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Charioteer Mk VII

2023-03-14T06:13:21Z

U118625207: /* Main armament */ update some penetration description

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the Swedish version
| link = Charioteer Mk VII (Sweden)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_charioteer_mk_7
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just ''Charioteer'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]] alongside the rest of the initial British Ground Forces Tree. The Charioteer takes the hull of a [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] and replaces the turret with a larger one mounting the heavy-hitting [[Ordnance QF 20-pounder Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20-pdr]] cannon, which can deal with the enemies it faces at Rank IV.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
* Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet, driver port joint, obturated MG port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Upper plate'' 63.5 mm (spherical) ''Driver port'' 32 mm ''obturated MG port'' 30 mm (70°) ''Upper glacis'' 57 (19°) ''Lower glacis - Top'' 25.4 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis - Bottom'' || 44 mm ''Top - Front half'' 38 mm + 32 mm (30°) ''Top - Rear half'' 32 mm ''Bottom - Front half'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom - Rear half'' || 32 mm ''Rear plate'' 20 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm (20°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm ''Centre'' 14 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (8-18°) ''Turret front'' 20 mm (cylindrical) ''Gun mantlet'' 14 mm ''Turret ring'' || 30 mm (1-18°) 14 mm ''Turret ring'' || 30 mm 14 mm ''Turret ring'' 14 mm (69-75°)''Turret underside'' || 14 mm (0-7°)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
*The area where the machine gun port would be has an additional 63 mm of armour placed on it.
* 3 internal structural plates of 5 mm thickness separate:
** the driver compartment in two,
** the driver compartment from the crew compartment,
** the crew compartment from the engine bay.
* These plates have large openings at some places, as visible in X-ray mode.

"Lacking" is the term that comes to mind when thinking about the Charioteer's armour. 63.5 mm of non slopped frontal armour is not enough and the turret armour is only 30 mm thick all around. The turret ring technically can be penetrated by 12.7 mm HMG fire, but not many people will go for that. However, it's best to not get flanked by autocannon-armed tanks (SPAA, late light tanks, etc.).

With only 3 crew members inside, any APHE shot to the turret means instant elimination (RB) or entering crew replenishment mode (AB).

The few advantages of this vehicle are: internal shields (to ensure that at least one crew member survives) and its low ammo load (there are no huge ammo racks everywhere like with the Centurion). Another positive aspect is the presence of improved smoke launchers, equipped with 12 grenades shot in 2 salvos (one forward, one to the sides). They can create a smoke wall in seconds, hiding the Charioteer in an arc of about 200°. These smoke launchers are also found on later British tanks.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=930|rbMinHp=531}}

As said earlier, the {{PAGENAME}} share the hull of a typical Cromwell tank featuring 5 wheels on each side (not like the [[Avenger]] or [[Challenger]], which have the lengthened 6-wheeled chassis). For any experimented British tanker, this tank will be very familiar as it shares the mobility with its predecessors, with maybe a little loss in power due to heavier weight. A negative aspect of the {{PAGENAME}} is its extremely poor reverse speed: only -3 km/h.

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

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

{{main|20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || 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" | 25 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+10° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 17.1 || 23.7 || 28.8 || 31.9 || 33.9 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.7 || 12.6 || 15.3 || 16.9 || 18.0
|-
|}

The {{PAGENAME}} carries an 84 mm 20pdr gun in a lightly armoured turret protected only with 30 mm RHA box. As the gun is very consequent, the turret traverse is quite slow so one should have to preventively aim towards a corner before going around it. The high penetration power of the gun compensates the poor slewing rate. Plus, even the stock shells has as much penetration as the [[QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm QF 17pdr]]'s APDS shell found on other Rank III tanks, this only gets better with the upgraded APDS shot, which can pierce up to 363 mm of armour at 500 m distance (or a [[Tiger II (H)]]'s UFP at point-blank range).

The tank commander has the ability to control the weapon if the gunner is knocked out, which is very unusual at the rank and might allow to aggressively trade shots, or even straight up rush some tanks in AB.

==== Ammunition ====
{{:20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)/Ammunition|Shot Mk.1, Shot Mk.3, Shell Mk.1, 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''25''' || 21 ''(+4)'' || 11 ''(+14)'' || 1 ''(+24)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

The small calibre of the L3A1 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==


The Charioteer, as with most western tank destroyer, is fitted with a very powerful gun, has good mobility, but is very lightly armoured. As such, it is best to play with its mobility to evade the enemy until the opportune moment. As it uses the same hull as a Cromwell, the reverse speed is atrocious that can make any withdrawal very hard once discovered by the enemy. It is recommended that the Charioteer be used with the forward movement more often, and back up by rotating the entire vehicle before whistling away since the armour back and front is inadequate to deal with any of the tanks you face at its battle rating.

'''Flanking'''

This is a classical sniper/flanker tank: fast, a good gun but no armour. One should never engage in front line fights since most tanks at the rank use APHE and will just blast the Charioteer away. The best way to play this tank is to use range and/or speed as armour, only stopping to take a shot and speed up again. Do not worry about sniping, this cannon has been made for that: shells have a very low ballistic trajectory, and keep good penetration values even at distances. When fired at, move into safety while blasting out these smoke cannisters on the move, creating a large smoke wall for the enemy, leaving some space for your allies to manoeuvre without being noticed.

In urban maps, pre-aim before getting around corners since turret slewing rate is slow. One could also use its engine/transmission as an armour when ambushed: quick reaction shots will often "only" ignite the tank without damaging the crew too much, plus, if the shot is missed, you are already in a position to escape swiftly since frontwards speed is good. When zipping past an alley, blast a smoke screen to cover allies from enemy fire while shooting a hasty shot in the general direction of the enemy. Some enemies will turn their turret in order to protect themselves from flanking only to get shot by allied tanks. Your best weapons in close-range fights are both surprise and speed.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good reload speed without an autoloader
* 20-pdr has access to powerful rounds - AP which can destroy [[Panther D|Panther]] in a single hit and APDS with extreme muzzle velocity and even more penetration, can potentially be played in higher BR games
* Has no ammo in the turret, and commander can use the gun instead of gunner, meaning that even if intercepted, the Charioteer still has an extremely high chance of taking down enemy tanks with itself (even more likely in AB)
* Decent gun optics for the rank, but difficult to use with APDS
* Very speedy tank due to Cromwell chassis, can fill a role of a medium support tank for rushing capture points
* Arguably the best turreted tank destroyer at Rank IV, with benefits of a medium tank (can call artillery)
* Good smoke screen system with a useful spreading angle; great for retreats
* Very low risk of fire due to rear mounted transmission and no fuel tanks on the front of the tank.

'''Cons:'''

* As with all Cromwell chassis, reverse speed is awful
* Extremely vulnerable to APHE, even the angled roof top which is supposed to bounce shots will not stop it
* Only 3 crew members, easy crew knock out in RB
* Low post-penetration damage with APDS due to punctual damage
* Poor gun depression and elevation (-5° to 10°)
* Unstable gun platform; must short-stop or slow down before firing precisely
* Very poor ammo capacity; on the co-op Tank Assault mode, this forces to stay close to repair bonuses, which can eventually backfire

== History ==


===Development===
After World War II, the Western Allies prepared plans to repel a possible invasion by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Britain called for its Royal Armoured Corps formation to be stationed at West Germany with their tank units. However, due to the low number of the newer [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion tank]], the armoured corps were to be equipped with the more plentiful [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] cruiser tank. Due to the deficiency of the Cromwell in the face of the much stronger Soviet tanks, it was required to upgrade the tank with a 20-pounder gun, the same one used on the Centurion at the time. However, the gun mounting required a new turret to accommodate the gun, and the limited space restricted the turret crew to only two crew members. This vehicle with the 20-pounder turret would be known as the '''Charioteer'''.

