The takeawayThe returning mode runs until October 19 at 7 a.m. ET; eligible players do not need to own its assigned aircraft.

The weekend window

War Thunder has brought back its SEAD asymmetrical air event. The official window is October 16 at 11:00 GMT through October 19 at 11:00 GMT: 7 a.m. ET on both dates for US East Coast players. It is a returning limited-time mode, not a newly announced permanent queue.

Entry requires at least one Rank V or higher aircraft in your hangar. The event assigns its combat aircraft, so eligible players do not have to purchase those particular vehicles first. Research points and Silver Lions can be earned during play.

Two teams with different jobs

The attacking side uses the F-4E Phantom II and AH-1F helicopter to destroy AI-controlled S-75 surface-to-air missile sites. Defenders fly the MiG-21bis and protect those positions with support from AI-controlled ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft vehicles.

Each player has three respawns. Ordinary enemy markers are absent, apart from the stated spawn-camping protection exception. That makes recognition and approach routes part of the contest rather than simply following a target label across the sky.

A deliberate restriction on the attack

Gaijin says anti-radiation missiles are excluded because testing found them too effective against the event’s air defenses. The SEAD name therefore does not mean every real-world suppression tool is available in the loadout.

Our read: check eligibility and the event’s assigned vehicles before rearranging a normal lineup. The asymmetry is the point: attacking SAM positions and defending them ask for different priorities, while the short window makes this an event to try rather than a lasting progression promise.

The sources, on the record.

Sources checked Oct 16, 2026. Reporting and analysis are labelled separately. Our editorial standards.