Gamer Leaks Classified Chinese Tank Schematics to Win Online Argument

A fan of the popular military video game War Thunder reportedly leaked classified Chinese tank schematics in an effort to win an online argument.

Task and Purpose reports that fans of the popular online free-to-play military video game War Thunder have become so passionate about the game and military history that they’ve begun sharing classified schematics of real-life military vehicles during online arguments.

This has now happened on three separate occasions, with users leaking classified military documents in an effort to ensure that War Thunder is as accurate to real life as possible. The game features land, air, and sea craft, and has a player base of roughly 50,000 players. The latest incident involves information on the penetrator section of a Chinese tank cannon shell leaked in a post in Mandarin Chinese which includes a technical diagram.

Many of the original images have been removed but they essentially provide the schematics for a Chinese tank munition. This was seemingly revealed so that War Thunder could more accurately simulate what would happen if a Chinese tank met another country’s tank in combat.

In July 2021, someone who it seems may have been a commander in the Royal Tank Regiment of the United Kingdom uploaded documents to the War Thunder forums containing the technical specifications of Britain’s Challenger 2 tank in an effort to prove that the game had gotten certain details about the vehicle wrong.

The company behind the game has addressed this situation, with a message board moderator writing in 2021: “We have written confirmation from [the Ministry of Defence] that this document remains classified. By continuing to disseminate it you are in violation of the Official Secrets Act as stated by the warning on the cover of the document, an offense which can carry up to a 14-year prison sentence if prosecuted. Of this you are already aware, as a service person you have signed a declaration that you understand the act and what actions it compels you to take.”

But just a few months later, another leak took place as one user demanded that the French LeClerc Main Battle Tank be more accurately depicted in the video game.

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