War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Black Prince

2021-03-18T19:43:07Z

U110587778: /* Usage in battles */ Added notable enemy Tiger II

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a_43_black_prince
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.53 "Firestorm"]] and is one of the first British tanks to be introduced into the game. It was initially available as a pre-order pack from the Gaijin store, but was discontinued after the [[wt:en/news/5232-shop-winter-sales-special-bundle-and-gift-certificates-en|2017 Winter sales]].

The A43 Black Prince is a modified Churchill tank equipped with the legendary OQF-17 Pounder cannon; a weapon made famous by the '''[[Sherman Firefly]]''', '''[[Achilles|M10 Achilles]]''', and its ability to destroy the German 8.8 cm heavy tanks such as the [[Tiger_H1|Tiger tank]]. It also features a single 7.62 mm BESA machine gun, which works great for destroying light tanks and SPAA vehicles.

The A43 Black prince makes enemy players retreat in fear, as it offers one of the most powerful guns available in the game, capable of destroying a [[Ferdinand]], [[IS-2]], and other tanks from over 1 km away. The reloading time is great for its rank, at a mere 7.6s and when coupled with the tank's heavy armour, can stand as quite a lethal opponent.

However, the Black Prince does have some negatives. The extra armour adds extra weight to the vehicle, which makes it extremely slow with a top speed of 17 km/h (10 mph) and only -2 km/h (-1 mph) reverse speed. With the tank's low profile, it makes it difficult to see over foreign obstacles such as debris, hills and walls.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret front, Turret sides, Cupola)

It's vulnerable to HE rounds, which will often bounce and enter through the roof. The ammunition is located along the sides of the vehicle, making these a primary weak spot for enemy players to target.

The A43 Black Prince has one of the thickest armour installations of any tanks. The front is able to be continuously hit by larger and more powerful calibre tanks at close range without taking much, if any damage. However, if you come up against a tank shooting HEAT or HE rounds they will likely penetrate the armour with ease. Do not expose the sides to the enemy player, as it is one of the weakest parts of the tank, seconded only to the lower front part of the turret. Not only that, the sides contain the location of the ammunition; If it is hit, it is likely to detonate. If the ammunition does not detonate, the vehicle's crew will be incapacitated.

It lacks a top-mounted machine gun, which is normally a deterrent against low flying aircraft, making the vehicle more vulnerable to be attacks by a planes, and an easy target for bombers. The turret's slow traverse speed also makes the use of the internal machine gun useless against aircraft attacks.
Due to the low profile of this tank, being hit in the lower front turret is a rare occurrence. You still need to be careful of HEAT and HE rounds, as the low profile design will allow the enemy rounds to enter the turret's machine gun port and either knock out the loader: if using an APCR or solid shot round, OR, if using other rounds such as APCBC, APBC and HEAT, it is very likely that all the turret crew will be eliminated.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 152 mm ''Front plate'' 57 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 139 mm (20-60°) ''Lower glacis'' || 82 mm ''Top'' 95 mm ''Bottom'' || 51 mm (20°) ''Top'' 25 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' || 25 mm ''Front'' 18 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 152 mm (6-83°) ''Turret front'' 152 mm (0-25°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 95 mm || 101 + 4 mm || 38 mm (73°) ''Front'' 18 mm ''Bottom''
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 100 mm || 38 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and chassis construction are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 18-25 mm thick.
* There is a 19 mm thick plate separating the engine compartment to the crew's.
* A 50 mm turret ring shield is present on the front of the turret.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=452|rbMinHp=310}}

When playing the {{PAGENAME}} you will immediately notice the speed and length: it is not a fast tank. You will also notice that it can sometimes struggle to get up hills and small embankments. It is recommended to stay on flat terrain and to make small sharp turns. This will keep more momentum than a single big turn which will lose most of your much needed momentum.

The A43 is a rather long tank making it almost impossible to get wedged between ditches, but the vehicle lacks sufficient engine power required to pull itself over the obstacles and often gets stuck when climbing over them.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}

However, the A43 Black Prince does have one of the most powerful cannons in the game, and is capable of destroying tiger tanks and other heavily armoured vehicles from short to long distances, and is equipped with many different ammunition types which are viable for different situations. The APDS is the recommended choice for giving the gun the full potential of being capable of destroying more heavily armoured targets at longer ranges.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm QF 17-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 89 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.76 || 19.04 || 23.12 || 25.57 || 27.20 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.12 || 11.90 || 14.45 || 15.98 || 17.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The Black Prince is equipped with some of the most lethal ammunition types in the game. It can carry a combination of different type or just a single type of projectiles.

* Shot Mk.6 - {{Annotation|AP|Armour-Piercing}} - Standard round / low shrapnel: use against medium or light tanks
* Shell Mk.1 - {{Annotation|HE|High Explosive}} - Ideal for destroying SPAA and lightly armoured tanks
* Shot Mk.4 - {{Annotation|APC|Armour-Piercing Capped}} - Standard round / medium shrapnel: use against medium tanks
* Shot Mk.8 - {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped}} - Deadliest round / high shrapnel damage: use against most opponents
* Shot SV Mk.1 - {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot}} - Most penetrative round but less damage than APCBC (low spalling): good to use against post-WW2 era opponents or heavily-armoured tanks

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 228 || 226 || 207 || 189 || 159 || 134
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 6.98 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 1,203 || 1.73 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 229 || 8.44 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''89''' || 76 ''(+13)'' || 62 ''(+27)'' || 48 ''(+41)'' || 34 ''(+55)'' || 25 ''(+64)'' || 16 ''(+73)'' || 1 ''(+88)'' || No
|-
|}

* Rack 7 is a first-stage ammo rack

==== [[Optics]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
|-
!
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.8 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[Churchill Mk I]]
|-
|}

This tank uses an outdated x3.5 scope like early British tanks, attempts to outsnipe SPG of rank IV with the mobility of Black Prince will likely end in disaster.

