Classified details on the performance of a critical European military asset were leaked online again through the War Thunder forums, one of many similar leaks about various weapon systems over the years. It’s unclear what risk, if any, the leak brings to the nations who deploy the system in combat. A community moderator from publisher Gaijin Entertainment once again asked that fans refrain from leaking military secrets on the video game’s forums.
The asset in question, the $124 million Eurofighter Typhoon, is flown by aviators in multiple NATO countries including Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain. It’s also relatively new, as it first entered service in 2003. The multi-role aircraft is capable of engaging both air- and ground-based targets, and representatives of the United States Air Force liken its role to that of the F/A-22 Raptor. It’s also got a really fancy radar system, which War Thunder fans argued over. To prove their point someone posted classified details, a risky maneuver that got them banned from the forums.
This is at least the fourth time that classified details of the Typhoon were leaked on the War Thunder forums. Previously leaks are thought to have included the aircraft’s entire 750-page manual.
“Please do not, under any circumstances try to post, use or share any sources unless you are 100% certain they are legally declassified and publicly safe for use,” wrote a community manager. “We will never handle or use them and all it does is actively harm any possible future changes being possible by trying to use them. Do not do it. No good will [ever] come from it for you or the vehicle you are trying to post for.”
A detailed entry by the same community manager in June provides even more information for potential posters, clearly delineating that documents deemed to be secret, confidential, or classified should never be posted to the forums of the free-to-play vehicular combat simulator built by Gaijin, a developer previously headquartered in Moscow.
As noted above, this is not an unusual occurrence for Gaijin’s War Thunder. A post on Steam notes dozens of similar incidents, including a leak of Chinese secrets from 2022. But are these leaks actually dangerous for militaries? It depends on who you ask. Military fansite Sandboxx, in a lengthy feature-length story that rounds up every single one of those leaks, says that Western media is simply making too much of the situation.
Meanwhile, the UK Defense Journal notes that leaks can have “real-world consequences [that run the risk of] undermining the security of the [weapons systems involved and harming] operational effectiveness and safety [of pilots].”
The post War Thunder devs make Christmas wish: stop leaking military secrets appeared first on Polygon.
