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Conqueror

2024-06-24T08:30:30Z

U22652589: Conqueror Mark 2 uses modified version of Caernarvon hull (single periscope instead of triple periscope weakspot)

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_conqueror_mk_2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}_AddArmour.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

Following the reveal of the [[IS-3]] during the 1945 Victory Parade through Berlin, the British realised the need for a new heavily armed and heavily armoured tank. Plans were drawn to create a "Universal Tank" hull, which would then be able to mount a variety of different armaments to suit a range of roles. The heaviest of this set of planned vehicles was the '''Conqueror''', armed with a 120 mm gun inspired by and developed alongside that of the American [[M103]], designed to be able to face down any Soviet threats and provide long-range anti-tank support for the existing [[Centurion (Family)|Centurion]].

By 1950, the new hull and chassis were nearing completion, while the gun and turret were still under development. Thus, a project to mount the turret of the [[Centurion Mk 3]] was spawned, in order to ease the development process and train crews on the new hull, resulting in the [[Caernarvon]]. 1951 saw completion of the new gun and its acceptance into service, while the turret was still being finalized; plans for a stop-gap carriage for the new gun resulted in the Centurion hull-based [[Conway]]. Prototypes were complete by 1952, and the tank itself finally entered service in 1955, being sent immediately to armoured regiments stationed in West Germany. Both the Conqueror and Centurion were ultimately replaced by the [[Chieftain (Family)|Chieftain]] in 1966.

Introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]] along with the initial British ground tree, the Conqueror deviates from most earlier British designs, favouring firepower and armour. With an extremely powerful main cannon, solid armour protection, and surprising (but still rather lacking) manoeuvrability for such a heavy vehicle, the Conqueror proves to be a highly effective sniper and support tank, able to crack open heavily armoured targets from long ranges. Making use of its strong armour and gun stabiliser allows it to also be put to good use in close-range brawls, although the subpar mobility and long reload can limit the vehicle in this aspect.

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

[[File:Conqueror trapshot mantlet .png|thumb|400x400px|A basic weak spot of the Conqueror; the gun mantlet. The area is hit because of Conqueror's poor depression. It can be targeted by large-calibre HE, APDS and Sabot shells. - The shown camouflage is known as 'Phalanx', part of the "Night Vision" chest.]]
The Conqueror Mark 2 utilizes a modified version of Caernarvon's hull, with respectable frontal armour capable of shrugging off rounds from many adversaries. Unfortunately, this hull suffers from similarly weak side and rear armour - and as such angling, the vehicle can prove extremely dangerous if it exposes the side too much. The Conqueror replaces the Caernarvon's Centurion-based turret with a fresh design, providing much better crew spacing and protection. The turret is not without its weaknesses, however; the commander's cupola protrudes quite significantly and APHE or HESH shells may disable internal turret components or crew members. There is also a weak section directly behind the mantlet at the top of the turret, penetration of which will disable crew or the breech/horizontal turret drive.
Trap shots are possible, it is likely to get shot with a high-calibre HE, capable of damaging the tank by hitting the base of the turret and exploding into the driver and/or ammo rack just below it. Unlike with similar tank [[M103]] though, for most heavy tanks HE can only penetrate the driver hatch, taking them out, and damage the gun breech on a good hit. SPG calibre HE (like 152 mm of [[Object 268]]) will definitely destroy the roof armour and ammo rack, resulting in a knock-out, unless only a few shells are being carried (which is highly impractical). Non-HE shells are less likely to ricochet and do significant internal damage like this, but it is still possible to push them into the tank.

The frontal track guards are also very vulnerable at particular angles and can be exploited even when sides are not exposed to instantly destroy the tank using nearly any gun, like with [[Churchill Mk VII]]. The more realistic scenario, however, is high-calibre HESH hitting the ground next to them and setting the tank on fire or outright destroying it. Fortunately, most tanks which are capable of this and are going out of their way to use HESH instead of HEAT are British and can only be your opponent in AB, in RB the likelihood of receiving such hit is greatly reduced.

The Conqueror has a researchable add-on armour package which improves the vehicle's survivability to HEAT rounds and by a small amount to kinetic rounds.<ref name="dtic" /> The Conqueror is relatively resistant to HEAT ammunition, smaller HEAT ammunition may have issue harming the Conqueror when hull-down.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 130 + 20 mm (59°) ''Front glacis'' 76 mm (44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51 + 6 mm || 38 mm ''Top'' 20 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' || 44 mm ''Front'' 17 mm ''Crew hatch'' 17 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 152-313 mm (0-68°) ''Turret front'' 89-200 mm (0-78°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 89-233 mm (1-48°) || 50 mm (1-34°) || 51 mm 31 mm ''Square area near gun'' 17 mm ''Crew hatches''
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 203 mm (0-17°) || 70 mm (12-14°) || 51 mm 17 mm ''Crew hatch''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Front of turret vary in armour thickness, from 152 mm to 313 mm, but it is all very sloped due to turret design.
* The front of the turret roof has an additional armour plate of 31 mm in thickness.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,046|rbMinHp=716|AoAweight=1.1}}

The {{PAGENAME}} has reasonable mobility, despite its weight, thanks to a powerful engine and favourable gearbox ratios. It does suffer from a somewhat limited top speed of 34 km/h, however it reaches this speed fairly easily on-road and on smooth off-road surfaces. The vehicle has surprisingly responsive hull traverse due to the engine power and neutral steering capability. The {{PAGENAME}} has a reasonable reverse speed for a British vehicle, however it shouldn't be relied on too heavily.

When the add-on armour package is researched and equipped, the vehicle's weight will increase by 1.1 tonnes, resulting in a minor decrease in mobility.

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

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

{{main|Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)}}

The 120 mm L1A2 is a powerful gun, derived from the M58 mounted on the M103 heavy tank. Unlike the M103's selection of HEAT or AP, the Conqueror instead utilises HESH and APDS ammunition, and again unlike the M103, mounts a two-plane stabiliser. The L1A2 exhibits excellent accuracy and long-range performance, although due to the sub-par post-penetration effects of APDS in some cases multiple rounds are required to secure a knock-out, particularly at range where critical components or ammunition is less reliably hit.

Despite this, the Conqueror performs admirably as a sniper, covering capture points or thoroughfares, and should primarily rely on APDS with careful thought as to placement. HESH may prove useful against lighter vehicles or in cases where a target's side armour is exposed, but otherwise should not be relied on for anything besides pure luck. It's important to remember that the Conqueror has a reasonably long reload of 19.4 seconds at base; and as such careful consideration should be made as to what to prioritise disabling first.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)|120 mm Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2]] || 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" | 35 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 13.2 || 18.3 || 22.2 || 24.5 || 26.1 || rowspan="2" | 19.37 || rowspan="2" | 17.14 || rowspan="2" | 15.80 || rowspan="2" | 14.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.7 || 11.4 || 13.9 || 15.3 || 16.3
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)/Ammunition|Shot L1G, Shell L1TK}}

==== [[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
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| rowspan="2" | '''35''' || Projectiles || 34 ''(+1)'' || 31 ''(+4)'' || 29 ''(+6)'' || 27 ''(+8)'' || 23 ''(+12)'' || 22 ''(+13)'' || 17 ''(+18)'' || 9 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+34)'' || rowspan="2" | No
|-
| Propellants || 35 ''(+0)'' || 34 ''(+1)'' || 33 ''(+2)'' || 32 ''(+3)'' || 23 ''(+12)'' || 9 ''(+26)'' || 1 (''+34)'' || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* The first propellant rack contains only a single charge of propellant, so even when bringing a full load of 35 rounds this rack will always be empty as the first round loaded into the gun upon spawn.
* It is advised to take 22 rounds into combat if you wish to maximise available shots but remove the propellant charges racked just beside the driver if considering the weak spot that is the lower front plate of the Conqueror.
* The propellant portion of the ready rack is comprised of a single charge rack and a seven-charge rack. As these spaces make up the 8 round ready rack ammo count they are considered as a single rack for the purposes of deciding how much ammo to take. However if a player were to take only 7 rounds the single rack to the left of the loader would be empty of a charge.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

The Conqueror sports two machine guns, one of which is pintle-mounted and may prove itself a deterrent to some close air support. The machine guns may on occasion prove useful for destroying incoming ATGMs, given a bit of luck.

{| 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 || 3,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 3,750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+30° || ±180°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Conqueror can be effectively played as a sniper, or a steady breakthrough tank, providing the vehicle's slow reload and weak lower front plate are considered. This heavy tank should not be played in a brawling role. It will easily be flanked and disposed by the side armour plates. Commanders are advised to remain on some of these roles:

'''Sniper Role'''

When used in a sniper role, the Conqueror should utilise extreme ranges with some form of cover available, in case the situation goes awry. Ensure awareness is maintained for light flanking vehicles or enemy sniping vehicles on off-angles that may be able to disable the Conqueror through side armour. Play conservatively, avoiding wasting shots, having to wait for the long reload time, and avoid exposing the hull where possible.

Remember the rangefinder and if possible find locations that cover the hull of the Conqueror.

'''Breakthrough Role'''

The Conqueror may be utilised in a breakthrough role, although it should be played conservatively with allies and with a level of map awareness at all times. The stabilised gun allows the conqueror to comfortably fire on the move - a rare piece of equipment at the rank - this gives it a distinct advantage over most targets it will face at close range, with the ability to reliably hit targets without waiting for the suspension sway to subside. However, the vehicle's slow reload means that calculated shots are a requirement, and wasting any round may have dire results.

As usual, keep in mind that the vehicle's sides and lower front plate are particularly vulnerable and exposing either to enemy fire will often result in the Conqueror's destruction. If the advance seems to be failing, or the Conqueror is on risk to be flanked. Remember the good reverse speed, this along smoke cover will grant second chances.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* APDS round is extremely powerful and accurate
* HESH ammo may have surprising results, and can prove particularly effective against light or side armour
* The L1A2 cannon is fully two-plane stabilised, allowing it to be fired accurately on the move
* Coaxial machine gun has ballistic performance similar to the HESH round and may be used for ranging
* Turret and upper front plate are very sloped and armoured, with few weak points
* Add-on armour offers more protection in the form of spaced armour to the turret cheeks and upper plate
* Well-spaced crew make the vehicle unlikely to be affected by crew knock-out in a single hit
* Reasonably good mobility despite weight and huge gun
* Optical rangefinder allows for accurate distance measuring
* Reasonable reverse speed allows the Conqueror to peek shots effectively
* Conqueror has commander override: a knocked out gunner will not prevent the player from firing

'''Cons:'''

* HESH is not reliable against any vehicle with semi-decent armour; requires high skills and knowledge of the enemy
* The APDS penetration at angles above 45 degrees is significantly reduced
* Long reload time (19.4 second base) for British standards, although relatively standard for the calibre
* Only rifle-calibre machine guns
* Particularly weak side armour and lower front plate; will be commonly targeted areas
* Only 17 mm of protection on the wide engine deck will be targeted by planes
* Top speed is limited at only 34 km/h; it faces really mobile enemies such as the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard Is]]
* Large cupola can be exploited by APHE ammunition

== History ==


===Development===
In 1944, General Staff started a project called ''A45 Infantry Support Tank'', which started around the same time as the development of the [[Centurion Mk 1|A41 Centurion]] cruiser tank. This project, after the war, was redesignated from a typical "Infantry Tank" and instead focused on a new role of a "Universal Tank" design in the form of the FV 200 series. The "Universal Tank" concept was to design a vehicle that would have a mobility comparable to that of cruiser tanks, but with the armour and firepower of heavy tanks. The FV 200 series designation was adopted and was to serve as a line of vehicles that used the same hull and chassis in different roles like armour recovery vehicles and self-propelled guns. The first tank of this series was to be the FV 201, which would be 55 tons and use the 20-pounder gun.

In 1949, a new requirement for the project called for the use of a 120 mm gun, possibly in response to the reveal of the Soviet [[IS-3]] heavy tank in the Berlin Victory Parade in 1945. This new requirement would delay the initial deadlines for the tank as no gun of that calibre had been developed yet. As a interim development before such a gun could be made, the FV 201 hull was mounted with a turret from the Centurion tank and this created the FV 221 [[Caernarvon]], with Mark I for a 17-pounder armament and a Mark II for a 20-pounder armament. However, the success of the lighter Centurion tank made the Caernarvon unsuitable in a "Main Battle Tank" role. Further development on the Caernarvon, with emphasis on the armour and armament, would develop the '''FV 214 Conqueror''' tanks, some were straight up conversions of Caernarvon Mark IIs. About 185 Conquerors were produced in Mk.1 and Mk.2 variants from 1955 to 1959.

===Design===
The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as the "Tank, Heavy No. 1, 120 mm Gun, Conqueror", was intended to provide a mobile, long-range anti-tank support for the lighter and more numerous Centurion tanks stationed in Germany. As a response to the heavy [[IS-3]] tank in Soviet service, the tank's armament and armour is taken up and beyond extreme to typical NATO armour development. The armour, with a frontal plate of about seven inches (178 mm), made the tank one of the most protected tanks stationed in West Germany. The abundance of armour made the tank heavy, weighing 64 tons, and this impeded the tank's top speed and made it mechanically unreliable. However, the tank was very mobile in cross-country terrain, seen as equal as the lighter and faster Centurion tank.