Use APDS or smoke shells to make tanks 800+ m away leave it alone, as discerning enemy tank weak spots and targeting them using normal AP from that far away with this sight becomes a problem. When choosing directions, go with ones which are not easy to exploit by hostile sniper tanks.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 8,100 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

When engaged in combat with heavier and more lethal vehicles, using the APDS rounds will allow you to cause major damage. In order to get the most protection for the tank and crew, do not expose the sides or allow enemies to get to the rear of the vehicle. Instead, turn the front of tank towards the enemy player but give it a slight angle. The enemy rounds will have a higher chance of ricocheting off of the frontal plate, however if the enemy tank uses HE ammunition, there is a high chance that the round may bounce and enter the vehicle's roof.

If engaged in close quarters combat, do not allow the other tank to circle and flank you, instead aim for the vehicle's tracks and destroy them and move away, then finish it off. Most importantly, do not allow them to get the rear of the tank, as you will be unable to effectively hit the enemy due to the twin radiators on the back of the vehicle, and the turret's slow traverse.

In terms of tactics:

'''Offensive'''

Keep your distance from enemy tanks, as the cannon is capable of destroying most tanks from long distances with relative ease. Combined with the slow speed of the vehicle, you'll find yourself being capable of firing on the move despite the lack of a stabiliser. The tank's low profile makes it difficult to see over terrain and obstacles, so it is often best to remain on level ground.

Avoid letting the enemy flank you at all costs, as the sides of the Black Prince are the softest weak points, containing the ammunition storage. If the sides of the vehicle are penetrated by enemy rounds, the ammunition will likely detonate, or the crew will be knocked out/critically injured, making you an easy target.

It's best to avoid letting enemy players flank you from behind, as the turret's traverse will prevent you from being able to hit them quick enough, and the twin radiators on the back of the vehicle will prevent the turret from rotating all the way.

'''Defensive'''

When playing the Black Prince, it is often best to find a well-protected and concealed place, I.E. an ally tank, dense woodland or between rubble. Make sure the front of the tank is facing the enemy with a slight angle in order to get the most out of the vehicle's armour, whilst the cannon will allow you to destroy the enemy tanks from long distances. However don't expose the sides or the rear due to weakness and some vulnerability in the design of the tank.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]]:

The IS-2 carries a very deadly cannon that can one-shot literally anything, including the Black Prince. Its 122 mm gun can easily go through your frontal hull and turret, subsequently knocking out everyone inside. The best way to avoid that is to angle your hull so that your long, large tracks cover up the frontal hull, exposing your angled side and luring the IS-2 into firing at your side armour. The side armour of the Black Prince resembles the Churchills' which are quite complex, with some weird internal structures soaking up lots of shells, increasing your survivability. Against an IS-2 1943, aim at the hull armour that curves and blends into the side, or the turret cheeks. Its crew are closely packed and even the British solid shells can knock them all out at once. Against a 1944 model, only shoot at its turret as the hull is quite strong.

Tiger II (all variants)

The Tiger II's APHE typically punches straight through your turret pasting the turret crew and sometimes the Driver/Machine gunner. Treat these tanks as a top priority. Your APDS will go through their mantlet like butter and take out the breach and/or gunner, It is also a good idea to shoot first due to the Black Prince's mobility never try and reverse away from these enemies unless you are sure you can outpace their turret traverse. Learn to respect Tiger II's or soon you will fear them.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great armour
* The lower front of the turret has an additional 50 mm of armour
* APDS is able to penetrate and cause major damage to enemies from long distances, and is capable of destroying most tanks in a single shot at close ranges (as long as you know where to hit)
* Effective at long ranges
* Good reload time of 7.6s with stock crew
* Ammunition is not stored in the turret

'''Cons:'''

* The vehicle's side armour is weak and ammunition is stored in the sides of the tank
* The turret machine gun port is only 10 mm thick, and can be penetrated easily
* It struggles to climb hills without losing significant speed
* Max speed of 17 km/h (10 mph) and max reverse speed of -2 km/h (-1 mph)
* The vehicle cannot climb steep hills
* The turret traverse is slow compared to others at only 10.5/s
* Lacks any form of top-mounted anti-aircraft weaponry

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Black Prince''' is an experimental design that was to use the British Infantry tank, the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill]], as the basis with much more armour and a better gun. The name originates from Edward of Woodstock, otherwise known as the "Black Prince", a 14th century military leader. The Churchill and its branch of infantry tanks, in the course of World War II, was becoming slightly obsolete in the highly mobile style of warfare the cruiser tanks proved much better at. The infantry tanks were originally made for heavy, breakthrough style of warfare with infantry, so they were kept around in a style of "heavy tanks", but the Axis' gradually increasing anti-tank capacity caused the armour of the infantry tanks to be considered insufficient.

To keep the infantry tanks relevant in the course of World War II, the Churchill was upgraded in armour and armament to better compete against the changing anti-tank warfare, starting in 1943. The original Churchill tank in the later part of World War II had the QF 75 mm cannon (British-produced 75 mm from the Americans) and about 102 mm of armour average, and weighed about 38 tons. The Black Prince upgraded the armour to 152 mm thick, widened the tracks by 10 inches, modified the suspensions for the new weight. The 75 mm gun was instead replaced by the QF 17-pounder cannon, which was one of the best Allied anti-tank guns in service. The larger gun required a larger turret and a larger turret ring on the hull. All these modifications increased the tank weight by ten tons, but kept the engine used in the regular Churchill, so the tank was considered under-powered, only able to reach up to 10 mph on roads and this limited the tank's operational radius. The tank was designated the '''Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43)''' and the A43 model was for a Staff Specification number issued in 1943 for an interim tank that could be made until the development of a "Universal Tank".

