War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Sho't Kal Gimel

2023-06-07T02:45:09Z

U130511531: cons

{{About
| about = Israeli medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Sho't (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=il_centurion_shot_kal_gimel
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Israeli medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

A modernization of the Israeli fleet of Centurion tanks using NATO equipment, including a new 105 mm cannon, Continental engine, and ERA packs: the Sho't Kal Gimel shares similar capabilities to previous Sho't Kal series tanks with better chemical protection.

The name "Sho't Kal Gimel" can be roughly translated as Centurion tank with Continental engine (Kal) Model C (Gimel is the 3rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet). "Sho't" is the codename for Israeli Centurion tanks and literally means "Whip".

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

The overall appearance of the Sho't Kal Gimel is very similar to its predecessor, the Alef; but in view of the intensity of the Middle Eastern Wars, the Gimel installed the Blazer ERA covering its front and some parts of its sides, as well as an extra layer of armour plate welded on the UFP, increasing its odds to survive a hit. The IDF also installed additional machine guns, so players can tell it's a Sho't Kal Gimel right away. Although the installation of ERA helped improved its odds against HEAT shells, but later missiles or kinetic shells will easily penetrate the obsolete base armour all-around.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 + 51 mm (57°) ''Upper glacis'' 76.2 mm (46°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50.8 mm (12°) || 38 mm (8°) ''Top'' 20 mm (62°) ''Bottom'' || 127.2 mm (33°) ''Front glacis'' 29 mm ''Driving compartment'' 29 mm ''Engine compartment'' 10 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 89 mm (cylindrical) ''Turret front'' 100 - 230 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 89 mm (8°) || 89 mm || 50.8 mm (23-33°) ''Outer edge'' 29 mm ''Centre''
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 152 mm (cylindrical) ''Front half'' 90 mm (cylindrical) ''Rear half'' || 90 mm (cylindrical) || 29 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, tracks, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick.
* Side skirts are 6 mm thick
* Blazer ERA bricks cover the upper front glacis, the gun mantlet and the turret front.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,162|rbMinHp=663}}

The overall mobility, thanks to the new Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine and Allison CD-850-6A transmission, has vastly improved from original Centurions (48 km/h vs 35 km/h forward) and oddly enough, Gimel is lighter than Alef, meaning the overall mobility is better. While it is nowhere close to Soviet or later NATO tanks in terms of power-weight ratio, it is still sufficient to keep up with the rest of the team.

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

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

{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}

The main gun "Sharir" (lit. "Strong") is identical to NATO's L7 105 mm guns in many aspects. In particular, the Gimel has access to APFSDS round that further enhance its odds to penetrate enemies.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || 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" | 72 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The Sho't Kal Gimel shares most of the shells from the previous Alef while also having access to APFSDS rounds.

The stock M152 HEATFS, while mostly sufficient to penetrate tanks of the era with ease, will have a hard time penetrating tanks with composite armour like [[T-55AMD-1]] or ERA like [[T-69 II G]]. It is still sufficient to knock out lighter vehicles with overpressure damage.

M156 shell, aka L35, is identical to other 105 mm HESH rounds, having high explosive content to knock out vehicles right away with overpressure while the overall performance of the shell is mixed, not to mention its slow and high-arcing ballistics; so either take this shell for detonating lighter vehicles or sniping stationary targets that expose their vulnerable spots. A solid hit is very likely to send enemies straight back to the hanger.

M111 APFSDS, aka DM23, is found on some other NATO vehicles and they perform identically. Being a long-rod dart, this shell can safely penetrate most tanks it might face at the rank. This will be the go-to round for the tank.

{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Sho't_Kal_Dalet_(Great_Britain).png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the [[Sho't Kal Dalet]] (identical)]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''72''' || 68 ''(+4)'' || 63 ''(+9)'' || 33 ''(+39)'' || 25 ''(+47)'' || 12 ''(+60)'' || 5 ''(+67)'' || 1 ''(+71)'' || No
|-
|}

Since the Sho't Kal can carry more shells than the original [[Sho't]], this will further increase the risk of ammunition cook-off; so it is advised to only bring at most 25 shells to clear out most of the ammo racks.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

Although a M2HB is mounted onto the tank, it was mounted on the mantlet and only serves as one of the coaxial machine guns, this hinders its capabilities to fight back against oncoming aircraft or helicopters; but in case players do need a way to fight back, there are still 2 L3A1 (M1919A3) onboard as a last-ditch option.

{| 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
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| 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 || 1,250 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle (loader) || 1,750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+12° || -120°/+80°
|-
| Pintle (commander) || 1,750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+50° || -80°/+120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Players of the previous Sho't Kal Alef will quickly find themselves at home since the overall handling of Gimel is very similar, if not identical to the aforementioned. Gimel has an extra layer of armour on its UFP as well as Blazer ERA on some areas of the tank; while this can help it survive full-calibre and HEAT shells, it will not survive any late Cold War-era missiles or most APFSDS. The cramped interior also means any penetrating shots will cause extensive damage to the crew and compartment. Thus, it is best to stay away from heated battlefields and never rush in Sho't Kal Gimel (its inferior speed also helps to limit this).

However, this tank does still have some advantages: it has access to APFSDS, although not having the highest penetration at its rank, it is sufficient to tear through enemy armour from a distance. It might not have the best gun optics or handling due to the obsolete nature of Centurion chassis, but it can still serve its purpose if used with caution.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extra protection on its UFP and access to ERA, enhancing some of its survivability
* Access to APFSDS
* Smoke shells to block enemies' sight and high smoke grenade counts
* Sufficient rate of fire

'''Cons:'''

* Relatively slow compared to its competitors
* Slow gun traverse speed
* Cramped crew and compartment
* low glacis is a huge weakspot that cant protect it against even a decent amount of spaa

== History ==


After the earlier modification of Sho't (Centurion in Israel service) with NATO equipment by 1974, the Gimel (C) modification of Sho't Kal installed additional machine guns, new 10-shot smoke grenade launcher on its turret sides, as well as enhanced protection with a new welded armour plate on its UFP and new Blazer ERA packs on some areas of the tank.

This variant was decommissioned alongside with its fellow Sho't Kal variants in 2007.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

== 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 ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{Israel medium tanks}}

Hovet

2023-06-05T03:51:19Z

U130511531: cons

{{Specs-Card
|code=il_m163_vulcan
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Israeli SPAA {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

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

Armour is thin enough and can be destroyed by 12.7 mm machine gun fire from the sides and rear, and by any cannon calibre from the front. The turret is partially open, leaving the crew vulnerable to enemy small arms fire. If attacked, the best bet for taking a hit and surviving is to point the engine towards the enemy and hope it absorbs the shot.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

The Hovet suffers from a low power-to-weight ratio and low top speed. One of its upsides is the good acceleration

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=301|rbMinHp=188}}

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

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

{{main|M168 (20 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M168 (20 mm)|20 mm M168]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 2,200 (1,100) || rowspan="2" | 3,000 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+80° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 66.0 || 91.4 || 111.0 || 122.8 || 130.6 || rowspan="2" | 26.00 || rowspan="2" | 23.00 || rowspan="2" | 21.20 || rowspan="2" | 20.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 44.6 || 52.5 || 63.8 || 70.5 || 75.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T|High-explosive incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
* '''HEI:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T|High-explosive incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}
* '''AP-I:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}

{{:M168 (20 mm)/Ammunition|AP-I, API-T, HEF-I, HEI-T}}

==== [[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
|-
| '''2''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Hovet has an amazing rate of fire with the M168 gun, thus it has amazing damage output. In an anti-aircraft role, it is best used as a point-defence SPAA, defending a group of allies/cap zone from air attack. Its range isn't as good as the M247, so it's best to keep in mind the approximate 1 km targeting zone of the Hovet.

The Hovet wields about 60 mm of penetration, which is enough to mortally wound/destroy many lightly-armoured vehicles such as the Leopard, AUBL, and Centauro. The high rate of fire also allows the Hovet a sort of CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) type of role, as it can easily spray in the direction of an incoming bomb, thus destroying it and saving nearby allies. This is especially easy against the infamous FAB-5000 bomb from the Soviet Pe-8, as the bomb is large and easy to track.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Can be used as a last resort weapon to shoot down incoming bombs and rockets
* unlike other spaa at this battle ratting you cannot be easily killed by 50, Cal this also means you are stronger against strafing aircraft.
* 3000rpm ensures that aircraft have a difficult time againts the amount of bullets you can fire
* the fire rate also means you will destroy any light tank instantly upon firing for 1 second

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload time
* the 20mm shells lose velocity quickly making it very difficult to attack fast planes at 2km or light tanks at 1km
* no passive radar search
* gun overheats
* low pen means you can pen some tanks with little armour from the side e.g. leopard. this also makes destroying barrels a more difficult task

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_m163_vulcan Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;[[M113 (Family)|Related development]]

* [[M163]]
* [[Machbet]]

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Israel anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Hovet

2023-06-05T03:49:20Z

U130511531: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=il_m163_vulcan
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Israeli SPAA {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

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

Armour is thin enough and can be destroyed by 12.7 mm machine gun fire from the sides and rear, and by any cannon calibre from the front. The turret is partially open, leaving the crew vulnerable to enemy small arms fire. If attacked, the best bet for taking a hit and surviving is to point the engine towards the enemy and hope it absorbs the shot.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

The Hovet suffers from a low power-to-weight ratio and low top speed. One of its upsides is the good acceleration

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=301|rbMinHp=188}}

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

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

{{main|M168 (20 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M168 (20 mm)|20 mm M168]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 2,200 (1,100) || rowspan="2" | 3,000 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+80° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 66.0 || 91.4 || 111.0 || 122.8 || 130.6 || rowspan="2" | 26.00 || rowspan="2" | 23.00 || rowspan="2" | 21.20 || rowspan="2" | 20.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 44.6 || 52.5 || 63.8 || 70.5 || 75.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T|High-explosive incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
* '''HEI:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T|High-explosive incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}
* '''AP-I:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}

{{:M168 (20 mm)/Ammunition|AP-I, API-T, HEF-I, HEI-T}}

==== [[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
|-
| '''2''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Hovet has an amazing rate of fire with the M168 gun, thus it has amazing damage output. In an anti-aircraft role, it is best used as a point-defence SPAA, defending a group of allies/cap zone from air attack. Its range isn't as good as the M247, so it's best to keep in mind the approximate 1 km targeting zone of the Hovet.

The Hovet wields about 60 mm of penetration, which is enough to mortally wound/destroy many lightly-armoured vehicles such as the Leopard, AUBL, and Centauro. The high rate of fire also allows the Hovet a sort of CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) type of role, as it can easily spray in the direction of an incoming bomb, thus destroying it and saving nearby allies. This is especially easy against the infamous FAB-5000 bomb from the Soviet Pe-8, as the bomb is large and easy to track.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Can be used as a last resort weapon to shoot down incoming bombs and rockets
* unlike other spaa at this battle ratting you cannot be easily killed by 50, Cal this also means you are stronger against strafing aircraft.
* 3000rpm ensures that aircraft have a difficult time againts the amount of bullets you can fire
* the fire rate also means you will destroy any light tank instantly upon firing for 1 second

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload time
* the 20mm shells lose velocity making it very difficult to attack fast planes at 2km or light tanks at 1km
* no passive radar search
* gun overheats

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_m163_vulcan Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;[[M113 (Family)|Related development]]

* [[M163]]
* [[Machbet]]

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Israel anti-aircraft vehicles}}

A.C.IV

2023-05-05T00:08:50Z

U130511531: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_ac4_thunderbolt
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''', also known as the ''AC IV Thunderbolt'' or the ''AC IV Sentinel'', is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released some time after [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. Armed with a [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|17-pounder gun]], it has a high firepower for the battle rating it is in, able to effectively fight any other tanks at the battle rating. The Thunderbolt is also a small and manoeuvrable tank able to exploit harsh terrain to target the enemy.

The AC IV is a well-rounded tank with superior armour layout compared to other British tanks at its BR; it can occasionally bounce shells from Tigers and Panthers if lucky. It is a relatively small medium tank in comparison to the common mainstay of the other countries, especially when compared to the American [[M4A2|Sherman]] tanks. The Sentinel also has a good manoeuvrability and power-to-weight ratio for the propulsion, able to accelerate to its max speed of roughly 30 km/h quickly and stay there on stable terrain. The tank has a great advantage of a decent reverse speed in comparison to other medium tanks of its calibre, with a reverse speed almost the same speed as forward. The addition of the 17-pounder gun also gives this tank a whopping high firepower for the size, so it can stand a chance against tanks of the same tier despite being out of the league in terms of armour.

The tank in the game is the version planned for serial production, so it has the hull of the AC III; unlike the actual prototype design developed, which used the hull from the AC I version.

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

The AC IV Thunderbolt is one of the few British tanks at this BR with sloped armour rather than the traditional boxy armour found in other British tanks. Its armour has a high tendency to bounce shells. This is obvious with the extreme slope on the from of the tank, and turret design. The armour itself is not thick, but thanks to the angle of it this tank can be very fierce competition to enemy vehicles. Although the armour is superior to that of other British tanks, it is not recommended to rely on it too heavily. Other nations, particularly the Germans, have no trouble penetrating the tank from any range. Because the crew compartment is relatively cramped, any penetrating shots can be fatal. The side armour on the Sentinel is extremely weak and vulnerable to SPAA flanking.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50.8 mm (66-67°) ''Frontal glacis'' 50.8 mm (30°) ''Driver's port'' 50.8 mm (7-68°) ''Lower glacis'' || 44.45 mm (0-12°) || 22.22 mm (78°) ''Top'' 44.45 mm (21-52°) ''Bottom'' || 22.22 mm
|-
| Turret || 63.5 mm (4-47°) ''Turret front'' 25.4-63.5 mm (1-68°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm (0-88°) || 63.5 mm (1-53°) || 35 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 63.5 mm || 35 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick, tracks are 20 mm.
* The rear bottom area has a track placed there, providing 20 mm of extra armour.
* The commander cupola is extended outwards from the left side of the turret, creating a vulnerable unsloped area vulnerable to weaker guns.

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

The AC.IV has an overall good mobility, with an acceptable reverse speed not found in other British tanks (e.g., Challenger, Comet, etc.). The manoeuvrability in soft terrain can be significantly reduced and can feel sluggish.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=615|rbMinHp=351}}

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

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

{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}
The classic Ordnance QF 17-pounder is a very powerful gun: its performance against Tiger I and Panthers is very consistent and satisfactory. The Sentinel offers a smooth gun handling, with a good turret traverse speed and a good gun elevation speed. It has an excellent gun depression of -10 degrees and offers a small silhouette when hull down, comparable to the Comet. Because British tanks do not have access to APHE shells, any shot fired must be accurate; always aim for crew compartments and vital components of enemy tanks.

{| 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.85 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:QF 17-pounder (76 mm)/Ammunition|Shot Mk.6, Shell Mk.1, Shot Mk.4, Shot Mk.8, 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1}}

==== [[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
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 45 ''(+5)'' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 35 ''(+15)'' || 31 ''(+19)'' || 25 ''(+25)'' || 19 ''(+31)'' || 15 ''(+35)'' || 11 ''(+39)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

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

==== Optics ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[T-34-57]]
|-
|}

Does not have improved zoom like the other rank III British tanks of similar BR, thus has worse zoom than many of its opponents, which may have variable zooms up to X5. Do not unnecessarily provoke German SPGs, as they have superior optics and are unlikely to miss.

In full up-tier, do not let Japanese medium tanks (e.g. [[ST-A1]]) get an upper hand at all costs, as they have optics eclipsing these entirely and can easily snipe A.C.IV from 2 km away, with accuracy modifications.

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

{{main|Vickers (7.7 mm)}}
There is only one 7.7 mm coaxial MG with a very slow rate of fire, and no roof-mounted MG to defend against incoming planes. The small calibre of the Vickers 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. While the belt capacity of the machine gun is adequate, its rate of fire is extremely slow for the battle rating.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Vickers (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Vickers]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,250 (250) || 390 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Exploit the A.C. IV's manoeuvrability against the heavier tanks, plus the 17-pounder tank allows for a penetration through the enemy's armour to cause internal damages. The fast reverse speed makes the "shoot-and-scoot" tactic a viable method against the enemy, and should be the prime one as the armour of the Sentinel is not exactly the most durable at only 50 mm flat. However, the sloping nature of the armour could give the bouncing capability of the tank comparable to the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]], it's even arguably much better. So while the weight class is definitely against the Sentinel, a chance is always there to take out the opposition. When compared to other British tanks, this tank lacks access to APDS rounds. Extra caution should be paid during full uptier matches as there will be many enemy tanks, particularly German tanks, that this tank will find difficult to engage from the front.

"Shoot-and-scoot" tactics are the best tactics to use with this vehicle. The Sentinel's armour does not let the tank be a brawler, so it must be more "sneaky" against the enemies. Another thing to note is the driver's hatch at the front of the tank. To avoid a frontally penetrating shot, always angle the driver's hatch away from the enemy.