The gun was the very large 120 mm cannon, the largest calibre tank gun available when it was introduced. The gun was American-developed, the same 120 mm cannon that would arm the [[M103|M103]] heavy tank. The gun uses a two-piece ammunition and the tank allowed for a ammo stowage of 35 rounds. Another notable feature of the Conqueror aside from its large cannon and thick armour was the unique and rotatable commander's cupola. In the cupola was the Conqueror's fire control system and had many features that made it ahead of its time. Being able to be rotated independent from the turret, plus with a coincidence rangefinder, the commander could align the cupola to a target, measure its range, and direct the gunner to the designated target. While the gunner located and engage the target, the commander could go and find a different target to designate and range.

===Usage===
The Conqueror were all stationed in West German in the armoured regiments stationed there. Each regiment received 9 Conquerors and were organized in groups of three as tank troops to support the Centurions in any conflict that arise from the tense situation of the Cold War. As history played out, the Cold War never became "hot" and no hostile conflicts arise in the borders of Germany, thus the Conquerors never saw any use aside from training as they were all exclusively stationed on the German borders. The Conqueror's intention to provide a long-range anti-tank capability for the Centurions, became less significant when the Centurions began to arm themselves with the more powerful 105 mm L7 gun, such as the [[Centurion Mk 10]]. The lower tactical value of the Conqueror and further development on heavy tanks in Britain had the Conquerors replaced in 1966 with the much more powerful and armoured, yet lighter, [[Chieftain Mk 3|FV 4201 Chieftain tank]].

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_conqueror_mk_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|gR3JPNt0iPw|'''Heavyweight brits''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:21 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|94S5XQwnX2I|'''The Shooting Range #108''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|JmaDhygkvDg|'''Tank Chats #145 <nowiki>| Conqueror |</nowiki> The Tank Museum''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==


;Related Development

* [[Caernarvon]]
* [[Conway]]

;Shared operational history

* [[Centurion Mk 10]]
* [[Caernarvon]]

;Analogues of other nations

* [[IS-7]]
* [[IS-4M]]
* [[T-10M]] / [[T-10A]]
* [[M103]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/850/|[Devblog] Сenturion Mk III and Conqueror Mk II]]
* [[wt:en/devblog/current/870|[Devblog] Conqueror Armor Investigation]]

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="dtic">[https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a474293.pdf Trials against Conqueror tanks with additional ballistic protection - Part 2 The use of large hollow charge warheads.pdf]</ref>
</references>

{{Britain heavy tanks}}

Cromwell I

2024-01-26T06:09:21Z

U22652589: Added some extra details, tips and also the mantlet was buffed from 64mm to 88.9mm recently, changed that, also I replaced KV-2 as a threat with a KV-1E as a KV-2 is not a particularly worrysome target when the Cromwell can shoot 7-10 times faster

{{About
|about= British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage= other versions
|link= Cromwell (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more manoeuvrable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-1E]]

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking, it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit-wonder.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armour, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' ||44 mm ''Top front'' 32 + 14 mm ''Bottom front'' 38 (0°) + 32 mm (34°) ''Top rear'' 25.4 + 14 mm ''Bottom rear'' || 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''Compartment'' 14 mm ''Engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm + 12.7 mm ''Turret front'' 88.9 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm + 12.7 mm || 44 mm + 12.7 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* 12.7mm Armour basket behind Turret front, sides and rear.
* The vehicle has 5mm structural steel compartment separators inside

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


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

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

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

{{main|6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.III]] || 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" | 75 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.1 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.9 || 17.5 || 21.3 || 23.5 || 25.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)/Ammunition|Shot Mk.5, Shot Mk.5 HV, Shot Mk.8, Shot Mk.9, Shell Mk.10}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* The visual discrepancy concerns the total number of shells as well as the number of shells per rack:
** 86 shells are visually modelled but you can only pack 75 shells.
** For each rack, the number of shells modelled does not correspond to the number of shells available to be fired.

==== Optics ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.8 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


'''Overview:'''

The Cromwell I is a fast tank with a good cannon and acceptable armour protection. Commanders should play it like a light tank, but be careful of the extremely slow reverse gear. It excels in close quarters combat due to the excellent gun and hull handling characteristics, as well as the fast reload rate. Commanders should avoid long range fights due to the slow reverse gear. This lack of a reverse gear makes it difficult to return to cover after exposing your tank to fire on the enemy. The best strategy in the Cromwell I is to hug the map corners and try to flank, outmaneuvering enemy forces. The tank is very rewarding to players who have experience with the map that is being played, are adept at flanking, and are able to predict enemy movements. It is a true Cruiser tank, able to exploit gaps in the enemy defenses by disrupting the enemy back line. Despite its admirable characteristics, the Cromwell is an ''unconventional'' medium tank, and may be difficult to use in the hands of a traditional medium tank player.

'''Firepower:'''

The best shell to use is the Shot Mk.9 APCBC due to its penetration characteristics. Generally this is a great round due to the fast reload and shell velocity. However this round struggles against angled armour, most notably against Soviet T-34 tanks. Against this enemy Cromwell gunners will have to aim for the turret or machine gun port, as the upper front plate will bounce the Shot Mk.9 easily. The 6pdr also has a high velocity loss modifier, resulting in poor penetration over long distances.

'''Staying alive:'''

In terms of armour, the Cromwell I is in a better situation than many players would assume. While the front armour is not particularly impressive, the design is very square and the side armour is acceptable. This means that the Cromwell I is an excellent tank to angle your hull and turret armour in. When the enemy fires, a quick turn using the impressive handling and acceleration can cause a bounce. The Cromwell's turret face has an interior 12mm plate behind the main armour, meaning that in a downtier, some vehicles may have issue penetrating you when hull down. There is also an overlap with the 88.9mm mantlet and 64mm turret face, resulting in a small area with up to 160mm of effective armour. Generally, Cromwell I commanders should seek to move unpredictably when under fire and create angles that are difficult to penetrate. They should also seek to engage targets from the flanks whenever possible, and plan potential escape routes if the engagement is not in your favor.

One somewhat unconventional tool that the Cromwell has access to is an abundance of smoke grenades. Commanders can use these grenades to shut down enemy firing angles and protect themselves from being shot in the side, or on the retreat. However, be careful not to spam these too much as they may get in the way of your teammates as well.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank, excellent for capturing zones and catching enemy light tanks off-guard
* 57 mm performs well against most armoured targets
* Great gun handling thanks to high turret traverse, good gun depression and vertical stabilizer
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuvre
* Remains competitive even in an uptier
* Respectable minimum frontal armour means that in a downtier some vehicles may struggle to penetrate you
* Reasonably fast neutral turning capablity
* Above average survivability thanks to 5 crew members and interior structural steel

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed, makes overextending difficult
* Neutral turning performs poorly on sloped terrain
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling essential
* Gunner can frequently be knocked out from frontal shots
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long ranges
* 57mm ammunition can sometimes fail to injure enemy crew sufficiently

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the A23, a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the A24 based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called Cromwell I were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the Meteor. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called Cromwell III and Cromwell II respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the Cavalier, the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the Centaur, and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction with the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. The second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944, after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. The suspension was a Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks' road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, its initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger calibre. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm overtime for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The A30 Challenger is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the [[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]] was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the [[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]], which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in Northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_a27m_cromwell_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|Cromwell I in the desert.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|CHvo6EIIlKk|'''Pages of History: A27 Cromwell''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[Cromwell V]]
* [[Cromwell V (RP-3)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/846/|[Devblog] Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile] Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Conqueror

2023-07-03T00:04:08Z

U22652589: Optical rangefinder is accurate over 1300m, measures to the nearest 100, Conqueror is more protective against HEAT ammunition than most vehicles, ammo detonations due to turret ring penetrations very rare, Conqueror most played vehicle, thousand+ kills

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_conqueror_mk_2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}_AddArmour.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]] along with the initial British ground tree. Designed to combat the Soviet [[IS-3]], the Conqueror gives the British line a much-needed vehicle with an emphasis on armour and firepower, with a [[M58 (120 mm)|120 mm L1A2 cannon]] capable of defeating all of the Rank V competition it will face.

The Conqueror was the tank the [[Caernarvon]] hull was designed for. The Caernarvon itself only being a stop-gap measure, with most models being upgraded to Conquerors once the type was approved for production. The Conqueror augments this hull with a significantly upgraded turret design housing the 120 mm L1A2 cannon.

The Conqueror deviates from most earlier British designs, favouring firepower and armour. This, combined with its somewhat limited mobility, results in the Conqueror proving to be one of, if not the single most effective sniper and support tank at its rank. Despite this, it can be put to good use in close-range engagements.

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

[[File:Conqueror trapshot mantlet .png|thumb|400x400px|A basic weak spot of the Conqueror; the gun mantlet. The area is hit because of Conqueror's poor depression. It can be targeted by large-calibre HE, APDS and Sabot shells. -''The shown camouflage is known as 'Phalanx', part of the 'Night vision' trophy.'']]
The Conqueror utilises the same hull as the Caernarvon does, with respectable frontal armour capable of shrugging off rounds from many adversaries. Unfortunately, this hull suffers from similarly weak side and rear armour - and as such angling, the vehicle can prove extremely dangerous if it exposes the side too much. The Conqueror replaces the Caernarvon's Centurion-based turret with a fresh design, providing much better crew spacing and protection. The turret is not without its weaknesses, however; the commander's cupola protrudes quite significantly and APHE or HESH shells may disable internal turret components or crew members. There is also a weak section directly behind the mantlet at the top of the turret, penetration of which will disable crew or the breech/horizontal turret drive.
Trap shots are possible, it is likely to get shot with a high calibre HE, capable of damaging the tank by hitting the base of the turret and exploding into the driver and/or ammo rack just below it. Unlike with similar tank [[M103]] though, for most heavy tanks HE can only penetrate the driver hatch, taking them out, and damage the gun breech on a good hit. SPG calibre HE (like 152 mm of [[Object 268]]) will definitely destroy the roof armour and ammo rack, resulting in a knock-out, unless only a few shells are being carried (which is highly impractical). Non-HE shells are less likely to ricochet and do significant internal damage like this, but it is still possible to push them into the tank.

The frontal track guards are also very vulnerable at particular angles and can be exploited even when sides are not exposed to instantly destroy the tank using nearly any gun, like with [[Churchill Mk VII]]. The more realistic scenario, however, is high calibre HESH hitting the ground next to them and setting the tank on fire or outright destroying it. Fortunately, most tanks which are capable of this and are going out of their way to use HESH instead of HEAT are British and can only be your opponent in AB, in RB the likelihood of receiving such hit is greatly reduced.

The Conqueror has a researchable add-on armour package which improves the vehicle's survivability to HEAT rounds and by a small amount to kinetic rounds.<ref name="dtic" />

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 130 + 20 mm (59°) ''Front glacis'' 76 mm (44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51 + 6 mm || 38 mm ''Top'' 20 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' || 44 mm ''Front'' 17 mm ''Crew hatch'' 17 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 152-313 mm (0-68°) ''Turret front'' 89-200 mm (0-78°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 89-233 mm (1-48°) || 50 mm (1-34°) || 51 mm 31 mm ''Square area near gun'' 17 mm ''Crew hatches''
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 203 mm (0-17°) || 70 mm (12-14°) || 51 mm 17 mm ''Crew hatch''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Front of turret vary in armour thickness, from 152 mm to 313 mm, but it is all very sloped due to turret design.
* The front of the turret roof has an additional armour plate of 31 mm in thickness.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,046|rbMinHp=716|AoAweight=1.1}}

The {{PAGENAME}} has reasonable mobility, despite its weight, thanks to a powerful engine and favourable gearbox ratios. It does suffer from a somewhat limited top speed of 34 km/h, however it reaches this speed fairly easily on-road and on smooth off-road surfaces. The vehicle has surprisingly responsive hull traverse due to the engine power and neutral steering capability. The {{PAGENAME}} has a reasonable reverse speed for a British vehicle, however it shouldn't be relied on too heavily.

When the add-on armour package is researched and equipped, the vehicle's weight will increase by 1.1 tonnes, resulting in a minor decrease in mobility.

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

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

{{main|Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)}}

The 120 mm L1A2 is a powerful gun, derived from the M58 mounted on the M103 heavy tank. Unlike the M103's selection of HEAT or AP, the Conqueror instead utilises HESH and APDS ammunition, and again unlike the M103, mounts a two-plane stabiliser. The L1A2 exhibits excellent accuracy and long-range performance, although due to the sub-par post-penetration effects of APDS in some cases multiple rounds are required to secure a knock-out, particularly at range where critical components or ammunition is less reliably hit.