===Deployment===
However, by the time the Black Prince was ready in May 1945; it was too late for it to see service in World War II. Even if it had, many more tank designs such as the [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Firefly]] and the [[Comet I|Comet]] are much more mobile and effective, yet have the same 17-pounder gun available. Also, a new tank about to be introduced, the [[Centurion Mk 1|Centurion]], has the same protection level as the Black Prince, yet with the same gun and is way more mobile than the Black Prince. This caused the Black Prince to fall into obsolescence and the project, along with the entire line of the infantry tank concept in British tank doctrine, was abandoned in favour of a concept of more mobile tanks with great firepower and protection, which would eventually form the idea of the main battle tanks.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=uk_a_43_black_prince Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200px">
File:Prince of Destruction.png|Black Prince with destroyed Tiger H1
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|gR3JPNt0iPw|'''Heavyweight brits''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:37 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|jAIrKnD83YY|'''Spotlight: A43 Black Prince Ep.1''' - ''Minoxen''|OPzYg0Ely_Y|'''Black Prince Gameplay & Review''' - ''DigitalDigging''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Churchill (Family)]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same gun and ammunition

* [[Challenger]]
* [[Centurion Mk 1]]
* [[Sherman Vc (Italy)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/827/|[Devblog] Pioneering British Tanks in War Thunder with developer's answers]]

{{Britain heavy tanks}}
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Falcon

2021-03-02T15:52:13Z

U110587778: /* General info */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_falcon
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. While being an anti-aircraft vehicle, the Falcon has optimal performance against everything, assuming you have enough modifications. Some self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles have a high fire rate, which allows them to destroy planes instantly or harass them from great distances, although they may have problems with standard ground vehicles due to armour. There are others which can destroy tanks by using high penetration ammunition but have difficulty taking down aircraft due to a lack of explosive filler. The Falcon has the ability to perform both of these roles with a high degree of efficiency.

The Falcon has the appearance of a light tank with a slightly sloped round turret on the back. It is easy to recognize the Falcon due to its unique features as there are not many vehicles like it on a field at its battle rating.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The armour on the Falcon is not very effective, as it can only reliably protect against rifle-calibre machine guns. Aircraft that are armed with heavy machine guns and cannons are able to destroy it, but the Falcon is quick and highly manoeuvrable compared to most other vehicles which can allow it to escape into cover.

Important to note that some full calibre AP shells do not detonate upon impacting the Falcon's armour, granting it some chances to make narrow escapes. However, is is also possible for these shells to hull-break the Falcon as long as they are of 120+ mm calibre and hit a critical module of the tank. One of the confirmed critical modules is the autocannon breech. Many of the tanks at the Battle Rating of the Falcon also carry 12.7 mm or 14.5 mm heavy machine guns and will fire them at the Falcon, which are easily capable of defeating the armour and will devastate the interior of the vehicle, so as long as the mobility of the vehicle is not hampered it is advisable to keep moving and find cover.

Chemical rounds, such as HEAT-FS and HESH, will also obliterate the Falcon, and artillery can also quickly bring a swift end to the Falcon.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (80°), 12.7 mm (2-19°) ''Front glacis'' 12.7 mm (37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 12.7 mm ''Top'' 12.7 mm (13°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm (2°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 mm (4-64°) || 10 mm (14-26°) || 10 mm (2°) || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The general armour on the Falcon is extremely thin, which allows some full calibre APHE shells to pass through without detonating.
* Heavy machine guns are able to defeat the armour protection of the Falcon.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=303|rbMinHp=188}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|HSS 831L (30 mm)}}

The Falcon carries two 30 mm autocannons with a high rate of fire. Together, they can shred tanks and planes apart in mere seconds.

Autocannons can overheat if continuously fired, so short bursts work best. Firing for more than 6 seconds can cause overheating and jamming and it is advised to refrain from extended firing unless absolutely necessary. The recoil from guns slows you down and pushes you back. If attempting a flanking attack, try to fire over the the side of the vehicle, as otherwise, the opponent's turret might catch up.

Ammunition is stored in one belt, which ensures uniformity of ammunition but does have several disadvantages Rearming the belt is only possible when all ammunition is expended. This takes an extended period of time (around a full minute), so running out of ammunition is very detrimental, especially if the team lacks map control which prevents rearming at a capture point. Lacking ammunition allows aircraft to easily make attack runs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[HSS 831L (30 mm)|30 mm HSS 831L]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 620 (310) || rowspan="2" | 600 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 70.4 || 97.5 || 118.4 || 130.9 || 139.3 || rowspan="2" | 65.00 || rowspan="2" | 57.50 || rowspan="2" | 53.00 || rowspan="2" | 50.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 47.6 || 56.0 || 68.0 || 75.2 || 80.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - General combat. Avoid heavily armoured vehicles at all costs, but can punish other SPAA and light tanks.
* '''30x170 HE-I-T:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}} - Belt adapted to hunt down planes. Damage to SPAA and light tanks is reduced severely.
* '''30x170 APHE-I:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Belt adapted to hunt down light tanks. Damage to planes is reduced, but still adequate.
* '''30x170 APDS-T:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Anti-tank belt. Flank and destroy careless MBT's, damage heavy tanks, while doing AA duty.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 HE-I-T || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APHE-I || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APDS-T || 110 || 101 || 95 || 69 || 52 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''620''' || 310 ''(+310)''|| 0 ''(+620)''|| No
|-
|}

==== Optics and night vision ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X1.8 - X3.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 / 3PV || 800X600 || ? || high || Not Fitted || Only useable with tier 4 upgrade
|-
|}

Use night vision to avoid hostile tanks or to fight them at close range at night. The image intensifier is not installed for gunner or commander, so be cautious when shifting between third person and other views during night.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

Generally, Falcon drives around the battlefield, trying to hide in hard to notice flank positions or behind houses and shoots at planes. In case if someone drives by - flanks them and destroys them, if has AP belt.