===Design===
The improvement on the Cromwell focused only on its offensive armaments. Armour was not taken into priority and the turret used very thin armour ranging from 20 to 30 mm thick. Some Charioteers were given additional welded armour over the hull for improved protection. The turret mounted the 84 mm 20-pounder gun with a 7.62 mm Browning machine gun as a coaxial weapon. Smoke dischargers were attached to the left and right of the turret, and a flap on the rear of the turret allow the removal of fired ammunition casings from the turret interior. To mount the larger turret, the turret ring was increased to the limits of the Cromwell's hull width, requiring the turret to have a larger profile to make up the room needed for it. Despite this enlargement, ammunition stowage was limited, the hull machine gunner position was removed to make additional room for the large ammunition, but only allowed 25 rounds to be carried inside the tank. Primary ammunition carried in the tank were high-explosive and armour-piercing discarding-sabot (APDS) rounds.

The Cromwell tanks were converted to Charioteers at the Robinson & Kershaw Ltd at Dukinfield, Cheshire. The first order was for 630 vehicles in 1951, but the production was cut short at a later time. The first 200 were delivered in March 1953 and another 200 the next year. The total number produced is believed to be around 442 vehicles.

===Service life===
The Charioteers were assigned to the Royal Armoured Corps unit in the British Territorial Army in West Germany. In practice, the vehicle's three man crew was increased to a fourth additional man due to the restricted visibility inside the tank. The fourth crew member was to act as an external observer like a commander to pick out targets. The high profile turret on the Charioteer was beneficial in providing a good hull down position to fire at the targets. Despite that, the Charioteers never saw combat action in the British forces before being fully replaced by the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]].

The surplus vehicles were sold to Austria, Finland, Jordan, and Lebanon. The vehicles saw more action in the Six-Day war in the middle east in the Arab countries surrounding Israel. It is suspected that the Charioteers continue to see action in the many conflicts in the middle east region.

During its service life, the Charioteer saw many upgrades, such as one using an improved 20-pounder which has a fume extractor along the barrel. In Jordanian use, the Charioteer upgraded the turret traverse motors and also allowed a mounting of a .50 caliber machine gun. In 1969, the Charioteer saw an up-gunning with the Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm gun, though only one was produced for trials. This was intended for export, but never saw service.

===Survivors===
About six Charioteers exist in intact condition in the world. One is in Austria in the Museum of Military History. Two are in Finland in outdoor display in the Parola tank museum and the Army Academy in Lappeenranta. One is in Israel in the Yad la-Shiryon Museum. Two more are in the United Kingdom, with one normal one in the Bovington Tank Museum and the 105 mm Charioteer variant at the East of England Tank Museum.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_charioteer_mk_7 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|o8cbjw-Izo4|'''I Shouldn't Have Ignored This Tank: Charioteer Mk VII Tank Destroyer''' - ''Virus''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Cromwell (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Avenger]]
* [[Challenger]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Charioteer_(tank)|[Wikipedia] Charioteer (tank)]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/UK/FV-4101_charioteer_tank_destroyer.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Fv 401 Charioteer]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Type 16

2022-12-23T11:57:42Z

U118625207: /* General info */

{{About
| about = Japanese light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = Type 16 (P)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=jp_type_16
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}} {{Annotation|MCV|Maneuver Combat Vehicle}}''' ({{Annotation|16式機動戦闘車|Hitoroku shiki kidō sentōsha}}) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

Referred by the JGSDF as the 16 MCV (Maneuver Combat Vehicle) and being the first wheeled assault gun of Japan, Type 16 offers a highly mobile gun platform for striking enemies from the sides while utilizing well-developed road network or in less-complicated terrain; thanks to its overall design, it can handle some punches from enemy autocannons and further enhance its survivability.

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

Even as a lightly armoured wheeled manoeuvrable combat vehicle, the Type 16 is rated to stop up to 30 mm autocannon shells; at up to 130 mm at LFP, quite good among most wheeled assault gun at its tier. This will provide enough defence against machine guns and autocannons but won't stand up against the common APFSDS shells that will be at this tier.

Further defence on the Type 16 will come in the form of smoke grenades, smoke shells, and a laser warning system providing intel on being targeted by a long-range tank readying up a shot which the driver can drive out of and lasers from helicopters setting up a missile that can be blocked by smoke.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Composite screen (hull sides and turret front)
* Wheel (tires)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (80°) ''Upper glacis'' 5 + 150 + 35 mm (45°) ''Lower front plate'' || 15 mm ''Top'' 10 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm (9°) || 5 - 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 5 - 25 mm ''Turret front'' 5 mm (61°) ''Spaced armour'' 20 mm (65°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 25 mm 5 mm (25°-38°) ''Spaced armour'' || 15 mm || 5 - 25 mm
|-
| Cupola || 25 mm (0°-13°) || 25 mm || 25 mm || 5 mm ''Commander hatch'' 25 mm ''Outer ring''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheels and torsion bars are 10 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 15 mm thick.
* Turret composite screen is 200 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=883|rbMinHp=504}}

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

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

{{main|JSW (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[JSW (105 mm)|105 mm JSW]] || 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" | 40 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 28.6 || 39.5 || 48.0 || 53.1 || 56.5 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

The primary armament of the Type 16 MCV is a 105 mm JSW cannon, derived from the L7A3 much like many other NATO vehicles. It features the standard selection of APFSDS, HESH, HEAT-FS, and smoke, in addition to the Type 93 shell, one of the better APFSDS at this rank. While you will struggle against top-tier main battle tanks from the front, your gun is very effective against everything else. The HEAT-FS is especially effective against lightly armoured vehicles - it will often overpressure where the APFSDS will not deal sufficient damage.

When fighting MBTs, you should try to get side on shots. The Type 93 APFSDS will struggle against most top-tier MBTs from the front, but from the side it will act like any other fin round. This is especially effective against "T-series" tanks like the T-64, T-72, and T-80.

==== Ammunition ====
{| 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
|-
| Type 91 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| Type 75 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| M735 || APFSDS || 353 || 350 || 342 || 333 || 322 || 312
|-
| Type 93 || APFSDS || 405 || 403 || 396 || 388 || 378 || 370
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Type 91 || HEATFS || 1,150 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| Type 75 || HESH || 760 || 10.8 || 0.1 || 4 || 3,890 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| M735 || APFSDS || 1,501 || 3.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| Type 93 || APFSDS || 1,501 || 3.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| M416 || 732 || 11.6 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 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*
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''40''' || 25 ''(+15)'' || 16 ''(+24)'' || 8 ''(+32)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* The 3th and 4th racks serve as first-stage ammo stowage.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|Type 74 (7.62 mm)}}

The Type 16 has an additional 7.62 mm coaxial MG, like most tanks at this tier. It also retains the roof mounted .50 calibre HMG in the American style; this can be extremely effective against light tanks, especially Soviet light tanks like the BMP-1, BMP-2, Object 906, and Object 685. It will easily penetrate them from the side, allowing you to secure a kill if you've only knocked out their mobility.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (200) || 577 || -8°/+60° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 74 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Type 74]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 701 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''General Playstyle'''

Like most light tanks at top tier, you are extremely mobile and capable of pulling off some early flanking attacks on the enemy, weakening them and possibly slowing them down while your MBT allies crawl to your position and mop up any remaining enemy armour. Additionally, the Type 16 possesses an extremely good combination of optics: you have access to both thermals and night vision as well as a nice zoom of 4.0x all the way to 13.3x which makes it an excellent sniper. The Type 16 also provides you with a laser warning system/range finder combo package which makes it easier to tell if you have gained the attention of any enemy tanks during your expedition into the wilderness.

'''Realistic Battles'''

In RB, it is best to use your speed either to flank the enemy in order to snipe and scout them or reach a nice camping spot in hopes of delaying their advance, ideally near a choke point in the map where they will be bunched up and find it hard to manoeuvre once they notice you, slowing them down just a little bit more. You serve a vital role in matches as any amount of time the enemy team spends dealing with you they also spend ignoring your allies and the capture points, delaying actions should be a priority even above killing as a dead tank can respawn and head elsewhere whereas you need to waste as much of their time as possible, knocking out engines and damaging tracks as well as scaring them via destroying their barrel (which almost always leads to the enemy running back behind friendly lines so they waste time prior to repairing) is all fair game, the more annoying you are the more likely your team will have the time needed to gain the upper hand and win. A final note, this vehicle can if needed brawl for a little while due to its lack of armour and the decently spaced crew layout but it should be your last resort both due to overpressure being an extreme danger and the fact that other light tanks like the BMP family will chew through the sides of the Type 16 with ease and quickly knock out the crew in close quarters. If at all possible, avoid brawling and use your speed to reposition and continue the fight at a distance. On city maps, try to run and get behind the enemy for quick ammo racks and engine fires.

