War Thunder Space Program Event: 🚀 Get The F-16XL Now 🔥

The War Thunder Space Program event starts on September 3 and brings one of the strangest fighters ever added to the game. Moreover, it follows the staged format the community already knows well.

If you follow vehicle events, you know that starting late costs you dearly. The War Thunder Space Program event hands out rewards across nine stages, and each one carries its own deadline.

Straight to the point: you need to accumulate 45,000 mission points per stage in Air Battles, and reaching eight stages secures the F-16XL coupon. The ninth stage unlocks the exclusive camouflage plus four random modifications.

The event runs from September 3 (11:00 GMT) until September 21 (11:00 GMT). Therefore, you have roughly 18 days to finish everything without spending Golden Eagles.

War Thunder Space Program Event: How The Campaign Works

The format of the War Thunder Space Program event matches recent vehicle events. Even so, the details are worth reviewing before you start playing without a plan.

The Stage System Explained

It works like this, in order:

1. Earn mission points in Air Battles during the event window.
2. Reach 45,000 points to complete a single stage.
3. Collect the reward manually, because it does not drop into your inventory by itself.
4. Repeat up to nine stages to unlock absolutely everything.

Pay attention to step three. Plenty of players lose rewards simply by not clicking their name, opening “Space Program”, and pressing the collect button.

Where To Earn Mission Points

Points come exclusively from Air Battles, with specific rules:

• Aircraft at Rank III or above count normally
• Arcade, Realistic, and Simulator modes are all valid
• Event vehicles at Rank I and II also generate points
• The multiplier varies by game mode and the maximum Rank used in battle
• Points are only credited at the end of a battle, never during it

Notice that last item. Leaving a match early means losing everything you built during that session.

Event Active From September 3 To 21: The Full Calendar

The event active from September 3 to 21 has one important quirk. Stages are not open the whole time, they rotate every two days.

Stage Rotation Dates

In practice, that means something simple. You get roughly 48 hours to close out each block of 45,000 points.

The Extra Deadline Until September 25

Not everything is lost if you fall behind. After the event ends, you can still purchase pending stages until September 25 through the Achievements window.

However, that purchase costs Golden Eagles. Therefore, treat that deadline as a safety net rather than your main plan.

F-16XL: What To Expect From The Fighter

The F-16XL is an event jet for the United States, positioned at Rank VIII. Notably, it is one of the most unusual variants in the entire Fighting Falcon family.

Background And Key Specifications

The aircraft was developed as a competitor to the F-15E Strike Eagle and lost that contest. Afterwards, the two prototypes built were handed to NASA, which used them for supersonic laminar flow research.

Inside the game, the differences are pronounced:

• A delta wing replacing the conventional F-16 wing
• A lengthened fuselage and higher weight than production models
• Expanded internal fuel capacity
• A greater number of weapon hardpoints

Armament And Combat Behavior

The weapon package covers both air combat and ground attack:

• Two AIM-9L air-to-air missiles
• Four AIM-120 air-to-air missiles
• Up to six AGM-65B Maverick air-to-surface missiles
• Bombs for strike missions

According to the official description, acceleration is less dynamic than on traditional F-16 variants. In exchange, performance in tight turns improved.

In practice, that paints a clear profile. It works better as a versatile fighter-bomber than as a pure high-speed interceptor.

Event Rewards: The Complete List

The Event Rewards are cumulative, so every new stage delivers something different. Consequently, even players who cannot finish everything walk away with something.

Rewards By Stage

Notice that the aircraft coupon only appears at stage eight. Therefore, anyone who stops before that walks away with cosmetics and consumables only.

What The Chests Contain

Silver chests roll a single item from several possibilities. Among them:

• Between 50,000 and 100,000 Silver Lions
• Silver Lion and Research Point boosters
• Random Wagers and Orders
• One to three Universal Backups
• A random camouflage for a vehicle you already own
• One day of Premium Account

Do not count on these chests to fund anything specific. After all, the contents are randomized and vary considerably between players.

How Do You Make The Coupon Tradable?

This is the part that confuses newcomers to the War Thunder Space Program event the most. The coupon delivered at stage eight is non-tradable by default.

The “Upgrade For Coupon” Item

A parallel track runs alongside the stages. It requires 750,000 mission points within the same event window.

Once you hit that mark, you receive the “Upgrade for coupon” item. With it, you can convert the non-tradable coupon into one that can be sold on the Market.

Watch two important deadlines:

• The item remains usable until September 25 at 11:00 GMT
• A tradable coupon can only be sold six days after it is created

After that window, the item simply disappears from your inventory. Nevertheless, you can still exchange it for War Bonds beforehand.

Is Selling On The Market Worth It?

That depends entirely on your goal. If you want the jet to fly, use the coupon directly and ignore the extra track.

