A War Thunder player has leaked confidential military documents in relation to the United State’s F-16 fighter jet. This is the second time a major leak of controlled military documents has surfaced from a War Thunder player.
The user in question, spacenavy90, made a post on January 16th in the War Thunder forum on the discussion of the history and abilities of the F-16. The document this user posted, which has now been deleted by the site’s mods, was in regard to the “control panel” of the plane and had to do with its abilities while in the testing phase of its development, and the “AMRAAM” air-to-air missile the plane uses.
Thankfully, the document, which seems to be a file that was a part of the F-16’s manual, has been around long enough that it is no longer a part of classified status. However, since it is within a 30-year time span it is still considered “restricted” to share it openly.
This is not the first time this has happened. With wargaming, there is a lofty push to keep the vehicles and weapons platforms of the game as realistic as possible, which often leads to arguments and disagreements among players. Arguments that some think are best solved by finding and sharing government documents from global militaries.
These arguments mainly take place on the War Thunder subreddit and the War Thunder forum on the games site, which is where this recent leak took place. In the past, leaks have taken the form of documents relating to a Chinese made tank, a French tank, and a tank made in the UK. This happens so frequently that memes about the subject have become a big thing within the community.
It is currently unknown what the results of this leak will be, other than being chided by moderators of the site. Whether or not further action will result as a part of this leak is anyone’s guess. But, looking at how often the trend of leaking military data goes in relation to the game, this is likely to not be the last time it happens.