'''Arcade Battles'''

In AB, your ability to flank is hampered by the different visibility mechanics, so it may be best to put lots of obstacles such as buildings or terrain between you and any enemy tanks while driving around the map in order to avoid this issue until your ready to strike. If the map lacks such terrain features, then you can also resort to acting as a support vehicle and stay with your teammates, using them as armour and providing fire support in addition to providing help with repairing all the breaches that are often damaged during top tier battles. Finally, being a scout tank makes you rather ideal for air support so whenever possible (and when it's safe) use it to help out allies in other parts of the map, your tank is fast but it can't be in two places at once, the air units you bring in can fix that little problem and can provide the much needed assistance your allies were lacking leading to a higher chance of winning the match.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent mobility
* Same gun and general ammo choices as the NATO tanks
* Surprising sturdy at most part up front, up to 130 mm protection
* Powerful Type 93 APFSDS, which can deal frontally with most vehicles it faces with
* Gen 3 thermals for both gunner and commander

'''Cons:'''

* Large profile
* The sides were relatively unprotected, especially at the lower car frame where .50 cal can penetrate with ease
* Really does not like to accelerate in mud, snow or off-road conditions

== History ==

(Translated and concluded from [https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/35361/index.htm Tamiya 36351]'s booklet for background information written by Nobuo Saiki 齋木伸生)

Japan, an island country that is composed by 4 major islands (Honshu 本州, Shikoku 四国, Kyushu 九州 and Hokkaido 北海道), Ryukyu Islands and many mountain ranges throughout the soil, where this become a double-edge sword for JGSDF- while it could delay enemies' assault, this also hindered JGSDF's deployment flexibility as this would require their tanks to be deployed via tank transporters and being dismantled to fit weight limits set by MLIT (国土交通省). The new challenges since 21st century also called for a vehicle with high mobility in view of the worsen international relationships.

This is where the 2014 National Defense Program Guideline came into play: the Guideline requires JGSDF to establish a new mobile unit that replaces all tanks on Mainland Japan and could be airlifted by the new Kawasaki C-2 transporters (Part II and III of the guideline). Earlier in 2000s, the new vehicle was under theorization and been confirmed for development in 2007 where Mitsubishi would become the main contractor for the new vehicle.

Developed by the Technical Research and Development Institute (防衛省技術研究本部; TRDI), the 1st prototype was completed in 2010 for static and firepower tests while the 2nd prototype with powerplants were built later in 2011; 2 additional prototypes were built throughout the early 2010s and the 1st prototype was publicized in 9th October, 2013. Later tests with these prototypes were done since 2014 and the 4th prototype were deployed in Narashino (習志野) for the 1st Airborne Brigade （第1空挺団）in 2016; then the new vehicle was approved as part of the FY2016 defense budget for 36 vehicles, as the Type 16 Maneuver Combat Vehicle. As the defense program scheme ordered for 99 vehicles for the aforementioned mobile unit, subsequence orders for the remaining vehicles were given in 2017 and 2018 (for 33; 18 vehicles respectively), serving as part of the Fuji Armor School's unit and the equipment for new or reformed recon units in JGSDF.

=== [[wt:en/news/6218-development-type-16-mcv-elite-marksman-en|Devblog]] ===
In the early 2000s, Japan sought to develop a new combat vehicle to extend the operational mobility of their armoured units. Furthermore, the new vehicle was supposed to counter the limitations of existing tracked vehicles, be able to rapidly respond to emerging threats in the event of an outbreak of hostilities and possess the ability to be airlifted or ocean transferred to more distant areas of operations, such as the Japanese island of Okinawa.

Thus, in 2007, engineers at Mitsubishi began development on what would become the Type 16 MCV. To satisfy all the requirements, it was clear from the onset that a lightly armoured, yet highly mobile and well-armed wheeled vehicle would need to be developed. Already, by 2008, the order for four prototypes was issued, with deliveries going on until 2013.

Army trials of the vehicle went on until 2016, when after successfully passing them, it officially entered service with the JSDF under the designation "Type 16 MCV". Production began in the same year (2016), and is still ongoing today. Presently, around 100 Type 16 MCVs have been built and commissioned into service, with no units seeing combat action thus far.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=jp_type_16 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
{{Skin-gallery
|market|ugcitem_1000462|Type 16 digital camouflage.png|Camo "Digital camouflage"
|market|ugcitem_1000462|Type 16 in two-tone deforming camouflage.png|Camo "Two-tone deforming camouflage"
}}

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|chjZ6Hra--c|'''Best wheeled tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 01:03 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|07oqg8OOJ2M|'''Type 16 vs Centauro ROMOR''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|jjanlLrycGo|'''The Shooting Range #156''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:39 discusses the Type 16.}}

== See also ==


;Other {{Annotation|MCV|Maneuver Combat Vehicle}}/{{Annotation|MGS|Mobile Gun Systems}}:

* [[File:Italy_flag.png|20px|link=]] [[Centauro (Family)]]
* [[File:South Africa_flag.png|20px|link=]] [[Rooikat (Family)]]
* [[File:FRG_flag.png|20px|link=]] [[Radkampfwagen 90]]
* [[File:USA_flag.png|20px|link=]] [[M1128]]
* [[File:France_flag.png|20px|link=]] [[AMX-10RC]]
* [[File:China_flag.png|20px|link=]] [[ZLT11]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6218-development-type-16-mcv-elite-marksman-en|[Devblog] Type 16 MCV: Elite Marksman]]

{{Manufacturer MHI}}
{{Japan light tanks}}
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

Archer

2022-04-15T08:39:11Z

U118625207: Undo revision 126865 by U44629479 (talk)

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_sp_17_pdr_valentine
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_Archer_Front.jpg|GarageImage_Archer_Rear.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (also known as just the '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the entire British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. The Archer is a unique tank destroyer, as its gun faces the rear of the tank. The Archer can be good at both close combat- so long as you have somewhere to retreat to- and is also good at sniping. In a sense, you might consider the Archer to have two forward directions.

The Archer's armament is very good at this battle rating. The same cannon is even used on Rank III and IV tanks like the [[Sherman Firefly]] and the [[A.C.IV]]. Its reload speed is not bad, but there are faster firing cannons at this rank. However, the Archer can destroy many enemy tanks in one shot, and if it doesn't destroy them it will incapacitate them. If the enemy is not destroyed and they can shoot you, retreat and reload. Once reloaded, you can try to destroy the enemy tank, but if it's aiming in your direction you can try sneaking up on it. The Archer does not have a turret, but its gun can traverse further left and right than most non-turreted tank destroyers, including the [[StuG III F]] and [[SU-122]]. While these tank destroyers have a different battle rating, you may still encounter them.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (32-33°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm || 20 mm (23°), 14 mm (60°) ''Top'' 20 mm (0°), 14 mm (65°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 20 mm (32-33°) ''Same as hull front'' || 20 mm (13-18°) || 20 mm (16-57°) ''Gun shield'' 100 mm ''Gun breech'' || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* The front of the vehicle is the direction the driver is facing.
* Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
* A 9-12 mm RHA plate separate the crew compartment from the engine

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=273|rbMinHp=170}}

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

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

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

{| 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" | 39 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±22° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 2.2 || 3.0 || 3.7 || 4.1 || 4.4 || rowspan="2" | 6.11 || rowspan="2" | 5.41 || rowspan="2" | 4.98 || rowspan="2" | 4.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 1.5 || 1.7 || 2.1 || 2.4 || 2.5
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| 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
|-
|}
{| 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 || 0.1 || 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°
|-
|}
{| 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''39''' || 30 ''(+9)'' || 27 ''(+12)'' || 14 ''(+25)'' || 1 ''(+38)'' || No
|-
|}
Note:

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.

== Usage in battles ==

You should use the true forward direction (opposite of the gun) to travel from place to place as its reverse speed is low. You should travel in the direction of the gun when approaching an enemy or an area with combat taking place. Once you can shoot the enemy, fire around at them and quickly go in the true forward direction to retreat. The same applies to when you're sniping, fire a shot and retreat. Again, the Archer can be played in both close combat and sniping, but be sure not to get too close.