It's generally better to stay out of sight, using terrain elevation or houses. You only can choose one belt, AP belt is adequate for any work. If you want to shoot just planes you can take explosive ammo, but then you are completely useless against armour. APDS belt allows harassing even heavily armoured vehicles from sides. You won't need to reload until you are done.

In case if some tank noticed you and wants to destroy you, you can use the fact, that tanks turrets are usually far from the front of the tank. Bait enemy towards your cover, stand far enough away from the corner to see enemy tracks, but not to see an enemy turret, and shoot cannons at the track that is '''further away from you'''. That will force the moving tank to topple over and mess with the enemy aim. Before enemy realized what has just happened shred their side armour and destroy them. If that failed - run, they won't be able to get you anyway. You can do that in duels as well, however, just destroying them is better at that point.

In RB, it's possible to hide in forests, waiting for relatively poorly armoured German medium tanks, light tanks and alike, however, if they notice your vehicle first you probably won't do enough damage to stop them from firing again.

In AB, it's possible to just drive around and shoot at everyone, since it's even faster there, however, people dislike being shot at by autocannons, and someone will certainly notice the noise and kill-feed, so don't expect to live long, especially against Soviets, who have lots of frontal armouring and BMPs, which are superior to you in every way.

Some enemies to be concerned about:

* ATGM: These are worse than any tanks because they won't accidentally hit your loader with AP shell, they will just explode you. Attack only when having the upper hand, be that long range, cover, or surprise.
* Maus: It's invulnerable to you and has 2 cannons. Even IS-7 can technically be defeated in point blank duel with APDS from the rear, but not The Maus. In AB this means, that you can't drive anywhere it can look and fire at.
* Soviet tanks and heavy tanks: A lot of them sport 120 mm cannons, which means, if they fire back at your guns, the shell may just break the hull. They also have superior frontal armour, so try to be careful around them.

;Counter-tactics


''Ground:'' 
AP and APDS belts are most effective when fired at your side armour or back of the turret. If you are attacked by a Falcon, just turn both hull and turret to take better angle against them.

It's best to not let them get a jump on you at all, since it may be able to destroy 2 tanks before anyone even realizes what's going on. Just don't stand with your sides open towards flank directions, instead, turn your hull's front and back there, if the enemy you are currently fighting cannot fire at your hull anyway.

On rare occasions, ramming the Falcon damages it's guns. Ramming at full speed often damages tracks or at least temporarily stops it.

''Air:'' The Falcon has questionable accuracy at 2 km range, but it still can force you to disengage just by firing in your general direction. It's still better to not mess with falcon and avoid flying too much near to buildings if you know it's there.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High penetrating APDS rounds can actually do some major damage at the tier
* Very high one-second burst mass
* Only has one ammo belt per gun so no need to reload
* Has a 2 plane stabilizer for both cannons, meaning you can shoot accurately on the move
* All belts contain APHE Shells with 53mm of Pen
* Commanders View Night Vision

'''Cons:'''

* Weak armour
* Shotgun effect when fired continuously for more than 10 seconds. Will most likely overheat at that point, too
* Approximately 30 seconds worth of ammo before needing to rearm at a capture circle, which takes a long time
* High repair cost in arcade battles of 15k + about 2k for APDS ammunition when spaded
* Average speed without an experienced driver is 30-35km/h

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/866/|[Devblog] Falcon AA: Britain's foremost anti-air gun]]

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Falcon

2021-03-02T15:49:04Z

U110587778: Mobility issues

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_falcon
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. While being an anti-aircraft vehicle, the Falcon has optimal performance against everything, assuming you have enough modifications. Some self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles have a high fire rate, which allows them to destroy planes instantly or harass them from great distances, although they may have problems with standard ground vehicles due to armour. There are others which can destroy tanks by using high penetration ammunition but have difficulty taking down aircraft due to a lack of explosive filler. The Falcon has the ability to perform both of these roles with a high degree of efficiency.

The Falcon has the appearance of a light tank with a slightly sloped round turret on the back. It is easy to recognize the Falcon due to its unique features as there are not many vehicles like it on a field at its battle rating.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The armour on the Falcon is not very effective, as it can only reliably protect against rifle-calibre machine guns. Aircraft that are armed with heavy machine guns and cannons are able to destroy it, but the Falcon is quick and highly manoeuvrable compared to most other vehicles which can allow it to escape into cover.

Important to note that some full calibre AP shells do not detonate upon impacting the Falcon's armour, granting it some chances to make narrow escapes. However, is is also possible for these shells to hull-break the Falcon as long as they are of 120+ mm calibre and hit a critical module of the tank. One of the confirmed critical modules is the autocannon breech. Many of the tanks at the Battle Rating of the Falcon also carry 12.7 mm or 14.5 mm heavy machine guns and will fire them at the Falcon, which are easily capable of defeating the armour and will devastate the interior of the vehicle, so as long as the mobility of the vehicle is not hampered it is advisable to keep moving and find cover.

