Pilots!

On April 29, from 8:00 to 12:00 UTC, the servers will undergo maintenance to deploy Update 2.1.39.

Update 2.1.39 introduces a brand-new reward aircraft - Westland Wyvern S.4, the British TIer VII multirole fighter.

The Westland Wyvern was a prospective naval strike fighter project initiated in 1944 as part of the Air Ministry specification for a long-range strike platform for both the Royal Navy and the RAF. The Wyvern's RAF counterpart was subsequently canceled when jet engines became more prominent, but Westland continued developing their aircraft. It was supposed to use current piston engines and later be adapted for future turboprop ones. Development encountered many setbacks, mainly on the powerplant side, as three of the four engine designs that the Wyvern was expected to support were eventually canceled, prompting significant redesigns. The fighter finally entered service in 1953, equipped with the Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprop engine driving twin coaxial counter-rotating propellers. For its class, the Wyvern was an absolute monster—a heavily armed and powerful beast that could take and deliver an immense beating. Alas, by that time, its class was virtually obsolete. The Wyverns saw combat in the Suez Conflict of 1956, performing effectively in ground support and suffering two losses to anti-aircraft fire. In 1958, the last squadron flying the Wyverns was disbanded as the jet-powered era officially arrived in combat aviation.

In World of Warplanes, the Westland Wyvern S.4 is a Tier VII multirole fighter with an impressive silhouette and formidable firepower. Reflecting the Python engine's sluggishness and the aircraft's overall weight, it cannot boast high maneuverability or dynamics, but the Wyvern compensates for that with survivability. The engine is durable, providing long boost and quick engine cooldown time, as well as resilience against critical damage and fires. The Wyvern is highly effective in dive attacks, accelerating quickly and retaining controllability at high dive speeds. Its weight makes it an exceptionally stable weapons platform, resulting in increased accuracy and a longer burst from its four wing-mounted 20-millimeter Hispano Mk. V cannons. Finally, sixteen 60 lb rockets can take out a good chunk of ground targets when you employ the Wyvern in a ground attack role.

To earn this aircraft, you'll need to participate in the upcoming game event.
Various graphical assets for the upcoming event have been added.
A new supply crate has been added, which will become available during the upcoming game event.
A new achievement has been added that can be earned during the upcoming event.
New paint schemes have been added for the following aircraft:

• Bristol Beaufighter
  
• Hawker Hurricane Mk II
  
• Hawker Tornado
  
• Supermarine Spitfire XIV
  
• Gloster Javelin

Paint scheme characteristics:

• Concealment: +20%
  
• Resistance to damage from AA guns: +10%
  
• Resistance to damage from gunners: +5%
  
• Aircraft XP: +8%

These paint schemes will become available in future Premium Shop offers and as rewards during events.

• Fixed a missing antenna and texture issues on the Messerschmitt Me 163B. Altered the position of the generator-driving propeller on its nose to look more natural. Unfortunately, it is technically impossible to make it rotate without breaking the aircraft's configuration.
  
• Fixed a visual bug that caused the model for the Yakovlev Yak-7 to use stock engine and airframe parts in Specialist configuration.
  
• Fixed an issue with preview icons not showing for premium paint schemes on the Hawker Tornado.
  
• Added the Report Content button to the Escape menu for reporting content that violates the EU Digital Content Directive.

Pilots!

From April 8 at 11:20 UTC to April 29 at 11:20 UTC, a chain of 30 missions awaits you. For their completion, you'll receive a new aircraft— the German Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet Tier VIII fighter—and other valuable rewards!
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was the world's first and only operational rocket-powered combat aircraft, and the first to break the 1000 km/h airspeed record. It was intended to serve as a point-defense interceptor and to counter heavy bomber raids on German cities and industry. This extremely fast and dynamic fighter was supposed to rapidly approach its target, flying at high altitude, and quickly destroy it with two high-caliber autocannons. In reality, the aircraft's speed made engagement time extremely short, with pilots having mere seconds to aim and fire at a bomber, while a very limited fuel load didn't allow for protracted engagements or multiple runs at a target. The Komet had other issues as well, particularly its extremely toxic fuel and instability at low altitude and low speed, which caused multiple incidents on takeoff and landing. The Me 163s managed to score several heavy bomber shootdowns in World War II, but the project was ultimately deemed a failure. The fighters were grounded, their duties passed to Me 262 regiments.

The Japanese Mitsubishi J8M Shusui is heavily based on the Me 163 design under a license agreement, but despite outward similarities, the two aircraft have major differences. As shipping a complete Me 163, several working engines, and even blueprints to Japan proved impossible, Japanese engineers were forced to reverse-engineer the fighter design from the operation manual and adapt it to local components, most notably the engines and armament.

While the Me 163B may seem like a twin of the J8M, which has been in World of Warplanes for several years, it is better in nearly every way. It is powered by the original Walter HWK 509 rocket engine, which provides much more thrust, making approaches to the target much faster. The Komet has a higher maximum speed, better acceleration both in cruise flight and while boosting, and significantly longer boost duration. Its MK-108 30-millimeter cannons have a shorter range than the Type 5s installed in its Japanese counterpart, but they compensate with longer salvo time and better accuracy. Overall, the original Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet can become a fun fighter for tactical flying. It is not the strongest in terms of firepower and not the most nimble of Tier VIII fighters, but its ability to rapidly engage and disengage makes for extremely dynamic battles (and extremely annoyed opponents).

Note:
You may skip missions of the marathon by purchasing certificates in the Premium Shop.
Only Tier IV–X aircraft can take part in the event.

You can find more details about the chain of missions on our official portal![worldofwarplanes.eu]

Keep completing marathon missions on your favorite warbirds to grab all the event's rewards! Don't have time to complete all the missions? Just visit the Premium Shop and purchase certificates to speed up the completion of the in-game event!