Gaijin Entertainment has revealed Sky Odyssey, the newest major seasonal update for War Thunder, with a trailer that dropped on September 3. It's a content-heavy patch that leans on cross-nation tech-tree expansions and a headline experimental jet, arriving a few months after June's hardware-focused Heavy Cavalry update.
Greek vehicles expand Israel's trees
The standout structural change is the addition of Greek aircraft and ground vehicles as sub-trees within Israel's research trees. Bolting a second country's hardware onto an existing nation is a familiar Gaijin move — it's how several smaller trees have been fleshed out over the years — and it gives Israel players a meaningfully deeper lineup to grind through in both the air and ground branches.
The F-16XL headlines the air update
Topping the new aviation is the F-16XL, the experimental delta-wing derivative of the Fighting Falcon that never entered service in reality. In Sky Odyssey it's tied to a Space Program event rather than the standard research tree, making it a limited-time chase reward rather than a straightforward unlock.
Other aircraft of note include the Ar 234 B-2 (WB 151), a gunpod-equipped variant of the pioneering German jet bomber offered as a pre-order pack.
Naval and premium additions
The naval side gets attention too. The AW159 Wildcat HMA2, a modern multi-role naval helicopter, joins the rotorcraft roster, while Italy's bluewater fleet gains the premium battleship Giulio Cesare. As usual, several of the marquee vehicles are available early through pre-order and premium packs ahead of the update's full rollout.
What it means for players
Sky Odyssey follows the pattern Gaijin has settled into this year: alternate between big Western hardware drops — Heavy Cavalry's M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams and USS North Carolina back in June — and updates that widen the smaller trees and add event-only exotics. For Israel mains, the Greek sub-trees are the real prize, adding grind and variety where the nation was thin. For everyone else, the F-16XL is the shiny object worth chasing before the Space Program event closes.
As always with a fresh update, expect battle-rating shuffles and balance tweaks to land in the days after release. We'll update our War Thunder coverage as the changelog settles.