Chemical rounds, such as HEAT-FS and HESH, will also obliterate the Falcon, and artillery can also quickly bring a swift end to the Falcon.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (80°), 12.7 mm (2-19°) ''Front glacis'' 12.7 mm (37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 12.7 mm ''Top'' 12.7 mm (13°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm (2°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 mm (4-64°) || 10 mm (14-26°) || 10 mm (2°) || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The general armour on the Falcon is extremely thin, which allows some full calibre AP shells to pass through without detonating.
* Heavy machine guns are able to defeat the armour protection of the Falcon.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=303|rbMinHp=188}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|HSS 831L (30 mm)}}

The Falcon carries two 30 mm autocannons with a high rate of fire. Together, they can shred tanks and planes apart in mere seconds.

Autocannons can overheat if continuously fired, so short bursts work best. Firing for more than 6 seconds can cause overheating and jamming and it is advised to refrain from extended firing unless absolutely necessary. The recoil from guns slows you down and pushes you back. If attempting a flanking attack, try to fire over the the side of the vehicle, as otherwise, the opponent's turret might catch up.

Ammunition is stored in one belt, which ensures uniformity of ammunition but does have several disadvantages Rearming the belt is only possible when all ammunition is expended. This takes an extended period of time (around a full minute), so running out of ammunition is very detrimental, especially if the team lacks map control which prevents rearming at a capture point. Lacking ammunition allows aircraft to easily make attack runs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[HSS 831L (30 mm)|30 mm HSS 831L]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 620 (310) || rowspan="2" | 600 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 70.4 || 97.5 || 118.4 || 130.9 || 139.3 || rowspan="2" | 65.00 || rowspan="2" | 57.50 || rowspan="2" | 53.00 || rowspan="2" | 50.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 47.6 || 56.0 || 68.0 || 75.2 || 80.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - General combat. Avoid heavily armoured vehicles at all costs, but can punish other SPAA and light tanks.
* '''30x170 HE-I-T:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}} - Belt adapted to hunt down planes. Damage to SPAA and light tanks is reduced severely.
* '''30x170 APHE-I:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Belt adapted to hunt down light tanks. Damage to planes is reduced, but still adequate.
* '''30x170 APDS-T:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Anti-tank belt. Flank and destroy careless MBT's, damage heavy tanks, while doing AA duty.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 HE-I-T || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APHE-I || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APDS-T || 110 || 101 || 95 || 69 || 52 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''620''' || 310 ''(+310)''|| 0 ''(+620)''|| No
|-
|}

==== Optics and night vision ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X1.8 - X3.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 / 3PV || 800X600 || ? || high || Not Fitted || Only useable with tier 4 upgrade
|-
|}

Use night vision to avoid hostile tanks or to fight them at close range at night. The image intensifier is not installed for gunner or commander, so be cautious when shifting between third person and other views during night.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

Generally, Falcon drives around the battlefield, trying to hide in hard to notice flank positions or behind houses and shoots at planes. In case if someone drives by - flanks them and destroys them, if has AP belt.

It's generally better to stay out of sight, using terrain elevation or houses. You only can choose one belt, AP belt is adequate for any work. If you want to shoot just planes you can take explosive ammo, but then you are completely useless against armour. APDS belt allows harassing even heavily armoured vehicles from sides. You won't need to reload until you are done.

In case if some tank noticed you and wants to destroy you, you can use the fact, that tanks turrets are usually far from the front of the tank. Bait enemy towards your cover, stand far enough away from the corner to see enemy tracks, but not to see an enemy turret, and shoot cannons at the track that is '''further away from you'''. That will force the moving tank to topple over and mess with the enemy aim. Before enemy realized what has just happened shred their side armour and destroy them. If that failed - run, they won't be able to get you anyway. You can do that in duels as well, however, just destroying them is better at that point.

In RB, it's possible to hide in forests, waiting for relatively poorly armoured German medium tanks, light tanks and alike, however, if they notice your vehicle first you probably won't do enough damage to stop them from firing again.

In AB, it's possible to just drive around and shoot at everyone, since it's even faster there, however, people dislike being shot at by autocannons, and someone will certainly notice the noise and kill-feed, so don't expect to live long, especially against Soviets, who have lots of frontal armouring and BMPs, which are superior to you in every way.

Some enemies to be concerned about:

* ATGM: These are worse than any tanks because they won't accidentally hit your loader with AP shell, they will just explode you. Attack only when having the upper hand, be that long range, cover, or surprise.
* Maus: It's invulnerable to you and has 2 cannons. Even IS-7 can technically be defeated in point blank duel with APDS from the rear, but not The Maus. In AB this means, that you can't drive anywhere it can look and fire at.
* Soviet tanks and heavy tanks: A lot of them sport 120 mm cannons, which means, if they fire back at your guns, the shell may just break the hull. They also have superior frontal armour, so try to be careful around them.

;Counter-tactics


''Ground:'' 
AP and APDS belts are most effective when fired at your side armour or back of the turret. If you are attacked by a Falcon, just turn both hull and turret to take better angle against them.

It's best to not let them get a jump on you at all, since it may be able to destroy 2 tanks before anyone even realizes what's going on. Just don't stand with your sides open towards flank directions, instead, turn your hull's front and back there, if the enemy you are currently fighting cannot fire at your hull anyway.

On rare occasions, ramming the Falcon damages it's guns. Ramming at full speed often damages tracks or at least temporarily stops it.