Despite this, the Conqueror performs admirably as a sniper, covering capture points or thoroughfares, and should primarily rely on APDS with careful thought as to placement. HESH may prove useful against lighter vehicles or in cases where a target's side armour is exposed, but otherwise should not be relied on for anything besides pure luck. It's important to remember that the Conqueror has a reasonably long reload of 19.4 seconds at base; and as such careful consideration should be made as to what to prioritise disabling first.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)|120 mm Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2]] || 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" | 35 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 13.2 || 18.3 || 22.2 || 24.5 || 26.1 || rowspan="2" | 19.37 || rowspan="2" | 17.14 || rowspan="2" | 15.80 || rowspan="2" | 14.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.7 || 11.4 || 13.9 || 15.3 || 16.3
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)/Ammunition|Shot L1G, Shell L1TK}}

==== [[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
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| rowspan="2" | '''35''' || Projectiles || 34 ''(+1)'' || 31 ''(+4)'' || 29 ''(+6)'' || 27 ''(+8)'' || 23 ''(+12)'' || 22 ''(+13)'' || 17 ''(+18)'' || 9 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+34)'' || rowspan="2" | No
|-
| Propellants || 35 ''(+0)'' || 34 ''(+1)'' || 33 ''(+2)'' || 32 ''(+3)'' || 23 ''(+12)'' || 9 ''(+26)'' || 1 (''+34)'' || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* The first propellant rack contains only a single charge of propellant, so even when bringing a full load of 35 rounds this rack will always be empty as the first round loaded into the gun upon spawn.
* It is advised to take 22 rounds into combat if you wish to maximise available shots but remove the propellant charges racked just beside the driver if considering the weak spot that is the lower front plate of the Conqueror.
* The propellant portion of the ready rack is comprised of a single charge rack and a seven-charge rack. As these spaces make up the 8 round ready rack ammo count they are considered as a single rack for the purposes of deciding how much ammo to take. However if a player were to take only 7 rounds the single rack to the left of the loader would be empty of a charge.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

The Conqueror sports two machine guns, one of which is pintle-mounted and may prove itself a deterrent to some close air support. The machine guns may on occasion prove useful for destroying incoming ATGMs, given a bit of luck.

{| 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 || 3,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 3,750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+30° || ±180°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Conqueror can be effectively played as a sniper, or a steady breakthrough tank, providing the vehicle's slow reload and weak lower front plate are considered. This heavy tank should not be played in a brawling role. It will easily be flanked and disposed by the side armour plates. Commanders are advised to remain on some of these roles:

'''Sniper Role'''

When used in a sniper role, the Conqueror should utilise extreme ranges with some form of cover available, in case the situation goes awry. Ensure awareness is maintained for light flanking vehicles or enemy sniping vehicles on off-angles that may be able to disable the Conqueror through side armour. Play conservatively, avoiding wasting shots, having to wait for the long reload time, and avoid exposing the hull where possible.

Remember the rangefinder and if possible find locations that cover the hull of the Conqueror.

'''Breakthrough Role'''

The Conqueror may be utilised in a breakthrough role, although it should be played conservatively with allies and with a level of map awareness at all times. The stabilised gun allows the conqueror to comfortably fire on the move - a rare piece of equipment at the rank - this gives it a distinct advantage over most targets it will face at close range, with the ability to reliably hit targets without waiting for the suspension sway to subside. However, the vehicle's slow reload means that calculated shots are a requirement, and wasting any round may have dire results.

As usual, keep in mind that the vehicle's sides and lower front plate are particularly vulnerable and exposing either to enemy fire will often result in the Conqueror's destruction. If the advance seems to be failing, or the Conqueror is on risk to be flanked. Remember the good reverse speed, this along smoke cover will grant second chances.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* APDS round is extremely powerful and accurate
* HESH ammo may have surprising results, and can prove particularly effective against light or side armour
* The L1A2 cannon is fully two-plane stabilised, allowing it to be fired accurately on the move
* Coaxial machine gun has ballistic performance similar to the HESH round and may be used for ranging
* Turret and upper front plate are very sloped and armoured, with few weak points
* Add-on armour offers more protection in the form of spaced armour to the turret cheeks and upper plate; Conqueror is relatively resistant to HEAT ammunition, smaller HEAT ammunition may have issue harming the Conqueror when hull-down
* Well-spaced crew make the vehicle unlikely to be affected by crew knock-out in a single hit
* Reasonably good mobility despite weight and huge gun
* Optical rangefinder allows for accurate distance measuring
* Reasonable reverse speed allows the Conqueror to peak shot effectively
* Conqueror has commander override; a knocked out gunner will not prevent the player from firing

'''Cons:'''

* HESH is not reliable against any vehicle with semi-decent armour; requires high skills and knowledge of the enemy
* Long reload time (19.4 second base) for British standards, although relatively standard for calibre
* Only 7.62 mm machine guns
* Particularly weak side armour and lower front plate; will be commonly targeted areas
* Only 17 mm of protection on the wide engine deck will be targeted by planes
* Top speed is limited at only 34 km/h; it faces really mobile enemies such as the [[Leopard (Family)|Leopards]]
* Large cupola can be exploited by APHE ammunition

== History ==


===Development===
In 1944, General Staff started a project called ''A45 Infantry Support Tank'', which started around the same time as the development of the [[Centurion Mk 1|A41 Centurion]] cruiser tank. This project, after the war, was redesignated from a typical "Infantry Tank" and instead focused on a new role of a "Universal Tank" design in the form of the FV 200 series. The "Universal Tank" concept was to design a vehicle that would have a mobility comparable to that of cruiser tanks, but with the armour and firepower of heavy tanks. The FV 200 series designation was adopted and was to serve as a line of vehicles that used the same hull and chassis in different roles like armour recovery vehicles and self-propelled guns. The first tank of this series was to be the FV 201, which would be 55 tons and use the 20-pounder gun.

In 1949, a new requirement for the project called for the use of a 120 mm gun, possibly in response to the reveal of the Soviet [[IS-3]] heavy tank in the Berlin Victory Parade in 1945. This new requirement would delay the initial deadlines for the tank as no gun of that calibre had been developed yet. As a interim development before such a gun could be made, the FV 201 hull was mounted with a turret from the Centurion tank and this created the FV 221 [[Caernarvon]], with Mark I for a 17-pounder armament and a Mark II for a 20-pounder armament. However, the success of the lighter Centurion tank made the Caernarvon unsuitable in a "Main Battle Tank" role. Further development on the Caernarvon, with emphasis on the armour and armament, would develop the '''FV 214 Conqueror''' tanks, some were straight up conversions of Caernarvon Mark IIs. About 185 Conquerors were produced in Mk.1 and Mk.2 variants from 1955 to 1959.

===Design===
The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as the "Tank, Heavy No. 1, 120 mm Gun, Conqueror", was intended to provide a mobile, long-range anti-tank support for the lighter and more numerous Centurion tanks stationed in Germany. As a response to the heavy [[IS-3]] tank in Soviet service, the tank's armament and armour is taken up and beyond extreme to typical NATO armour development. The armour, with a frontal plate of about seven inches (178 mm), made the tank one of the most protected tanks stationed in West Germany. The abundance of armour made the tank heavy, weighing 64 tons, and this impeded the tank's top speed and made it mechanically unreliable. However, the tank was very mobile in cross-country terrain, seen as equal as the lighter and faster Centurion tank.

The gun was the very large 120 mm cannon, the largest calibre tank gun available when it was introduced. The gun was American-developed, the same 120 mm cannon that would arm the [[M103|M103]] heavy tank. The gun uses a two-piece ammunition and the tank allowed for a ammo stowage of 35 rounds. Another notable feature of the Conqueror aside from its large cannon and thick armour was the unique and rotatable commander's cupola. In the cupola was the Conqueror's fire control system and had many features that made it ahead of its time. Being able to be rotated independent from the turret, plus with a coincidence rangefinder, the commander could align the cupola to a target, measure its range, and direct the gunner to the designated target. While the gunner located and engage the target, the commander could go and find a different target to designate and range.

===Usage===
The Conqueror were all stationed in West German in the armoured regiments stationed there. Each regiment received 9 Conquerors and were organized in groups of three as tank troops to support the Centurions in any conflict that arise from the tense situation of the Cold War. As history played out, the Cold War never became "hot" and no hostile conflicts arise in the borders of Germany, thus the Conquerors never saw any use aside from training as they were all exclusively stationed on the German borders. The Conqueror's intention to provide a long-range anti-tank capability for the Centurions, became less significant when the Centurions began to arm themselves with the more powerful 105 mm L7 gun, such as the [[Centurion Mk 10]]. The lower tactical value of the Conqueror and further development on heavy tanks in Britain had the Conquerors replaced in 1966 with the much more powerful and armoured, yet lighter, [[Chieftain Mk 3|FV 4201 Chieftain tank]].

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_conqueror_mk_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|gR3JPNt0iPw|'''Heavyweight brits''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:21 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|94S5XQwnX2I|'''The Shooting Range #108''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|JmaDhygkvDg|'''Tank Chats #145 <nowiki>| Conqueror |</nowiki> The Tank Museum''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==


;Related Development

* [[Caernarvon]]
* [[Conway]]

;Shared operational history

* [[Centurion Mk 10]]
* [[Caernarvon]]

;Analogues of other nations

* [[IS-7]]
* [[IS-4M]]
* [[T-10M]] / [[T-10A]]
* [[M103]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/850/|[Devblog] Сenturion Mk III and Conqueror Mk II]]
* [[wt:en/devblog/current/870|[Devblog] Conqueror Armor Investigation]]

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="dtic">[https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a474293.pdf Trials against Conqueror tanks with additional ballistic protection - Part 2 The use of large hollow charge warheads.pdf]</ref>
</references>

{{Britain heavy tanks}}

Centurion Mk.5/1

2022-11-29T19:05:35Z

U22652589: By no means "slow" turret traverse which implies that it takes a long time to acquire target or below average traverse speed for BR, neither is true, mediocre is more accurate

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Centurion (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_centurion_mk_5_raac
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_Centurion_Mk.5-1.jpg|ArtImage Centurion Mk.5-1.png}}
|market=items_Centurion Mk.5/1 (RAAC) (Britain)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for [[Battle Pass: Season II, "Steel Centurion"]].

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour - hull, turret roof, external fuel tank
* Cast homogeneous armour - turret (except roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Armour''' !! '''Front (Slope angle)''' !! '''Sides''' !! '''Rear''' !! '''Roof'''
|-
| Hull || 76.2 + {{annotation|50.8|Appliqué armour}} mm (58°) ''Upper glacis'' 76.2 mm (47°) ''Lower glacis''
| 50.8 mm|| 38 mm || 29 mm ''Crew compartment'' 8-14 mm ''Engine compartment'' 5 mm ''Radiator vents''
|-
| Turret || 89-152 mm ''Turret front'' {{annotation|Up to 300 mm|Variable thickness armour}} + {{annotation|100 mm|Hidden in mantlet}} ''Gun mantlet'' || 89 mm || 89 mm || 29-50.8 mm
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || colspan="2" | 90 mm || 29 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Road wheels - 20 mm, tracks - 20 mm
* Main gun - 20 mm, machine guns - 5 mm
* External fuel tank - 12.7 mm
* Fenders and stowage boxes - 4 mm

Your upper front glacis plate may bounce a shell or two but all side skirts have been removed. It means that HEATFS, and HESH rounds become much more effective as there is only 50.8 mm of RHA on the sides.

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


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

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 64 || 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 ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,430 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Centurion_Mk.5-1.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
|-
| '''64''' || 63 ''(+1)'' || 59 ''(+5)'' || 52 ''(+12)'' || 44 ''(+20)'' || 37 ''(+27)''
|-
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 29 ''(+35)'' || 9 ''(+55)'' || 5 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+63)'' || No
!
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Racks 8 and 9 are first stage ammo racks. They total 8 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
** These racks are also emptied early: the depletion order at full capacity is 8 - 9 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 7.
** Full reload speed will be realized as long as shells are available in the ready racks 8 and 9. If the ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
** Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-7 into racks 9 then 8. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (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
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (250) || 500 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Coaxial || 3,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Take advantage of your good gun depression of -10° and powerful 20-pdr cannon to snipe from long distances. If you want to play close quarters, use cover as much as possible since your armour is something you shouldn't rely upon. The gun stabilizer means you can shoot faster than most tanks at that BR without needing to come to a stop. The night vision is a bonus and paired with the IR spotlight on the front side of the turret the vehicle can be excellent in night battles.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful APDS round with high velocity
* Good mobility of a Centurion plus decent reverse speed
* Accurate cannon with stabilizer
* Extra sloped armour plate on UFP, making the frontal armour on the Mk.5/1 equal to the Centurion Mk 10
* Decent frontal turret armour
* Night vision for driver, gunner and commander is an uncommon feature at this BR
* Generous amount of ammunition available for the 20-pounder gun: APCBC, APDS, smoke and HE shells
* Browning .50 calibre HMG with 3,000 rounds as coaxially mounted machinegun - noticeable upgrade over the standard British BESA machinegun
* Decent frontal turret armour, -10° gun depression and a powerful gun make the Centurion Mk.5/1 (RAAC) a powerful hulldown vehicle
* Rear mounted fuel tank offers a slight increase in protection against shells aimed at your engine

'''Cons:'''

* Only fires solid shots without explosive filler
* Weak side armour
* Frontal ammo stowage (can be mitigated by bringing fewer than 30 rounds)
* Low top speed
* Fuel tanks over the engine deck restrict gun depression while turret is facing backwards
* Unlike other Centurions, no turret mounted smoke grenade launchers
* IR spotlight can give your position away when activated during night battles
* Mediocre turret traverse
* Gun is slow to elevate and depress
* Slight loss in protection against shaped-charge munitions due to the missing sideskirts
* Reverse speed of -12 km/h is a noticeable upgrade over previous British tanks, but still quite underwhelming when you need a quick getaway

== History ==

The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) received Centurion Mark 3 tanks in 1955. The Mark 3 Centurion introduced the 20-pounder (84 mm) gun in the completely cast turret of the Mark 2. It was the first Centurion to include a new gunsight and a two-plane stabilization system for the main gun, as well as to have replaced the coaxial 20 mm Polsten gun with a 7.92 mm BESA machine gun. Additionally, the Mark 3 introduced a more powerful version of the Meteor engine - producing 650 horsepower. The RAAC upgraded their Mark 3 tanks to the Centurion Mark 5/1 standard. The Mark 5 replaced the coaxial BESA machine gun with a 7.62 mm L3 machine gun, a version of the American M1919 Browning, and added a second L3 machine gun on the commander's cupola; a 12.7 mm L6A1 machine gun (based on the American M2HB Browning) was mounted coaxial for ranging of the 20-pounder main gun. A layer of armour was added to the upper glacis to increase frontal protection.