The AC.IV can play any role in the game, since it is decent at brawling, close range, mid range, and far range.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros'''

* High penetration solid shot rounds
* Good manoeuvrability
* Fast reverse speed
* Small profile

'''Cons:'''

* Sloped armour only on the front
* Susceptible to large calibre HE shells
* Only 44 mm of side armour
* Cannon lacks armour-piercing rounds with high-explosive filler
* No APDS rounds, unlike other British medium tanks at this rank
* Single 7.7 mm coaxial MG with a very slow rate of fire

== History ==


===Development===
Australia began designing a tank in November 1940 as the ''AC I'', and was intended to be a cruiser tank weighing between 16 to 20 tons with a [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|2-pounder gun]]. With no prior experience in producing a domestic tank, Australia sent a task force to the United States to study the [[M3 Lee|M3 Medium]] design to understand the in-and-outs of a tank. They also received the aid of Colonel W.D. Watson MC in December 1940 from Britain, who has many years of tank designing experience. The overall mission ended up having the tank design to have a similar concept as the Canadian ''[[M4A5|Ram]]'' tank, being based off the the M3 Medium chassis and mated with a domestic design of their choice for the upper part along with the incorporation of a suspension system of horizontal rubber cylinder springs seen on many early-war French tanks notably the [[H.39]] and [[H.35]]. The Australian attached the chassis with a hull and turret with design similarities to the British [[Crusader Mk III|Crusader]] tanks. The design started to become less of a cruiser tank and more of a medium tank by American specifications due to the attempt to up-armour and up-gun the tank to keep up with German armour development.

The first design was completed in February 1942 as the Cruiser Tank Mark 1 (AC I) and designated the "Sentinel". The design was simplified by using existing parts of current tanks and using a cast hull and turret. The entire hull being casted would be the first in history as many tanks of the era did not use such techniques. Although originally specified for a 2-pounder, it was then asked for a [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|6-pounder]] armament but due to the manufacturing of such guns not begining at the time in Australia they would have to use the 2 pounder for the first 65 produced. Two Vickers machine gun were used as the coaxial and hull machine gun the later having an armoured mount to protect its water sleeve resulting in a rather lewd looking front of which is made fun of to this day. With the power of three Cadillac V8 Petrol engines. It was unorthodox, but powerful enough to propel the vehicle. 65 of these tanks were made by June 1943 before being succeeded by a more advanced design known as ''AC III'', also known as the "Thunderbolt". It had better armour and an improved firepower in the form of the 25-pounder howitzer. Despite the bigger gun, the 54-inch turret ring was never expanded to accommodate for the gun's larger size, so the crew experienced a slightly cramped turret interior for the benefit of having a better high-explosive charge and armour-piercing capability. Other differences in the design was the removal of the hull machine gun and a different set-up of the three Cadillac engines. One pilot model was built and plans were made for a production for 25 tanks for further trials, but the program was terminated.

Another attempt was made to increase Australian tank firepower with the '''AC IV''' design. It first started when the designers check to see if the turret could mount the massive 17-pounder in use by the British to fight the heavier and more protected German tanks. When the tests proved successful, the 17-pounder was chosen to be the gun for the ''AC IV'', with a new and larger turret and 70-inch turret ring to improve crew comfort. These tanks were only made for evaluation purposes only and were never mass-produced for equipping the armoured units. However it would be the only commonwealth tank ever to mount such a gun.

===Termination===
The ''AC IV'' design, along with the entire Australian Cruiser tank program, was terminated in July 1943, ending with only 65 tanks produced and a few prototype models. The reason was that the funds were better spent improving the infrastructure than building new tanks due to the large number of American tanks such as the [[M4|M4 Medium]] that were being supplied to Australia. The AC "Sentinel" were all put into storage and kept until the end of the war. The only use the Sentinel saw was in the film ''The Rats of Tobruk'' in 1943 when a squadron of ''AC I'' tanks were modified to resemble German tanks.

===Survivors===
After the war, the Australian government disposed most of the tanks in 1945, most were sold off by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission. Today, about six Sentinels survive in intact conditions across the world. One notably in the Bovington Tank Museum, and three in Australia in the RAAC Tank Museum, Treloar Technology Centre, and one in the United States in the Collings Foundation.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_ac4_thunderbolt Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4yihmbBzke8|'''AC IV Thunderbolt''' - ''Ash''}}

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/849/|[Devblog] AC IV Thunderbolt]]

{{TankManufacturer New South Wales Railway Company}}
{{Britain medium tanks}}
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Strv 81 (RB 52)

2023-05-05T00:02:58Z

U130511531: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = Swedish medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = the British version
|link = Strv 81 (RB 52) (Great Britain)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_strv_81_rb52
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (full name: '''Stridsvagn 81 (RB 52)''') is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Raining Fire"]] in the [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en/|8th Anniversary Sale]] as a replacement for the [[Strv 81 (RB 52) (Great Britain)|British version of the vehicle]].

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (58°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (47-48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50.8 (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (8-12°) || 29 mm 8-14 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 152 mm (6-27°) ''Turret front'' 152 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 89 mm (5-12°) || 89 mm (1-18°) || 50.8 mm ''Border of turret'' 29 mm ''Center of turret''
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 90 mm || 29 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Suspension wheels and tracks are both 20 mm thick.
*The steel boxes around the turret and hull give a 4 mm additional protection, though this seems to be a negligible addition.
*ATGM attached outside the turret act as ammo racks and can be detonated
*Spaced armour plates are placed on the side of the Centurion, giving an additional 6 mm of side armour.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,007|rbMinHp=575}}

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|kan Strv 81 (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[kan Strv 81 (84 mm)|84 mm kan Strv 81]] || 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" | 65 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 19.0 || 26.4 || 32.0 || 35.4 || 37.7 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.9 || 14.0 || 17.0 || 18.8 || 20.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:kan Strv 81 (84 mm)/Ammunition|slpprj, slpprj m/54, slsgr m/53, rökgr m/53}}

==== [[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
|-
| '''65''' || 62 ''(+3)'' || 33 ''(+32)'' || 17 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}

* Turret empty: 62 ''(+3)''
* Front empty: 33 ''(+32)''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Robot 52 (SS.11)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Robot 52 (SS.11)]] missile
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
|-
| 3 || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Robot 52 (SS.11)/Ammunition|RB 52 A}}

==== [[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
|-
| '''3''' || 2 ''(+1)'' || 1 ''(+2)'' || 0 ''(+3)'' || No
|-
|}

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,600 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Stridsvagn 81 is essentially the [[Centurion Mk 3]]. It is an effective medium tank if played to its strengths.

If one wants to keep it simple, just use the powerful gun to snipe from distance.

More advanced tankers can utilize the not too impressive max speed (35 km/h or 22 mph) to move with this medium tank into the flanks of enemy tanks (close to the border of a map) and search for positions like hills and ridges where one can make use of the amazing -10° gun depression to hide the vulnerable lower plate of this tank. Once in position, one should use the binoculars to scout for enemies without exposing the turret. If an enemy tank is spotted that could be a potential threat, pop out a little bit and start to take out the enemies gunner/cannon barrel/cannon breech to prevent him from returning fire. Now utilize the quick reload to take out one crew member after the other to finish off the opponent. If an enemy is spotted who is exposing their side or even the rear while not aiming towards the Strv 81, shoot the engine first to immobilize and possibly even ignite the enemy tank, preventing him to take cover. The next shots should again disable the gun of the enemy, now finish the prey by shooting all crew members or, if feeling lucky, shoot an ammo rack.

The best choice to pierce enemy tanks is obviously the Shot Mk.3 (APDS) although it is quite expensive in terms of Silver Lions. The Shot Mk. 1 (APCBC) works in most situation as well but lacks penetration compared to the Mk. 3 APDS shot. The amazing penetration characteristics of this APDS shot enables this gun to pierce front plates of all Panther models (apart from the Panther II) to ranges up to 2,000 m. T-44s and Panther IIs front plates can be penetrated to ranges up to almost 1,000 m. Keep in mind though that the front plate of the T-44 is angled at 60°, so it bounces even this powerful APDS shot quite often. Even the front plate of the mighty Tiger II is not able to stop this APDS shot if not angled and the range is shorter than 100 m. However, aside from the gun, the Strv 81 has access to three potent [[Anti-tank guided missiles|anti-tank guided missiles]].

In a head to head situation with an enemy tank approaching try to angle the Strv 81 not more than 5° degrees to either side since the side armour is quite weak (50.8 mm), try to hide the lower front plate which is a massive weak spot, while reloading turn the turret 10° to the right to maximize chances of bouncing shots (right side of the turret front has some extra armour) and keeping the gunner alive.

'''How to use an [[Anti-tank guided missiles|ATGM]]'''

The addition of the ATGM means the Strv 81 has the potential to act as a long-range support vehicle from the rear lines or the flanks. Prop up the Centurion in a well fortified and safe location and use it as a base of fire and launch missiles onto the enemies' front or sides. With the high amount of penetration available on the SS.11 missiles, even a glancing hit can do massive damage to the hit enemy tank.

The SS.11 missiles attached to the right side of the Strv 81 turret provide up to 600 mm of penetration upon impact, making all but the most deflected shots potent to any targets. Three are available for immediate usage and are guided by a MCLOS system. The missile have a trajectory of going up for a distance before leveling, creating a "dead zone" of up to 200 m that the missile cannot adequately engage in.

In arcade mode, the missile guidance system is relatively uncomplicated in aiming. Simply aim the crosshair onto the desired target and the missile will adjust to fit into the crosshair. The guidance system is sensitive as such it is not recommended to rapidly swing the crosshair around during the missile trajectory to keep it stable and on track. Once depleted, the missile will gradually reload to refill the launch racks.

In realistic and simulator mode, the missile is guided by the tank movement keys of [W], [A], [S], and [D]. [W] and [S] moves the missile vertically while [A] and [D] moves the missile horizontally. The guidance system will not activate until the missile clears its dead zone. The system is sensitive as such it is not recommended to rapidly tap the keys for movement else the missile moves out of the scope and away from the controls. Once depleted, the missile will not automatically reload and must be driven onto a captured control point for reloads.

Another way to use the atgm at long range is by shooting out enemy trasmission allowing guidance of the atgm without the enemy being able to drive behind cover. this is effective against armoured targets such against lower firepower heavily armoured targets like T26,T26e-1 and is-6. there weakspot of lower hull while not easily exploited by the low post damage apds. this method allows you to have another round ready just incase another enemy pops out while finishing off the other.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Really nice 20-pounder gun with a surprising reload rate. An ace crew can reload the gun in an excellent 6.3 seconds.
* APDS shell provides great ballistics and penetration
* Depression and good optics translate to adequate firing capacities.
* Has 3 keyboard guided ATGMs that have an astounding 600 mm of HEAT penetration. No tank at this BR can absorb that kind of penetration.
* The turret has a lot rounded angles. Will bounce some powerful shells every so often.
* There's a large 17 mm steel plate sitting between the driver and the reserve ammo, reducing the likelihood of ammo explosion.
* Decent engine power. Can climb hills and accelerate to its top speed rather quickly, with workable reverse too.
* Gets the usual bonuses that come with all Premium tanks.

'''Cons:'''

* The turret protection is unreliable thanks to the mediocre armour. 3 of the 4 crew members are in the turret.
* The lower plate and side plates are weak, vulnerable to even small calibre APBC or APHE.
* Very little engine deck armour. Susceptible to artillery and strafing aircraft.
* APDS shell might require several shots to destroy tanks.
* The 8-round ready ammo rack is used up rather quickly. If all 8 rounds are expended, the tanks fire rate drops significantly until first-stage ammo refill.
* ATGM's are really slow and landing an impact can be difficult.
* Very slow for a medium tank. Some heavy tanks might be faster.

== History ==

===Development===
The tank's concept was made in 1943 when the Directorate of Tank Design, under Sir Claude Gibb, was asked to produce a new heavy cruiser tank for the General Staff under the designation ''A41'', which was to become the standard of a British "Universal Tank" to replace the separated "infantry" and "cruiser" tanks currently used. As World War II progressed and the Germans unveiled their heavier tanks with an [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36 cannon]] like the [[Tiger H1|Tiger]], War Office made a revision to their design requirements to counter this threat. The requirements now include an increased durability and reliability, with the ability to protect itself against the 88 mm gun and mines, an agility similar to the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] and with good reverse speed, all while staying under a 40 ton weight.

Responding to these requirements, the department developed a larger hulls by adapting the suspension on the Comet, lengthening with another road wheel and spacing between the wheels. The standard Christie suspension used on the previous cruiser tanks was replaced by the Horstmann suspension, which uses coil springs on two-wheel bogies on each side and is proven to be easier to maintain than the Christie suspension. The hull used a welded and sloped armour with a cast turret mounting the famous [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|17-pounder cannon]]. The speed of the tank would be established by using the Rolls Meteor engine previously used on the Comet and [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]]. Despite these changes, the department concluded that the weight restriction would not allow the tank design to withstand the 88 mm rounds. The weight restriction was done so the tank would be able to be carried around in the Mk.I and Mk.II transport trailers, which had a 40-ton load. This restriction was rescinded to allow more freedom in the tank design, which showed potential to War Ministry. The heavier tank designs developed had armour equivalent to the heaviest infantry tanks like the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill tank]], yet with superior cross-country mobility due to improved suspension and engines.

The tank was given the name '''Centurion''' and the first mock-ups of the design was made by AEC and was presented in May 1944. After that, 20 pilot models were ordered with a various armament combinations. Ten had a 17-pounder and a 20 mm Polsten gun (5 with a machine gun in turret rear, 5 with an escape door instead), five had a 17-pounder and a BESA machine gun and an escape door, five more with the 77 mm HV gun with a driver operated hull machine gun. The prototypes of the 40-ton design, the Mk.1, had a 76 mm armour on the front glacis, which was made very powerful with the heavy sloping design on the tank. Added with a 152 mm thick turret armour, the Centurion became a very protected tank design, yet it was also very agile, outperforming the Comet tank in tests. The next Centurion model, Mk.2, featured a much thicker 118 mm front glacis armour and a thicker side armour. Production began for the Centurion Mk.2 in November 1945 for 800 tanks from Leyland Motors, Royal Ordnance Factories, and Vickers. The Mk.2 was put into service in the 5th Royal Tank Regiment in December 1946.

After the Centurion Mk.2 was put into service, Royal Ordnance developed the successor to the 17-pounder, the [[Ordnance QF 20-pounder Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20-pounder]]. With this, the Centurion went through another upgrade to mount the 20-pounder. The 20 mm Polsten gun was removed and replaced by a BESA gun due to its questionable utility. The new upgrade, now the [[Centurion Mk 3]], also featured an automatic stabilization system that improved firing accuracy while on the move. The tank was first produced in 1948 and overtook the previous Mk.1 and Mk.2 in service. However, the 20-pounder also did not stay in service for long and were replaced by the more powerful [[L7A1 (105 mm)|105 mm L7 gun]] from Royal Ordnance Factories. All Centurions versions after Mark 5/2 used the L7 gun, including the [[Centurion Mk 10]], which also featured additional armour with the new gun.

===Swedish import===
Sweden, a neutral power during World War II, analyzed the progress of technology and concluded they needed a replacement tank for their armoured forces. The Swedish Armed Forces right after World War II in 1945 decided that the most suitable tank for the upcoming years of the Cold War was the Centurion tank. A request was sent for the purchase of the vehicles, but Britain affirmed that their needs must be met before any exports of the Centurion tank could be made. Not eager to wait long for their tanks, Sweden started development in 1951 to create their own tank, designated "Emil", as well as seek out the AMX-13 light tank from France. However the wait ended abruptly when Britain started to export the Centurion in 1952, and Sweden swooped up an order of 80 Centurion Mk 3 in 1952, with the first delivery arriving in April 1953. The Swedish designated the adopted Centurion Mk 3 tank as the '''Stridsvagn 81'''. In 1955, Sweden imported another batch of Centurion, 160 Mk 5 variants, and employed them in the same designation as well. In the 1960, Sweden bought another batch of [[Centurion Mk 10|Mk 10]] tanks that were accepted as the ''Stridsvagn 101''. During the years in service, the Strv 81 and 101 were upgraded with newer equipments, modules, and armaments, as well as changing the designation to signal the improvements. There were also tests such as the inclusion of '''SS.11''' missile on the turret side to improve the firepower of the Centurions.

The Centurion Stridsvagn series served alongside the domestic Strv 103 design as the primary vehicle of the Swedish armoured forces. In 1990s, the Swedish military started to phase out the two tanks as they modernized their forces. After a series of tests between the Russian T-72, American M1 Abrams, and German Leopard 2, the Swedish military replaced their outdated armoured fleet with the Leopard 2, designated the ''Stridsvagn 121''.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_strv_81_rb52 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos

{{Youtube-gallery|P9qS2umXDIk|'''Should You Buy: Strv 81 (RB 52)''' - ''ConeOfArc''}}

== See also ==

{{main|Centurion (Family)}}

;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Strv 81 (RB 52) (Great Britain)]]
* [[Strv 81]]

;Related Development

* [[Strv 101]]
* [[Strv 104]]
* [[Strv 105]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[AMX-13 (SS.11)]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
{{Sweden medium tanks}}
{{Sweden premium ground vehicles}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

Lvkv 42

2023-05-04T23:52:59Z

U130511531: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_lvkv_42
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

'''{{Specs|name}}''' (English: ''anti air cannon wagon 42''), or '''lvkv 42''' for short, is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]]. Number 42 in its name indicates that it is the second "lvkv"-SPAA that uses 40 mm weaponry (4 = 40 mm, 2 = 2nd).