''Air:'' The Falcon has questionable accuracy at 2 km range, but it still can force you to disengage just by firing in your general direction. It's still better to not mess with falcon and avoid flying too much near to buildings if you know it's there.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High penetrating APDS rounds can actually do some major damage at the tier
* Very high one-second burst mass
* Only has one ammo belt per gun so no need to reload
* Has a 2 plane stabilizer for both cannons, meaning you can shoot accurately on the move
* All belts contain APHE Shells with 53mm of Pen
* Commanders View Night Vision

'''Cons:'''

* Weak armour
* Shotgun effect when fired continuously for more than 10 seconds. Will most likely overheat at that point, too
* Approximately 30 seconds worth of ammo before needing to rearm at a capture circle, which takes a long time
* High repair cost in arcade battles of 15k + about 2k for APDS ammunition when spaded
* Average speed without an experienced driver is 30-35km/h

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/866/|[Devblog] Falcon AA: Britain's foremost anti-air gun]]

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Falcon

2021-03-02T15:46:40Z

U110587778: Night vision availability is a pro

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_falcon
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. While being an anti-aircraft vehicle, the Falcon has optimal performance against everything, assuming you have enough modifications. Some self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles have a high fire rate, which allows them to destroy planes instantly or harass them from great distances, although they may have problems with standard ground vehicles due to armour. There are others which can destroy tanks by using high penetration ammunition but have difficulty taking down aircraft due to a lack of explosive filler. The Falcon has the ability to perform both of these roles with a high degree of efficiency.

The Falcon has the appearance of a light tank with a slightly sloped round turret on the back. It is easy to recognize the Falcon due to its unique features as there are not many vehicles like it on a field at its battle rating.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The armour on the Falcon is not very effective, as it can only reliably protect against rifle-calibre machine guns. Aircraft that are armed with heavy machine guns and cannons are able to destroy it, but the Falcon is quick and highly manoeuvrable compared to most other vehicles which can allow it to escape into cover.

Important to note that some full calibre AP shells do not detonate upon impacting the Falcon's armour, granting it some chances to make narrow escapes. However, is is also possible for these shells to hull-break the Falcon as long as they are of 120+ mm calibre and hit a critical module of the tank. One of the confirmed critical modules is the autocannon breech. Many of the tanks at the Battle Rating of the Falcon also carry 12.7 mm or 14.5 mm heavy machine guns and will fire them at the Falcon, which are easily capable of defeating the armour and will devastate the interior of the vehicle, so as long as the mobility of the vehicle is not hampered it is advisable to keep moving and find cover.

Chemical rounds, such as HEAT-FS and HESH, will also obliterate the Falcon, and artillery can also quickly bring a swift end to the Falcon.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (80°), 12.7 mm (2-19°) ''Front glacis'' 12.7 mm (37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 12.7 mm ''Top'' 12.7 mm (13°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm (2°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 mm (4-64°) || 10 mm (14-26°) || 10 mm (2°) || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The general armour on the Falcon is extremely thin, which allows some full calibre AP shells to pass through without detonating.
* Heavy machine guns are able to defeat the armour protection of the Falcon.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=303|rbMinHp=188}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|HSS 831L (30 mm)}}

The Falcon carries two 30 mm autocannons with a high rate of fire. Together, they can shred tanks and planes apart in mere seconds.

Autocannons can overheat if continuously fired, so short bursts work best. Firing for more than 6 seconds can cause overheating and jamming and it is advised to refrain from extended firing unless absolutely necessary. The recoil from guns slows you down and pushes you back. If attempting a flanking attack, try to fire over the the side of the vehicle, as otherwise, the opponent's turret might catch up.

Ammunition is stored in one belt, which ensures uniformity of ammunition but does have several disadvantages Rearming the belt is only possible when all ammunition is expended. This takes an extended period of time (around a full minute), so running out of ammunition is very detrimental, especially if the team lacks map control which prevents rearming at a capture point. Lacking ammunition allows aircraft to easily make attack runs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[HSS 831L (30 mm)|30 mm HSS 831L]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 620 (310) || rowspan="2" | 600 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 70.4 || 97.5 || 118.4 || 130.9 || 139.3 || rowspan="2" | 65.00 || rowspan="2" | 57.50 || rowspan="2" | 53.00 || rowspan="2" | 50.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 47.6 || 56.0 || 68.0 || 75.2 || 80.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - General combat. Avoid heavily armoured vehicles at all costs, but can punish other SPAA and light tanks.
* '''30x170 HE-I-T:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}} - Belt adapted to hunt down planes. Damage to SPAA and light tanks is reduced severely.
* '''30x170 APHE-I:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Belt adapted to hunt down light tanks. Damage to planes is reduced, but still adequate.
* '''30x170 APDS-T:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Anti-tank belt. Flank and destroy careless MBT's, damage heavy tanks, while doing AA duty.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 HE-I-T || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APHE-I || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APDS-T || 110 || 101 || 95 || 69 || 52 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''620''' || 310 ''(+310)''|| 0 ''(+620)''|| No
|-
|}

==== Optics and night vision ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X1.8 - X3.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 / 3PV || 800X600 || ? || high || Not Fitted || Only useable with tier 4 upgrade
|-
|}

Use night vision to avoid hostile tanks or to fight them at close range at night. The image intensifier is not installed for gunner or commander, so be cautious when shifting between third person and other views during night.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

Generally, Falcon drives around the battlefield, trying to hide in hard to notice flank positions or behind houses and shoots at planes. In case if someone drives by - flanks them and destroys them, if has AP belt.