Australian Centurion Mk 5/1 tanks of the C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment were deployed to Vietnam in February 1968. They were mainly used in the infantry support role due to a lack of enemy armour in the theatre. The Australian Centurions proved to have a high level of mobility during the conflict but were too heavy for most South Vietnamese bridges. Notable combats involving RAAC Centurions included defensive actions at the Coral and Balmoral firebases where RAAC Centurions were instrumental in the Australian victory. RAAC Centurions had been withdrawn from Vietnam by August 1971 and were replaced in the RAAC by the German Leopard 1 soon after. During their time in Vietnam 42 out of 58 Centurions took combat damage, of which six were irreparable. Despite this, only two Centurion crew members were killed in the conflict.

While in Vietnam, Australian tank crews removed the sideskirts from around the suspension in order to prevent a build-up of muck in the suspension. A 100 gallon fuel tank was bolted onto the rear of the hull in order to increase the very limited range of the Centurion. The standard ammunition loadout for Centurions deployed in Vietnam was 62 rounds of 84 mm ammunition, 4,000 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, and 9,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. Some Australian Centurions had their smoke grenade launchers removed while in Vietnam.

=== [[wt:en/news/7070-development-battle-pass-vehicles-centurion-mk-5-1-raac-en|Devblog]] ===
Since 1951, the Royal Australian Armoured Corps has been replenished with Centurion Mk.3 and Mk.5 tanks, arriving both from the United Kingdom and other British-controlled regions. By the end of the 60s, all Centurion tanks were upgraded to the Mk.5/1 modification - among other works, the modernisation involved the installation of new sighting and commander machine guns, as well as the welding of additional armour plates, which were 50.8 mm thick, to the upper front plate of the hull.

In 1965, Australia announced the introduction of its military contingent into Vietnam. For this mission, Centurion tanks were additionally equipped with night vision devices: a removable IR searchlight appeared on the front of the tower, and the driver's, gunner's, and commander's sights all received infrared night vision devices. The final standardisation of all available Centurions took place in 1973 after the return of the Australian troops from Vietnam. The Centurion Mk.5/1 was the main battle tank of the Australian Royal Tank Corps until the 1980s, later replaced by Leopard 1 tanks.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_centurion_mk_5_raac Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Centurion Mk 5-1 RAAC WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:Centurion Mk 5-1 RAAC WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:Centurion Mk 5-1 RAAC WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:Centurion Mk 5-1 RAAC WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|9ffyPCaxp9k|'''Battle Pass Vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:22 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7070-development-battle-pass-vehicles-centurion-mk-5-1-raac-en|[Devblog] Battle Pass vehicles: Centurion Mk.5/1 (RAAC)]]

{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
{{Britain medium tanks}}
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Firestreak

2020-12-27T09:17:28Z

U22652589:

[[File:Missile Firestreak Fired.jpg|thumb|x250px|Firestreak fired from a [[Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9]].]]

== Description ==


The '''Firestreak''' is a British [[Air-to-air_missiles#Infrared_homing_.28heat-seeking.29_missiles|Infrared homing air-to-air missile]]. it was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|javelin_fmk9}}
* {{Specs-Link|lightning_f6}}

== General info ==


The Firestreak is a large missile, with a massive 22.7 kg warhead. The Firestreak is a very early air-to-air missile design; It was Britain's first operational heat seeking missile. It has slightly better manoeuvrability than other early heat seeking missiles, and a much larger warhead, and is otherwise comparable in terms of speed and range.

=== Effective damage ===


The Firestreak has a massive 22.7 kg warhead, the highest of any air-to-air missile in the game, making it capable of outright destroying any target it gets a direct hit on. The warhead has a larger proximity fuse setting than other heat seeking missiles (10 m as opposed to the more standard 5 m), this helps slightly offset the missiles poor manoeuvrability as any aircraft caught in the proximity fuse range is likely to suffer critical damage due to the large explosive mass.

=== Comparison with analogues ===


The Firestreak has a warhead of 22.7 kilograms explosive mass, more than four times the payload of the [[AIM-9B]], which only contains 4.5 kilograms of explosives. It is also slightly more manoeuvrable than the AIM-9B with a 15 G max overload compared to the AIM-9B's 10 G.

== Usage in battles ==


This missile is not agile. Do not use them on targets that are manoeuvrable as they will easily evade it. Instead, use them on bombers or aircraft which have no energy left to manoeuvre as it will be more difficult for them to evade the missile.

As this missile seeks infrared radiation (IR), be aware of locking onto other sources of heat which can throw the missile off course such as other teammates, flares and of course, the sun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has the second largest warhead of any air to air missile
* The IR seeker has a fairly wide field of view when slaved to the Javelin or Lightning's radar
* Highly receptive proximity fuse
* 15G overload

'''Cons:'''

* Slightly lower velocity than other missiles

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon 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 weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-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>.''

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as 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 article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[Wikipedia:De_Havilland_Firestreak|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> de Havilland Firestreak]]

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

Firestreak

2020-12-27T09:17:06Z

U22652589: Buffed to 15G recently

[[File:Missile Firestreak Fired.jpg|thumb|x250px|Firestreak fired from a [[Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9]].]]

== Description ==


The '''Firestreak''' is a British [[Air-to-air_missiles#Infrared_homing_.28heat-seeking.29_missiles|Infrared homing air-to-air missile]]. it was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|javelin_fmk9}}
* {{Specs-Link|lightning_f6}}

== General info ==


The Firestreak is a large missile, with a massive 22.7 kg warhead. The Firestreak is a very early air-to-air missile design; It was Britain's first operational heat seeking missile. It has slightly better manoeuvrability than other early heat seeking missiles, and a much larger warhead, and is otherwise comparable in terms of speed and range.

=== Effective damage ===


The Firestreak has a massive 22.7 kg warhead, the highest of any air-to-air missile in the game, making it capable of outright destroying any target it gets a direct hit on. The warhead has a larger proximity fuse setting than other heat seeking missiles (10 m as opposed to the more standard 5 m), this helps slightly offset the missiles poor manoeuvrability as any aircraft caught in the proximity fuse range is likely to suffer critical damage due to the large explosive mass.

=== Comparison with analogues ===


The Firestreak has a warhead of 22.7 kilograms explosive mass, more than four times the payload of the [[AIM-9B]], which only contains 4.5 kilograms of explosives. It is also slightly more manoeuvrable than the AIM-9B with a 13 G max overload compared to the AIM-9B's 10 G.

== Usage in battles ==


This missile is not agile. Do not use them on targets that are manoeuvrable as they will easily evade it. Instead, use them on bombers or aircraft which have no energy left to manoeuvre as it will be more difficult for them to evade the missile.

As this missile seeks infrared radiation (IR), be aware of locking onto other sources of heat which can throw the missile off course such as other teammates, flares and of course, the sun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has the second largest warhead of any air to air missile
* The IR seeker has a fairly wide field of view when slaved to the Javelin or Lightning's radar
* Highly receptive proximity fuse
* 15G overload

'''Cons:'''

* Slightly lower velocity than other missiles

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon 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 weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-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>.''

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as 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 article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[Wikipedia:De_Havilland_Firestreak|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> de Havilland Firestreak]]

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

Sea Hawk FGA.6

2020-12-20T02:04:30Z

U22652589: Not having air to air missiles isnt really a con when pretty much no aircraft at 7.7-8.3 come with them.

{{Specs-Card|code=sea_hawk_fga6}}
{{About
| about = British jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = German premium version
| link = Sea Hawk Mk.100
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.87 "Locked On"]].

At the tail end of World War II, Hawker Aircraft's design team was working on the way to utilize new jet engine technology. Hawker utilized a modified Sea Fury who would be the basis for their new jet aircraft. Adapting the plane to the new Rolly-Royce Nene turbojet engine required substantial reworking of the aircraft fuselage. Initially, the British Air Ministry showed little interest in the aircraft. Thus later Hawker pitched the idea of the plane to the navy, which was not overly enthused about the project, though ultimately accepted three prototypes due to the long-range potential of these aircraft.

Orders for the Hawker Sea Hawk came about; however, due to its careful designs, it was quickly superseded by other British fighters in development with more advanced features. In 1956 production was terminated and the aircraft was put up for an evaluation to the export market. Though Australia and Canada tested out the plane, they instead opted for American fighters. Other nations such as Germany, the Netherlands and India incorporated the Sea Hawk into their navies. Eventually, they saw action in the Suez Crisis and the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971. India was able to sink over a dozen Pakistani ships without a single Sea Hawk loss.

The Sea Hawk though classified as a fighter, it is primarily a ground-pounding aircraft. With an assortment of bombs and rockets in conjunction with its four 20 mm autocannons, this aircraft can make short work of structures and vehicles on the ground. One benefit of this aircraft compared to others is the ability to mix and match your ordinance depending on the task at hand. The pilot can choose from all bombs, all rockets (two different types) or a mix of both. As noted, the Sea Hawk weapon's configuration outfits four 20 mm autocannons. These guns are arranged for optimal use against the ground and air targets, in fact, they are the only weapons on this aircraft which can be effectively used in air-to-air battles.

Though the Sea Hawk development did not configure this aircraft to be an interceptor like many of its swept-wing contemporaries, it can none the less be a worthy adversary that can seem to pull off the impossible. With straight wings and a slower top speed, this fighter is a bit more manoeuvrable than many of the Mach-plus fighters it will face. Careful usage of the flaps, air brakes and manoeuvring can cause faster aircraft to overshoot leaving their tail-ends vulnerable to being chewed off by the Sea Hawk's four 20 mm autocannons. Sea Hawks should not be counted off as an easy target, in the hands of a capable pilot, they can quickly get behind you and open fire!
== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! 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
| 919 || 898 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 27.0 || 27.8 || 25.9 || 24.4 || rowspan="2" | 650
|-
! Upgraded
| 943 || 933 || 25.4 || 26.0 || 38.8 || 32.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| 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 || 850 || 796 || ~11 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 461 || < 600 || < 550 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Nene-Mk.103 || 1
| colspan="2" | 4,450 kg || colspan="3" | 232 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 35m fuel
|-
| 1,000 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet
| 4,866 kg || 5,278 kg || 5,789 kg || 5,995 kg || 7,170 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 35m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 2,376 kgf || N/A
| 0.49 || 0.45 || 0.41 || 0.40 || 0.33
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 2,376 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.49 || 0.45 || 0.41 || 0.40 || 0.33
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 64 mm bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
* All fuel tanks and engine in the middle of the fuselage

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, chin-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|G.P. Mk.IV (500 lb)|M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I (1,000 lb)|AP Mk II|RP-3}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 4 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x 1,000 lb M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 30 x AP Mk II rockets
* 16 x RP-3 rockets
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs + 10 x AP Mk II rockets (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs + 30 x AP Mk II rockets (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs + 16 x RP-3 rockets (1,000 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

In air realistic battles, you have a good top speed with okay acceleration and a decent climb rate (particularly when fully upgraded). After takeoff, build speed to about 500 kph then enter a 10 degree climb (a 10 degree climb straight off the runway can also work in some situations). You can either continue climbing to high altitude (~5 km) to engage high flying bombers /fighters and gain an altitude advantage; or you can choose to level off at 3-4 km and focus on building speed to engage enemy fighters and bombers at lower altitudes (aircraft such as [[Ar 234 C-3]]<nowiki/>s and [[IL-28]]<nowiki/>s will often fly low to get to bases / ground targets quickly) depending on your preferred play-style.