The Archer has an open top, so you will need to be careful about machine guns and artillery. Its faster forward speed can allow you to escape from planes who are attacking you. You should also note that the Archer is faster than all three Valentines. While it is based on a Valentine, its reverse speed is about double the reverse speed of a Valentine, and its forward speed is about 9 km/h faster.

Whenever facing tanks of any battle rating and rank, always be on alert and always have a backup plan as most tanks may be able to knock out the Archer in one shot. Do not worry, always play safely and stay at a reasonable distance from the cap circle or in an area which can be a chock point for the enemy team. Always make sure you are in an area where they have to face the tank from in the cannon's arc to always have a first shot opportunity and have the enemy back off from charging straight into the Archer's field of fire. If a plane or tank starts strafing the Archer, pull out and find a new location as that place is now compromised and a wary pilot or flanking enemy could put an end to the Archer's career.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Ability to move faster in the opposite direction of the gun can allow for a quick retreat
* The vehicle's cannon (17-pounder) is amazing at causing damage and offers easy ballistic trajectory
* The Archer has the fastest reload speed from all tanks armed with the 17-pounder (4.7 seconds with ace)
* The direction configuration can confuse or surprise enemies
* Very stealthy when in a good hull-down position
* Engine and gun can be extremely effective armour; absorbing shots without them hurting the crew.
* Despite slow top speed, it feels very smooth when aiming, turning or in reverse.
* Decent speed for a SPG, making it able to catch up with the team

'''Cons:'''

* It can be hard to master this vehicle as the gun does not face forward
* Vehicle immobilization can occur often
* Only travels about 4 km/h backwards, which makes it hard to move in the direction of your gun
* Very slow cannon traverse speed and average reload speed, high crew training is required
* Lightly-armoured tanks may in some circumstances get off easy from your shots, as the QF-17 over-penetrates and produces little spalling with no HE filler
* Due to thin armour, heavy calibre fire especially from 20 mm's, will rip through armour plates quite easy
* Open top vehicle. You are a target for planes and artillery strikes

== History ==


===Development===
The production of the 17-pounder anti-tank gun for British service gave the British military firepower capable of destroying the heavier German tanks, however, the gun's heavyweight and bulkiness presented a mobility issue for the crew. An attempt to make a mobile version was done in 1942, first with the [[3 inch Gun Carrier]] as a self-propelled mount, then with the [[Achilles|M10 tank destroyer]] from the Americans which proved more successful. Another project done was to use obsolete tank chassis and convert them into mounts for use, like the [[Crusader Mk III|Crusader]] cruiser tanks and the [[Valentine Mk XI|Valentine]] infantry gun. The Valentine was chosen for further development as it was one of the more reliable tanks in British service and had the specifications needed to mount the gun. The modified Valentine, known as the '''Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk.I, Archer''', was given a more powerful engine and a casemate superstructure on the front. The most distinctive feature of the Archer compared to any other tank destroyers in the war was that its gun is not facing forward, rather to the rear. This had a benefit of reducing the vehicle's length by making the gun stretch out over the rear hull of the vehicle, limiting the gun from extending over the vehicle. The rear gun mounting, despite its unorthodox method, allowed the Archer to become an excellent ambush weapon, by firing at targets with its gun and able to speed away forward at full speed rather than the reverse. The first prototype of the Archer was made in 1943, trials were carried out in April 1943, which concluded favourably and was 800 was ordered from Vickers and accepted into service in October 1944. Vickers were able to complete 655 Archer tank destroyers from March 1943 to until the end of the war in May 1945.

===Combat usage===
The Archer was used in the Italian front and the European campaign against Germany. As a self-propelled gun, the Royal Artillery had authority over the tank destroyer just like other tank destroyers in British service. Reception to the Archer proved that the crews favour the Archer over the M10 Achilles due to the better tactics the Archer presented by shooting then speeding away before the enemy could discover them. Though the drawbacks of the crew positions, open-topped superstructure, and limited gun traverse limited the Archer's capabilities, this was mitigated by its role as a tank destroyer and was used in World War II until the end.

Britain continued to use the Archer up until the 1950s. Once retired, some were sold to the Egyptian Army, to which they reported using it during the Suez Canal crisis in 1956. After that, no further action reports are known with the Archers.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=uk_sp_17_pdr_valentine Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|VFEv4q3G5Us|'''Most unusual vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:15 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|PSz-X-WvGeo|'''Reason why no one plays it? Weirdest tank construction! - Archer''' - ''HowToPlay1337''|W7W5_e0KsA8|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|OY1uqehXGKY|'''The SP 17pdr. Valentine "Archer", British Tier-2, Tank Destroyer''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Valentine I]]
* [[Valentine IX]]{{-}}{{Specs-Link|ussr_valentine_mk_9}}
* [[Valentine XI]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same gun and ammunition

* [[Achilles]]{{-}}[[Achilles (65 Rg.)]]
* [[Avenger]]
* [[Sherman Firefly]]{{-}}[[Sherman IC "Trzyniec"]]
* [[M4 Tipo IC]]
* [[A.C.IV]]

== External links ==


* [[Wikipedia:Archer_(tank_destroyer)|[Wikipedia] Archer (tank destroyer)]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/Archer_17pdr_SPG.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Archer, Self Propelled 17 Pdr Anti-tank gun]

{{Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs}}
{{Britain tank destroyers}}

Archer

2022-04-10T04:31:39Z

U118625207: /* Pros and cons */

Challenger

2022-04-10T04:29:47Z

U118625207: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''A30 Challenger'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Challenger (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a30_challenger
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]] alongside the rest of the British Ground Forces Tree. Taking the outdated Cromwell chassis, extending it and adding a new turret, it gave life to this improved variant with the much powerful 17-pounder anti-tank gun.

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

The armour on the Challenger is not to be relied on as it is both very thin and poorly angled. The turret armour is capable of bouncing or absorbing a few shots, however this is not to be relied upon. The hull has the same poor armour as the Cromwell, but due to the vehicle's neutral steering capability, should an enemy go for the front plate you can angle it adequately against contemporary medium cannons, however exposing your side is a death sentence, especially against APHE projectiles.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 30 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 57.15 mm (19-35°) ''Joint plate'' 25 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 29-50.8 mm ''Top hull'' 14 + 14 mm ''Lower Hull'' || 51 mm ''Turret base'' 38 mm ''Top hull'' 38 mm (19°), 20 mm (57°) ''Lower Hull'' || 20 mm ''Front'' 14 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 63-102 mm (0-1°) ''Turret front'' 102 mm (4-12°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 40 mm || 40 mm (1°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, suspension bars are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* 5 mm RHA plates between the engine compartment and crew, as well as separating driver from turret and ammunition.
* Lower side hulls are spaced with the suspension springs lined up in between.
* A 25 mm RHA bar line up in front of the turret to protect the turret ring.

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

The lengthened Cromwell chassis provides the Challenger with excellent mobility. The vehicle is able to reach its top speed of 52 km/h fairly quickly. The Challenger is responsive both at low and high speeds. The centre of gravity is quite high, to the point that one track will lift up when making a significant enough turn. The Challenger has an awful reverse speed, it should not be relied upon. In most situations it's more viable to use the neutral steering capability of the vehicle to completely turn around and drive in the other direction.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=930|rbMinHp=531}}

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

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

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

The Challenger features the 76 mm QF 17-pounder, a weapon more than capable of dealing with all adversaries the Challenger will encounter, even Soviet heavy tanks (IS-1, KV-85, etc.) and German tanks like the Panthers and Tiger Is.

{| 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" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 31.4 || 43.5 || 52.8 || 58.4 || 62.1 || rowspan="2" | 6.63 || rowspan="2" | 5.87 || rowspan="2" | 5.41 || rowspan="2" | 5.10
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 19.6 || 23.1 || 28.1 || 31.0 || 33.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
While the highest penetrating round available to the Challenger is the Shot SV Mk.1, this round is both inaccurate and does very little spall damage. Because of this it is recommended to use the Shot Mk.8 the majority of the time as its penetration is sufficient, and as it is able to knock out enemies with a single shot due to great spalling. The Shot SV Mk.1 can still be brought for long range engagements.

