win debates on forums against strangers—some might even say it has become a tradition by now. That tradition shows no signs of fading, as yet another War Thunder player recently leaked a restricted document concerning military hardware and was promptly banned in-game.
This latest leak involves the AV-8B Harrier jump jet flight manual. The user, who is now temporarily banned from War Thunder, uploaded an excerpt of the NATOPS manual for the AV-8B and TAV-8B Harrier models, which are notably operated by the US Navy and Marine Corps. Fortunately, the documents are not classified but restricted under Distribution Statement C, meaning they are not authorized for public release and may not result in severe legal consequences for the player who posted them.
This new leak marks the ninth time military secrets have surfaced on the War Thunder forums. Most leaks occur during debates over the in-game vehicle performance, with some players willing to reveal state secrets just to prove their point.
“This probably isn’t the biggest leak ever, not at all. These kinds of manuals float around online, especially older ones. But that doesn’t change the fact that if it’s marked as controlled or restricted, platforms like War Thunder have no choice but to take action,” says a former RAF engineer, transcript courtesy of UK Defence Journal.
Some of the more significant leaks have included details on military vehicles such as the UK’s Challenger 2 main battle tank, France’s Leclerc, China’s ZTZ-99, the Eurocopter Tiger, F-16, F-15E, F-117, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Naturally, most leaks involved US military vehicles.
It Just Keeps Happening
For those unfamiliar, War Thunder is a highly realistic military simulator MMO game focusing on mechanized warfare. It allows players to operate tanks, planes, ships, and other vehicles in large-scale team battles, using accurate names, models, and performance data based on real military vehicles.
Some speculate that certain leakers might be affiliated with military agencies or contractors, which could explain their access to these documents. Others note that many restricted files are already accessible online despite being marked restricted by the US Department of Defense, as seen with the recent Harrier leak.
The most plausible explanation is that War Thunder players are simply very passionate about the accuracy and realism of their vehicles. While these leaks often lack significant tactical or strategic impact, many players find the recurring incidents amusing, given how frequently they occur.
“So, someone explain to me how this keeps happening. Are the people posting classified material just dumb people with access to the material through the nature of their occupation, or is there a black market for selling classified info to War Thunder players with an obsession for realism? Or something else?” asks MyUsernameIsAwful
“Sigh, I’ll go reset the ‘days until War Thunder leaks’ counter,” says TXblindman
“Autism knows no bounds,” suggests ggbouffant