When engaging enemy aircraft, use your good speed and excellent energy retention to your advantage; do not bleed speed to keep on a slower enemy's tail; swoop in fire off a burst of rounds and then break contact and come around for another pass. The Sea Hawk has good manoeuvrability for a jet aircraft (although it is not in the same league as the [[Vampire FB 5|Vampire]] and [[Ho 229 V3|Ho 229]]), and your energy retention does make limited turning engagements with less manoeuvrable targets a valid option in some situation, although you will bleed too much speed to justify prolonged turn fights. You can safely deploys flaps at any speed below 850 kph and they can significantly increase turning ability, however they create a lot of drag (you will not hold 600 kph in level flight with them deployed) so should be used sparingly. A good tactic is to deploy the flaps as you enter or are in mid-turn to help kick the plane around and then undeploy them as soon as possible afterwards. Do not get complacent with the flaps, although you can use them at most speeds. The Sea Hawk can exceed 900 kph so you may be in for a nasty surprise if you deploy them a full speed.

It is also worth remembering that the Sea Hawk is a naval aircraft, unlocking the ability to use aircraft carriers for takeoff and landing. A carrier spawn can sometimes be desirable, be it for putting you further away / closer to the enemy (more climbing time or quicker action), or giving you the chance to attack from an area of the map the enemy team are not expecting. Likewise if you need to rearm and suspect the enemy are waiting for you at the airfield, you can always divert to a carrier.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
|
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
|
|-
| II
| New boosters
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| 2 500 LB GP
| 25 lb A.P. Mark II
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 20 mm cannons
| 4 500 LB GP
| 60 lb S.A.P. Mark I
|-
| IV
| G-suit
|
| Cover
|
| 1000 LB GP
|
|-
|}

If you are looking to play in air battles, then go for all flight performance upgrades first (or 20 mm belts if you can't stand the stock belts). For ground battles, consider mixing in some suspended armament options as well. It is worth noting that by itself the ''25 lb A.P. Mark I'' option is useless as all load-outs using the rockets also equip bombs, so it cannot be used until the two ''500 LB GP'' load-out is researched (by contrast the bombs can be equipped without researching the rockets).

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely high flap breakage speed (850 km/h for takeoff, 796 km/h for landing)
* Good selection of suspended armament options
* Favorable matchmaking in Air Realistic battles with the only up-tier threats being the ([[F9F (Family)|F9Fs]] and [[G.91 pre-serie]])
* Reasonably quick
* Good manoeuvrability (not as good as [[Vampire FB 5|Vampire]] though)
* Very good energy retention
* Decent at climbing
* High maximum G loading, hard to rip the wings off

'''Cons:'''

* No combat flaps
* Slow acceleration
* Although takeoff flaps can be used at near any speed and can offer a decent manoeuvrability boost, you bleed speed quickly when they are deployed
* Flaps also double as air brakes, if flaps are deployed you need to wait for them to fully retract before you can use air brakes

== History ==


Already by the end of WW2, Hawker began working on their first jet-propelled aircraft as the new jet propulsion technology became available. As a basis for their new aircraft, they took the Hawker Fury and began adapting it to house a turbojet engine. The project received the designation P.1035.

As work went on, the attention the project garnered initially from the Air Ministry and the Admiralty was rather low and eventually dropped completely, forcing Hawker to continue development of the aircraft under a private venture. During the development process, the initial design of the aircraft underwent significant changes and the resulting version was designated as P.1040.

However, as Hawker's aircraft offered a good range, the Navy ordered three prototypes to be built in May 1946 and subsequently put through evaluation. Testing and tweaking of the design continued throughout the late 1940s until the first production orders for the aircraft, dubbed Sea Hawk, were received in November 1949.

The first Sea Hawks entered service with the FAA in 1953, with the remaining over 500 machines entering service by the mid-1950s. The Sea Hawk's service life is primarily marked by their extensive use during the Suez Crisis in the late 1950s, where they successfully proved themselves.

As one of the last modifications of the type, the Sea Hawk FGA.6 was developed to incorporate changes from the previous FB.3 and FGA.4 ground attack variants and combine them with the new Rolls-Royce Nene Mk.103 engine which provided a greater power output.

In the early 1960s, the British Navy almost completely abandoned the use of Sea Hawk and a handful of other vehicles being used in a limited number of secondary roles until the end of the decade. However, the aircraft was still in service by some countries like West Germany, the Netherlands and India. In fact, India continued to operate Sea Hawks well into the 1980s!

''- From [[wt:en/news/6039-development-sea-hawk-fga-6-jet-vulture-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 005.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 006.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 007.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Sea Hawk FGA 6 WTWallpaper 008.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

== See also ==


;Related Development

* [[Sea Hawk Mk.100]] (premium version in German tree)

;Contemporary Aircraft

* de Havilland [[Vampire FB 5]]
* [[F-84B-26|F-84]] Thunderjet
* [[F2H-2|F2H]] Banshee
* Gloster [[Meteor (Family)|Meteor]]
* [[MiG-15 (Family)|MiG-15]]
* [[MiG-17 (Family)|MiG-17]]
* Supermarine [[Attacker FB 1]]
* Dassault [[M.D.450B Ouragan]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6039-development-sea-hawk-fga-6-jet-vulture-en|[Devblog] Sea Hawk FGA.6: Jet Vulture]]

{{AirManufacturer Hawker}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Vampire FB 52A

2020-12-20T01:37:37Z

U22652589:

{{Specs-Card
|code=vampire_fb52a_italy
|cockpit=cockpit_vampire_fb52a_italy.jpg
}}
{{About
| about = Italian jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| and
| usage = other versions
| link-1 = Vampire FB 5
| link-2 = J28B
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]]. It is the first jet in the Italian tree's export fighter line, and is placed after the [[Re.2005 serie 0]]. It is followed by the rank VI fighter, the [[CL-13 Mk.4]]. The Vampire FB 52A is an export version of the British Vampire FB 6, itself an upgraded version of the [[Vampire FB 5]] with an improved engine.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===


The Vampire cannot reach the speeds a [[MiG-9 (l)]] or an [[F2H-2]] can, it cannot accelerate as well as many of its counterparts, and it is appalling in a dive against most of its opponents. However, the Vampire has one impressive advantage against its jet-powered opponents: it can turn incredibly well. In fact, a good analogy to flying the Vampire is fighting jets in propeller aircraft.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,572 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
| 842 || 816 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.8 || 25.6 || 16.6 || 15.5 || rowspan="2" | 650
|-
! Upgraded
| 917 || 882 || 23.8 || 24.0 || 26.0 || 21.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || 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}} || 520 || 520 || 300 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 550 || < 600 || < 600 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | de Havilland Goblin 3 || 1
| colspan="2" | 3,385 kg || colspan="3" | 191 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel
|-
| 705 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet
| 3,754 kg || 4,034 kg || 4,345 kg || 4,625 kg || 5,606 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,410 kgf || N/A
| 0.38 || 0.35 || 0.32 || 0.30 || 0.25
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,410 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.38 || 0.35 || 0.32 || 0.30 || 0.25
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


;Armour Plates

*38 mm Bulletproof glass in front of pilot.
*12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot's head.
*3 mm Steel plate below the engine.

The Vampire provides adequate protection to the pilot, as well as some armour under the engine. As with most jets, damage to the wings or fuselage greatly hampers flight performance, decreasing top speed and manoeuvrability. There are quite a few fuel tanks located in this plane's wings, so fuel fires may be common, especially when taking a high fuel loadout.

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, chin-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|G.P. Mk.I (1,000 lb)|RP-3}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 1,000 lb G.P. Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 8 x RP-3 rockets

== Usage in battles ==


The Vampire is well-known for its ability to turn on a dime, but its incredible manoeuvrability also means that it has poor manoeuvring energy retention. Climbing is important for this plane, as is careful airspeed maintenance. When in a battle situation, it is advisable to always stay above 400 km/h; any slower, and the Vampire will greatly struggle to evade enemy fire.

If the Vampire is able to keep its energy, it becomes one of the best dogfighters at this rank. It can outturn nearly every other jet of its tier, and has a powerful engine to boot. Thanks to its great manoeuvrability, it is often quite easy to line up a shot against the enemy. One common tactic is to try luring the enemy into a turnfight. The Vampire will almost always come out on top. However, never commit to a dogfight if there are multiple enemies nearby. Turning will cause the Vampire's airspeed to fall dramatically, at which point enemies can easily swoop in and destroy it.

It is valuable to note that the Vampire has a low top speed for a jet, at only ~880 km/h. It also tends to compress as higher speeds. The Vampire may have difficulty in chasing down a faster enemy. Also note that firing the main cannon armament causes a downward recoil.

For attacking ground targets, the Vampire can be equipped with either bombs or rockets.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
|
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| GLBC mk.3
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
| Cover
| New 20 mm cannons
|
|-
| IV
| G-suit
|
|
|
| GRC mk.8
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful armament
* Great manoeuvrability
* Decent payload options
* Good cockpit visibility
* Good at gliding without engine power

'''Cons:'''

* Low top speed and acceleration
* Weapon create significant recoil
* Poor dive rate

== History ==


The de Havilland Vampire was an early British jet fighter. Its development began in 1941 and the design boasted several novel features. It was powered by a single turbojet engine in contrast to the twin engined [[Meteor (Family)|Gloster Meteor]] due to the availability of more powerful engines; most production Vampires were powered by the Goblin engine, also manufactured by the de Havilland company. The twin-boom tail design allowed the fuselage to be kept short, reducing the length of the jet pipe and maximizing the amount of effective thrust by minimizing energy losses from friction. The air intakes were also located in the wing roots as opposed to directly in front of the engine. The fuselage was largely constructed of balsa wood as on the [[Mosquito (Family)|de Havilland Mosquito]]. While the Vampire first flew only months after the Meteor in 1943, it arrived too late to see combat in World War II. In Royal Air Force service, the initial Vampire F.1 variant replaced propeller fighters. Later fighter-bomber versions under the "FB" designation were capable of serving ground attack roles, leaving air defence to the better suited Meteor. While the Vampire was not an impressive jet aircraft in terms of speed, climb rate, or range, it was agile and easy to handle. It would ultimately equip 33 air forces over more than 30 years of service. The RAF retired the Vampire from combat roles in 1954 but retained the trainer variants until 1971. The design was developed further into the [[Venom FB.4|de Havilland Venom]], which had a new engine and wing.

The Vampire FB.52 was an export version of the Vampire FB.6, which itself was sold to and license produced by Switzerland. Compared to the preceding [[Vampire FB 5|FB.5]], the FB.6 had a new Goblin 3 engine offering about 1.1 kN/112 kgf of extra thrust over the Goblin 2. The basic FB.52 was exported to Norway, New Zealand, and other operators. The '''Vampire FB.52A''' was a subvariant for Italy with minor differences. According to one source, the Italian Air Force received 51 FB.52As from Britain in 1950, and 195 subsequent aircraft were manufactured locally by Fiat and Macchi. Other sources differ on the production numbers. A considerable number of FB.52As were delivered by Italy to Egypt and possibly Syria from 1955-56.

The Vampire's service in Italian hands was uneventful. They were retired by 1960, being replaced by the [[F-84G-21-RE (Italy)|F-84 Thunderjet]] and other aircraft. The Egyptian Air Force used its Vampires, largely consisting of FB.52s and FB.52As, in conflicts with Israel. Several were lost to Israeli Meteors and many were destroyed during the invasion of the Suez Canal in 1956. Afterwards, the Vampires were retired and replaced with Soviet aircraft.

== Media ==


'''Skins:'''

* Skins for the Vampire FB 52A are available on [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=italy&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=fighter&vehicle=vampire_fb52a_italy WT Live].

'''Videos:'''

{{Youtube-gallery|KdwQodKUuQM|'''This is One Fun Jet!''' - ''WhooptieDo''|LVeioHQqecU|'''When Italians get their hands on [sic] British jet''' - ''HowToPlay1337''}}

== See also ==


* [[Vampire FB 5]]: an equivalent in the British tech tree

== External links ==


* [https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-vampire BAE Systems: de Havilland Vampire]
* [[wikipedia:De_Havilland_Vampire|[Wikipedia] de Havilland Vampire]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/367126-fiat-fb52a-vampire/ Official forums: suggestion page]

{{AirManufacturer deHavilland}}
{{Italy jet aircraft}}

Vampire FB 52A

2020-12-15T05:21:09Z

U22652589: The FB.52 is not an upgraded FB.5 it is based on the FB.6 that is not in game. Source wikipedia.

{{Specs-Card
|code=vampire_fb52a_italy
|cockpit=cockpit_vampire_fb52a_italy.jpg
}}
{{About
| about = Italian jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| and
| usage = other versions
| link-1 = Vampire FB 5
| link-2 = J28B
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]]. It is the first jet in the Italian tree's export fighter line, and is placed after the [[Re.2005 serie 0]]. It is followed by the rank VI fighter, the [[CL-13 Mk.4]]. The Vampire FB 52A is an export version of the British Vampire FB 6.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===


The Vampire cannot reach the speeds a [[MiG-9 (l)]] or an [[F2H-2]] can, it cannot accelerate as well as many of its counterparts, and it is appalling in a dive against most of its opponents. However, the Vampire has one impressive advantage against its jet-powered opponents: it can turn incredibly well. In fact, a good analogy to flying the Vampire is fighting jets in propeller aircraft.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,572 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
| 842 || 816 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.8 || 25.6 || 16.6 || 15.5 || rowspan="2" | 650
|-
! Upgraded
| 917 || 882 || 23.8 || 24.0 || 26.0 || 21.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || 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}} || 520 || 520 || 300 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 550 || < 600 || < 600 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | de Havilland Goblin 3 || 1
| colspan="2" | 3,385 kg || colspan="3" | 191 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel
|-
| 705 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet
| 3,754 kg || 4,034 kg || 4,345 kg || 4,625 kg || 5,606 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,410 kgf || N/A
| 0.38 || 0.35 || 0.32 || 0.30 || 0.25
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,410 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.38 || 0.35 || 0.32 || 0.30 || 0.25
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


;Armour Plates

*38 mm Bulletproof glass in front of pilot.
*12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot's head.
*3 mm Steel plate below the engine.