The lvkv 42 was developed by the Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors on request from the Swedish army as a 1950s next generation Swedish SPAA following the 1940s limited production lvkv fm/43 SPAA. Two prototypes based on a new original chassis-design were built and delivered for testing late December 1953 and early January 1954 respectively after various delays. In the end the project was scrapped as SPAAs with integrated radars became more necessary.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 284|rbMinHp= 177}}

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

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

{{main|lvakan m/48 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[lvakan m/48 (40 mm)|40 mm lvakan m/48]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 104 (8) || rowspan="2" | 240 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+90° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 61.6 || 85.3 || 103.6 || 114.6 || 121.9 || rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.58 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 41.6 || 49.0 || 59.5 || 65.8 || 70.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''slsgr m/36C:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}
* '''slhpgr m/43:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}

{{:lvakan m/48 (40 mm)/Ammunition|HEFI-T, AP, SAPHEI}}

==== [[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
|-
| '''13''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

== 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:'''

* Good penetration, excellent Swedish 40 mm performance can make quick work of enemy light tanks as well as medium units if utilized correctly!
* Very fast turret traverse and elevation rate (can reach 70°/s with an aced crew)
* Stock belt alternates between AP and HE every other round, making it a very effective all-purpose belt
* 240 RPM, only the Ostwind and AMX-13 DCA 40 is on par with the fire rate
* Very nimble, its agility can get you safely around the battlefield

'''Cons:'''

* Paper thin armour, very easy to be disabled or entirely knocked out by incoming HMG fire or strafing aircraft
* Low ammo storage, quickly runs out of ammunition when engaging several threats
* Along with the poor armour, the turret crew's heads are visible - making them easy targets for enemy machine gun fire

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_lvkv_42 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Ostwind]]
* [[AMX-13 DCA 40]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer AB Bofors}}
{{Sweden anti-aircraft vehicles}}

P-39N-0

2022-11-04T00:05:07Z

U130511531: the last author rarely mentioned the 37mm which is a core part of the plane's uniqueness and is quite effective in some circumstances.

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-39 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-39n
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-39n.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The primary purpose of a P-39 is that of a low-level interceptor. It lacks the high-altitude performance needed to engage strategic bombers or high-flying fighters, but is extremely competitive under 4,000 m and easily one of the best planes at its BR.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 3,048 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 613 || 593 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.9 || 19.9 || 10.5 || 10.5 || rowspan="2" | 280
|-
! Upgraded
| 680 || 641 || 17.8 || 18.0 || 21.2 || 14.9
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 950 || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 426 || 396 || 241 || ~13 || ~9
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 360 || < 380 || < 450 || > 312
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 2,800 m || 1,125 hp || 1,446 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 15.87 mm Steel - Propeller hub
* 15.87 mm Steel - Plate in front of the cockpit
* 7 mm Steel - Plate over instrument cluster
* 6 mm Steel - Upper pilot's seat and headrest encasement
* 6 mm Steel - Rear tail
* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Windscreen
* 64 mm Bulletproof glass - Headrest of pilot's seat

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M4 (37 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 37 mm M4 cannon, nose-mounted (30 rpg)
* 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
* 4 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 1,200 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|M8}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 6 x M8 rockets
* 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

The P-39N-0 can best be described as a "Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None" when it comes to flight performance. This is because the aircraft has middling performance depending on which aircraft you face at that battle rating or above, however the P-39N-0 is a very potent aircraft in downtiers.

'''Stock Grind'''

The P-39 has a relatively easy stock grind as it's easy to fly and doesn't require "ace" skills to master it. Your first priority should be performance modifications, as you have enough firepower and ammo, so shooting down planes should not be an issue. M8 rockets are relatively useless; only equip them if you have no other CAS options. They can be effective at destroying bombers in a diving attack though, albeit the 37 mm should be enough.

'''Tactics: Air Realistic'''

For usage in Air Realistic Battles, the P-39 really does its best as a multirole fighter in terms of how you engage. for instance, if you're fighting enemies such as Bf 109Es, Fw 109As, La-5s or the occasional Typhoon Mk.1, use your superior energy retention to trap them into an easy target. However, if it is a manoeuvrable enemy such as the Spitfire Mk.IIb or A6M2, it is best to extend out and make repeated Boom-and-Zoom passes on them. Also ''do not'' take out the M8 rockets, they are terrible for taking out AI targets and weigh your plane down needlessly. Prioritize attacking the enemy with the .50 cal machine Guns over the 37 mm, as while the 37 mm carries insane destructive potential with each hit, it is artificially inaccurate

the 37mm is worth comes out in head on and intercepting as in a head on the inaccuracy of the gun is not much of a problem as any stray cannon shot can tear up a fighter. it is also great for taking out large bombers that other fighters could not kill so easily.

'''Tactics: Ground Realistic'''

You are only able to carry a very limited amount of ordnance. You can attack a tank with the 500 lbs bomb or get rid of light armoured vehicles with the rockets and strafe targets so the friendlies can see them. After the ordnance is expended, your role should be air superiority. Deal with other fighters challenging your dominance and try to deal with bombers. Always try to keep the element of surprise on your side. However, overall, the A-36 is preferable over the P-39 in mixed battles for ground attack.

'''Enemies worth noting'''

* '''Germany''' - You will commonly see Bf 109 E and F models, as well as Fw 190 A models. While E models are not as serious of a threat, the Bf 109 F models are a real threat with their more powerful engines. Wait until they dive or you are at a higher energy state to engage them. As for Fw 190s, their engines are rather underwhelming so doing vertical turns will easily stall them out. In an uptier however, Bf 109 F-4s will be dangerous. However, a dive could allow you to temporarily put space between you and your foe, allowing you to counterattack.
* '''Japan''' - You will see A6M2s most often in the P-39. While they possess great manoeuvrability and firepower, they are very slow planes and the P-39 will easily outrun them as well as outclimb them. Other Japanese aircraft to take note of in the P-39N-0 fall into two categories: Fast energy fighters (Ki-61s and Ki-100s) and slow turn fighters (Ki-43 II/III, A6M3, and A6M3 mod. 22). The Ki-100s, while rarely played, are the most dangerous of these that the P-39N can potentially face, as they match the Airacobra in almost all performance metrics
* '''Great Britain''' - Spitfires are very hard to deal with if inexperienced. Your best option is to bait them into vertical turns, where they will easily stall out, making them easy prey. Make sure not to stall out in front of their guns, and plan your ascent with that in mind. Early Typhoons are not much of a threat and can be dealt with easily.
* '''Soviet Union''' - Your scariest opponents are the Lavochkin aircraft. They turn relatively well and have good energy retention. It is best to fight them only when you have a decisive energy advantage. You will fight early Yak-9s as well, but they have anaemic engine performance above 2 km and poor armament. A dive will always put you above them energy-wise, as Soviet planes generally can't exceed 650 km/h.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Heavy armament & lots of ammo for MGs
* Great dive speed and acceleration
* Accelerates very well
* Good roll rate
* Decent climb rate
* Multiple flap options which deploy/retract quickly
* Great energy retention
* Great stall control
* Very short takeoff run
* Separate weapon controls help save ammo
* 37mm destroys or fatally damages any plane it hits

'''Cons:'''

* Lacks a turbocharged engine
* Three different weapon trajectories make aiming difficult
* Compresses above 550 km/h
* Cannot fire the 2 MGs separately
* Compresses quite a lot, advisable to reduce throttle in a dive

== History ==


The P-39 Airacobra was a single-engine fighter used on the Pacific and Eastern fronts. The aircraft was produced from 1940 to May 1944 by Bell Aircraft, and its first flight was on 6 April 1938. This aircraft was great in low-altitude combat, making it useful in naval battles for escorting torpedo bombers. The original idea for the Airacobra was a defensive interceptor that would protect American shores from the Axis powers. Destroying low-flying torpedoes and normal bombers was not a challenge for this aircraft as it could easily rip the wings and tail. The plane was originally sent to Britain but with technological developments, aircraft became more powerful and engagements were happening higher and higher in the atmosphere, so it was later sent back to the United States. The US then gave the P-39 Airacobra to the Australians, where it was used to patrol the northern shores of Australia. The aircraft was later fitted with bombs and more cannons, forcing it into a ground attack role, meaning it could now penetrate some tanks of the 1939-1942 era. Today, the P-39 Airacobra can be found in the National Museum of the US Air Force and numerous other museums around the world.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
Bell's P-39 Airacobra was a WWII-era American fighter that was notable for its uncommon design: the engine was placed behind the cockpit, and the landing gear moved from the tail to the nose. The aircraft was adopted by five countries: USA, Britain, the Soviet Union, Portugal, and Australia.

The P-39N was the first variant to be mass produced, with the P-39N-0 getting a new V-1710-85(E19) engine and a 3-blade Aeroproducts propeller with a 3.15-meter diameter. Starting from aircraft #167, some fuel tanks were removed from the wings to reduce weight, and a connection for additional fuel tanks was installed under the hull. To further increase flight performance, Soviet engineers often removed the wing-mounted machine guns, leaving two nose machine guns and a cannon.

In this variant, Bell produced 2,095 aircraft. Most of these were sent to the Soviet Union on the US's Lend-Lease program. In November 1942, the USSR received the first Airacobras, and the fighters showed good results in battle manoeuvres at low and moderate altitudes. Many famous Soviet aces — such as Pokrishkin Alexander Ivanovich, Rechkalov Gregory Andreevich, Gulaev Dmitry Nikolaevich, and Kutakhov Pavel Stepanovich — piloted the Airacobras during WWII.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-39n Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


* [[P-63 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/314746-bell-p-39n-0/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer Bell}}
{{USA fighters}}

SU-85M

2022-11-03T23:36:18Z

U130511531: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_su_85m
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The SU-85M is basically the beefed up version of the regular [[SU-85]] with an increased frontal armour thickness from 45 mm into 75 mm that can save it from shots that would've been lethal for the SU-85. It also has an APCR shell modification for increased lethality against enemy tanks.

When taking the vehicle out the first time, two things will be instantly noticeable: The armour and slow movement of the gun. The former being welcome and the latter being very painful. With the right ammunition between APHE and the APCR, the SU-85M is a very good vehicle in the role of a sniper and ambusher. Weary tanks will pop out of corners, unhappy to see a SU-85M locked and loaded. The SU-85M can also be used as a long range sniper due to the 85 mm's good velocity and damage, which could destroy vehicles in just one shot. Range also comes at an advantage as the 75 mm of front sloped armour at a distance of more than 1,500 m is impervious to most tanks of its BR.

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

The SU-85M sees a great improvement on the upper front plate than the preceding SU-85, from 45 mm to 75 mm. Thanks to this the SU-85M can now frontally resist medium-penetrating tanks such as the [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]], [[M24 (Family)|M24]], and even the long 76 mm [[M4A2 (76) W|M4A2]] or [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3]], significantly boosting its survivability. However larger cannons can still go through it easily, like the [[Sturer Emil]], the [[M36 GMC|M36]], the [[Tiger II (P)]], etc. Also, the SU-85M has several frontal weak spots that can be penetrated by most tanks, such as the driver optics and hatch, some parts of the gun mantlet, and of course, the commander's cupola which is only 45 mm thick, unsloped.

As before, the SU-85M can be angled to the left to increase chance of a bounce and give it a chance against shells of tanks like the [[Tiger H1]] or even ignore many tanks of lower BR at point blank range. Unfortunately, tall tanks like the [[Panther A]] have enough of an edge over the SU-85M to penetrate upper part of the hull regardless and even at extreme range and high ground there still is a possibility of being hit directly into commander cupola which has poor armour. Still, angling sometimes makes them flinch and fail the shot and may make them damage gun breech or take out the commander and/or the loader instead of the gunner and the driver, allowing SU-85M to fire back at them again, retreat or ram them to allow teammates to finish them off. For the same reason it is better to keep distance from intense firefights, as there is no telling when your luck will run out.

The post-penetration survivability is very poor due to the cramped interior, an explosive AP shell is likely to knock out 2 to 4 crew members. Against solid AP shells the SU-85M can survive a few penetrations, but explosive shells are still more common. A penetration on the left side is generally fatal regardless of a mode, since all 3 crucial crew members are sitting in a straight line, which is why angling is a reasonable strategy even if it does little more than inconvenience SU-85M opponents.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, superstructure)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, driver's hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (60°) ''Lower glacis'' || 45 mm ''Bottom'' 45 mm (41°) ''Engine compartment'' || 45 mm (49°) ''Upper glacis'' 45 mm (49°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm 20 + 10 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Superstructure || 75 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 70 mm (52°) ''Driver's hatch'' 75 + 75 mm (spherical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm ''Gun mantlet'' 45 mm (19°) 45 mm (cylindrical) ''Cupola well'' || 45 mm 20 mm ''Rear hatch'' || 20 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 45 mm (cylindrical) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Mudguards and fuel barrels are not modeled as armour.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=710|rbMinHp=442}}

Being based on a T-34 chassis, the mobility of the SU-85M also feels similar to the T-34-85. The top speed of 55 km/h and a powerful 500 hp engine allow it to manoeuvre around the battlefield quite easily, though it might sometimes feel sluggish when accelerating, especially with stock engine modifications. Its wide tracks greatly improve the handling on muddy or soft terrains, giving it great off-road mobility. The hull traverse speed is adequate for quick turns in an urban environment or keeping up with a flanker, but often a forward acceleration is needed to turn the hull quicker. The reverse speed, however, is only -8 km/h on average which can get the player killed as it prevents the SU-85M from retreating back to safety quickly.

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

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

{{main|D-5S (85 mm)}}

The SU-85M is armed with the 85 mm D-5S cannon, similar to the one used by the famous T-34-85. Just like the T-34's cannon, the D-5S comes with a variety of shells for different scenarios, including APHE, APCR and HE. These shells are all very capable of penetrating common opponents (eg. Tiger H1, Chi-Ri, Pz.IV 70) at an appropriate distance, and the damage of the APHE shells are one of the best.

However, the SU-85M's firepower is greatly limited by the traverse angles. The insufficient gun depression of only -3 degrees is very restricting, it is even worse than the SU-85 and T-34-85, preventing the SU-85M from combating in a hilly battlefield. The aiming speed of the gun is also not fast, meaning it can be vulnerable to flankers and fast targets. Lastly, just like most tanks at this stage, the SU-85M is aimed by a gunsight whose magnification tops at 3.5x which is not helpful for long range engagements.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D-5S (85 mm)|85 mm D-5S]] || 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" | 60 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±8° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 7.0 || 9.8 || 11.8 || 13.1 || 13.9 || rowspan="2" | 9.62 || rowspan="2" | 8.51 || rowspan="2" | 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 7.40
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 148 || 143 || 126 || 106 || 90 || 77
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 135 || 133 || 124 || 114 || 104 || 95
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 195 || 187 || 154 || 122 || 96 || 76
|-
| O-365K || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 73.92 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 164 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 1,050 || 4.99 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 793 || 9.54 || 0 || 0.1 || 741 || 79° || 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 46 ''(+14)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' || 13 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Flanks and front hull empty: 13 ''(+47)'' shells.

== Usage in battles ==

As a tank destroyer, the SU-85M's job is to hunt down and ambush tanks and destroy them. When aiming at a tank, prioritize the area the enemy gunner sits at as if the first shot does not completely destroy the enemy vehicle, the downed gunner forces the enemy to fallback as the SU-85M goes through the lengthy reload time.

Do not attempt to brawl with this vehicle as it is unsuited for mobile, frontal assaults due to the fixed gun traverse and height differences. Keep calm and wait for the enemy to roll into the gun sights instead so while the enemy panics upon the sight of the tank destroyer, the SU-85M can use this time to aim for a good hit.

Heavy tanks and medium tanks should be engaged with caution due to their lethality against the SU-85M's armour. Heavy tanks are a concern as some have enough armour and/or angling to prevent a reliable penetration by the 85 mm, like the [[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]], [[IS-1]], [[IS-2]], and [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]. Have them distracted against teammates first and attack them when they lose focus, as otherwise they will immediately take defensive stance against you. While they are engaged against teammates or otherwise distracted, aim the 85 mm onto weak points on their front armour, or flank around and attack them on their side armour. Though most medium tanks will be able to be destroyed by an 85 mm shot, some medium tanks with angled armour could resist the 85 mm shot by a high degree such as [[Panther D|Panthers]].

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[Panther A]]

The Panthers are one of the most common tanks around BR 5.7, and they pose a great threat with their deadly long 75 mm cannon, tall profile, thick sloped frontal armour and adequate speed. You want to avoid engaging them at long range as the SU-85M has only x3.5 scope magnification, making long-range shooting super hard. Engage the Panthers within 500 m and avoid shooting their frontal hull, unless you have high ground. Their biggest weak spot is the gun mantlet, which is only 100 mm thick and has a flat part in the middle. That is where you want to aim at, the SU-85's APHE has sufficient damage to destroy half of the Panther crew even from its turret. The second weak spot is the sides, which more often than not instantly destroys the vehicle. Generally, APHE is enough to deal with the Panthers, and no APCR is needed. The APHE shell loves to chew through the Panther's thin side armour, even if it's a bit angled.