On the other hand, event vehicles tend to appreciate over time. Consequently, some players treat these coupons as long-term investments rather than aircraft.

Consider the effort as well. Those 750,000 points are nearly double what the nine stages require, which translates into many additional hours.

How Many Hours Does It Actually Take?

This is the question that decides whether you join the race. A little math answers it without guesswork.

The Grind Math

Completing all nine stages requires 405,000 mission points across 18 days. That works out to roughly 22,500 points per day.

Translated into matches:

1. Above-average player: 4,000 to 5,000 points per battle clears it in five or six daily matches.
2. Average player: around 2,000 points per battle doubles the daily time commitment.
3. Casual player: below 1,500 points per match makes full completion unrealistic without help.

Remember that multipliers change this calculation. Therefore, aircraft Rank and chosen game mode weigh heavily on the final result.

Buying Stages With Golden Eagles

The game offers a progressive discount as you approach the target. The closer you are to the total, the cheaper the stage becomes.

At 85% of the required points, the price drops by half. At 95% progress, the cost falls fivefold.

In practice, that creates an interesting strategy. Grind until you are near the limit and purchase only the final fraction instead of paying for the whole stage.

How Do You Farm Points Faster?

The War Thunder Space Program Event rewards consistency, not heroics. Meanwhile, players forcing risky plays usually finish with fewer points per hour.

Pro Tips For The Grind

• Play what you are good at, not the highest multiplier: a big multiplier does not offset bad matches, and consistent performance earns more per hour.
• Consider Arcade if you die early in Realistic: even with lower scoring per match, multiple respawns let you accumulate instead of spectating.
• Alternate air combat with ground attack: kills and ground targets both add points, so versatile aircraft out-earn pure fighters.
• Do not mix event grinding with researching a new aircraft: a stock airframe hurts your performance and drags your average down.
• Always finish the match: points only register at the end of a battle, so leaving early wipes out that effort.

Common Mistakes During The Event

1. Forgetting to claim the reward: the stage completes, yet the item only enters your inventory after manual collection. Fix: check the event tab after every closed stage.
2. Leaving everything to the final days: stages rotate every 48 hours and do not stack retroactively. Fix: spread the effort across the full window.
3. Chasing 750,000 points without needing to: the extra track exists only to make the coupon sellable. Fix: skip it if your goal is flying the aircraft.
4. Buying full stages with Golden Eagles: the proximity discount slashes the cost dramatically. Fix: grind to 90% or higher before purchasing.

Is Ping Costing You Mission Points?

Here is a detail almost nobody considers during the War Thunder Space Program Event. Every match lost to instability is time you cannot recover, and a 48-hour stage window is unforgiving.

High-tier air combat is even more sensitive. Long-range missiles, radar locks, and high-speed maneuvers all depend on immediate server response.

How ExitLag Helps In War Thunder

ExitLag is not a VPN. Instead, it is a game connection optimizer that tests multiple network routes in real time and sends your traffic down the fastest, most stable path available.

For competitive air battles, that shows up exactly where it matters:

• Real-time Optimization: Lower delay and reduced packet loss, so launches and maneuvers respond when you input them.
• Multipath Technology: Packets travel several routes at once, so a single failing hop does not disconnect you mid-match.
• Traffic Shaper: Game traffic takes priority over downloads and streaming competing for the same bandwidth.
• PC Boost: Frees RAM and trims background processes, which helps on large maps packed with aircraft.

The service supports over 4,000 titles across more than 1,500 servers in 190 countries. Furthermore, it handles over 18 million optimizations weekly for a base above 30 million players.

Is ExitLag Safe To Use?

Yes. ExitLag does not modify game files, does not inject code, and does not interact with anti-cheat systems in any way.

That applies to War Thunder and every other supported title. One caveat though: do not run it alongside a VPN, because the two work against each other.

If your connection wavers during long matches, grab the PC version of ExitLag here and test it during the first stages.

War Thunder Space Program Event: Your Action Plan

With a short window and a clear target, organization beats raw playtime. Therefore, set your routine before the first stage opens.

Your Priority Checklist

1. Pick the aircraft you fly best, not the one with the biggest multiplier.
2. Reserve daily time for those 22,500 points instead of stacking everything on the weekend.
3. Claim each reward manually right after completing a stage.
4. Decide early whether you are chasing 750,000 points or simply using the coupon.

The jet is genuinely interesting, the cosmetic package looks sharp, and the staged format is fair for anyone playing regularly. On the other hand, joining late means relying on Golden Eagles to close the gap.

That is exactly why planning the War Thunder Space Program event from day one makes a difference. Set your routine, secure your connection, and the F-16XL lands in your hangar without a scramble.

All game images used in this blog post belong to Gaijin Entertainment. They are used for informational and educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation with the rights holders.