The Vampire provides adequate protection to the pilot, as well as some armour under the engine. As with most jets, damage to the wings or fuselage greatly hampers flight performance, decreasing top speed and manoeuvrability. There are quite a few fuel tanks located in this plane's wings, so fuel fires may be common, especially when taking a high fuel loadout.

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, chin-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|G.P. Mk.I (1,000 lb)|RP-3}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 1,000 lb G.P. Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 8 x RP-3 rockets

== Usage in battles ==


The Vampire is well-known for its ability to turn on a dime, but its incredible manoeuvrability also means that it has poor manoeuvring energy retention. Climbing is important for this plane, as is careful airspeed maintenance. When in a battle situation, it is advisable to always stay above 400 km/h; any slower, and the Vampire will greatly struggle to evade enemy fire.

If the Vampire is able to keep its energy, it becomes one of the best dogfighters at this rank. It can outturn nearly every other jet of its tier, and has a powerful engine to boot. Thanks to its great manoeuvrability, it is often quite easy to line up a shot against the enemy. One common tactic is to try luring the enemy into a turnfight. The Vampire will almost always come out on top. However, never commit to a dogfight if there are multiple enemies nearby. Turning will cause the Vampire's airspeed to fall dramatically, at which point enemies can easily swoop in and destroy it.

It is valuable to note that the Vampire has a low top speed for a jet, at only ~880 km/h. It also tends to compress as higher speeds. The Vampire may have difficulty in chasing down a faster enemy. Also note that firing the main cannon armament causes a downward recoil.

For attacking ground targets, the Vampire can be equipped with either bombs or rockets.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
|
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| GLBC mk.3
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
| Cover
| New 20 mm cannons
|
|-
| IV
| G-suit
|
|
|
| GRC mk.8
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful armament
* Great manoeuvrability
* Decent payload options
* Good cockpit visibility
* Good at gliding without engine power

'''Cons:'''

* Low top speed and acceleration
* Weapon create significant recoil
* Poor dive rate

== History ==


The de Havilland Vampire was an early British jet fighter. Its development began in 1941 and the design boasted several novel features. It was powered by a single turbojet engine in contrast to the twin engined [[Meteor (Family)|Gloster Meteor]] due to the availability of more powerful engines; most production Vampires were powered by the Goblin engine, also manufactured by the de Havilland company. The twin-boom tail design allowed the fuselage to be kept short, reducing the length of the jet pipe and maximizing the amount of effective thrust by minimizing energy losses from friction. The air intakes were also located in the wing roots as opposed to directly in front of the engine. The fuselage was largely constructed of balsa wood as on the [[Mosquito (Family)|de Havilland Mosquito]]. While the Vampire first flew only months after the Meteor in 1943, it arrived too late to see combat in World War II. In Royal Air Force service, the initial Vampire F.1 variant replaced propeller fighters. Later fighter-bomber versions under the "FB" designation were capable of serving ground attack roles, leaving air defence to the better suited Meteor. While the Vampire was not an impressive jet aircraft in terms of speed, climb rate, or range, it was agile and easy to handle. It would ultimately equip 33 air forces over more than 30 years of service. The RAF retired the Vampire from combat roles in 1954 but retained the trainer variants until 1971. The design was developed further into the [[Venom FB.4|de Havilland Venom]], which had a new engine and wing.

The Vampire FB.52 was an export version of the Vampire FB.6, which itself was sold to and license produced by Switzerland. Compared to the preceding [[Vampire FB 5|FB.5]], the FB.6 had a new Goblin 3 engine offering about 1.1 kN/112 kgf of extra thrust over the Goblin 2. The basic FB.52 was exported to Norway, New Zealand, and other operators. The '''Vampire FB.52A''' was a subvariant for Italy with minor differences. According to one source, the Italian Air Force received 51 FB.52As from Britain in 1950, and 195 subsequent aircraft were manufactured locally by Fiat and Macchi. Other sources differ on the production numbers. A considerable number of FB.52As were delivered by Italy to Egypt and possibly Syria from 1955-56.

The Vampire's service in Italian hands was uneventful. They were retired by 1960, being replaced by the [[F-84G-21-RE (Italy)|F-84 Thunderjet]] and other aircraft. The Egyptian Air Force used its Vampires, largely consisting of FB.52s and FB.52As, in conflicts with Israel. Several were lost to Israeli Meteors and many were destroyed during the invasion of the Suez Canal in 1956. Afterwards, the Vampires were retired and replaced with Soviet aircraft.

== Media ==


'''Skins:'''

* Skins for the Vampire FB 52A are available on [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=italy&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=fighter&vehicle=vampire_fb52a_italy WT Live].

'''Videos:'''

{{Youtube-gallery|KdwQodKUuQM|'''This is One Fun Jet!''' - ''WhooptieDo''|LVeioHQqecU|'''When Italians get their hands on [sic] British jet''' - ''HowToPlay1337''}}

== See also ==


* [[Vampire FB 5]]: an equivalent in the British tech tree

== External links ==


* [https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-vampire BAE Systems: de Havilland Vampire]
* [[wikipedia:De_Havilland_Vampire|[Wikipedia] de Havilland Vampire]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/367126-fiat-fb52a-vampire/ Official forums: suggestion page]

{{AirManufacturer deHavilland}}
{{Italy jet aircraft}}

Meteor F Mk 3

2020-09-17T14:08:34Z

U22652589: acceleration in pros

{{Specs-Card|code=meteor_fmk3}}
{{About
| about = British jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = Meteor (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,096 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
| 719 || 694 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 20.9 || 21.5 || 17.9 || 16.7 || rowspan="2" | 550
|-
! Upgraded
| 795 || 755 || 19.6 || 20.0 || 27.7 || 22.5
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || 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}} || 520 || 520 || 290 || ~9 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 450 || < 600 || < 520 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Derwent 2 || 2
| colspan="2" | 4,280 kg || colspan="2" | 159 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 31m fuel
|-
| 443 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet
| 4,651 kg || 5,077 kg || 5,503 kg || 5,820 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (109%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || 109%
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 31m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 900 kgf || 990 kgf
| 0.43 || 0.39 || 0.36 || 0.34
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 900 kgf (0 km/h) || 990 kgf (0 km/h)
| 0.43 || 0.39 || 0.36 || 0.34
|-
|}

[[File:Meteor III Screenshot 3.jpg|thumb]]

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
* 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
* 12.7 mm Steel plate in the nose.
* Critical components located at the front and in the wings of the aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, nose-mounted (200 rpg top + 190 rpg bottom = 780 total)

== Usage in battles ==
[[File:Meteor III Screenshot 2.jpg|thumb]]

The toughest enemies to fight in the Meteor F Mk 3 are perhaps the [[Ki-200]], [[Me 163 B|Me 163]], and [[Ho 229 V3|Ho 229]]. These aircraft are faster and have better acceleration.

To combat a Ho 229: the flying wing has a worse roll rate than the Meteor so scissors are the best way to counter them. A split-S or an Immelmann is not recommended as the Ho 229 has better energy retention.

The Me 163B and the Ki-200 are in theory easier to fight since the main priority is to simply survive long enough that they run out of fuel. The Mark 3 has a higher wing lift to mass ratio. Thus, it can barely out-turn the rocket planes (even with their rocket engines enabled), but this is very dangerous and only the better-skilled pilot will come out of a turn fight alive.

If the enemy is smart enough to dive and gather a little more speed for extra manoeuvrability, go up instead and roll over the enemy. If the enemy goes up, go up with it but be prepared for a hammerhead attack. If one does come, roll yourself over to provide the minimum surface area that he can attack and pitch down to the earth (to gather a little more speed for extra manoeuvrability). Continue doing this until the rocket plane gives up or runs out of fuel.

Do not chase the rocket plane directly if it decides to flee, but climb slightly faster than the best rate of climb (approximately 190 knots/350 kmh/220 mph) and if he flies directly overhead for the strike, simply perform a shallow dive and pull a horizontal turn to ruin their approach. Continue doing this until they run out of fuel.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
|
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 20 mm cannons
|-
| IV
| G-suit
|
| Cover
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good turn rate
* 4 x 20 mm cannons are accurate
* Effective air targets ammo belt
* Decent climb rate and energy retention
* Decent manoeuvrability at low speeds
* Good acceleration for an early jet

'''Cons:'''

* Low top speed
* Easily rips wings (500 mph+)
* Below average roll rate
* Poor rear cockpit visibility in Sim battles (hurts when performing scissors)

== History ==
[[File:Meteor III Screenshot 1.jpg|thumb|Cockpit of the Meteor Mk 3]]


The Gloster Meteor F Mk 3 was the first version of the Meteor to be produced in large numbers, the Mk 3 was significantly heavier than the previous versions of the Meteor, however, it also improved the performance dramatically, the first prototype for the Mk 3 specification (DG209) first flew on the 18th April 1944 and immediately demonstrated its performance improvement by reaching 465mph (748kph) at 16,000ft, this demonstrated a clear performance improvement over the Meteor Mk 1. The initial 15 aircraft of Mk 3 production were fitted with earlier Rolls Royce W.2B/23c Welland powerplant which was carried over from the Meteor Mk 1, these first 15 airframes of course had reduced performance due to these earlier powerplants being used, shortly after production started the Rolls-Royce Derwent I powerplant became available, this engine increased the power to 2000lb of thrust per engine, this was the most common powerplant for the Mk 3, although later in the production run examples were fitted with the later Derwent IV engine which increased thrust to 2,400lb per engine, giving yet another performance improvement. The final 15 production models were fitted with extended engine nacelles in common with those developed for the later Meteor Mk 4, these increased the performance of the aircraft yet again, this would mark the final major modification to the Mk 3 design before the Meteor Mk 4 would begin production.

The Meteor Mk 3 was used operationally by No.616 and 504 squadrons during WW2, although they were only used in action by 616 squadron, during the closing months of the war in Europe the Meteor Mk 3 was used by No.616 squadron for armed reconnaissance and ground attack, it was hoped that the Meteor would encounter the Messerschmitt 262 and be able to demonstrate its superior performance, although this confrontation never took place. In the immediate post-war years the Meteor Mk 3 served as the primary fighter for the RAF, until it was replaced by the improved Meteor Mk 4 in mid 1947.

=== In-game description ===
The Gloster Meteor was the RAF's first jet powered aircraft, and the only Allied jet to see combat in the Second World War. An all-metal, single-seat fighter with two turbojet engines, it first entered service in 1944. The aircraft's development started in August 1940 and was given Air Ministry approval in November of the same year. The Ministry of Aircraft Production drew up the official F.9/40 specifications for a heavy interceptor fighter to be designated as Type G.41; the first prototype fighter flew on March 5th 1943 at RAF Cranwell. At the beginning of 1944, the aircraft was launched into full-scale production under the designation of Gloster Meteor F.Mk.I (Type G.41A). The type entered service with No 616 Squadron who, after conversion to the Meteor from their Spitfire Mk.VIIs, used the ground breaking fighter to successfully intercept V-1 'flying bombs' which were being launched from bases in occupied Europe to attack targets in England.

The Gloster Meteor F.Mk.III fighter that entered service in August 1944 became the first full-scale production version of the aircraft. The F.Mk.III version was powered by two Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.I turbojet engines producing 910 kg of thrust. Furthermore, a number of changes were introduced in the design: the dive flaps were improved, the fuel quantity was increased, and the airframe was partially reinforced. Externally, the F.Mk.III differed from the F.Mk.I by its new cockpit canopy, which was not side-opening but sliding.
[[File:Meteor III Screenshot 4.jpg|thumb]]
The fighter's armament consisted of four 20mm British Hispano Mk.II cannons with 200 rounds per gun in the upper pair and 190 rounds per gun in the lower pair.

A 180-gallon (818 L) fuel tank could be suspended under the fuselage. Two 100-gallon (455 L) external fuel tanks could also be mounted under the wing panels. As an experiment, the suspension of two 500-lb (227 kg) or 1,000 (454 kg) bombs or 16 rockets was attempted.

The first F.Mk.III fighters produced in September 1944 had Rolls-Royce Welland engines producing 770 kg of thrust, as the Rolls-Royce Derwents were not yet mass-produced. These aircraft were designated as the G.41C. The 16th and subsequent production aircraft were the first to have standard Derwent Mk.I engines; these were designated as the G.41D. The last 15 production aircraft assembled were the G.41E version, with extended nacelles designed for the subsequent version of the F.Mk.4.