[[Tiger H1]]/[[Tiger E|E]]:

The Tiger's weak spots are the opposite with the Panthers. Their hull is unsloped and rather thin, while the gun mantlet is weirdly shaped and can absorb quite some shells. The best engaging range remains the same, within 500 m. If the Tiger is angling, aim at the turret ring to disable the gunner and destroy the turret traverse, or aim at the hull side below the side skirt, which is only 60 mm. If it is not angling, aim between the driver's vision port and the MG for an instant kill. Avoid shooting at these two parts as they will bounce/absorb shells every time. For the Tiger E, don't shoot at the lower glacis as there will be add-on tracks installed there, making it harder to penetrate. Its transmission will also absorb all damage.

[[Ho-Ri Prototype]]:

In a frontal engagement, APCR is required as the APHE shells don't have enough penetration. With APCR loaded, aim at the further sides of the fighting compartment, away from the gun, because the further from the gun, the thinner the armour gets, with the thinnest part being around 160 mm unsloped. Penetrating there will knock out its loader, gunner or commander, or detonate the ammo. Of course, the best way is still side-shooting with APHE. If Ho-Ri is charging at you, fire at its gun or track and hope the shell doesn't bounce, as otherwise it will absolutely destroy you.

[[Panzer IV/70(V)|Panzer IV/70]], [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]:

These small tank destroyers with their well-angled frontal armour can be quite a problem from a distance. With APHE, you can disable their transmission by shooting at their lower glacis. Now if you can, flank them. The 85 mm APHE does a great job at penetrating sloped, thin armour, so you don't have to get to their absolute sides. For the Pz IV/70, you can also aim at the downward part of the gun mantlet since the shell might ricochet downwards into the hull, knocking out every crew member. The Jagdpanzer 38(t) doesn't have this problem, so side-shooting is required to destroy it effectively.

[[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]]:

Engage with caution. The 76 mm could penetrate through the front hull with ease at average combat ranges. The front hull armour is impervious to APCR in most cases and will block APHE shots if angled correctly. Focus on weak spots such as the lower side armour and the turret ring, or even the shot trap on the lower sections of the gun mantlet. Attack from high ground to negate its angled armour or destroy the cannon and rush it down, if you must.

[[Sturer Emil]]:

Picking a long-range fight with a Sturer Emil from the front is suicide, the Emil's 128 mm will reach and penetrate the SU-85M before it is in position to fire back. Only engage if certain the Emil is unaware of the {{PAGENAME}}'s presence on its flanks, or point it out to allies for more mobile friendlies to engage and destroy it. Allies could also divert its attention from the SU-85M to allow for an 85 mm shot into the thin armour on it. If you have to attack it head-on, load HE and pray to fire first, as the Sturer Emil can destroy the SU-85M in one hit. If a hit was successful, it will lose most of its crew (which should be enough for it to count as dead in RB), after this attempt to move out of its gun range and finish it off if it's still alive.

[[Nashorn]]: Same as the Sturer Emil, but this tank does not have a chance to survive an HE shell and it moves much faster.

[[M10 (Family)|M10]],[[M18 Hellcat (Family)|M18]] and their other versions: If you can, load HE before engaging them to obliterate them in one hit anywhere, as they a tendency to survive APHE shots and are way too dangerous to SU-85M to be left alive. If you have APHE loaded, aim for the turret or the middle of the tank.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Modest upper frontal plate protection can sustain shots from short tanks, even at closer ranges if angled
* 85 mm gun is effective against most vehicles with its adequate penetration and destructive damage
* Access to BR-365P APCR to penetrate tougher tanks
* Upgraded APHE offers higher one-shot potential for only 10 mm of flat penetration at point blank, which is mostly irrelevant at the BR
* Good speed of 40 km/h with great manoeuvrability on most angles and surfaces
* Low silhouette

'''Cons:'''

* Vulnerable to tall tanks like the [[Panther A]] and needs high ground and long range or high user skill to beat them on equal elevation, as they often also can deflect its shells at random
* Driver hatch and area around cupola are weak spots that often can be penetrated by German and Japanese tanks even when angling
* Penetration on the left side is always fatal, very vulnerable to HEAT and other special shells for this reason
* -3 degrees gun depression is painful, cannot aim down even on a gentle slope, the SPG will have to unangle and expose itself to attack downwards at close to medium range
* Cannon turns slowly enough for an enemy to jump out from the opposite direction, aim and do a close range shot (from 250 m) before the SU-85M can return fire accurately
* Comes without a turret, making it vulnerable in certain situations (but also less visible)
* Very average reverse speed of -9 km/h
* Reload can be too long for what the SU-85M must face, so fights should be picked carefully

== History ==

===Development===
The development for this vehicle began in 1943 to supplement the firepower the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] has. Before then, the T-34 and KV-1 tanks are more than adequate to deal with the German Panzer forces, but by the end of 1942, the appearance of the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] revealed that the German armoured forces were becoming more developed and more armoured. This reveal showed the Red Army that needed better guns in order to deal with the rising threat of these new German vehicles.

The search for a better gun led to the development of the D-5 85 mm gun, which was a modified anti-aircraft gun made by design bureaus of Vasiliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov. It was found that the new gun was unable to be mounted on the current T-34 or KV-1, so it was to be mounted as a self-propelled gun like the [[SU-122]], which is a self-propelled gun made on a T-34 chassis. The vehicle to be produced was designated the [[SU-85]] and was similar to the SU-122, just replacing the 122 mm gun with an 85 mm one. The gun that was to be mounted in the self-propelled configuration was designated the D-5S (S for self-propelled) and the vehicle was produced at the Uralmash factory. Modifications were made overtime during its production such as a telescopic sight and a new ball gun mantlet, these modified vehicles were designated the "SU-85-II". Up to 2,050 units were produced from mid-1943 to late 1944.

===Combat usage===
The SU-85 saw service in August 1943 in Soviet service, which coincides the time the Soviets engage in a counteroffensive against the Battle of Kursk. It was praised for its low profile to be able to conceal itself and its excellent mobility. The initial production batch had low visibility due to lack of optics, with only four periscopes in the design, but this was improved on the '''SU-85M''' with a commander's cupola seen on the later variants of the T-34. The 85 mm gun was able to destroy a Tiger tank from 1000 meters out, proving much capable against the newer German tank designs. Though capable, its firepower was still seen as lacking considering the Tiger could still destroy it and T-34s from up to 2,000 meters away. The lack of range on the SU-85, plus the up-arming of T-34s from the 76.2 mm F-34 gun to the same 85 mm gun as well in the [[T-34-85]] caused the production of the SU-85 to be cancelled in late 1944 as it no longer provided any beneficial firepower over the standard tank unit.

Even after it was retired from Soviet service, replaced by the more powerful [[SU-100]], it was exported to Soviet allies in the Warsaw Pact after World War II. The SU-85s were either kept as tank destroyers or converted into armour recovery or command vehicles. These vehicles saw service in North Korea, Vietnam, and may still be in service today by Central European countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The increasing armour thickness of the enemy's new heavy tanks necessitated a more powerful SPG. A newly planned 100 mm weapon was being reworked. So in July 1944, the 85 mm D-5-S85 cannon was installed in a newly designed SPG cabin with thicker 75 mm frontal armour, a spacious fighting compartment and a command cupola. This SPG was designated SU-85M and was produced until December 1944. The vehicle, equipped with a new gun mantlet, fired at a rate of 6-8 shots per minute. Its elevation angle was -5° to +25°, and its traversing angle was 20° (up to 10° to each side). In contrast to the SU-85, the vehicle's ammunition capacity was increased to 60 shells. The SPG's crew used PPSh submachine guns and F-1 hand grenades for self-defence.

In 1944, 315 SU-85M SPGs were manufactured in total.

The SPGs were used as cover for medium tanks and to offer them fire support when necessary. They were able to quickly move around the front both defensively and offensively. In defence, SU-85s often made use of ambush tactics. The vehicles hid at convenient distances along the enemy tanks' path and, letting them approach to within 300-600 m, opened precision fire. Before T-34-85 tanks went into mass production, this SPG was the primary means of effective battle against German tanks and played the important role of a mobile tank destroyer in the Red Army.

Captured SPGs of this type were used by the Wehrmacht. There were entire regiments of tank destroyers consisting of these vehicles - the 23rd Tank Division, for example.

SU-85 and SU-85M SPGs were put into service in the Polish Army.

In spite of all the SPG's advantages, its firepower was insufficient to combat enemy heavy tanks at long ranges.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_su_85m Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|I-lKNF88H8k|'''Sub Request, {{PAGENAME}}. Oh this is gonna hurt....''' - ''Joseph 2000''|soEbO1dEJUM|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Surprisingly excellent!''' - ''Oxy''|NRe_zFppBdU|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[SU-122]]
* [[SU-85]]
* [[SU-100]]
* [[SU-122P]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Panzer IV/70(V)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:SU-85|[Wikipedia] SU-85]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_SU-85.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> SU-85]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

SU-85M

2022-11-03T23:34:48Z

U130511531: /* Usage in battles */ tiger 2 is not at its br range

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_su_85m
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The SU-85M is basically the beefed up version of the regular [[SU-85]] with an increased frontal armour thickness from 45 mm into 75 mm that can save it from shots that would've been lethal for the SU-85. It also has an APCR shell modification for increased lethality against enemy tanks.

When taking the vehicle out the first time, two things will be instantly noticeable: The armour and slow movement of the gun. The former being welcome and the latter being very painful. With the right ammunition between APHE and the APCR, the SU-85M is a very good vehicle in the role of a sniper and ambusher. Weary tanks will pop out of corners, unhappy to see a SU-85M locked and loaded. The SU-85M can also be used as a long range sniper due to the 85 mm's good velocity and damage, which could destroy vehicles in just one shot. Range also comes at an advantage as the 75 mm of front sloped armour at a distance of more than 1,500 m is impervious to most tanks of its BR.

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

The SU-85M sees a great improvement on the upper front plate than the preceding SU-85, from 45 mm to 75 mm. Thanks to this the SU-85M can now frontally resist medium-penetrating tanks such as the [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]], [[M24 (Family)|M24]], and even the long 76 mm [[M4A2 (76) W|M4A2]] or [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3]], significantly boosting its survivability. However larger cannons can still go through it easily, like the [[Sturer Emil]], the [[M36 GMC|M36]], the [[Tiger II (P)]], etc. Also, the SU-85M has several frontal weak spots that can be penetrated by most tanks, such as the driver optics and hatch, some parts of the gun mantlet, and of course, the commander's cupola which is only 45 mm thick, unsloped.

As before, the SU-85M can be angled to the left to increase chance of a bounce and give it a chance against shells of tanks like the [[Tiger H1]] or even ignore many tanks of lower BR at point blank range. Unfortunately, tall tanks like the [[Panther A]] have enough of an edge over the SU-85M to penetrate upper part of the hull regardless and even at extreme range and high ground there still is a possibility of being hit directly into commander cupola which has poor armour. Still, angling sometimes makes them flinch and fail the shot and may make them damage gun breech or take out the commander and/or the loader instead of the gunner and the driver, allowing SU-85M to fire back at them again, retreat or ram them to allow teammates to finish them off. For the same reason it is better to keep distance from intense firefights, as there is no telling when your luck will run out.

The post-penetration survivability is very poor due to the cramped interior, an explosive AP shell is likely to knock out 2 to 4 crew members. Against solid AP shells the SU-85M can survive a few penetrations, but explosive shells are still more common. A penetration on the left side is generally fatal regardless of a mode, since all 3 crucial crew members are sitting in a straight line, which is why angling is a reasonable strategy even if it does little more than inconvenience SU-85M opponents.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, superstructure)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, driver's hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (60°) ''Lower glacis'' || 45 mm ''Bottom'' 45 mm (41°) ''Engine compartment'' || 45 mm (49°) ''Upper glacis'' 45 mm (49°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm 20 + 10 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Superstructure || 75 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 70 mm (52°) ''Driver's hatch'' 75 + 75 mm (spherical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm ''Gun mantlet'' 45 mm (19°) 45 mm (cylindrical) ''Cupola well'' || 45 mm 20 mm ''Rear hatch'' || 20 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 45 mm (cylindrical) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Mudguards and fuel barrels are not modeled as armour.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=710|rbMinHp=442}}

Being based on a T-34 chassis, the mobility of the SU-85M also feels similar to the T-34-85. The top speed of 55 km/h and a powerful 500 hp engine allow it to manoeuvre around the battlefield quite easily, though it might sometimes feel sluggish when accelerating, especially with stock engine modifications. Its wide tracks greatly improve the handling on muddy or soft terrains, giving it great off-road mobility. The hull traverse speed is adequate for quick turns in an urban environment or keeping up with a flanker, but often a forward acceleration is needed to turn the hull quicker. The reverse speed, however, is only -8 km/h on average which can get the player killed as it prevents the SU-85M from retreating back to safety quickly.

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

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

{{main|D-5S (85 mm)}}

The SU-85M is armed with the 85 mm D-5S cannon, similar to the one used by the famous T-34-85. Just like the T-34's cannon, the D-5S comes with a variety of shells for different scenarios, including APHE, APCR and HE. These shells are all very capable of penetrating common opponents (eg. Tiger H1, Chi-Ri, Pz.IV 70) at an appropriate distance, and the damage of the APHE shells are one of the best.

However, the SU-85M's firepower is greatly limited by the traverse angles. The insufficient gun depression of only -3 degrees is very restricting, it is even worse than the SU-85 and T-34-85, preventing the SU-85M from combating in a hilly battlefield. The aiming speed of the gun is also not fast, meaning it can be vulnerable to flankers and fast targets. Lastly, just like most tanks at this stage, the SU-85M is aimed by a gunsight whose magnification tops at 3.5x which is not helpful for long range engagements.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D-5S (85 mm)|85 mm D-5S]] || 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" | 60 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±8° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 7.0 || 9.8 || 11.8 || 13.1 || 13.9 || rowspan="2" | 9.62 || rowspan="2" | 8.51 || rowspan="2" | 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 7.40
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 148 || 143 || 126 || 106 || 90 || 77
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 135 || 133 || 124 || 114 || 104 || 95
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 195 || 187 || 154 || 122 || 96 || 76
|-
| O-365K || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 73.92 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 164 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 1,050 || 4.99 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 793 || 9.54 || 0 || 0.1 || 741 || 79° || 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 46 ''(+14)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' || 13 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Flanks and front hull empty: 13 ''(+47)'' shells.

== Usage in battles ==

As a tank destroyer, the SU-85M's job is to hunt down and ambush tanks and destroy them. When aiming at a tank, prioritize the area the enemy gunner sits at as if the first shot does not completely destroy the enemy vehicle, the downed gunner forces the enemy to fallback as the SU-85M goes through the lengthy reload time.

Do not attempt to brawl with this vehicle as it is unsuited for mobile, frontal assaults due to the fixed gun traverse and height differences. Keep calm and wait for the enemy to roll into the gun sights instead so while the enemy panics upon the sight of the tank destroyer, the SU-85M can use this time to aim for a good hit.

Heavy tanks and medium tanks should be engaged with caution due to their lethality against the SU-85M's armour. Heavy tanks are a concern as some have enough armour and/or angling to prevent a reliable penetration by the 85 mm, like the [[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]], [[IS-1]], [[IS-2]], and [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]. Have them distracted against teammates first and attack them when they lose focus, as otherwise they will immediately take defensive stance against you. While they are engaged against teammates or otherwise distracted, aim the 85 mm onto weak points on their front armour, or flank around and attack them on their side armour. Though most medium tanks will be able to be destroyed by an 85 mm shot, some medium tanks with angled armour could resist the 85 mm shot by a high degree such as [[Panther D|Panthers]].

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[Panther A]]

The Panthers are one of the most common tanks around BR 5.7, and they pose a great threat with their deadly long 75 mm cannon, tall profile, thick sloped frontal armour and adequate speed. You want to avoid engaging them at long range as the SU-85M has only x3.5 scope magnification, making long-range shooting super hard. Engage the Panthers within 500 m and avoid shooting their frontal hull, unless you have high ground. Their biggest weak spot is the gun mantlet, which is only 100 mm thick and has a flat part in the middle. That is where you want to aim at, the SU-85's APHE has sufficient damage to destroy half of the Panther crew even from its turret. The second weak spot is the sides, which more often than not instantly destroys the vehicle. Generally, APHE is enough to deal with the Panthers, and no APCR is needed. The APHE shell loves to chew through the Panther's thin side armour, even if it's a bit angled.

[[Tiger H1]]/[[Tiger E|E]]:

The Tiger's weak spots are the opposite with the Panthers. Their hull is unsloped and rather thin, while the gun mantlet is weirdly shaped and can absorb quite some shells. The best engaging range remains the same, within 500 m. If the Tiger is angling, aim at the turret ring to disable the gunner and destroy the turret traverse, or aim at the hull side below the side skirt, which is only 60 mm. If it is not angling, aim between the driver's vision port and the MG for an instant kill. Avoid shooting at these two parts as they will bounce/absorb shells every time. For the Tiger E, don't shoot at the lower glacis as there will be add-on tracks installed there, making it harder to penetrate. Its transmission will also absorb all damage.

