1.43 | All Vehicles Excess Fuel Tank V1.3

: By treating fuel tanks as individual components, their specific location and current fuel level began to play a more realistic role in the vehicle's damage model. A hit to an "excess" or external fuel tank could cause a fire or explosion, but its separation from the internal crew compartment could sometimes mitigate catastrophic failure depending on the vehicle's design.

This system has since been refined in subsequent patches, but the 1.43 update remains the foundational moment when fuel tanks moved from abstract health bars to physical, targetable components. Update 1.43 - War Thunder Wiki All Vehicles Excess Fuel Tank v1.3 1.43

: In certain scenarios, these separate fuel tanks can act as a form of secondary armor (often referred to by the community as "fuel tank armor"), where the fuel and tank structure absorb fragments from penetrating shells before they reach critical internal modules. Implementation Details : By treating fuel tanks as individual components,

: Fuel tanks and ammunition loads were separated and calculated as distinct modules for all ground vehicles. Update 1