In 1948, two production aircraft were converted to the Gloster (Sea) Meteor F.Mk.3 version for Royal Navy test flights from aircraft carriers. The fighters had their armament removed, a landing hook fitted, and the gear legs reinforced. The Derwent Mk.1 engines were replaced with Derwent Mk.5 models. These aircraft performed 32 landings on board HMS Illustrious.

The Gloster Meteor was the first British production jet fighter and the only Allied jet aircraft to take part in World War II. The first F.Mk.IIIs were delivered to the front in the end of January 1945. Jet aircraft were considered to be secret and, as a result, a great number of limitations were imposed on their combat use. This included a complete withdrawal of permission to operate over German held territory in case the revolutionary technology was captured by the enemy. Meteors did eventually operate out of Belgium as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, where they were employed in ground attack and reconnaissance missions.

The total number of F.Mk.III Gloster Meteors built was 210, but service after the end of the Second World War would see further development and operational sorties in combat.

=== Notable pilots ===

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Plagis,_Ioannis_"John"_A.|Top scoring Southern Rhodesian ace pilot [[User:U64962917#Plagis,_Ioannis_"John"_A.|John Plagis]] and highest scoring pilot of Greek origin of WW II. Plagis flew the '''Meteor''' for several years after the end of WW II.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|300px|link=User:U64962917#Olds,_Robin.|In 1948, [[User:U64962917#Olds, Robin|Robin Olds]] transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the '''Gloster Meteor''' jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere.]] </li>
</ul></div>

== 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Gloster}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Chieftain Mk 5

2020-08-25T04:09:28Z

U22652589: incorrect exp mass eqv

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_chieftain_mk_5}}
{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Chieftain (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Chieftain Mk 5.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]]. The Chieftain Mk.5 carries over its strength from the [[Chieftain Mk 3|Mk.3]] variant, but with a more powerful engine for improved mobility.

The fundamental average for Chieftain: its rate of shooting and its penetration. With Chieftain, there are few vehicles being able to resist the firepower, except perhaps [[T95|T95]] or [[Maus|Maus]]. Shoot anywhere at the enemy with L15A3 shells, it will more than likely penetrate the armour. Know where to shoot, any enemies can be taken down with the 120 mm gun. That requires good knowledge of the enemy tanks. A Chieftain player will have to know where are the shells, fuel tanks, crews.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Hull front, Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, Hull rear, Hull roof, Turret roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 70-127 mm (43-79°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (43-44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 88-220 (8-30°) + 13 mm ''Front Top'' 50 mm (1-31°) ''Center Top'' 37 mm (30°) + 13 mm ''Rear Top'' 37 (10°) + 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 37 mm (1-7°) || 13-28 mm
|-
| Turret || 125-250 mm (2-81°) ''Turret front'' 100-220 mm (1-53°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45-196 mm (1-65°) || 45 mm (1°) || 50.8 mm ''Front'' 25 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 150 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Armour thickness throughout the vehicle is very complex and the tank relies more on sloping thickness to enhance its effective armour.
* The steel boxes on the sides of the turret and hull add 13 mm of armour.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1178|rbMinHp= 672}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm Ordnance BL Tk. L11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 53 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.4 ||29.6||36.0||39.8||42.4
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.4 ||15.8||19.1||21.1||22.5
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.7 ||8.6||7.9||7.5
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 320 || 315 || 305 || 294 || 280 || 270
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 1370 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 5,250 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| L34 || 670 || 17.0 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Turret empty: 30 ''(+23)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|L21A1 (12.7 mm)|L37A1 (7.62 mm)|L8A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L21A1 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm L21A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 588 (3) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L37A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L37A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (100) || 650 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L8A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L8A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

'''In long-range fight:''' 
The gun is very precise with all the shooting amelioration. Do not forget to protect the frame, it is fragile. The turret armour protects the tank well. Invest in camouflage plants, one or two seconds lost by the aiming enemy is time gained to eliminate the threat.

'''An aggressive way to play:''' 
The best clients are the German "Leopards" and all the Russian series "T-xx". Shoot it on front frame, where the shells are, for an assured popcorn effect. Don’t hesitate to try this on IS-3/4 or T-26/28/29, only shell place change (front side or turret rear).

Other tanks could be easily knocked out with fuel tank or disabled in aiming crew member. Don't forget that reload time is the vehicle's best friend.

Be wary of the Chieftain's width, often the weak points are exposed when trying to turn the Chieftain.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism
|Smoke grenade
|NVD
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|L34
|Laser rangefinder
|Artillery Support
|-
|}The first upgrades to head for is ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' for increased survivability. Once these two are unlocked, everything is good, but get the rangefinder for enhanced RB or SB gameplay.

*Spare parts.
*Extinguishers FPE.
*Horizontal drive.
*Adjustment shooting.
*Elevation mechanism.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Turret armour strong enough to bounce APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
* Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against same tier rounds
* Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5s - 9.5s)
* Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and HESH shells immediately
* 10 degrees of gun depression
* Has access to a dual plane stabilizer
* Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be separately bound
* Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed
* Much faster and easier to handle than the Mk 3 model
* Very effective in a hull down position
* Excels in maps with a lot of open ground where it can go hull down effectively

'''Cons:'''

* Weak hull armour overall
* APFSDS can go through this tank easily
* The design of the tank only allows for a limited playstyle
* Does not like fighting in small maps
* Lower frontal plate is very poorly armoured and has an ammo rack behind it
* Very weak side and rear armour
* Ammo rack everywhere but can be mitigated by carrying only 24 rounds
* Small ammo variety (APDS or HESH only) means that it struggles with modern composite armour
* APDS deals minimal, punctual damage
* Slowest of all MBTs

== History ==

===Concept===
The idea of a "universal tank" began in Britain in 1944 when Montgomery and other influential people began advocating for a more standardized tank to replace the cruiser and infantry tank classes used on the field. Efforts did not start until after World War II under the General Staff designation A45, with development starting just as the new cruiser tank [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] started to enter military service. The A45 was cancelled in 1948 after development troubles and its inability to be used as a "universal" platform. Ironically, the Centurion proved to be a better "universal tank" platform than the A45.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Development===
The [[Centurion Mk 10|Centurion]] tank series was very successful in British and its allies' service, but the development of new Soviet armour such as the [[IS-3]] and [[T-54 (1951)|T-54/55]] caused the British tank arms race to take another leap forward. Development on the Centurion's successor began in 1951 under the name ''Medium Gun Tank No. 2''. The project's priority was gun and armour, but with mobility to be equal to the Centurion's and weight of fewer than 45 tons. The weight limit caused a program known as the Concept Study Programme to commence in order to find ways to keep the tank under that weight limit yet meet all the armour and firepower specifications. One of the concepts that came out was the usage of bagged charges, which was already in use on naval ships but was a new concept for tank ammunition. Thus, a gun using the bagged charge propellant system began development in 1954, along with a new specification by General Staff that the Medium Gun Tank No.2, now known as ''FV4201'', uses a conventional four crew tank with a turret and a better gun and armour than the Centurion. Though the [[Conqueror|Conqueror heavy tank]] was one such response to the firepower requirement, limited production cut that to only 200 units built.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

The biggest bump to the firepower of the FV4201 was the recommendation of a 120 mm calibre tank cannon. Though the Conqueror used a 120 mm, the new one would incorporate more innovative features such as the bagged charges. Other design features added was the usage of a Rolls-Royce V8 engine, an auxiliary engine, an automatic gearbox, and a reclining seat for the driver. The reclining seat was a very new feature in tank design as it reduced the vehicle's hull height and thus gave it a lower profile. Leyland Motors was assigned to be the main designer for the tank despite their commitment to the Centurion production lines. The manufacturing process of the tank was decided to be cast rather than welded. In 1957, several specifications added to the FV4201 impeded its attempt to fit in the specifications. A bigger turret was designed and it mounted IR equipment for night fighting. Troops requested more frontal and turret side armour, which along with the turret change caused an increase in the tank's overall weight. A controversial decision was also made in 1957 by NATO that tanks should have multi-fuel engines. The FV4201 installed a new engine conforming to these standards in 1958, a German engine derived from a Junkers Jumo aviation engine. This extended development time since the engine compartment had to be redesigned to fit the engine, raising the total tank weight to 50 tons. The engine, designated the L60, was received with a mixed reception by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and other users due to its novel features. Britain stayed as the only user of a multi-fuel engine in the Cold War as many other nations found the concept impractical and abandoned it.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

As the FV4201 finalized its prototype stages, General Staff sent a revised specification for it. The tank was to have the firepower of the Conqueror with the mobility of the Centurion, an armour that maximizes the protection-weight ratio, a weight limit at 45 ton with a top speed of 26 mph and an operating range of 300 miles. The first wooden prototype was made in March 1959, with full prototypes ordered in June 1959 for troop trials. Vickers-Armstrong and Royal Ordnance Factory shared the manufacturing process and the first prototypes were built in January 1960. The first two prototype FV4201 was trialled in Germany alongside their new [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]]. The greatest issue with the FV4201 was the engine, which caused many failures due to vibration, a result of the flawed multi-fuel concept. Trials were delayed due to lack of parts to fix broken pieces and redesigns were requested to fix problems. After a lengthy trial period in 1962, the FV4201, now named the '''Chieftain''', was sent to the operational unit in Germany for service and combat trials. The Chieftain was finally accepted for service in 1st May 1963, despite the many faults in the design. The first deliveries of the improved and redesigned Chieftains began in mid-1965. These were the ''Chieftain Mk.1's'', which further revealed problems with the horsepower that the ''Mk.2'' was designed and sent in April 1966. The ''[[Chieftain Mk 3]]'' rolled out of the production lines in September 1969, it now weighed 53 tons and the L60 engine was producing 650 hp, still underpowered for the weight. Engine failures were still frequent and left the Chieftain with a sour note until the [[Chieftain Mk 5|Mk.5]] variant fixed these pressing issues with a new engine and NBC protection. The Mk.5 would be the main variant of the Chieftain in British service. During its production life from 1965 to 1985, a total of 2,265 Chieftains would be built by Britain, with about 1,000 used by the British Army.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Service===
The first British units to receive the Chieftains was the 1st and 5th Royal Tank Regiments back during the trials. The Chieftain, despite its initial engine flaws, proved to be combat-proof and could be upgraded to fit new requirements. Some of these upgrades were the addition of composite add-on armour to fight off new anti-tank technology such as the HEAT rounds. The Chieftain earned the title "most formidable tank in the world" during the 1960's Cold War period and also redefined the specifications of a "main battle tank". Its success is due to its novel main gun and heavily sloped armour, as well as satisfactory mobility and speeds able to compete with the Leopard 1. The Chieftain stayed in use by the British Army On the Rhine on the German border with the Warsaw Pact, which caused the Soviets to in turn station their best tanks such as their T-64's against the Chieftains. The British retained the Chieftains all the way until 1995 when it was replaced by the Challenger I.

The Chieftain was also successful in the export market, primarily in the Middle East to the hands of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman. Another user of the Chieftain was Israel, with Britain initially agreeing to help set up production for locally produced Chieftains. Two Chieftains were sent for trials among the Israeli Defense Force in 1967. After two years of trials and deliberation for the acquirement of the Chieftains, Britain ultimately refused to offer the Israelis the Chieftain for political reasons. The Israeli trials benefit Britain with data on desert combat with the Chieftain, however, and the refusal did jump start Israel's tank program that would become the ''Merkava''.

Despite that, sales to the Middle East soared, with Iran being the major buyer of the Chieftains with at least 887 of mostly the MK3 and MK5 variants sent to them before their revolution in 1979. The Chieftain saw prolonged combat in the Middle East in the Iran-Iraq War, including Operation Nasr which was the largest tank vs. tank battle of the war where the Iranian Chieftains and [[M60A1 (AOS)|M60A1 Pattons]] fought against the Iraqi [[T-62]]s. After that war, the Chieftain in Kuwait then saw combat fighting the Iraqis during their invasion in 1990. Kuwait eventually replaced their Chieftains with the Yugoslavian M-84 tanks, which are a variant of the Soviet T-72s.

The Chieftain is still in service Iran, Jordan, and Oman in varying numbers, about 100 in Iran, 350 in Jordan, and 27 in Oman. The Chieftains underwent local upgrades to keep them up to date against a modern threat, which resulted in the Iran ''Mobarez'' Chieftain upgrade.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
{{Youtube-gallery|XlNDQ2PVPpI|The Chieftain at Bovington|D3OF9IvtHLk|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: Chieftain}}

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}
<references />

Chieftain Mk 3

2020-08-25T04:08:43Z

U22652589: Incorrect Exp mass eqv

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_chieftain_mk_3}}
{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Chieftain (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_ChieftainMk3.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]] and established the series of end-game ground vehicle for the British tree. The Chieftain imposes a formidable force of reckoning on the battlefield with its heavily sloped armour and powerful [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm armament]].