[[Ho-Ri Prototype]]:

In a frontal engagement, APCR is required as the APHE shells don't have enough penetration. With APCR loaded, aim at the further sides of the fighting compartment, away from the gun, because the further from the gun, the thinner the armour gets, with the thinnest part being around 160 mm unsloped. Penetrating there will knock out its loader, gunner or commander, or detonate the ammo. Of course, the best way is still side-shooting with APHE. If Ho-Ri is charging at you, fire at its gun or track and hope the shell doesn't bounce, as otherwise it will absolutely destroy you.

[[Panzer IV/70(V)|Panzer IV/70]], [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]:

These small tank destroyers with their well-angled frontal armour can be quite a problem from a distance. With APHE, you can disable their transmission by shooting at their lower glacis. Now if you can, flank them. The 85 mm APHE does a great job at penetrating sloped, thin armour, so you don't have to get to their absolute sides. For the Pz IV/70, you can also aim at the downward part of the gun mantlet since the shell might ricochet downwards into the hull, knocking out every crew member. The Jagdpanzer 38(t) doesn't have this problem, so side-shooting is required to destroy it effectively.

[[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]]:

Engage with caution. The 76 mm could penetrate through the front hull with ease at average combat ranges. The front hull armour is impervious to APCR in most cases and will block APHE shots if angled correctly. Focus on weak spots such as the lower side armour and the turret ring, or even the shot trap on the lower sections of the gun mantlet. Attack from high ground to negate its angled armour or destroy the cannon and rush it down, if you must.

[[Sturer Emil]]:

Picking a long-range fight with a Sturer Emil from the front is suicide, the Emil's 128 mm will reach and penetrate the SU-85M before it is in position to fire back. Only engage if certain the Emil is unaware of the {{PAGENAME}}'s presence on its flanks, or point it out to allies for more mobile friendlies to engage and destroy it. Allies could also divert its attention from the SU-85M to allow for an 85 mm shot into the thin armour on it. If you have to attack it head-on, load HE and pray to fire first, as the Sturer Emil can destroy the SU-85M in one hit. If a hit was successful, it will lose most of its crew (which should be enough for it to count as dead in RB), after this attempt to move out of its gun range and finish it off if it's still alive.

[[Nashorn]]: Same as the Sturer Emil, but this tank does not have a chance to survive an HE shell and it moves much faster.

[[M10 (Family)|M10]],[[M18 Hellcat (Family)|M18]] and their other versions: If you can, load HE before engaging them to obliterate them in one hit anywhere, as they a tendency to survive APHE shots and are way too dangerous to SU-85M to be left alive. If you have APHE loaded, aim for the turret or the middle of the tank.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Modest upper frontal plate protection can sustain shots from short tanks, even at closer ranges if angled
* 85 mm gun is effective against most vehicles with its adequate penetration and destructive damage
* Access to BR-365P APCR to penetrate tougher tanks ([[Tiger II (H)]],[[Ho-Ri Prototype]])
* Upgraded APHE offers higher one-shot potential for only 10 mm of flat penetration at point blank, which is mostly irrelevant at the BR
* Good speed of 40 km/h with great manoeuvrability on most angles and surfaces
* Low silhouette

'''Cons:'''

* Vulnerable to tall tanks like the [[Panther A]] and [[Tiger II (P)]] and needs high ground and long range or high user skill to beat them on equal elevation, as they often also can deflect its shells at random
* Driver hatch and area around cupola are weak spots that often can be penetrated by German and Japanese tanks even when angling
* Penetration on the left side is always fatal, very vulnerable to HEAT and other special shells for this reason
* -3 degrees gun depression is painful, cannot aim down even on a gentle slope, the SPG will have to unangle and expose itself to attack downwards at close to medium range
* Cannon turns slowly enough for an enemy to jump out from the opposite direction, aim and do a close range shot (from 250 m) before the SU-85M can return fire accurately
* Comes without a turret, making it vulnerable in certain situations (but also less visible)
* Very average reverse speed of -9 km/h
* Reload can be too long for what the SU-85M must face, so fights should be picked carefully

== History ==

===Development===
The development for this vehicle began in 1943 to supplement the firepower the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] has. Before then, the T-34 and KV-1 tanks are more than adequate to deal with the German Panzer forces, but by the end of 1942, the appearance of the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] revealed that the German armoured forces were becoming more developed and more armoured. This reveal showed the Red Army that needed better guns in order to deal with the rising threat of these new German vehicles.

The search for a better gun led to the development of the D-5 85 mm gun, which was a modified anti-aircraft gun made by design bureaus of Vasiliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov. It was found that the new gun was unable to be mounted on the current T-34 or KV-1, so it was to be mounted as a self-propelled gun like the [[SU-122]], which is a self-propelled gun made on a T-34 chassis. The vehicle to be produced was designated the [[SU-85]] and was similar to the SU-122, just replacing the 122 mm gun with an 85 mm one. The gun that was to be mounted in the self-propelled configuration was designated the D-5S (S for self-propelled) and the vehicle was produced at the Uralmash factory. Modifications were made overtime during its production such as a telescopic sight and a new ball gun mantlet, these modified vehicles were designated the "SU-85-II". Up to 2,050 units were produced from mid-1943 to late 1944.

===Combat usage===
The SU-85 saw service in August 1943 in Soviet service, which coincides the time the Soviets engage in a counteroffensive against the Battle of Kursk. It was praised for its low profile to be able to conceal itself and its excellent mobility. The initial production batch had low visibility due to lack of optics, with only four periscopes in the design, but this was improved on the '''SU-85M''' with a commander's cupola seen on the later variants of the T-34. The 85 mm gun was able to destroy a Tiger tank from 1000 meters out, proving much capable against the newer German tank designs. Though capable, its firepower was still seen as lacking considering the Tiger could still destroy it and T-34s from up to 2,000 meters away. The lack of range on the SU-85, plus the up-arming of T-34s from the 76.2 mm F-34 gun to the same 85 mm gun as well in the [[T-34-85]] caused the production of the SU-85 to be cancelled in late 1944 as it no longer provided any beneficial firepower over the standard tank unit.

Even after it was retired from Soviet service, replaced by the more powerful [[SU-100]], it was exported to Soviet allies in the Warsaw Pact after World War II. The SU-85s were either kept as tank destroyers or converted into armour recovery or command vehicles. These vehicles saw service in North Korea, Vietnam, and may still be in service today by Central European countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The increasing armour thickness of the enemy's new heavy tanks necessitated a more powerful SPG. A newly planned 100 mm weapon was being reworked. So in July 1944, the 85 mm D-5-S85 cannon was installed in a newly designed SPG cabin with thicker 75 mm frontal armour, a spacious fighting compartment and a command cupola. This SPG was designated SU-85M and was produced until December 1944. The vehicle, equipped with a new gun mantlet, fired at a rate of 6-8 shots per minute. Its elevation angle was -5° to +25°, and its traversing angle was 20° (up to 10° to each side). In contrast to the SU-85, the vehicle's ammunition capacity was increased to 60 shells. The SPG's crew used PPSh submachine guns and F-1 hand grenades for self-defence.

In 1944, 315 SU-85M SPGs were manufactured in total.

The SPGs were used as cover for medium tanks and to offer them fire support when necessary. They were able to quickly move around the front both defensively and offensively. In defence, SU-85s often made use of ambush tactics. The vehicles hid at convenient distances along the enemy tanks' path and, letting them approach to within 300-600 m, opened precision fire. Before T-34-85 tanks went into mass production, this SPG was the primary means of effective battle against German tanks and played the important role of a mobile tank destroyer in the Red Army.

Captured SPGs of this type were used by the Wehrmacht. There were entire regiments of tank destroyers consisting of these vehicles - the 23rd Tank Division, for example.

SU-85 and SU-85M SPGs were put into service in the Polish Army.

In spite of all the SPG's advantages, its firepower was insufficient to combat enemy heavy tanks at long ranges.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_su_85m Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|I-lKNF88H8k|'''Sub Request, {{PAGENAME}}. Oh this is gonna hurt....''' - ''Joseph 2000''|soEbO1dEJUM|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Surprisingly excellent!''' - ''Oxy''|NRe_zFppBdU|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[SU-122]]
* [[SU-85]]
* [[SU-100]]
* [[SU-122P]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Panzer IV/70(V)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:SU-85|[Wikipedia] SU-85]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_SU-85.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> SU-85]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

Hawk III

2022-11-02T01:23:24Z

U130511531: /* Pros and cons */

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]]. Players should note that the Hawk III's landing gear takes an extremely long time to retract and lower, so when landing, you should lower the landing gear well before you think you should.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,850 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 425 || 414 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 13.9 || 14.4 || 12.0 || 12.0 || rowspan="2" | 274
|-
! Upgraded
| 466 || 444 || 13.0 || 13.3 || 19.3 || 15.2
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || X || X || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~12 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 240 || < 220 || < 400 || > 250
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 2,926 m || 745 hp || 856 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The Hawk III does not have any armour, and the pilot is exposed. There is one large fuel tank located in front of the pilot.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (600 rpg = 1,200 total)

The Browning machine guns aren't particularly powerful, even for the low battle rating. The small calibre of the machine guns (one of the smallest in the game) coupled to their low number (only 2) leads to a very poor one-second burst mass. To deal damage effectively, one must learn to lead accurately and track consistently, landing as many bullets on target for as long as possible. Avoid firing a volley of bullets in the target's flight path with minimal lead adjustments and waiting for the target to crash into your line of fire, since this means that the target will get only a few hits. This tactic is more for heavy-punching aircraft like late-war interceptors, while planes with small one-second burst mass like the Hawk III will struggle to kill. Also note that the projectiles have a large circular spread, even with the New machine guns modification installed. Therefore when shooting from ~500 m away, expect a significant drop in hits. Nevertheless, with precise aiming, the MGs are still adequate for destroying the wooden biplanes that the Hawk III encounters. Against aircraft, the universal belt is most effective.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 4 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (400 lb total)
* 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb + 4 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (900 lb total)

The Hawk III is very unique for a biplane fighter, as it has the ability to carry almost 1,000 lbs of bombs. Note that the 4 x 100 lb bombs will drop in 2 pairs, followed by the single 500 lb one. However, note that the full bomb load will impede flight performance quite significantly. Also, it is safer to set a bomb fuse of at least 2 seconds, since the Hawk III is a slow biplane, so dropping the 500 lb bomb when close to the ground will result in the player not being able to zoom out of the blast radius in time and getting destroyed by its own bomb.

== Usage in battles ==

The Hawk III is a very unique, fun aircraft to fly and has a couple of very interesting perks. It is very competitive as a biplane fighter, and also has the ability to carry a very substantial bombload.

'''Air battles:'''

In air battles, the plane can be approached in several different ways. The first, and simplest, way is to play the Hawk III as a fighter. Indeed, the aircraft is highly manoeuvrable (can turn competitively with most aircraft except the [[I-15 (Family)|I-15]]) and has a good top speed as well. In this style, take off, and climb altitude a bit, and then engage any targets available. However, do not fly too aggressively as the aircraft can get itself into sticky situations where it is being pursued by multiple enemy aircraft. Make sure to fly with teammates, and work together to avoid a quick death. The 7.7 mm Browning guns are rather weak, but more than enough to destroy the fabric and wood aircraft that the Hawk III faces normally. Finally, note that the aircraft's landing gear is manually cranked, and takes up to ~30 seconds to retract/deploy. Keep this in mind, and always deploy landing gear early when preparing to land.

The second, and more interesting, playstyle of the Hawk III is to fly it as a ground attacker. This is particularly interesting because the Hawk the can carry a large bomb load of 900 lbs, split between four 100 lb bombs and one 500 lb bomb. If flying this way, try to avoid engaging in fighter combat, as the bombs will decrease the Hawk's flight performance significantly. As well, the bombs are all of a lower size, meaning that they are best suited for destroying softer targets such as armoured cars and AAA batteries. Finally, note that the 100 lb bombs drop in pairs. This means that, instead of hitting five targets, you will only be able to hit three targets. A tactic to consider is, upon takeoff, fly to the nearest cluster of howitzers, trucks, AAAs, light tanks, or pillboxes. Climb at a shallow ~5 degrees so you can gather up some speed to fly across the map quickly. When arriving at target area you will be around 1 km above the ground which is generally enough for some shallow dive bombing runs. Since the 100 lb bombs drop first in 2 pairs, find some light targets like light tanks or even trucks to deliver the bombs. The 500 lb bomb is better for heavier targets like pillboxes and medium tanks, or even ships. Since the Hawk III is quite slow, you want to aim the bombs slightly higher to make up for their lack of momentum. Once the bombs are out, use your MGs to strafe soft targets. Make sure to constantly scan your surroundings and above for potential enemies. If, luckily, no one comes after you when you finish your strafing runs, climb around the main battle area to gather some altitude and observe the fight to pick a target to engage. If someone does attack you while you are strafing, engage WEP and level out or even dive a little if you have space to gather up enough speed for evasive manoeuvres. When empty loaded, the Hawk III's manoeuvrability is generally on par with other biplanes which allows you to fight back. Its rudder is quite effective, so make sure to utilise it in your manoeuvres.

'''Ground battles:'''

As with the aforementioned ground attack playstyle, the Hawk III is a great complementary aircraft for lower-tier Chinese lineups. The aircraft's great manoeuvrability and good suspended ordnance means that it can be used as a potent early ground attacker. The relatively large bomb load should be used against more clustered targets, to maximize the amount of targets hit in a single strike. Since most tanks around this BR are averagely armoured, the Hawk's 3 bomb drops can grant you at least 3 tank kills if you deliver the bombs accurately. As mentioned before, the Hawk III has poor manoeuvrability when fully loaded, so the time at which you spawn with this aircraft can significantly affect you CAS performance. The best times to spawn in is where there are absolutely no enemy planes in sight, typically in the early stages of a match, though it can happen any time. Or, there are some enemy planes as well as friendly ones. These situations will allow the Hawk to focus on ground targets. The worst situation is when your Hawk is the only aircraft of your team, and the sky is already filled with roaming enemy planes. This will most certainly result in you being chased and downed before you can even drop your bombload. So pick your spawning time wisely, observe the sky before spawning in the Hawk III.

As you spawn in and arrive above the battlefield, you will usually be around 700-1,000 m high which is enough for some dive bombing. Dive at around 45 degrees towards the target tank. This first bombing run will usually be quite fast since you have enough altitude to start with, and the Hawk III can accelerate up to ~440 km/h. As such, move your cursor slightly closer to the target as the bombs will have a flatter trajectory. Drop the bombs as late as you can for better accuracy, however you must watch the surrounding and pull up in time to avoid crashing. For later bombing runs aim slightly higher as you can be slower, resulting in a curvy trajectory for the bombs. If you see a SPAA firing at you, make sure to never get hit. The Hawk III is extremely fragile, just a few bullets will cause significant damage to your critical components like engine, or tear up the skin. The Hawk has extremely poor damage tolerance, so even if the engine or wings are very slightly damaged, the Hawk III will still lose plenty of lift and airspeed.

Once the bombs are out, there are 2 options. One is to stay at the battlefield and strafe tanks with your MG or fight incoming enemy planes, until you are destroyed. The second option is only suitable if you think the battle can take quite long to finish: to fly back to base and reload the bombs. Being able to destroy 3 more tanks from above is an attractive option, at the price of wasting at least 5 minutes flying back and forth because the Hawk III is remarkably slow even without bombs, thus losing the chance to help your team in the mean while. The choice depends on you and the battle's situations.

If you bring the Hawk III to higher BR battles where heavier tanks might appear, keep in mind that your bombs can be a game changer, as they can destroy these heavily armoured tanks that your teammates might struggle to penetrate. These heavy vehicles can potentially wipe out half of your team if left undealt with, potentially leading to a defeat. Therefore keep an eye on the killfeed and chat to see if these tough nuts are present. These tanks include but are not limited to [[Valentine (Family)|Valentine]], [[Matilda (Family)|Matilda]], [[B1 bis|B1]], [[M4A3 (105)]], [[Ka-Chi]], etc. Prioritise them and preserve your bombs for them, especially the 500 lb one.