It's generally better to stay out of sight, using terrain elevation or houses. You only can choose one belt, AP belt is adequate for any work. If you want to shoot just planes you can take explosive ammo, but then you are completely useless against armour. APDS belt allows harassing even heavily armoured vehicles from sides. You won't need to reload until you are done.

In case if some tank noticed you and wants to destroy you, you can use the fact, that tanks turrets are usually far from the front of the tank. Bait enemy towards your cover, stand far enough away from the corner to see enemy tracks, but not to see an enemy turret, and shoot cannons at the track that is '''further away from you'''. That will force the moving tank to topple over and mess with the enemy aim. Before enemy realized what has just happened shred their side armour and destroy them. If that failed - run, they won't be able to get you anyway. You can do that in duels as well, however, just destroying them is better at that point.

In RB, it's possible to hide in forests, waiting for relatively poorly armoured German medium tanks, light tanks and alike, however, if they notice your vehicle first you probably won't do enough damage to stop them from firing again.

In AB, it's possible to just drive around and shoot at everyone, since it's even faster there, however, people dislike being shot at by autocannons, and someone will certainly notice the noise and kill-feed, so don't expect to live long, especially against Soviets, who have lots of frontal armouring and BMPs, which are superior to you in every way.

Some enemies to be concerned about:

* ATGM: These are worse than any tanks because they won't accidentally hit your loader with AP shell, they will just explode you. Attack only when having the upper hand, be that long range, cover, or surprise.
* Maus: It's invulnerable to you and has 2 cannons. Even IS-7 can technically be defeated in point blank duel with APDS from the rear, but not The Maus. In AB this means, that you can't drive anywhere it can look and fire at.
* Soviet tanks and heavy tanks: A lot of them sport 120 mm cannons, which means, if they fire back at your guns, the shell may just break the hull. They also have superior frontal armour, so try to be careful around them.

;Counter-tactics


''Ground:'' 
AP and APDS belts are most effective when fired at your side armour or back of the turret. If you are attacked by a Falcon, just turn both hull and turret to take better angle against them.

It's best to not let them get a jump on you at all, since it may be able to destroy 2 tanks before anyone even realizes what's going on. Just don't stand with your sides open towards flank directions, instead, turn your hull's front and back there, if the enemy you are currently fighting cannot fire at your hull anyway.

On rare occasions, ramming the Falcon damages it's guns. Ramming at full speed often damages tracks or at least temporarily stops it.

''Air:'' The Falcon has questionable accuracy at 2 km range, but it still can force you to disengage just by firing in your general direction. It's still better to not mess with falcon and avoid flying too much near to buildings if you know it's there.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High penetrating APDS rounds can actually do some major damage at the tier
* Very high one-second burst mass
* Only has one ammo belt per gun so no need to reload
* Has a 2 plane stabilizer for both cannons, meaning you can shoot accurately on the move
* All belts contain APHE Shells with 53mm of Pen
* Commanders View Night Vision

'''Cons:'''

* Weak armour
* Shotgun effect when fired continuously for more than 10 seconds. Will most likely overheat at that point, too
* Approximately 30 seconds worth of ammo before needing to rearm at a capture circle, which takes a long time
* High repair cost in arcade battles of 15k + about 2k for APDS ammunition when spaded

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/866/|[Devblog] Falcon AA: Britain's foremost anti-air gun]]

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Falcon

2021-03-02T15:42:37Z

U110587778: Noting that all of the avalabel belts contain APHE with 53mm of pen excellent for dealing serious damage to vehicles when entering through the rear.

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_falcon
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. While being an anti-aircraft vehicle, the Falcon has optimal performance against everything, assuming you have enough modifications. Some self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles have a high fire rate, which allows them to destroy planes instantly or harass them from great distances, although they may have problems with standard ground vehicles due to armour. There are others which can destroy tanks by using high penetration ammunition but have difficulty taking down aircraft due to a lack of explosive filler. The Falcon has the ability to perform both of these roles with a high degree of efficiency.

The Falcon has the appearance of a light tank with a slightly sloped round turret on the back. It is easy to recognize the Falcon due to its unique features as there are not many vehicles like it on a field at its battle rating.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The armour on the Falcon is not very effective, as it can only reliably protect against rifle-calibre machine guns. Aircraft that are armed with heavy machine guns and cannons are able to destroy it, but the Falcon is quick and highly manoeuvrable compared to most other vehicles which can allow it to escape into cover.

Important to note that some full calibre AP shells do not detonate upon impacting the Falcon's armour, granting it some chances to make narrow escapes. However, is is also possible for these shells to hull-break the Falcon as long as they are of 120+ mm calibre and hit a critical module of the tank. One of the confirmed critical modules is the autocannon breech. Many of the tanks at the Battle Rating of the Falcon also carry 12.7 mm or 14.5 mm heavy machine guns and will fire them at the Falcon, which are easily capable of defeating the armour and will devastate the interior of the vehicle, so as long as the mobility of the vehicle is not hampered it is advisable to keep moving and find cover.

Chemical rounds, such as HEAT-FS and HESH, will also obliterate the Falcon, and artillery can also quickly bring a swift end to the Falcon.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (80°), 12.7 mm (2-19°) ''Front glacis'' 12.7 mm (37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 12.7 mm ''Top'' 12.7 mm (13°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm (2°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 mm (4-64°) || 10 mm (14-26°) || 10 mm (2°) || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The general armour on the Falcon is extremely thin, which allows some full calibre AP shells to pass through without detonating.
* Heavy machine guns are able to defeat the armour protection of the Falcon.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=303|rbMinHp=188}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|HSS 831L (30 mm)}}

The Falcon carries two 30 mm autocannons with a high rate of fire. Together, they can shred tanks and planes apart in mere seconds.

