‘War Thunder’ continues to live up to its reputation for OPSEC violations – Task & Purpose

🔍 Summary:

In a recent incident involving the multiplayer video game “War Thunder,” a player posted restricted information from a U.S. military manual on the game’s forum. The game, developed by Gaijin Entertainment, is known for its realistic simulation of military equipment, but has faced issues with players sharing sensitive data to argue about the game’s accuracy. This time, the leaked content included details from the flight manual for the AV-8B Harrier and its trainer version, the TAV-8B, which was quickly removed by the game’s moderators. The user responsible for the post has been permanently banned.

Gaijin Entertainment’s PR head, Konstantin Govorun, noted that this is one of about 20 similar security breaches the company has tracked, involving various pieces of military hardware. Despite the potential risks, the impact of this particular leak may be limited as the U.S. Marine Corps is phasing out the AV-8B Harrier in favor of the newer F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, with the last Harrier squadron expected to retire the aircraft by September 2026.

The Harrier, which has been in service since 1985, played significant roles in U.S. military operations, including the Gulf Wars and in Afghanistan. Its ability for short takeoffs and vertical landings has been particularly valued for operations from amphibious assault ships and smaller bases. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the sharing of classified or sensitive military information through unconventional channels like video game forums.

📌 Source: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/war-thunder-marine-harrier/