=== Enemies worth noting: ===

* [[He 112 (Family)|He 112]]: the He 112 series are the early German monoplane fighters. These type of planes are generally faster than biplanes which can be threatening as they can easily close in or outrun you at will. Without a speed advantage, the Hawk III pilot can choose to fly straight until the He 112 begins to engage, then do evasive manoeuvres. The Hawk III, as a biplane, is way more agile thus your evasive manoeuvres are very likely to dodge their attacks and can bleed their energy. Try luring them into a dogfight instead of just letting yourself getting BnZ'ed by them, once they enter a dogfight try make it into a turnfight. If not, your superior manoeuvrability will still be your biggest advantage in a conventional dogfight. Aim for their engine and cockpit. With their engine damaged they lose the most important speed advantage. You might also get a pilot snipe as they have no armour protection whatsoever.
* [[He 100 D-1|He 100]]: somewhat similar to the He 112s but this plane is way faster, easily flying at 500+ km/h. But don't let their speed scare you: the faster they are, the smaller their shooting window will be, meaning they will not be able to pound enough bullets at you. They also have a rather weak armament with low one-second burst mass to start with. The tactic remains the same: level fly/shallow dive to gain speed, and perform evasive manoeuvres once they start attacking. If you are experienced or want to try something dangerous, you can purposely expose your 6 o-clock towards them to lure them into pursuing you, then gradually tighten your manoeuvres which will make the engagement into a turnfight. Once they have relinquished the chance to zoom away and start turning with you, they are pretty much sitting ducks.
* [[Ki-27 (Family)|Ki-27]]: this is a very dangerous foe. It is faster in dives, level flight, and has better acceleration. It is also extremely manoeuvrable for a monoplane, which, combined with its speed advantage, makes it a formidable opponent. As for the downsides: it has no armour, its airframe is fragile, and its armament is just as weak as yours. Dogfighting with it might result in a tie where both of you try to out-turn each other. Try leading it to your airfield or teammates. If you get the chance to shoot, do not waste it since it may easily slip out of your gunsight. Aim for its engine and pilot to reduce its speed and manoeuvrability. The Ki-27 has a white paint scheme, a monoplane configuration, fixed landing gears, radial engine, and a fuselage & cockpit similar to a Ki-43/44.
* [[M13 MGMC]]/[[Flakpanzer I]]: any SPAAs are a threat to the weakly protected Hawk III, but these two are used the most commonly and are indeed more dangerous than others. The M13 MGMC is armed with twin 12.7 mm M2 HMG that have great velocity, trajectory, penetration, and ammo capacity. It will be able to spray red tracer shells for quite a while before needing to reload. 1-3 bullets can deal considerable damage to the Hawk III or even set an inextinguishable fire. The M13 is also armoured around the sides, making it immune to the Hawk III's 7.62 mm MGs, so the only way to destroy it is with your bombs, or strafing it from vertically above to trespass the armour and hit the crews. This also marks it out on the map for your teammates. The Flakpanzer I is somewhat the opposite: smaller belt size, but much greater damage. 1 shell can tear off a wing from the Hawk III. Apart from bombs, the Hawk III can destroy a Flakpanzer I from behind its turret, as the gunner is only protected at the front. Inexperienced SPAA players tend to fire at you from a long range missing all shots, which is a good thing as that deals zero damage and exposes their locations. The real threats are those who conceal themselves by holding back their fire until the unaware Hawk III fly too close. A sudden 2-second burst is enough to cripple the Hawk if not straight up destroying it. If you unfortunately do get ambushed like this, try your best to evade the burst by dodging in all 3 of your control axis and/or descending to treetop level.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Large payload, good for destroying bases and ground targets in tank RB
* Good manoeuvrability and speed when unladen
* Has good low speed handling and low stall speed
* Retractable gears reduce drag
* good manoeuvrability allows the plane to easily get bombs on target

'''Cons:'''

* Armament is rather light and inflicts weak damage
* Painfully long gear retraction and lowering time (51 seconds for lowering and retracting)

== History ==


The Hawk III, a modification of the US Navy BF2C-1 by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, addressed issues that was experienced during the latter's service. With a new Wright R-1820-F53 engine Cyclone engine and wooden wings (to fix a vibration issue with the metal wings of the BF2C-1), the Hawk III managed to be more flyable than its preceding design.

With the US Navy's soured experience with the BF2C-1, the Hawk III saw more sales in the export model. Argentina, Thailand, and China bought Hawk IIIs in the late 1930s. China alone bought 102 Hawk III planes from the United States between March 1936 to June 1938.

In the Sino-Japanese War, the Hawk III planes acted as the Chinese front-line fighters against Japanese aircraft. While able to stand against Japanese biplane models, the appearance of monoplanes like the [[A5M4|A5M]] shifted the balance towards the Japanese. As such, the Hawk III was slowly replaced by Soviet [[I-15bis (China)|I-15]] and [[I-16 Chung 28|I-16]] fighter planes.

The last surviving Hawk III aircraft resides in Thailand at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|v68_9AukUmY|'''Premium Review, Hawk-III. A excellent dogfighter!''' - ''Joseph 2000''}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* [[Hs 123 A-1]]{{-}}[[Hs 123 A-1 (China)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Curtiss_BF2C_Goshawk|[Wikipedia] Curtiss BF2C Goshawk]]
* [https://www.airliners.net/photo/Thailand-Air-Force/Curtiss-Hawk-III/392600 [<nowiki>airliners.net]</nowiki> Curtiss Hawk III - The only Hawk III fighter left in the world pictured in Thailand]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/474723-curtiss-hawk-iii/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer Curtiss}}
{{China fighters}}
{{China premium aircraft}}

Ju 88 A-4 (Sweden)

2022-10-31T03:59:09Z

U130511531: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=ju-88a-4_finland
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Fire and Ice"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed (km/h at 5,600 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 432 || 416 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 31.4 || 32.7 || 4.2 || 4.2 || rowspan="2" | 530
|-
! Upgraded
| 479 || 455 || 28.7 || 30.0 || 10.2 || 6.8
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 457 || 428 || 280 || ~8 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 350 || < 360 || < 370 || > 330
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 58 mm and 60 mm Bulletproof glass around the dorsal turret
* 12 mm Steel plate behind the pilot
* 12 mm Steel plates around the ventral turret
* 20 mm Steel plate behind the cockpit

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|MG 81 (7.92 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, nose-mounted (750 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|SC50JA (50 kg)|SC250JA (250 kg)|SC500K (500 kg)|SC1000L2 (1,000 kg)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (500 kg total)
* 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,400 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs + 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs + 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (2,400 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (2,400 kg total)
* 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb + 1 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bomb (1,500 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Defensive}}

{{main|MG 81 (7.92 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 2 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)
* 2 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns, ventral turret (900 rpg = 1,800 total)

== Usage in battles ==

The Finnish Ju 88 A-4 works just like its [[Ju 88 A-4|German counterpart]], being able to both dive bomb and do horizontal bombing. The bomber has decent defensive armament and has a single offensive 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, which unfortunately won't really come in handy. You are able to carry up to 2400 Kg of bombs with this plane, making it a formidable bomber.

'''Air Battles:'''

In Air battles you should either bring the SC50 x28, SC500 x2 payload or the SC50 x28, SC250 x4 payload as they fully use the Ju 88 A-4's potential and will do a great job at damaging enemy bases, airfields and even ground targets. As soon as you spawn in, start climbing to make sure you are safe from enemy fighters. The greatest threats to you will be the German [[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109s]] with their astonishing climb rate, so remember to always check your surroundings.

'''Ground Battles:'''

In Ground battles you should ignore the 50 kg bombs as they won't do much against tanks and will only add weight to your plane, instead, bring 250 kg bombs, 500 kg bombs or the 1,000 kg bomb, these payloads won't use the Ju 88 A-4's full bomb capacity but they will make it more manoeuvrable and faster. Additionally, it is easier to hit ground targets with dive bombing tactics, so when you approach your target, extend the airbrakes ("H" by default) and reduce throttle if necessary to avoid too much speed which could result in your wings being ripped off.

'''Facing the Ju 88 A-4:'''

If you come across a Junkers 88 A-4, you will either be facing its cockpit or its tail most of the time. Attacking the bomber from below is also an option as it does not have any ventral gunners aiming down. If you are facing its cockpit, aim for the pilot as this will cause the plane to instantly be destroyed. If you are facing its tail, however, be carefull with the gunners and aim for the engines, bombers won't go far without them. Since the Ju 88 A-4 gets a bomber spawn, it is recommended to use planes with good climb rates, such as the aforementioned Bf 109s.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast bomber, can outrun lower-ranked foes
* Extremely manoeuvrable at low speeds (RB & SB)
* Airframe can withstand high speed during a dive and is equipped with air brakes
* Fairly resistant to small calibre bullets (.30 cal)
* One of the few bombers that can reliably destroy enemy airfields at lower rank battles (AB)
* Possesses a large payload (2,400 kg) compared to other Swedish bombers that doesn't have that much penalty in overall performance
* The 50 kg bombs are very efficient at taking out individual ground targets
* Very useful in precision bombing
* Can perform exceptionally well even in some early rank II battles
* Defensive armament has a high rate of fire combined with AP-T ammunition that can easily start fires

'''Cons:'''

* Unfavourable matchmaking in arcade battles
* .50 calibre and cannon fire will quickly tear it apart
* Take-off from short runways is difficult
* Water-cooled engines and large radiator mean that any shots to the engine in RB or SB will usually result in engine failure
* Cannot reliably fly with one engine
* Big plane, ideal target for SPAAs when flying low
* unlike in the German tech tree you will face the bf 109s that will be deadly for you

*

== History ==

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

== Media ==

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

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Junkers}}
{{Sweden bombers}}

T-28 (Sweden)

2022-10-31T02:14:29Z

U130511531: ammo turret rotation and mobility

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_t_28
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Fire and Ice"]].

This T-28 represents those captured by Finland during the Winter War and WWII. It is identical in performance to the Soviet [[T-28]].

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

Despite being a medium tank, the T-28 is somewhat lightly armoured for its BR. Its crew is also closely packed and surrounded by multiple ammo racks that are prone to detonation if hit, this leads to it having somewhat weak survivability, however angling the vehicle will increase the effectiveness of the armour and aid in your survivability. The T-28 has a high crew count of 6, which can aid its survivability somewhat.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (22°) ''Driver's port'' 15 mm (65°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (23-25°) ''Lower glacis''
| 20 mm ''Top'' 20 + 10 mm ''Bottom''
| 15 mm (68°) ''Top'' 20 mm (6-37°) ''Bottom''
| 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 20 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm (0-49°) ''Gun mantlet''
| 20 mm (0-23°) || 30 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Secondary turrets || 22 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

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


=== Mobility ===
Speedforward / back

AB44 / 7 km/h

RB and SB40 / 6 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight25.4 t

Engine power

AB954 hp

RB and SB500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB37.6 hp/t

RB and SB19.7 hp/t
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Game Mode
! colspan="2" |Max Speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" |Weight (tons)
! colspan="2" |Engine power (horsepower)
! colspan="2" |Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
!Forward
!Reverse
!Stock
!Upgraded
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
!Arcade
|44
|7
| rowspan="2" |25.4
|775
|954
|30.51
|37.56
|-
!Realistic
|40
|6
|442
|500
|17.4
|19.69
|}
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

{{tankMobility}}

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

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

{{main|L-10 (76 mm)}}

The main armament of the T-28 is the 76 mm L-10 cannon, a rifled gun that can fire 3 types of ammunition: HE (OF-350M), APHEBC (BR-350A), and Shrapnel (Sh-354T). The most common shell for anti-tank use would be the APHEBC, however the Shrapnel and HE can be used against lightly or unarmoured vehicles.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L-10 (76 mm)|76 mm L-10]] || 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" | 69 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A ||14.28||19.76
|24.00
|26.54
| 28.24 || rowspan="2" |6.50
| rowspan="2" |5.75
| rowspan="2" |5.30
| rowspan="2" |5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
|8.92
|10.50
|12.75
|14.10
|15.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel ||31||30||26||22||19||16
|-
| BR-350A (MD-5 fuze) || APHEBC ||67||66||60||58||48||43
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 560 || 6.44 || 1.2 || 14 || 85 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350A (MD-5 fuze) || APHEBC || 555 || 6.3 || 1.2 || 14 || 150 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 560 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''69''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| || ___ (___) || ___ || __° || __°
|-
| || ___ (___) || ___ || __° || __°
|-
| || ___ (___) || ___ || __° || __°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The powerful, yet accurate gun, paired with thin armour and a large profile makes the T-28 look ideal for long-range encounters, yet its low penetration, slow shell velocity and no real gun depression to exploit terrain discourages this kind of gameplay. However, due to the crew/equipment spacing that helps soak damage and keep it fighting, its highly versatile and powerful main gun make this tank quite capable in close range encounters.

If against a larger or more powerful tank, the T-28 will often be forced to stay and fight, as the large profile of the tank makes it easy to hit while retreating. Use the gun's accuracy to an advantage. Aim for weak points like the driver's hatch or gunner's port. If unable to shoot against such a small target, attempt to cripple the tank's offensive armament to take some pressure off.

Avoid T-34s, especially the later modifications. Their APHE ammo is devastatingly explosive, especially against such a large easy-to-hit tank with no real armour like the T-28. One shot almost anywhere into the tank and that's the end. At the same time, the T-34's own armour is basically invulnerable to the T-28 shells, except when on their sides, where the 76 mm can penetrate the turret, and possibly the side hull armour (Only with AP ammo). Keep in mind that T-34s can turn both their hull and turret very fast, so if the first shot misses, there won't be another chance.

Light tanks that can flank around the side or back of the T-28 can prove catastrophic as well.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* The cannon is accurate and is able to do large amounts of damage on penetration
* Crew of six
* Fast and versatile for such a big medium tank
* Machine gun turrets and complicated multi-layer side armour often absorb projectiles
* Total of 3 machine guns can make short work of any unarmoured AA vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Large silhouette
* Generally thin armour
* Slow reload time
* Poor gun depression
* Bad penetration with all types of ammo
* Lacklustre shrapnel shell as stock ammo

== History ==

The T-28 was the first medium tank the Soviets ever manufactured, it was intended to be used as a heavily armoured tank to support infantry and break through enemy defenses. During the Winter War, the Soviets found out the hard way that the T-28 had inadequate armour and due to this (and poor tactics) the T-28 tanks took heavy losses with an estimate of 200 T-28 tanks lost during the Winter War. Of the T-28's operating in the Winter War the Finnish managed to capture 7, all of which were integrated to the Finnish army and saw combat later in the Continuation War. The Finnish nicknamed the T-28 "postivaunu" (postal wagon) after a captured T-28 was found to be carrying the mail and salaries of Soviet soldiers.

== 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 ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Sweden medium tanks}}

BT-42

2022-10-28T02:12:05Z

U130511531: pros and cons

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_bt_42
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Fire and Ice"]].

Perhaps one of the most iconic light tank in Finland service and being a "meme" tank among players due to its screen time in Japanese animation film; this captured BT-7 modified with a huge QF 4.5 inch howitzer onboard will strike fears to enemies with its fearsome firepower while still retaining the iconic fast and nimble of a BT light tank.

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

If only looking at the hull alone, BT-42 is exactly like any other BT-7 tanks in Soviet service; but what makes it stand out among its "ancestors" is the turret- Finnish upgraded its gun with British QF 4.5-inch (114 mm) howitzer and installed it along with a new welded turret that somewhat resemble to the infamous [[KV-2 (Family)|KV-2]] from Soviet Union as well. But the common feature of BT tanks still persist on BT-42, namely its poor protection; other than the mantle, any high-caliber machine guns will have no trouble penetrating its armor even at longer ranges, especially its hull. So be extra careful on where to appear at uptier battles where HMGs such as M2HB start to be common.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull ||5 mm (61°) ''Upper front glacis'' 20 mm (18°) ''Driver's hatch'' 20 mm (5-52°) ''Lower front glacis''||20 mm ''Driver compartment'' 15 + 4 mm ''Fighting & engine compartments''||10 mm (55°) ''Upper glacis'' 13 mm (15°) ''Centre plate'' 13 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' ||10 mm 4 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 16 mm ''Turret front'' 16 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 16 mm || 9 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

Finnish didn't upgrade BT-42's powerplant as it was deemed sufficient, so it retained the same Mikulin M-17T engine and transmission; for players of Soviet BT tanks, they will soon get on hand with the excellent mobility at its rank and make sure it can flank the enemies with ease.

{{tankMobility}}

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

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

{{main|Psv.H/18 (114 mm)}}

The most iconic feature of BT-42 is the QF 4.5-inch howitzer from Great Britain ''(named as 114 mm Psv.H/18 in Finnish service)''; although the revised turret that fits this very gun turns even slower than the original BT-7, if aimed properly, it can even hit tanks behind cover thanks to its ballistics of a howitzer.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Psv.H/18 (114 mm)|114 mm Psv.H/18]] || 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" | 22 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" |13.0|| rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| akr 32/41 || HE || 25 ||25
|25
|25
|25
|25
|-
| hkr 42/C || HEAT || 115 ||25
|25
|25
|25
|25
|-
|}
{| 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) (kg)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| akr 32/41 || HE || 350 ||14.4||N/A||0.1|| 2 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| hkr 42/C || HEAT ||357||13.5|| 0.05 ||0.1||2.55|| 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
The stock akr 32/41 round is an HE shell, although its velocity at barely supersonic makes it unsuitable for hitting mobile targets at some distance; but thanks to its 2 kg of explosives, if it hits the roof armor of tanks or spots that will cause overpressure, it can make sure the crew will knock-out right away, let alone a near-miss to truck-based SPAAs at its rank with minimal protection; alternatively, the curve ballistic also means a bad news for enemies who took cover at longer ranges- there are still chances of being hit from the roof.

The only researchable round, hkr 42/C is a HEAT round; while it can functionally replace the stock shell and penetrates up to 115 mm of armor at any given range, do remember that HEAT has very few spalling against heavier targets, so make sure to hit the ammunition of enemy targets.