* '''Shot Mk.6:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}} - Standard penetrating round, use until better rounds are unlocked.
* '''Shell Mk.1:''' {{Annotation|HE|High-explosive}} - It is ideal for destroying SPAA and lightly-armoured tanks, but useless against anything else.
* '''Shot Mk.4:''' {{Annotation|APC|Armour-piercing capped}} - Cap for better grip against sloped armour.
* '''Shot Mk.8:''' {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-piercing capped ballistic capped}} - Like Shot Mk.4 but with a ballistic cap for improved flight path, as well as better penetration.
* '''Shot SV Mk.1:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}} - Highest armour penetration of any shot, but has worse spalling effect.

{| 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 || 0.1 || 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
|-
| '''48''' || 46 ''(+2)'' || 43 ''(+5)'' || 40 ''(+8)'' || 37 ''(+11)'' || 35 ''(+13)''
|-
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| 32 ''(+16)'' || 30 ''(+18)'' || 24 ''(+24)'' || 19 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 or 3, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
* Turret empty: 35 ''(+13)'' shells.

==== Optics ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x3 || x6
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[VFW]]
|-
|}

Uses now default x6 scope of the British. As of rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outsnipe German SPG as they have same optics or even better.

With Challenger being on the edge in between rank III and IV it is possible to get into rank IV battle with full up-tier. In that case, the tank optics are no longer superior to most opponents.

In particular, do not let Japanese medium tanks [[ST-A1]] get an upper hand at all costs, as they have optics eclipsing these of Challenger at long ranges and might as well snipe Challenger from 2 km away, if they have accuracy modifications.

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

{{main|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This tank has a high penetration gun (with APDS), great manoeuvrability, and good speed. However, it has extremely weak armour, terrible reverse, and quite a high profile. As such it requires some skill to use. It excels as a sniper or an ambushing tank destroyer, waiting for the enemy to come into its sights and firing from a point of advantage. It is also a good flanker due to its speed and manoeuvrability getting around the enemy and hitting them from the side or back.

Do not attempt to brawl or use this vehicle as a front line tank. The Challenger cannot afford to take even a single hit from enemy tanks, and it will be up against German 88 mm and Soviet 85 or 122 mm guns which will easily take it out in one shot. The poor reverse speed also makes hit and run tactics a bad choice.

When in its stock form, this tank will be quite frustrating to play. The stock AP round bounces often and does very little damage, it is also quite hard to aim at range. The first aim upon getting this tank should be to unlock the better AP shell and the APDS as soon as possible. With these rounds, the Challenger can easily penetrate most of the tanks that it faces.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Armed with the 17-pounder with APDS rounds available
* Able to deal a lot of damage in a very short amount of time
* Fast tank that is capable of reaching 50km/h on even ground
* Responsive neutral steering capability
* Fast turret traverse
* Wide gun depression and elevation
* Plays similarly to the Comet I and Avenger, albeit with a higher profile and less armour on the turret
* Turret armour is still about 102 mm thick in certain areas
* Ammo is stored in a strategic location, lowering the risk of ammo detonation
* Very low risk of fire due to rear mounted transmission and fuel tanks
* APDS has high muzzle velocity

'''Cons:'''

* Paper thin hull armour (glass cannon)
* No explosive filler in any AP shells
* APDS shot causes only punctual damage (aim carefully)
* Turret is very tall compared to hull profile, making it hard to hide behind obstacles
* Suffers from an awful reverse speed
* Four man in the turret, an APHE shot will disable the tank for good
* The Challenger requires a very high skill cap to perform adequately
* Traversing the hull, especially on sloped angles, might be hard due to its long hull

== History ==

===Development===
The development of the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] tank due to the implementation of the Rolls-Royce Meteor engine helped Roy Robotham from Rolls to become the Minstry of Supply on the Tank Board, despite his lack of experience around the development of tanks. With the Cromwell in service with the British military, attempts were made to upgrade the armament on the tank from its 6-pounder and 75 mm gun. The first attempt was by Vickers with a "high-velocity" 75 mm gun, but the Cromwell turret ring proved too small for the adaption. While these attempts were made to upgun the Cromwell, improved tanks to replace the Cromwell was underway as the [[Comet I|Comet]] and the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] tank. The General Staff specification for a 17-pounder armed cruiser tank was A29, but this was changed to A30 for any 17-pounder tank. The first order for such a tank came in 1942 to the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company to build the 17-pounder tank from the components of the A27M Cromwell tank. While responsibility of the turret and gun mounting went to Stothert & Pitt, Birmingham was responsible for modifying the Cromwell hull for the new turret.

The resulting tank from the design team was completed in 1942. Compared to the Cromwell, the hull machine gun was removed for more stowage space for the longer 17-pounder ammunition. However, the stowage location and ammo size facilitated the need for two loaders in the tank to keep the firing rate stable. A larger turret was needed for this requirement, the larger turret thus caused the Cromwell hull to be lengthened with another road wheel on the suspension, but the track width was not modified to fit this so the tank's mobility was reduced. The total armour is reduced to save on weight, especially the turret area, which gave the crew inside the turret a sense of vulnerability. The turret ring of the turret was unprotected and was thus given a jacking feature to clear any jams that forms from combat situations.

The tank, named the '''A30 Challenger''', was tested at Lulworth and was criticized for having a slow firing rate and thin armour, but its long range effectiveness against German tanks was satisfactory. An order for 200 Challengers was made in February 1943. The order was finished, but it was announced that no more were to be ordered on November the same year.

===Combat usage===
The Challenger was criticized and generally unpopular in its service, the crews complain that the tank throws its track, the armour was too thin, and the profile was too tall. The Challenger had no provisions for deep wading and was thus unable to participate during the D-day landings during Operation Overlord, thus the Challenger deployment was delayed until the artificial mulberry harbors and ports were captured before able to be delivered.

Though the Challenger saw some modifications to fix the track throwing issue, it was found that the equipping of the 17-pounder onto the American [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tank into the [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]] was faster and easier than the production of the Challenger, thus production lines were stopped after the initial orders. Both tanks saw use in the same role in the British tank forces, accompanying the tank squadrons into enemy territory and firing at enemy armour from a long distance. The Challenger saw more use with Cromwell units due to interchangeability in parts. Some perks of the Challenger was its speed and agility compared to the Firefly, but the vehicle's initial bad reputation still struggled due to the low number produced in the war.

An attempt to improve on the Challenger was the [[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]], which used a different open-topped turret to save weight on the tank design. However, due to priorities on the [[Comet I|Comet]] tank in the Vauxhall Motors plant, they were not being built until 1945 and weren't used until after the war in Europe is over. 250 unit were built and formed part of the British Army of the Rhine stationed in Germany after the war.

The Challenger saw use with other Allied forces as well, with the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade using the tank during the assault on Dunkirk and the 1st Polish Armoured Division receiving them by mid-1945. After the war, Czechoslovakia wanted to buy 22 Challengers to equip its army, which it did until 1959.

===Survivors===
Two Challenger survive in intact condition today. One is at the Overloon War Museum in the Netherlands and the other is currently in storage at the Isle of Wight Military Museum to be restored, when it will then be displayed at the Bovington Tank Museum.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_a30_challenger Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|geVC8UNdmBM|'''Spade Review, A30 Challenger. Giving it my all!''' - ''Joseph 2000''|rpvKhy22Erc|'''The Shooting Range #85''' - ''War Machines'' section at 00:33 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|My_9I21oaHY|'''Challenger - Left Behind''' - ''Oxy''|sKC3cBuViRE|'''Challenger Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


* [[Avenger]] - Tank destroyer spin-off also using the Cromwell chassis to carry the 17-pdr.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/852/|[Devblog] A34 Comet I and A30 Challenger]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

VFM5

2022-03-02T02:56:18Z

U118625207: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_vfm_5
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

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

The VFM5 has little to no armour protection from anything larger than 7.62 mm rounds, the M2 .50 cal being able to penetrate its sides. The most protected section of the tank is the front of the hull towards the more extreme angles around the driver's ports, which is up to 160 mm of effective thickness, however this is halved by APFSDS, not that it would matter either way. HEATFS is even more effective, the thickness against chemical rounds dropping to approximately 23 mm.

