For the fifth (or possibly 14th) time, classified military documents have leaked on the War Thunder forums, adding to the game's long history of its players potentially committing treason to win online flame wars.
The military combat vehicle MMO has long been plagued by military veterans that are unhappy with its recreations of real-world military equipment, and to "help" developers get the specs right, they share the actual manuals for such equipment, which they shouldn't do on account of those manuals being classified.
The latest instance involves specs for the M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a U.S. Army tank. According to Task and Purpose, the leaks were of two pages from the vehicle's manual, detailing the commander’s hatch, turret assembly, and the spall liner assembly down to the bolts, washers, and nuts. Technically, the documents weren't fully classified, but are "export-controlled," meaning it's still data the U.S. Army deems sensitive.
The context of the thread that led to the M2A2 Bradley leak has been deleted, but it appears that, for once, a War Thunder player isn't responsible for the leak itself. Anton Yudinstev, the founder of War Thunder developers Gaijin Entertainment, stated the leaks had appeared on other platforms before they were reposted in the War Thunder forums. Once they appeared there, Gaijin moderators did what they always do and quickly deleted the offending post.
The return of the "Military Documents Leak On War Thunder Forums" headline was music to social media's ears, as many memers have gotten a kick out of how often the serious but ridiculous story seems to happen.
Gaijin moderators have previously pleaded with its players to not leak military documents, but clearly, their warnings have been ignored. In 2021, they wrote:
"Guys its not funny to leak classified Documents of modern equipment you put the lives of many on stake who work daily with the Vehicles! Keep in Mind that those documents will be deleted immediately alongside sanctions. Thanks for reading!"
At least three more leaks have happened since then.