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''22''' || 17 ''(+5)'' || 12 ''(+10)'' || 6 ''(+16)'' || 0 ''(+22)'' || No
|-
|}

== 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:'''

* One of the largest guns of its rank
* Fast and nimble for flanking
* Surprisingly fast reload for its calibre
* Both HE and HEAT have high explosive contents
* HEAT has extremely high penetration for its rank

'''Cons:'''

* Lightly armoured
* Big profile
* Slow turret traverse
* HEAT is still unreliable
* uptierd to 2.7 frequently

== History ==

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

== Media ==

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

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Sweden tank destroyers}}

Tiger H1

2022-10-19T04:08:01Z

U130511531: /* Survivability and armour */

{{About
| about = German heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Tiger I (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_h1_tiger
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''', also known as the '''{{PAGENAME}}''', is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The {{PAGENAME}} carries its reputation from real-life to its in-game performances, armed with the infamous 88 mm KwK36 gun that can easily destroy most tanks it meets. The armour of the {{PAGENAME}} is strong at 102 mm and can be easily increased by angling the tank approximately 30° to the side, with the side armour thick enough for glancing side fire as well. Mobility is also decent for a heavy tank due to its 650 hp engine and suspension, making the {{PAGENAME}} a near jack-of-all-trades at its level.

The Tiger H1 is an early production variant of the Tiger I tanks. However, it is the basis of the Tiger I tanks with the three features: the long 88 mm KwK36 gun, the Schachtellaufwerk interleaving torsion suspension system, and a box armour shape of the hull with a circular turret housing the 88 mm gun. The tank is painted in a flat Dunkelgelb yellow coat, though there are large swatches bare metal from scratched off paint.

The Tiger H1 tank is most distinctive from its later production models is its drum-shaped, cylindrical cupola protruding from the top left of the turret. Turret-mounted smoke dischargers known as the Wurfbecher are mounted to the turret sides slightly behind the gun mantlet. On the hull-roof, there are also five S-Mine dischargers, with three on the left side and two on the right side. On the hull rear, there are two Feifel air cleaner units that were intended for dusty environments.

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

[[File:TigerIHTank Armour Angling.png|right|thumbnail|The ideal angling of hull armour on {{PAGENAME}} for maximum effective armour all-around|300px]]
One may feel the need to charge head-on into battle, blaring that 88 mm gun as shells bounce off the front armour while the Schachtellaufwerk suspension system runs over the ground; this is a short-lived strategy.

The Tiger H1 should be played more like a bulky medium tank rather than a heavy tank despite its status, supporting allies from the sideline or from a distance rather than leading directly from the front. This is due to the poor armour arrangement, most of the thickness of the tank is concentrated on the front face of the tank and leaves the sides exposed, espeically since this model of tiger has a 'boxier' design. This is even more important to remember as ammunition is stowed along the sides the tank, protected by the inferior side armor. One must remain a distance, exploit the 88 mm long-distance power, and maintain a diamond-shape compound angling to maximize armour thickness against the trailing enemy shells that will inevitably come towards the Tiger's way.

The Tiger H1 is equipped with 12 smoke grenades that can help cover the vehicle while it escapes or repairs. Smoke grenades discharge in 2 salvos of 6 (3 to each side of the turret) covering a 120° sector 10 m in front of the vehicle. The grenades deploy smoke in 4 seconds and last 25 seconds. Both salvos are separated by a 1-minute reload time.

The commander cupola is tall and weak: this can lead APHE shells to detonate inside, knocking out at best the loader or even the commander, loader, and gunner.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 1002 mm (9°) ''Front plate'' 62 mm (80°) ''Front glacis'' 102 mm (25°) ''Lower glacis''|| 82 mm ''Top'' 62 mm ''Bottom''|| 82 mm (9°)|| 26 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm ''Turret front'' 90 - 200 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 82 mm || 82 mm || 26 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 80 mm (cylindrical) || 26 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Turret front covered by gun mantlet has variable thickness depending on exact place, ranging from 90 to 200 mm of armour.
* Turret side (about 1/3) is covered by attached tracks, adding additional 30 mm of armour.
* While the hull side of the tank is 82 mm, the side where the suspension is located is only 62 mm thick so be aware of this weak point.
* On paper, the best angle is roughly 38.8° with armour all-round being from the front 130 mm.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 839|rbMinHp= 575}}

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

For Tier I modifications obtained the vital "Parts" and "Horizontal Drive" modifications as the former will give the Tiger the ability to repair and the latter will provide a much-needed boost to the Tiger's slow turret traverse rate.

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

{{main|KwK36 (88 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36]] || 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" | 92 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+16° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 9.71 || 13.44 || 16.32 || 18.05 || 19.20 || rowspan="2" | 9.62 || rowspan="2" | 8.51 || rowspan="2" | 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 7.40
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 7.10 || 8.40 || 10.20 || 11.30 || 12.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''PzGr 39''': The go-to shell for all Tiger H1 drivers as this is arguably the best. It will do incredible damage to any tank shot by it, except SPAA, or any extremely thin armoured vehicles. Heavier tanks like the IS-1, IS-2, or American heavy tanks are able to resist the round at longer ranges, but well-placed shots from close range or sides will do the job. All other medium and light tanks will be history as soon as this shell make contact with them. This shell, however, will almost always over-penetrate all but the most armoured SPAA vehicles, so it is best to use HE or machine gun fire on thin-skinned vehicles.
* '''PzGr ''': This shell is also very useful. It has very similar characteristics as PzGr 39, but sacrifices some penetration for about 150% more Explosive Filler, meaning even more damage than already powerful PzGr 39. It is recommended to carry some of these shells and use them regularly, as the penetration is still enough to deal with most targets (at least when being down-tiered), and switch to PzGr 39 when shooting targets far away, or those that are heavily armoured.
* '''Sprgr. 39''': The HE shell is completely ineffective against all but SPAA or the AI artillery on the Kursk and Ash River maps, and the machine gun mounted on the Tiger has proven quite capable of dealing with these. Keep a small supply of this shell on hand if planning to flank the enemy and take out their SPAA or artillery, but avoid them for everything else.
* '''Hl.Gr. 39''': On paper the HEAT rounds don't bring anything new to the table, however they can be used as a substitute for the HE shells due to the greater explosive mass and still gives a fighting chance if caught with pants down.

{| 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
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 165 || 162 || 151 || 139 || 127 || 117
|-
| Pzgr. || APCBC || 153 || 151 || 140 || 128 || 116 || 106
|-
| Hl.Gr 39 || HEAT || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110
|-
| Sprgr. L/4.5 || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 773 || 10.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 108.8 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Pzgr. || APCBC || 810 || 9.5 || 1.2 || 14 || 285.6 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 39 || HEAT || 600 || 7.64 || 0 || 0.3 || 1,100 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. L/4.5 || HE || 820 || 9 || 0 || 0.1 || 698 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''92''' || 77 ''(+15)'' || 61 ''(+31)'' || 45 ''(+47)'' || 29 ''(+63)'' || 25 ''(+67)'' || 21 ''(+71)'' || 17 ''(+75)'' || 13 ''(+79)'' || 7 ''(+85)'' || 1 ''(+91)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set
* Large sides empty: 29 ''(+63)'' shells.

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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,350 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The main role of the Tiger tank was to eliminate enemy tanks at a far range, similar to behaving like a sniping tank, or a Tank Destroyer. Nonetheless, the Tiger can excel at brawling with other tanks at medium, even possibly against two [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks to close range and escape undamaged. It's recommended to not stay in one place for too long or risk getting outflanked, spotted, or bombed.

While guns like the Soviet [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm]] cannon can easily penetrate the Tiger at close range, the Tiger can stay nearly invulnerable at long range. The 88 can take out any tank on Rank 3 at any combat range but may have problems with the [[IS-1]]'s 120 mm front armour at some ranges. When having to close in a bit, it is generally advisable to angle the hull to the sides by about 30°, improving the armour rating enough that it can keep away 85 mm shells very well, even at closer ranges. The {{PAGENAME}} is still vulnerable to the [[SU-152|SU-152s]] howitzer and its HE shell at any range. So whenever encountering these heavy-calibre vehicles, it should be prioritized and eliminated first.

The Tiger's hull has many flat areas that can be easily penetrated. To maximize the angles and thus the protection, the tank should be angled about 40º to either side. An easy way of angling your tank is to make sure the corner of the hull is pointed at the enemy. The side armour is strong enough for such angling, and is flat as well. The turret is more complicated. It features many pieces of armour that overlap and such, and as such will either be exceptionally strong or be penetrated easily. As such, avoid relying on the turret to absorb shells. On the other hand, opponents will also try to avoid hitting the turret, as there is a chance to not penetrate.

Mobility-wise the {{PAGENAME}} is pretty good for a heavy tank. It is much faster than a [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] and about as equally fast as the [[IS-1]], although medium tanks like the [[T-34-85]] can easily outmanoeuvre all three at close range. Try to use the Tiger's mobility to keep a distance rather than for closing in on a target. Don't be afraid to use the speed to fall back if necessary as the Tiger cannot survive close range engagements on open terrain vs. mediums, due to the slow turret and the vulnerability to the 85 mm guns on Soviet medium tanks.

The Tiger has a very bad turret traverse, it is recommended to get the "Turret Drive" traverse modification as fast as possible. Even then, the Tiger will have to turn the tank in the direction of the traverse to make the most of the time to quickly engage a target. This, together with very exposed ammo racks on both sides (though one side can be emptied by reducing the ammo stowage) means that facing multiple enemies at once is almost a certain end to the Tiger tank. The best option is to take cover from one tank and fire on the other.

As far as ammo is concerned, the default PzGr 39 will be the standard AP rounds many players will use. The second AP round available, the Pzgr., is also a good round to use against the enemy as the shell contains more explosive filler than the default, but suffers from a lower penetration value compared to the PzGr 39. The HEAT rounds offer consistent penetration at all ranges including more than 2000 m. However, they provide less damage upon penetration. HEAT rounds usually are usually not used as the primary ammunition type for this sole reason. Upgrading the tank should mainly be dedicated to turret traverse, hull traverse (as this is needed even with the turret traverse upgrade) and engine upgrades. The Tiger's 88 has massive destructive power. Unlike the other German tank of its rank, all armed with 75 mm guns, the Tiger can easily knock out all the mediums like the T-34s, M4 Shermans with a single shot, and still be a threat against heavy tanks like the IS-1s. If it doesn't destroy a tank in one hit, most of the enemy crew will be wounded or incapacitated. The best place to aim with the 88 is either at the gunner's side of the enemy turret to incapacitate an enemy's firepower, or between the driver and the gunner which would usually wound or knock out most of the enemy crew at once. Attacking from the side also presents a good shot opportunity, as the best shot placement is right below the turret on the hull where most of the tank ammunition are stored, giving a big chance for an ammo-rack explosion.

When driving the Tiger, plan ahead on where it will drive. Even with engine and track modifications, the {{PAGENAME}} is still a heavy tank and a 90 degree or more turn will almost always mean an immediate standstill as the tank try to make the change in movement. Even small adjustments can knock the speed down a bit. Thus, knowing the terrain and destination is of the utmost importance to preserve its mobility to its fullest extent.

The {{PAGENAME}} is also best used on the flanks of the current maps, as these are usually more open and allow good use of its armour and excellent gun. The centre of the map would seem more logical as there are a lot of enemies, but as has already been established a Tiger taking fire from multiple directions won't last long. Going in a flank and taking down light and medium tanks is an easy task for this beast, and thus a flank can be easily secured if the {{PAGENAME}} is driven carefully. Then, work the {{PAGENAME}} into the enemy sides and rear of the main force in the centre, doing much more damage than if the Tiger faced the force head-on because a shot to the side and rear will set most enemies alight if not outright exploding the ammunition. Able to destroy vehicles in one hit, the Tiger can quickly jump from target to target and eliminate a good number of enemies in its lifespan.

The Tiger H1 is very effective at long range, and should be used accordingly. Players should try to avoid point blank fights with other tanks, since this will often result in the vulnerable sides being exposed. As a sniper or flanker, the tank is wonderful and as long as its sides are not exposed, it will last a long time.

There will be many hard eggs to crack such as the IS- Series, T-34 Series, American Jumbos, and several other tanks that will give the {{PAGENAME}} trouble.

* The Russians have many tanks at the BR able to handle the Tiger H1 easily. The main tank at this BR is the T-34-85's. While it may have very thin armour and is easy to penetrate it is easy to angle and the T-34 is a franking machine, it will drive circles around the Tiger so it needs to be destroyed quick. The IS- Heavy tanks are the second worst nightmare situation. Thick armour and a huge gun. If the IS tank is not destroyed first, it will definitely destroy the Tiger.
* The American Jumbos are similar to the T-34. The 75 mm variant would have trouble to penetrate the Tiger's armour at long ranges, but caution needs to be exercised when they are armed with a 76 mm gun.
* The Japanese tanks all have very thin armour that the 88 mm gun can easily penetrate through with no problem, but their guns at this BR all have enough penetration to deal with the {{PAGENAME}} if it gets a hit on.

'''Against the Tiger H1:'''

'''Light tank''': when dealing with a Tiger I, you must utilise your superior speed and agility to your advantage, to compensate for your weak firepower. If your penetration is less than 100 mm, then manoeuvre to the Tiger's side as that is where you can destroy it. The upper part of the hull side is 80 mm thick, without any angling, meaning that light tanks such as [[M24 (Family)|M24]] can reliably penetrate there. Even the reserve [[BT-5]] can punch through that armour section, though guns with less post-penetration damage will have to shoot several times to ensure that all crew are knocked out. The lower section of the hull side is only 60 mm, meaning that even if the player does not have a high tier light tank and can only use low tier tanks like the M3A3 Stuart, that area can still be penetrated. The Tiger's turret turns slowly, but still be careful to move out of its gun's way. Facing a Tiger I is a hard job because it can penetrate most places on your light tank so a frontal strike against it has a high chance of failing.

'''Medium tank''': with a medium tank, you can more confidently target the Tiger's frontal weak spots. Medium tanks such as [[M4A3 (76) W]], [[T-34-85]], and [[Sherman Firefly]] can all pierce through the Tiger's frontal hull armour when it is not angling. The turret armour is way harder to penetrate as it has some complex bulges, leading to the shells being absorbed. However, an experienced Tiger commander will angle its hull, stacking up the effective thickness to more than ~130 mm thus making it immune to all the above medium tanks. Now, if you cannot flank, aim for the commander's cupola. An explosive-packed shell through there will knock out ~1-3 crew in the turret. If the gunner is knocked out, wait for around 12 seconds for it to replenish a new gunner, then shoot at the cupola again. You can also try breaking the gun barrel, since the muzzle brake is quite large and therefore easier to catch onto shells, damaging the barrel. Note, it is better to avoid shooting at the lower front plate as the transmission behind it will absorb all incoming shells for the crew. Throughout this whole process, the player should be very careful not to get hit as the 88 mm cannon is very potent against most tanks.

'''Heavy tank/tank destroyer''': with a more powerful cannon and perhaps better armour, the player can finally duel the Tiger I with relative ease. For a heavy tank or tank destroyer who sacrifices mobility and/or armour just for superior firepower (e.g. [[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]], [[ISU-122]]), a Tiger H1 can be penetrated in the hull even if it is angling. Still, do not shoot at the turret and lower front plate where the shells tend to do no damage. Also, try aiming for armour plates that are free of any obstruction, because vehicles who can easily penetrate the Tiger usually have a large calibre gun, their large shells will be bounced or lose penetration should the shell edge impact anything. For example, if you shoot at a Tiger who is facing you, target the dead center of the upper front plate where there is nothing but armour, instead of aiming right next to the driver's port where the armour blocks sticking out will absorb the shell.

'''SPAA''': anti-aircraft guns at this BR cannot really penetrate the Tiger I's armour effectively, but thanks to their fast-firing autocannons SPAAs are great for breaking the Tiger's gun barrel and tracks, assisting your teammates in destroying it. If no supporting fire is near, drop an artillery strike after immobilising the Tiger. Some SPAAs (e.g. [[Phòng không T-34]], [[M42 Duster (Family)|M42]]) have access to AP shells, any shell with more than 60 mm penetration is adequate to penetrate the lower side of the hull. Other than this area, the minimum thickness is 80 mm which is hard for any SPAA. This is an advantage of the Tiger I, although its flat armour performs poorly against heavier cannons, its all-round armour protection is fairly effective against low-penetrating vehicles like SPAAs.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* The gun mantlet, MG port and driver's port are particularly hard to penetrate due to their complex, varying shape and thickness.
* Decent cannon with adequate accuracy and a range of shells to choose. Stock shell has great penetration and damage, and can knock out common opponents easily with a single shot (e.g. [[T-34-85]], [[M4A2 (76) W]], [[IS-1]], [[M6A1]]). Has another AP that sacrifices a bit penetration for more TNT.
* One of the fastest heavy tanks with its top speed of 45 km/h, meaning it can get to some positions quickly alongside friendly medium tanks.
* The box-like hull shape gives the ability to angle. When angling the hull at around 40° and placing yourself far from the enemies (at least 500 m away) the Tiger H1 can resist common tanks like the 76 mm Shermans, T-34-85s and [[M36 Jackson (Family)|M36]].
* Good reverse speed and hull traverse allows it to quickly angle for deflecting shells.
* -8° gun depression works well in most hilly terrain.
* The rear is surprisingly hard to penetrate, partially due to the slightly-angled armour and partly due to the large exhaust pipes which seem to deflect shells.
* The strong gun makes it easy to destroy most opponents at the its battle rating with a single shot, even M4A3E2 Jumbo, as long as you carefully aim for the machine gun port.
* The tank is equipped with smoke grenades, which can help escape an undesirable situation alive.