The tank can survive a shot, however shots to the turret have a higher chance, as long as the spalling created by the shell is blocked by the cannon breech. Shots to the left side of the turret (or the right side looking front-on) will likely detonate the ready-rack ammunition. Side shots can be survived as long as they are to the hull due to large amounts of empty space. To increase your chance of survival of side shots, a player should take no more than 30 rounds to ensure the room below the turret is ammunition-free. As one would expect from a tank of this type, taking shots should not be attempted under any circumstances.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull ||38.1 mm (79°) ''Upper Glacis''
38.1 mm (Various Angles) ''Driver's Hatch''

38.1 mm +6.35 mm (Curved) ''Lower Glacis''
| 25.4 mm + 6.35 ''Upper'' 44 mm ''Lower'' ||25.4 mm||5 - 25.4 mm
|-
| Turret || 50.8 mm (37-43°) ''Turret front'' 38.1 mm (37-43°) ''Gun mantlet''
25.4 mm ''Gunner'' ''Optics''
|38.1 mm + 6.35 mm||12.7 mm +12.7 mm||25.4 mm
|-
| Cupola ||25.4 mm||25.4 mm
|25.4 mm
|25.4 mm
|-
|}

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=868|rbMinHp=495}}

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

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

{{main|LRF (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[LRF (105 mm)|105 mm LRF]] || 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" | 41 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| 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
|-
| M456A2 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| M393A2 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| C76A1 || APFSDS || 353 || 349 || 342 || 333 || 324 || 314
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| M456A2 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| M393A2 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.1 || 4 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| C76A1 || APFSDS || 1,509 || 3.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''41''' || 34 ''(+7)'' || 28 ''(+13)'' || 22 ''(+19)'' || 11 ''(+30)'' || 0 ''(+41)'' || Yes
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|L8A2 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 600 (200) || 576 || -5°/+25° || -120°/+100°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L8A2 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L8A2]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,500 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Equips the renowned 105 mm L7 cannon
* Good mobility
* Fast targeting verticl speed compared to previous vickers
* Have 12.7 mm machine gun with high penetration
* 10.0X gunner optic is good for sniping

'''Cons:'''

* Lightly armoured

== History ==

The VFM 5, also known as Vickers Mk.5, was a light tank built by Vickers. It was based on the hull of the American Close Combat Vehicle Light (CCV-L), which was built by VFM, but with a new turret and main armament. It was primarily designed for export.

=== Development ===
The CCV-L was first revealed by FMC at AUSA in October 1985. Vickers Defense Systems and FMC formed a cooperative agreement later that year to design an export version of the tank. It had been designed as a cheaper version of the CCV-L, and it was designated as the VFM 5. After the prototype was completed in 1986, it was displayed at the British Army Equipment Exhibition of the same year. No production orders were received.

=== Design ===
The hull was nearly unmodified from the CCV-L, made of welded aluminum armour with applique steel armour available for the front and sides.

The layout of the VFM 5 was conventional. The driver was located in the front, the fighting compartment in the center, and the engine compartment at the rear.

The driver sat in the center of the front of the hull. His seat was adjustable, with a folding backrest to allow access to the fighting compartment. His hatch was opened by use of hinges on the rear, and it had five periscopes for viewing to the front and sides. When necessary, the center, forward facing periscope could be replaced with a passive periscope for night operations.

The turret is different from that of the CCV-L. The turret had a crew of three, and it was constructed in the same way as the hull, with welded aluminum armour and applique steel plates. The turret was mounted on a high-accuracy low-friction turret ring that is tilted down 3° at the front.

The main armament of the VMF 5 was a 105 mm Low Recoil Force gun, fitted with an integral muzzle break and a rigid thermal sleeve. 41 rounds of 105 mm ammunition were carried. 22 rounds were stored in the front of the hull, 11 on each side of the driver. 19 rounds were stored in the fighting compartment, located below the turret ring. Unlike the CCV-L, the VFM 5 features a loader, rather than an automatic loading system.

A Marconi fire-control system (FCS) is used, which includes computerized fire-control systems and a two-axis gun stabilizer. The turret traversed electronically 360°, while the gun elevated from -10° to +20°.

The secondary armament consisted of a coaxial 7.62 mm L8 machine gun. A total of 2,600 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition were carried in boxes of 200 rounds. Additionally, a 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine gun could be pintle-mounted at the leader's hatch. 500 rounds could be carried if the 12.7 mm machine gun was fitted.

A bank of six smoke grenade launchers was located on each side of the turret, for a total of twelve smoke or fragmentation grenades. They were fired electronically by the bank's commander from the interior.

The gunner's primary sight was a NANOQUEST telescopic sight with a zoom of x10. It incorporated a laser rangefinder and muzzle reference system. The gunner also had a NANOQUEST periscope for wide-angle observation. A thermal imaging system was available as an option.

The commander had a rear-opening, single piece hatch with fiver periscopes. He also had a Pilkington PE/Raven II day/night sight with magnification of x1 and x8, as well as image intensification for night operations.

The loader also had a single piece, rear-opening hatch with a single AFV No 3 Mk 1 periscope with 360° of rotation.

The suspension of the VFM 5 is a torsion bar type. There are six road wheels on each side of the chassis and a shock absorber at each road wheel. 38 cm double-pin tracks are used.

The engine is a General Motors (GM) Detroit Diesel Model 6V-92 TA 6-cylinder, producing 550 horsepower. A General Electric (GE) HMPT-500-3 transmission is used, with three forward gears and one reverse gear. The powerpack is cooled by a water radiator and oil cooler. Easy access to the engine is provided by a rear hull ramp, which the engine can be slid down for maintenance or replacement. Access covers are located on the engine compartment roof for easy maintenance as well.

The engine compartment is protected by an automatic fire-suppression system, and one can also be fitted for the crew compartment. Handheld extinguishers are also provided.

=== [[wt:en/news/6900-development-vfm-5-private-venture-en|Devblog]] ===
In 1985, Vickers formed a consortium with the American FMC company in order to develop a modern, yet cost-effective light tank for the export market. To achieve this, development and production costs had to be kept as low as possible. As a result, the decision was made to combine the CCVL hull developed by FMC for the US Army's AGS project with a Vickers-built turret, housing a modified low-recoil version of the widely used L7 cannon.

The first prototype was built in 1986 and subsequently revealed to the public at the British Army Equipment Exhibition that year. However, despite its modern equipment, excellent mobility and low weight thanks to the wide use of aluminum alloys, the VFM 5 failed to attract any attention from potential international operators at first.

However, testing and further refinement of the vehicle's design continued into the late 1980's and early 1990's, just at that time negotiations were held with Malaysia to supply the tank to the national armed forces, but it ultimately never came to a production agreement. In the end, only a single prototype of the VFM 5 was ever constructed.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=light_tank&vehicle=uk_vfm_5 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="VFM 5 Devblog Images" heights="170">
File:VFM 5 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:VFM 5 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:VFM 5 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:VFM 5 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:VFM 5 WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:VFM 5 WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|_XaRwE1dsmQ|'''The Shooting Range #234''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|TiEoq_VirjA|'''{{PAGENAME}}''' - ''Pinhead_Plays''}}

== 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/news/6900-development-vfm-5-private-venture-en|[Devblog] VFM 5: Private Venture]]

{{Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs}}
{{Britain light tanks}}

Challenger 2 TES

2022-01-18T04:14:58Z

U118625207: /* History */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_challenger_2_tes
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Winged Lions"]].

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

The Challenger 2 TES has the armour that would be expected of the name (TES - Theatre Entry Standard). The tank has been updated to meet the modern theatres of war, including streetfighting and more effective chemical munitions and kinetic weapons. The ERA on the sides displays this exact line of thought. The tank now boasts some of the most effective ERA in the game, beating the T-90A's frontal chemical protection by over 500 mm of effective thickness.

Equipped with the iconic jammer plate mounted to the roof, this tank will be easy to spot and identify, so one should take care to cover their weak points with extra care, as many will know where the weaknesses are, and feel pressured to shoot them due to the increased armour elsewhere. The tank retains the same weakspots; the gun mantlet, driver's port and the lower frontal plate, though it is less vulnerable to chemical munitions now. The gun breech will most likely block spalling from any penetrating round, allowing TES players to retreat and repair their breech, should they be far enough away from danger.