Autocannons can overheat if continuously fired, so short bursts work best. Firing for more than 6 seconds can cause overheating and jamming and it is advised to refrain from extended firing unless absolutely necessary. The recoil from guns slows you down and pushes you back. If attempting a flanking attack, try to fire over the the side of the vehicle, as otherwise, the opponent's turret might catch up.

Ammunition is stored in one belt, which ensures uniformity of ammunition but does have several disadvantages Rearming the belt is only possible when all ammunition is expended. This takes an extended period of time (around a full minute), so running out of ammunition is very detrimental, especially if the team lacks map control which prevents rearming at a capture point. Lacking ammunition allows aircraft to easily make attack runs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[HSS 831L (30 mm)|30 mm HSS 831L]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 620 (310) || rowspan="2" | 600 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 70.4 || 97.5 || 118.4 || 130.9 || 139.3 || rowspan="2" | 65.00 || rowspan="2" | 57.50 || rowspan="2" | 53.00 || rowspan="2" | 50.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 47.6 || 56.0 || 68.0 || 75.2 || 80.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - General combat. Avoid heavily armoured vehicles at all costs, but can punish other SPAA and light tanks.
* '''30x170 HE-I-T:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}} - Belt adapted to hunt down planes. Damage to SPAA and light tanks is reduced severely.
* '''30x170 APHE-I:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Belt adapted to hunt down light tanks. Damage to planes is reduced, but still adequate.
* '''30x170 APDS-T:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Anti-tank belt. Flank and destroy careless MBT's, damage heavy tanks, while doing AA duty.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 HE-I-T || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APHE-I || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APDS-T || 110 || 101 || 95 || 69 || 52 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''620''' || 310 ''(+310)''|| 0 ''(+620)''|| No
|-
|}

==== Optics and night vision ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X1.8 - X3.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 / 3PV || 800X600 || ? || high || Not Fitted || Only useable with tier 4 upgrade
|-
|}

Use night vision to avoid hostile tanks or to fight them at close range at night. The image intensifier is not installed for gunner or commander, so be cautious when shifting between third person and other views during night.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

Generally, Falcon drives around the battlefield, trying to hide in hard to notice flank positions or behind houses and shoots at planes. In case if someone drives by - flanks them and destroys them, if has AP belt.

It's generally better to stay out of sight, using terrain elevation or houses. You only can choose one belt, AP belt is adequate for any work. If you want to shoot just planes you can take explosive ammo, but then you are completely useless against armour. APDS belt allows harassing even heavily armoured vehicles from sides. You won't need to reload until you are done.

In case if some tank noticed you and wants to destroy you, you can use the fact, that tanks turrets are usually far from the front of the tank. Bait enemy towards your cover, stand far enough away from the corner to see enemy tracks, but not to see an enemy turret, and shoot cannons at the track that is '''further away from you'''. That will force the moving tank to topple over and mess with the enemy aim. Before enemy realized what has just happened shred their side armour and destroy them. If that failed - run, they won't be able to get you anyway. You can do that in duels as well, however, just destroying them is better at that point.

In RB, it's possible to hide in forests, waiting for relatively poorly armoured German medium tanks, light tanks and alike, however, if they notice your vehicle first you probably won't do enough damage to stop them from firing again.

In AB, it's possible to just drive around and shoot at everyone, since it's even faster there, however, people dislike being shot at by autocannons, and someone will certainly notice the noise and kill-feed, so don't expect to live long, especially against Soviets, who have lots of frontal armouring and BMPs, which are superior to you in every way.

Some enemies to be concerned about:

* ATGM: These are worse than any tanks because they won't accidentally hit your loader with AP shell, they will just explode you. Attack only when having the upper hand, be that long range, cover, or surprise.
* Maus: It's invulnerable to you and has 2 cannons. Even IS-7 can technically be defeated in point blank duel with APDS from the rear, but not The Maus. In AB this means, that you can't drive anywhere it can look and fire at.
* Soviet tanks and heavy tanks: A lot of them sport 120 mm cannons, which means, if they fire back at your guns, the shell may just break the hull. They also have superior frontal armour, so try to be careful around them.

;Counter-tactics


''Ground:'' 
AP and APDS belts are most effective when fired at your side armour or back of the turret. If you are attacked by a Falcon, just turn both hull and turret to take better angle against them.

It's best to not let them get a jump on you at all, since it may be able to destroy 2 tanks before anyone even realizes what's going on. Just don't stand with your sides open towards flank directions, instead, turn your hull's front and back there, if the enemy you are currently fighting cannot fire at your hull anyway.

On rare occasions, ramming the Falcon damages it's guns. Ramming at full speed often damages tracks or at least temporarily stops it.

''Air:'' The Falcon has questionable accuracy at 2 km range, but it still can force you to disengage just by firing in your general direction. It's still better to not mess with falcon and avoid flying too much near to buildings if you know it's there.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High penetrating APDS rounds can actually do some major damage at the tier
* Very high one-second burst mass
* Only has one ammo belt per gun so no need to reload
* Has a 2 plane stabilizer for both cannons, meaning you can shoot accurately on the move
* All belts contain APHE Shells with 53mm of Pen

'''Cons:'''

* Weak armour
* Shotgun effect when fired continuously for more than 10 seconds. Will most likely overheat at that point, too
* Approximately 30 seconds worth of ammo before needing to rearm at a capture circle, which takes a long time
* High repair cost in arcade battles of 15k + about 2k for APDS ammunition when spaded

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/866/|[Devblog] Falcon AA: Britain's foremost anti-air gun]]

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}