'''Cons:'''

* Weak and vertical armour protection. If not angling the Tiger H1 can get destroyed easily by the T-34-85 or 76 mm Sherman. Even if the {{PAGENAME}} is angling, the [[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]] can still knock it out with a single shot easily.
* The upper front plate is extremely vulnerable if it is not angled. It will be penetrated by any vehicle at its BR.
* Struggles to penetrate heavy targets frontally like the [[M4A3E2]], [[M26 (Family)|M26]] and [[IS-2 (1944)]].
* Rather slow acceleration limits its short range manoeuvrability.
* Slow turret traverse makes it hard to respond to flankers quickly. The [[M18 GMC]] is very common at this BR
* Ammo storage at the hull sides are very easy to explode when hit.
* Commander's cupola is tall and easy to penetrate
* Is a big and tall target, easy to get spotted and shot at.
* S-Mine dischargers on the hull limits gun depression in certain areas
* Tracks are rather loud so enemies will most times hear you and will be alert, so surprise attacks will be difficult.

== History ==

===Development===
The Tiger I heavy tank was arguably the most infamous tank of World War II. The design for this tank began as early as January 1937 when Henschel & Sohn worked on a large "breakthrough" called the "Durchbruchwagen" that weighed about 30 tons on request by the German military.<ref name="ImagesOfWarTiger">Anthony Tucker-Jones. Images Of War Special: Tiger I & Tiger II Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2013</ref> The request was modified over time for more armour and better gun that increased the weight to 36 tons, but this project was dropped in 1938 in favour of the better prototypes VK 30.01(H) and VK 36.01(H). These new prototypes were the start of the usage of the Schachtellaufwerk wheel arrangements, but these also never passed prototype stages and were both cancelled in 1942.

During the development of the prototypes above, the German invasion of France showed that the Allied tanks such as the Somua, Char B1, and [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]] were impervious to their current anti-tank weaponry and a need for better armoured and armed tanks was emphasized. So on May 26, 1941, Henschel and Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45-ton heavy tank that was to be ready for demonstration by June 1942. During their development in June 1941, Germany initiated Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union and was shocked by appearance of the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] tanks that were invulnerable to all but the most potent anti-tank weapon in German inventory, one of which was the [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36 cannon]]. The potency of the 88 mm cannon against the heavily armoured tanks that the Germans faced had Hitler ordered that the heavy tank design undertaken by Henschel and Porsche to utilize the 88 mm as its main armament instead of a 75 mm cannon.

The designs of the tank were finalized and ready for demonstration on April 20, 1942, Hitler's birthday, and showed the VK 45.01(H) and the [[VK 45.01 (P)]]. The demonstration and subsequent evaluations on the two designs determined that the Henschel variant was superior to the Porsche variant, proving more reliable, more mobile, and more easily produced than the Porsche. This caused the Henschel variant to be adopted as the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger and production started in August 1942. The Porsche variant had many chassis produced as Ferdinand Porsche thought the design would win, so the chassis was instead used in the [[Ferdinand]] tank destroyer.

===Design===
What perhaps made the Tiger I so unique in tank development and German doctrine is a change of focus between the three characteristics of the tank; with more emphasis to firepower and armour than to mobility. The Tiger I contained the large 88 mm KwK 36 cannon which was very accurate and powerful, being able to penetrate every Allied armour present at its introduction. The armour on the Tiger I was also one of the greatest at the time, with an astounding 102 mm of armour on the front hull armour, 82 mm on the side superstructure and rear, and 120 mm on the gun mantlet. The armour was vertical faced so no sloping benefits were present like on the [[Panther D|Panther]]. All these armour thicknesses proved invulnerable to most Allied anti-tank weaponry at the time, requiring more creative methods in a shot placement to disable the tank. The mobility, while taken with less emphasis in the development, was still respectable at the time as the tank weighed about 57 metric tons, about 20 tons more than other country's main tanks, yet is able to keep up a speed of 38 km/h (Maximum speed was 45 km/h, but an engine governor was installed to preserve the engine life).

The tank utilized a torsion-bar suspension system in a Schachtellaufwerk overlapping pattern, making the Tiger one of the first German tank design to use the pattern. While the design gave the Tiger I great flotation due to the use of a wider track for lower ground pressure, it had disadvantages in environment and maintenance. In the Eastern Front, mud and other foreign objects could be jammed in between the overlapping wheels, which would freeze in the winter and jam the wheels; the overlapping wheels also were a hassle to change out, in order to replace one wheel in the inside of the suspension, it requires the removal of at least nine other wheels in order to access it. The first 250 Tiger tanks used a Maybach V-12 HL210 engine with 650 hp before switching over to the more powerful Maybach V-12 HL230 engine with 700 hp. The engine proved adequate in propelling the tank but was still considered underpowered for the tank weight.

The Tiger I, as innovative as it is to tank warfare, was a strain on German war production. The tank was over-engineered, taking much more man-hour and materials for its worth as a war machine. Cost-wise, two [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IVs]] or four [[StuG III G|StuG IIIs]] can be built for the cost of one Tiger I. The tank was also expensive to maintain and took lots of fuel to run. These attributed to the low number of only 1,354 Tiger Is produced from 1942 to August 1944.<ref name="ImagesOfWarTiger">Anthony Tucker-Jones. Images Of War Special: Tiger I & Tiger II Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2013</ref>

===Variants===
There are three main production Tiger I variants known today, the "early-production", "mid-production", and "late-production" models. The Early-production model, designated as the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H, were the first few batches and are distinguished by their drum-style cupola with an over-swinging hatch. The model also had two vehicle lights on the front side of the tank and dished steel wheels with rubber tyres. The Mid-production featured Zimmerit paste and a side-swinging cupola with accommodation for a machine gun mounted on the cupola. The vehicle light was also changed to just one placed right in the front of the hull armour. The mid-production was also redesignated in May 1943 as the [[Tiger E|Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E]]. Late-production models featured the removal of the Zimmerit paste as there was an assumed flaw with it, and the overlapping wheels were instead made into interleaving with full-steel road wheels as well, in a manner similar to the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]].

Other specialized variants of the Tiger I was produced as well. A small number of demolition carrier models were field-made in Italy, where it had its main gun replaced by a crane to carry demolition to clear minefields or destroy obstacles. The demolition carrier version was interpreted by Allied intelligence as a BergeTiger, an armoured recovery vehicle, though it is not known if it ever saw service in this role. Another specialized variant produced in 1944 in some numbers was the Sturmtiger, an heavy assault gun with a 38 cm rocket launcher made from a depth charge. 19 of these were made and saw use in all fronts, though its most noteworthy combat action was in the Warsaw Uprising.

===Combat usage===
In its introduction, Hitler ordered the new Tigers to be used in the Leningrad siege in September 1942. However, as the faults of the tank were still not yet fully ironed out at this stage, the mechanical unreliability and the unsuitable terrain caused one of the Tiger Is to be stuck in the swamps and abandoned by its users. This example was then captured by the Red Army and tipped off the Allies of the development of the new Tiger tanks and so developments in countermeasures began. In North Africa, the Tigers saw the first action against the Western Allies in Tunisia in December 1942. Its impact there left an impression on the Allied armour forces, but its myth as an invulnerable tank was shattered when two Tigers were taken out by the British [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|6-pounder anti-tank guns]]. The total loss in that campaign was seven Tigers by February 1943.

Once mass-numbers of Tiger Is were available, they were employed in heavy tank battalions that were to be deployed in breakthrough operations or counter-attacks. Field experience with the Tiger showed that the Tiger's heavyweight proved a nuisance in operational mobility, an example being that small bridges were unable to support the Tiger tank's weight. An attempt to remedy this was to use a snorkel device so the tank could ford rivers as deep as four meters, however, this system was phased out of later production models for cost-savings. The Tiger suffered reliability problems in all of its service life that impeded its effectiveness and its high fuel usage limited its combat operations. Armour recovery of the vehicle was also terrible as three heavy recovery half-tracks were required to tow the tank away, causing a strain on the German support line to keep the Tiger tanks in running order. Despite that, the Tiger I proved superior in terms of armour and armament against the Allies and created massive losses among their armoured forces, causing many soldiers to keep an eye out for the infamous "Tigers".

The impact the Tiger had on the battlefield as the superior tank at its introduction created fame to the commanders and crew operating this tank, further fueling the Tiger's reputation in the war as a killing machine. Some Tiger units were able to achieve kill ratios up to 10:1, and some even higher. Some notable Tiger aces known were Kurt Knispel (168 tank kills), Otto Carius (150+), Johannes Bölter (139+), and Michael Wittmann (138).

However, as the war progressed and the impact of the Tiger's surprise in Kursk and Italy has dissolved, Allied developments gave forth more capable tanks able to defeat the Tiger I tanks. The Soviets solution was to up-gun their [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] with an [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm gun]] to make the [[T-34-85]], and the Western Allies with the [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm]] and [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|17-pounders]] on the [[M4A1 (76) W|M4 Sherman]] and [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]] respectively. The Tiger went as an highly-invulnerable tank design into a simple heavy tank as the war went on, and it was replaced by the more powerful and more heavily armoured [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] in 1944. Despite its replacement, many Tiger I models still saw use up until the end of World War II.

===Survivors===
Due to the low number of Tiger Is created during the war (1,354, compared to [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV]]'s 8,550 and the [[M4|M4 Sherman]]'s ~50,000), very few intact Tiger I pieces are left in the world. Today, only seven tanks in various conditions are existent in the world. The most famous of these is the Tiger 131, captured by the British in Tunisia in April 1943, when the crew abandoned the tank due to a [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|6-pounder]] shot from a [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] jamming the gun mantlet and turret ring, causing it to be unable to aim. The intact sample is also famous for being the only fully operational Tiger I in the world due to a reconstruction effort by the Bovington Tank Museum in the 1990s. However, the Tiger 131 does not run on its original Maybach HL210 engine, as it was taken out to be used as a separate display; rather, it uses the HL230, which was mostly used for the Tiger II. It is still there as a display and remains the museum's most popular exhibit.

=== In-game description ===
Work on the creation of a heavy tank began in 1937. Only after the attack on the USSR were the tactical and technical requirements needed for this new war machine met. The tank was designed by the Henschel company, led by Erwin Aders.
Production was handled by Henschel and Weggman factories, which made about 450 tanks from July 1942 to August 1943.

The first 495 vehicles included equipment that enabled the crossing of water obstacles up to 4 meters deep. Beginning with the 251st tank, the Maybach HL 230 P30 engine (600 hp) was replaced with a Maybach HL 230 P45 (700 hp). The Tiger was armed with an 88 mm 8,8 cm KwK-36 L/56 gun, which was a tank version of the famous Flak 18/36 anti-aircraft gun. In the spring and summer of 1943, the tank received smoke grenade launchers and mortars for launching anti-personnel mines.

The Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger entered service with heavy tank battalions. The tanks were first used in the fall of 1942, on the Leningrad front, in the 502nd heavy tank battalion. In December 1942, in North Africa, Tigers entered service with the 501st battalion.

The first tanks which arrived often broke, owing to the haste with which they were put into mass production. The vehicle was very heavy, with low manoeuvrability. It consumed 10 liters of fuel every 1 km. A full fuel tank, 567 liters, was enough for only two and a half hours of combat work, which was one of the tank's major drawbacks. But this was all compensated for by the battle machine's simplicity and ease of operation. Tank operators who served in Tigers were constantly praising its transmission and steering. The tank's armour also gave the crew a high chance of surviving battle, even if the tank was disabled.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_h1_tiger Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Sights

* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|ryx7Uxo_3X0|'''The Shooting Range #250''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:40 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|tcIeR_s6fp8|'''The Shooting Range #204''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:50 discusses the Tiger I and the VK 45.01 (P).|9_txEPailKc|'''The Shooting Range #92''' - ''Tactics & Strategy'' section at 10:50 discusses the Tiger I.|QEz1MgTjUAw|'''War Thunder: Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|kFQd8TYt6Ew|'''Tank Chats #17 Tiger I''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== 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/4528-profile-pz-kpfw-vi-tiger-ausf-h1-en|[Vehicle Profile] Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1]]
* [[wt:en/news/2641/current|[Vehicle Profile] Pzkpfw VI "Tiger" Ausf. H1]]
* [[wikipedia:Tiger_I|[Wikipedia] Tiger I]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Panzer-VI_Tiger.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E (Sd.Kfz.181) Tiger I]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=72 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> SdKfz 181 Panzer VI / Tiger I]

=== References ===
<references />

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

Turm III

2022-10-19T04:07:03Z

U130511531: /* Usage in battles */

LVT-4/40

2022-10-12T01:48:05Z

U130511531: survivability and armour

{{About
| about = French light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = LVT (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_lvt_bofors
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_LVT-4_40.jpg|ArtImage LVT-4-40.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Direct Hit"]] as a reward for [[Battle Pass: Season V, "River Hunter"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
With weak armour that sometimes being penetrated by 7mm it is advised to be careful as any vehicle could suddenly spray bullets and leave some of your crew dead. Though the slight amount of armour is very useful against shrapnel and small calibre he and bombs unlike many other spaa, even some plane 7mm can be blocked due to high angle or distance. The lack of armour is not cripiling as the size and amount of crew make up for a lot of artificial survivability as you will often survive a shot maybe even two! especially as most apbc fuses won't activate on the thin armour.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=387|rbMinHp=221}}

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

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

{{main|Bofors L/60 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Bofors L/60 (40 mm)|40 mm Bofors L/60]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 384 (8) || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+87° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 33.3 || 46.1 || 56.0 || 61.9 || 65.9 || rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.58 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.8 || 24.5 || 29.8 || 32.9 || 35.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}
* '''Mk.II:''' {{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}
* '''M81A1:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 72 || 69 || 58 || 46 || 37 || 29
|-
| Mk.II || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| M81A1 || 72 || 69 || 58 || 46 || 37 || 29
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! 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%
|-
| Mk.II || FI-T* || 874 || 0.83 || 0 || 0.1 || 63 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M81A1 || AP-T || 875 || 0.88 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo type
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
|-
| '''48''' '''384''' || ''Clips'' ''Rounds'' || 46 ''(+2)'' 368 ''(+16)'' || 43 ''(+5)'' 344 ''(+40)'' || 40 ''(+8)'' 320 ''(+64)'' || 37 ''(+11)'' 296 ''(+88)'' || 34 ''(+14)'' 272 ''(+112)'' || 31 ''(+17)'' 248 ''(+136)'' || 28 ''(+20)'' 224 ''(+160)'' || 25 ''(+23)'' 200 ''(+184)''
|-
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! 15th rack empty
! 16th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 22 ''(+26)'' 176 ''(+208)'' || 19 ''(+29)'' 152 ''(+232)'' || 16 ''(+32)'' 128 ''(+256)'' || 13 ''(+35)'' 104 ''(+280)'' || 10 ''(+38)'' 80 ''(+304)'' || 7 ''(+41)'' 56 ''(+328)'' || 4 ''(+44)'' 32 ''(+352)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' 8 ''(+376)'' || No
!
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks LVT-4-40.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* Ammunition is divided into 48 clips of 8 rounds.
* Each rack contains 3 clips (24 rounds).

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 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
|-
| Coaxial (left) || 1,200 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Coaxial (right) || 1,200 (200) || 577 || 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:'''

* Has amphibious capability
* High rate of fire and very short reload time for the 40 mm cannon
* It has two 12.7 mm machine gun to complement the Bofors cannon
* Versatile, can be used as a light tank or a SPAA
* Large internal volume makes it remarkably survivable despite its thin armour

'''Cons:'''

* Gun depression only limit to -3 degrees
* Tall gun position with only -3 degrees gun depression, prone to close short range attacks
* Big profile makes easier for enemies to spot you
* Light armour and open-topped design make it vulnerable to air attacks, machine gun fire, chemical shells (HE, HEAT) and artillery strikes
* Fuel tanks exposed on the sides and prone to fire when shot

== History ==


In the wake of WWII, France possessed a large number of American vehicles in its service, including the LVT series of amphibious vehicles. These, along with other armored vehicles, were supplied to France as a short-term solution to rebuild the French military after the war. During the Indochina War of the early 1950's, LVTs in French service were modified to carry the 40 mm Bofors anti-air gun as it proved to be more effective against ground targets than the standard 37 mm cannon. These modified French LVTs also participated in the Suez Crisis of 1956, which also marked their final operational use.

''- From [[wt:en/news/7384-development-battle-pass-vehicles-lvt-4-40-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Wa5gx59a7RY|'''Should You buy The LVT-4/40? - Vehicle Review''' - ''Sako Sniper''}}

== 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/7384-development-battle-pass-vehicles-lvt-4-40-en|[Devblog] Battle Pass Vehicles: LVT-4/40]]

{{France light tanks}}
{{France premium ground vehicles}}