When opposing enemy tanks, commanders should attempt to angle their tank slightly, as the composite side screens can take most of the brunt of lower power kinetic rounds (M111, DM33) at an angle. Chemical rounds will also fail to penetrate when hitting any ERA on the side. Angling has the added bonus of making the driver's port less effective as a means of knocking out the tank's crew.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38-50 mm (56-83°) ''Upper Plate''
70 mm (31-34°) ''Lower Glacis'' 60 mm (0-80°) ''Driver's Port''
| 25 mm Top (70°)
25 mm Middle (0°) 38 mm ''Bottom'' (0°)
| 25 mm (32°) || 10-20 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 - 50 mm (56-82°) ''Turret Front'' 30 mm (3-82°) ''Gun Mantlet'' || 20-25 mm (8-10°) || 20 mm (18°) || 10-38 mm
|-
| Cupola || 8 mm (3-78°) || 8 mm (9-60°) || 8 mm (1-80°) || 44-60 mm
|-
!Composite Armour
!Front
! colspan="3" |Sides
|-
|Hull
|'''Upper''' Kinetic: 420-700 mm Chemical: 800-1100 mm '''Lower''' Kinetic: 100-270 mm Chemical: 130-800 mm
| colspan="3" |'''Ext. Composite Screen with ERA:''' Kinetic: 88 mm Chemical: 1900 mm
|-
|Turret
|'''Turret Cheeks''' Kinetic: 440-720 mm Chemical: 780-1000 mm
| colspan="3" |'''Internal Composite''' Kinetic: 190-740 mm Chemical: 300-1000 mm
'''Ext. ERA''':

Kinetic: 30 mm

Chemical: 222 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* ''Upper Frontal Plate'' has additional 6.35 mm external structural steel plate.
* ''Lower Frontal Plate'' has additional composite with NERA elements, which is very effective against chemical munitions.

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

''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1886|rbMinHp=1076}}

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

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

{{main|L30A1 (120 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L30A1 (120 mm)|120 mm L30A1]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 29.5 || 40.8 || 49.6 || 54.8 || 58.4 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 18.4 || 21.7 || 26.4 || 29.1 || 31.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| 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 L23A1 || APFSDS || 396 || 394 || 387 || 376 || 367 || 357
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
| L26 || APFSDS || 493 || 491 || 487 || 481 || 474 || 468
|-
| L27A1 || APFSDS || 564 || 562 || 557 || 551 || 545 || 538
|-
|}
{| 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 L23A1 || APFSDS || 1,535 || 3.89 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17.1 || 0.1 || 4 || 6,560 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| L26 || APFSDS || 1,650 || 4.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| L27A1 || APFSDS || 1,650 || 4.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| L34 || 670 || 17.1 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|L37A2 (7.62 mm)|L94A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L37A2 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L37A2]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,700 (100) || 650 || -10°/+50° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L94A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L94A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 2,300 (2,000) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Impressive chemical protection on the front and sides.
* Maintains the kinetic protection from previous variants, with improvements in places.
* Very accurate L30A1 120 mm gun.
* Fast reload.

'''Cons:'''

* No composite plates behind the ERA panels on the turret sides
* Heaviest MBT in the game with a very poor hp/ton ratio; very poor acceleration
* Same ammunition options as the previous Challenger 2s
* Maintains the same weakspots from previous variants.
* No CITV (Commander Independent Thermal Viewer).
* L27A1 has low penetration compared to other top rank NATO ammunition.

== History ==

=== Development ===
In 2005, the MOD recognised a need for a Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) to extend the service life of the Challenger 2 into the mid-2030s and upgrade its mobility, lethality and survivability. The CSP was planned to be complete by 2020 and was to combine all the upgrades from CLIP, including the fitting of a 120 mm smoothbore gun. By 2014, the CSP programme had been replaced by the Life Extension Programme (LEP) which shared a similar scope of replacing obsolete components and extending the tank's service life from 2025 to 2035, however the 120 mm smoothbore gun had seemingly been abandoned.

In 2015, the British Army provided an insight into the scope of the LEP, dividing it into four key areas, namely:

* Surveillance and Target Acquisition: Upgrades to the commander's primary sight and gunner's primary sight, as well as the replacement of the thermal observation and gunnery sights (TOGS) with third-generation thermal imaging.
* Weapon Control System: Upgrades to the fire control computer, fire control panel and gun processing unit.
* Mobility: Upgrades including third-generation hydrogas suspension, improved air filtration, CV-12 common rail fuel injection, transmission and cooling.
* Electronic Architecture: Upgrades to the gunner's control handles, video distribution architecture, generic vehicle architecture compliant interfaces, increased on-board processing and improved human machine interface.

The MOD also began assessing active protection systems (APS) on the Challenger 2, including MUSS and Rheinmetall's ROSY Rapid Obscurant System.

== 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 ==
[[wikipedia:Challenger_3|[wikipedia] Challenger 3]]{{Britain medium tanks}}

FV4202

2022-01-18T03:52:14Z

U118625207: /* See also */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_fv4202
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]]. As the prototype of the [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftain]], it features the heavy sloping armour of the Chieftain on the chassis of a [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion tank]].

The FV4202 gives the player a very good insight on what to expect on the future of the Rank IV and V medium tanks of the British Ground Forces. Featuring a very sloped frontal armour and the powerful high-penetrating cannon. The FV4202 is also relatively mobile for its armour and weight, this can be used to push towards the enemy. When in movement, keep in mind the turret armour and lower frontal glacis as these are prominent front weak points of the FV4202.

The FV4202 is a British medium tank. It has sloped frontal armour, a well rounded and thickly armoured turret and a powerful 84mm gun with access to APDS ammunition. The first thing that you may notice when you first get the FV4202 is that the stock 20-pdr gun is far more effective than the stock 17-pdr gun, due to the fact that you start with APCBC ammunition, which is far more effective than the 17-pdr's purely AP stock rounds. This makes it far more forgiving than tanks like the Centurion MK1 or the Challenger. When fighting in a low rank game, it can be a game changing tank. It can easily take out Tiger I and Panther tanks at long range whilst remaining resistant to enemy fire. Even Tiger II tanks are vulnerable to the 84mm gun, though their gun poses a big threat to you, especially at long range. When you get up-tiered, you will face far more challenging enemies. At this battle rating, you can face the Jagdtiger, Leopard I , IS-6, IS-3, IS-4M and the T-54 (and even the Maus if you're playing realistic). These are all highly resistant to your APDS (even from the side in the IS-3/IS-4M case), and have extremely potent armament.

When you get up-tiered the weaknesses of the FV4202 start to show. To start, it has a very poor reverse speed. As a British tanker, you will have experience with similar issues from vehicles with the Cromwell chassis, but the FV4202 has nowhere near the mobility, so it is difficult to quickly escape from a bad situation as it was with Cromwell based tanks. The frontal armour is thin and so is particularly vulnerable to high calibre HE shells (apart from the rather resilient turret roof). Also, although thickly armoured, the turret has some flat parts which are easily penetrated by many tanks of the BR. Finally, there are only four crew in the tanks, three of whom are in the turret. A turret penetration may knock out the entire turret crew and destroy the tank.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 51.2 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 74.8 mm (46°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51.2 (13°) + 13 mm || 31 mm (2°) ''Upper'' 31 mm (51°) || 27.2 mm
|-
| Turret || 170-200 mm (0-60°) || 89.6 mm || 92.6 mm || 60 mm
|-
| Cupola || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 60 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The front of the turret is heavily sloped and vary in thickness, being the thickest on the sides of the gun at 240 mm
* The turret ring is 200 mm

Aiming for the LFP (Lower Frontal Plate), with an effective thickness of around 150 mm, is probably the easiest place to go for when targeting the FV4202 from the front. By doing this, you are both taking out the driver and ammo. Aiming for the plate under it to take out the transmission and possibly the driver is also an option from the front. If your tank has a more powerful gun, aiming for the upper cupola or weak spots such as the gun mantlet or armour cheeks is possible. Thanks to a thick turret roof of FV4202, shooting there with HE is usually ineffective.

If countering the FV4202 from the side, the skirt armour and tracks can sometimes catch a shot or two. Instead, aim for the side of the turret if a possibility. As all three turret crew members are located here, as well as the gun breech, this is generally a good idea. Especially noting that three of the four crew are here, taking this shot into consideration as a possible way to instantly incapacitate the tank. When taking a larger amount of shells, ammo racks are located just under the turret also, so when possible also take this into consideration. Preferably do the same when engaging from the rear. When using any aircraft, it is possible to penetrate the thin 8mm of armour above the engine compartment, making this an easy shot.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=790|rbMinHp=451}}

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

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

{{main|20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.85 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| 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.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| 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.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,400 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 45 ''(+5)'' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 34 ''(+16)'' || 29 ''(+21)'' || 9 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 8 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 7,500 (250) || 500 || -10°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

====Tactics====


Hull down: Due to the good gun depression and strong turret armour, the FV4202 performs well in a hull down position, where only the turret is visible to the enemy. Some maps are better for this tactic than others. It involves looking for a good spot overlooking a capture point or a large open space, setting up a good defensive position and then picking off enemies that come into your sights. This way you will be a lot more difficult to destroy as enemies can only get glancing shots on your sloped and rounded turret.

Sniping: With APDS, the 84mm is a very precise and accurate gun. Therefore, it is effective at taking out targets at long range. It is extremely satisfying sniping enemy tanks at the other end of the map. This is a good tactic for the FV4202, where you can hang back, retain the effectiveness of your armour and pick off enemy tanks at your leisure. Just ensure to change position every few shots to avoid getting bombed or knocked out by another tank. When you get down tiered, Tigers, Panther, IS-1/2 and T-34s can be leisurely picked off at range while you remain largely immune to their hits.

Front line tank: Particularly when down tiered, the FV4202 makes an excellent front line vehicle. It's main gun can counter any threat, particularly Tiger I and Panther Tanks, whilst its heavily sloped armour and strong turret allows it to bounce some hits. This allows you to push capture points and takeout enemy tanks on the move with your stabilizer. Be careful not to over extend. The FV4202 is very vulnerable from the sides. If you over extend you will open up your flanks and become vulnerable. Instead you should get to a comfortable place and then initiate a hull down tactic.

====Specific enemies worth noting====


* Tiger II [[Tiger II (P)|(P)]]/[[Tiger II (H)|(H)]]: With a BR 6.7, the FV4202 is more than likely to see a Tiger II in the field. If encountered in the front, aim for the cheeks of the turret, the right side to knock out the gunner and render the Tiger II unable to fire. Use this opportunity to withdraw for a better vantage point for more capable tanks to destroy the Tiger II or for the enemy Tiger to make another mistake and get shot by the FV4202 again. Avoid getting hit by the Tiger IIs 88mm gun. It will be able to penetrate you at long range and a hit will most likely knock you out.
* [[IS-2]] ([[IS-2 (1944)]]): Another common enemy heavy tank. If it is the regular IS-2, the 20-pounder can easily penetrate the hull armour and the turret cheeks (right side again for the gunner). The mod. 1944 is more complicated due to its improved frontal armour so it is important to be able to target the turret cheeks to knock out its fighting capability. Like the Tiger II, the IS-2 has a very powerful main gun. A direct hit will almost certainly destroy the FV4202 in one hit.
* [[T29]]: American heavy tank capable of outright destroying the FV4202. Frontal glacis and turret armour near impenetrable in the front. Aim for the lower glacis or even a glancing shot on the turret side for a chance to penetrate the armour.
* [[Tortoise|A39 Tortoise]]: This heavily armoured vehicle prevents the FV4202 from penetrating its frontal armour, the only weak point being the commander's location and that is not a good place as the 20-pounder does not have a lot of post-penetration damage. Best case is to simply withdraw and attack it from the sides.
* [[Panther II]]: Unlike the first [[Panther tank (Family)|Panther series]], the Panther II's frontal armour cannot be penetrated by the 20-pounder, plus it has the famous [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK 43 gun]] so more caution is needed. However, just like the Tiger II, aiming for the turret cheeks can ensure a disabling of the vehicle to take advantage of.
* [[IS-6]] : The IS-6 is one of the most challenging vehicles that you face at this rank. It is fast, very well armoured and has a powerful gun. Despite the fact that it is a premium, it is very common. You will face it often. It can easily bounce the 84mm APDS from the front and even the sides. If angled properly the IS-6 is very difficult to displace. It is not invincible though. Firing at it from high ground can reduce the effectiveness of its angled armour and HEAT-fs is good for penetrating it's armour, so working closely with other tanks is important.
* [[Maus]] : The very sight of a Maus on the battle field can be enough to make some players turn tail and run. It is an extremely menacing opponent to face on the battlefield, and its huge 128mm gun will have no trouble taking you out of the game. Even the 75mm coaxial gun can damage your main gun and tracks, if not penetrate the {{PAGENAME}} from the side. Luckily, the Maus is not invincible. With APDS you can penetrate turret cheeks and side armour relatively easily, but sometimes your rounds will simply pass through the massive superstructure without doing very much damage. The internal layout of the Maus is quite complex and is lined with extra 20 mm plates of armour, protecting crew members and modules from internal shrapnel. Destroying the Maus in one shot is extremely difficult, so it is often best to retreat after a successful hit.
* [[Jagdtiger]] : The Jagdtiger is armed with the same devastating 128mm gun as the Maus, which is absolutely deadly if it hits you. Couple this with formidable frontal armour and you have a very dangerous opponent. Try to flank this opponent or hit the flat superstructure on the left and right of the main gun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent mobility for the size
* Heavy punching 84 mm 20-pounder "Quickfire" gun can penetrate most enemies seen at BR
* Very strong sloped frontal armour able to withstand most shells fired at the FV4202
* Resistant to Soviet 85 mm and German [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36]] cannons at long range
* Has a stabiliser which allows for accurate fire on the move
* Has a low profile compared to other British tanks of the same rank such as the Centurion Mk 3
* Unlock-able APDS shell for heavier targets

'''Cons:'''

* Weak side armour
* Overall thin armour yet sloped
* LFP (Lower Frontal Plate) is generally weak and most penetrative hits will take out driver and ammo rack
* Poor reverse speed
* A part of the soft turret armour is near a flat weak point
* Vulnerable to air attacks from planes with heavier guns as engine roof armour is lacking
* Although a small target, there is an 89 mm weak spot right above the gun Shots penetrating this, in particular APHE may knock out the turret crew
* The cupola on top of the turret is a deadly weak spot One penetration from APHE will take you out
* Is only equipped with solid shot ammunition, with no explosive filler. The APDS lacks post-penetration damage and spalling shrapnel.

== History ==

=== '''Development''' ===
The FV4202 was built by Leyland Motors as a research vehicle for the FVRDE to test the conceptual layout of the proposed [[Chieftain (Family)|FV4201 Chieftain main battle tank]]. Three vehicles were built between 1955 and 1956. The weight of FV4202 was nearer 42 tons as the cast turrets were usually too heavy due to the fact that the manufacturers of the turret castings were paid by weight rather than per item. One vehicle is preserved at the Bovington Tank Museum and another one has been employed as a recovery training aid at SEME Bordon.

=== Design ===
The FV4202 test bed was build from readily available Centurion parts, such as the suspensions, smoke grenade dischargers, armament, hatches, cupola, sights and turret drive. It featured a reclined driver position, allowing the use of a well-sloped glacis plate and the "mantletless" cast turret was built, with an internal gun mantlet.

Having a shorter hull than the Centurion, the FV4202 only had five road wheels per side. The FV4202 was also lower than the Centurion due to the use of 28 inches-diameter road wheels (31 inches for the Centurion). The tracks were a narrower variant of the ones used on the early Centurion marks.

The FV4202 is powered by the Rolls-Royce Meteorite V8 petrol engine which was, in essence, two-thirds of a V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor. The Meteorite has a 18.01 litres (1,099 cu in) capacity and deliver 520 bhp (393 kW) at 2,700 rpm. The engine was coupled to a Merritt-Brown V52 gearbox originally developed for the Vickers Medium Cruiser Tank Mk. I.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_fv4202 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|oa26g25qqP4|'''Best medium tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:16 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== 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 ==
[[wikipedia:FV4202|[wikipedia] FV4202]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}