The Chieftain series maintains the traditional UK lower front plate weak spot and strong turret armour of the Centurion series of tanks while increasing the firepower. Top speed increases from the Centurion line, but overall mobility is comparably worse.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

A major improvement from previous British mediums is the Chieftain's thick, sloped armour. Reaching a compound-angled 152 mm on the turret and a respectable 86 mm at 71° on the upper front hull, the Chieftain can actually resist point-blank shots from some cannons it will face at 8.3. In an up-tier, however, most of these benefits have less impact. This tank should avoid exposing its hull as certain tanks at (and most above) 8.3 can penetrate the hull with an APFSDS shot, knocking out the entire crew or detonating an ammo rack. The armour around the gun breech leaves something to be desired. Lower-rank APDS rounds (e.g. a T-54/55's APDS) can penetrate the right turret face at closer ranges, incapacitating the gunner and commander. The lower glacis is 76 mm at 45°, leading to a significant disadvantage in close-range engagements. Even 7.3 tanks (and many below 7.3) will always penetrate the lower glacis. The Chieftain also has thin side armour, meaning that the tank is vulnerable to flank attacks. The thin side armour also means angling the hull is not effective. A Chieftain should remain hull down (at the very least covering the lower frontal plate) to best take advantage of its armour profile.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Hull front, Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, Hull rear, Hull roof, Turret roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 70-127 mm (43-79°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (43-44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 88-220 (8-30°) + 13 mm ''Front Top'' 50 mm (1-31°) ''Center Top'' 37 mm (30°) + 13 mm ''Rear Top'' 37 (10°) + 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 37 mm (1-7°) || 13-28 mm
|-
| Turret || 125-250 mm (2-81°) ''Turret front'' 100-220 mm (1-53°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45-196 mm (1-65°) || 45 mm (1°) || 50.8 mm ''Front'' 25 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 150 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Armour thickness throughout the vehicle is very complex and the tank relies more on sloping thickness to enhance its effective armour.
* The metal boxes on the sides of the turret and hull are 13 mm of structural steel.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1023|rbMinHp= 584}}

The {{PAGENAME}} suffers from poor horsepower to tonne ratio. It is slow to reach its top speed of 45 km/h on almost any surface and will turn very slowly even when all mobility modules are researched. The {{PAGENAME}} especially struggles uphill and when pivoting. It has decent reverse speed (~ -9.4 km/h, compared to the -13 km/h reverse speed of tanks on the Centurion chassis).

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)}}

The Chieftain's 120 mm gun has access to APDS and HESH when stock, with no researchable ammunition. The APDS shell has a very good slope modifier compared to other APDS and will penetrate essentially any vehicle from 8.3 to 9.3, but has relatively weak post-penetration effects. HESH behaves similar to other HESH shells in the game and is a more situational round. The cannon's reload rate is much faster than average for its calibre at its BR (7.5 seconds with a fully-trained crew).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm L11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 53 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.4 ||29.6||36.0||39.8||42.4
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.4 ||15.8||19.1||21.1||22.5
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.7 ||8.6||7.9||7.5
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 320 || 315 || 305 || 294 || 280 || 270
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 1370 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 5.250 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| L34 || 670 || 17.0 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Turret empty: 30 ''(+23)''

==== Optics and night vision ====
The magnification of the gunner's optics on the Chieftain Mk 3 is ok, but not anything special compared to other tanks it faces. There is only a minimal difference between the default magnification and the zoomed in magnification.

The Chieftain is equipped with a fairly basic night vision system, consisting of image intensifiers and an IR searchlight, there is no thermal imager. The image intensifiers are fairly standard compared to those fitted to vehicles of the same time period, they have a lower resolution and higher noise than those fitted to later vehicles.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X7.25 - X8 || 800 x 600 || 8.0 || High || Not Fitted || Image intensifier unlocked by "NVD" mod (tier 3)
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || 800 x 600 || 8.0 || High || Not Fitted || Image intensifier unlocked by "NVD" mod (tier 3)
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 || 800 x 600 || 5.0 || High || Not Fitted || Image intensifier unlocked by "NVD" mod (tier 3)
|-
|}

The IR searchlight on the Chieftain Mk3 is mounted in a distinctive box on the left hand side of the turret, it has a wide beam compared to other searchlights; however due to its placement some of the turret blocks some of the light which would otherwise go to the right. In practice this slightly narrows the beam, compared to the theoretical angle listed below (it is still much wider than other searchlights though).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Night_Vision_Devices#Infrared_Spotlights|IR Searchlight]]
|-
! Max Range
! Beam Width
! Location / Notes
|-
| 1,500 m || 15.3° || Searchlight mounted in box on left hand side of turret, does not pitch up or down.
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|L21A1 (12.7 mm)|L37A1 (7.62 mm)|L8A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L21A1 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm L21A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount (Ranging)''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 588 (3) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L37A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L37A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (100) || 650 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L8A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L8A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Fundamental advantages of Chieftain Mk 3 are its fast fire rate and high penetration. Few vehicles within its BR range can resist the Chieftain's firepower, with some exceptions possibly being a well-positioned [[T95|T95]] or [[Maus|Maus]]. Because the 120 mm APDS shells have such high penetration, one should aim for critical internal modules rather than armour weak points. This requires good knowledge of the enemy tanks. You should know where shells, fuel tanks, and crew reside in the vehicles you'll face.

'''Defensively:''' 
The Chieftain's gun is very accurate when equipped with all gun modules -- move to a location overlooking enemy movements from long range. Maintain a hull-down position whenever possible to hide your weaker hull. Consider placing camouflage bushes on your turret to force your enemy to spend more time aiming.

'''Offensively:''' 
The Chieftain's common enemies are the German Leopard 1 tanks and Russian T-54s. Aim for the hull to either knock out the enemy crew or detonate the hull ammunition stowage. Don’t hesitate to try this on IS-3/4 or T-10M as your gun still has sufficient penetration.
Other tanks can be easily knocked out or disabled by aiming for crew members. Don't forget that reload time is your best friend.
While manoeuvring, beware to the width of Chieftain; it's very easy to make the mistake of exposing weak areas of the hull.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism
|Smoke grenade
|NVD
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|L34
|Laser rangefinder
|Artillery Support
|-
|}The first upgrades to head for are ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' for increased survivability. Then prioritize mobility upgrades (the Chieftain needs all the mobility it can get) and gun accuracy upgrades (to further enhance its accurate fire).

;Modules to get in order, maximizing recovery and speed first:

* Spare parts
* Extinguishers FPE
* Tracks (Critical for hull rotation speed. In the Chieftain, you'll need every little degree of speed)
* Adjustment shooting
* Elevation mechanism
* Horizontal drive
* Other mobility upgrades as needed

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Turret armour strong enough to resist APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
* Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against enemies of the same rank
* Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5-9.5 seconds)
* Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and powerful HESH shells immediately
* 10 degrees of gun depression
* Has access to a dual plane stabiliser
* Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be bound to a separate key
* Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed
* Only armour piercing round is unlocked from stock, so no need to grind for best shell

'''Cons:'''

* Weak hull armour overall
* Lower frontal plate is very poorly armoured and has an ammo rack behind it
* Very weak side and rear armour
* Ammo rack everywhere
* Small ammo variety (APDS or HESH only) means that it struggles with modern composite armour
* APDS deals minimal, punctual damage
* Slowest of all MBTs
* Poor mobility on rough terrain

== History ==


===Concept===
The idea of a "universal tank" began in Britain in 1944 when Montgomery and other influential people began advocating for a more standardized tank to replace the cruiser and infantry tank classes used on the field. Efforts did not start until after World War II under the General Staff designation A45, with development starting just as the new cruiser tank [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] started to enter military service. The A45 was cancelled in 1948 after development troubles and its inability to be used as a "universal" platform. Ironically, the Centurion proved to be a better "universal tank" platform than the A45.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Development===
The [[Centurion Mk 10|Centurion]] tank series was very successful in British and its allies' service, but the development of new Soviet armour such as the [[IS-3]] and [[T-54 (1951)|T-54/55]] caused the British tank arms race to take another leap forward. Development on the Centurion's successor began in 1951 under the name ''Medium Gun Tank No. 2''. The project's priority was gun and armour, but with mobility to be equal to the Centurion's and weight of fewer than 45 tons. The weight limit caused a program known as the Concept Study Programme to commence in order to find ways to keep the tank under that weight limit yet meet all the armour and firepower specifications. One of the concepts that came out was the usage of bagged charges, which was already in use on naval ships but was a new concept for tank ammunition. Thus, a gun using the bagged charge propellant system began development in 1954, along with a new specification by General Staff that the Medium Gun Tank No.2, now known as ''FV4201'', uses a conventional four crew tank with a turret and a better gun and armour than the Centurion. Though the [[Conqueror|Conqueror heavy tank]] was one such response to the firepower requirement, limited production cut that to only 200 units built.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

The biggest bump to the firepower of the FV4201 was the recommendation of a 120 mm calibre tank cannon. Though the Conqueror used a 120 mm, the new one would incorporate more innovative features such as the bagged charges. Other design features added was the usage of a Rolls-Royce V8 engine, an auxiliary engine, an automatic gearbox, and a reclining seat for the driver. The reclining seat was a very new feature in tank design as it reduced the vehicle's hull height and thus gave it a lower profile. Leyland Motors was assigned to be the main designer for the tank despite their commitment to the Centurion production lines. The manufacturing process of the tank was decided to be cast rather than welded. In 1957, several specifications added to the FV4201 impeded its attempt to fit in the specifications. A bigger turret was designed and it mounted IR equipment for night fighting. Troops requested more frontal and turret side armour, which along with the turret change caused an increase in the tank's overall weight. A controversial decision was also made in 1957 by NATO that tanks should have multi-fuel engines. The FV4201 installed a new engine conforming to these standards in 1958, a German engine derived from a Junkers Jumo aviation engine. This extended development time since the engine compartment had to be redesigned to fit the engine, raising the total tank weight to 50 tons. The engine, designated the L60, was received with a mixed reception by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and other users due to its novel features. Britain stayed as the only user of a multi-fuel engine in the Cold War as many other nations found the concept impractical and abandoned it.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

As the FV4201 finalized its prototype stages, General Staff sent a revised specification for it. The tank was to have the firepower of the Conqueror with the mobility of the Centurion, an armour that maximizes the protection-weight ratio, a weight limit at 45 ton with a top speed of 26 mph and an operating range of 300 miles. The first wooden prototype was made in March 1959, with full prototypes ordered in June 1959 for troop trials. Vickers-Armstrong and Royal Ordnance Factory shared the manufacturing process and the first prototypes were built in January 1960. The first two prototype FV4201 was trialled in Germany alongside their new [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]]. The greatest issue with the FV4201 was the engine, which caused many failures due to vibration, a result of the flawed multi-fuel concept. Trials were delayed due to lack of parts to fix broken pieces and redesigns were requested to fix problems. After a lengthy trial period in 1962, the FV4201, now named the '''Chieftain''', was sent to the operational unit in Germany for service and combat trials. The Chieftain was finally accepted for service in 1st May 1963, despite the many faults in the design. The first deliveries of the improved and redesigned Chieftains began in mid-1965. These were the ''Chieftain Mk.1's'', which further revealed problems with the horsepower that the ''Mk.2'' was designed and sent in April 1966. The '''Chieftain Mk.3''' rolled out of the production lines in September 1969, it now weighed 53 tons and the L60 engine was producing 650 hp, still underpowered for the weight. Engine failures were still frequent and left the Chieftain with a sour note until the ''Mk.5'' variant fixed these pressing issues with a new engine and NBC protection. The Mk.5 would be the main variant of the Chieftain in British service. During its production life from 1965 to 1985, a total of 2,265 Chieftains would be built by Britain, with about 1,000 used by the British Army.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Service===
The first British units to receive the Chieftains was the 1st and 5th Royal Tank Regiments back during the trials. The Chieftain, despite its initial engine flaws, proved to be combat-proof and could be upgraded to fit new requirements. Some of these upgrades were the addition of composite add-on armour to fight off new anti-tank technology such as the HEAT rounds. The Chieftain earned the title "most formidable tank in the world" during the 1960's Cold War period and also redefined the specifications of a "main battle tank". Its success is due to its novel main gun and heavily sloped armour, as well as satisfactory mobility and speeds able to compete with the Leopard 1. The Chieftain stayed in use by the British Army On the Rhine on the German border with the Warsaw Pact, which caused the Soviets to in turn station their best tanks such as their T-64's against the Chieftains. The British retained the Chieftains all the way until 1995 when it was replaced by the Challenger I.

The Chieftain was also successful in the export market, primarily in the Middle East to the hands of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman. Another user of the Chieftain was Israel, with Britain initially agreeing to help set up production for locally produced Chieftains. Two Chieftains were sent for trials among the Israeli Defense Force in 1967. After two years of trials and deliberation for the acquirement of the Chieftains, Britain ultimately refused to offer the Israelis the Chieftain for political reasons. The Israeli trials benefit Britain with data on desert combat with the Chieftain, however, and the refusal did jump start Israel's tank program that would become the ''Merkava''.

Despite that, sales to the Middle East soared, with Iran being the major buyer of the Chieftains with at least 887 of mostly the MK3 and MK5 variants sent to them before their revolution in 1979. The Chieftain saw prolonged combat in the Middle East in the Iran-Iraq War, including Operation Nasr which was the largest tank vs. tank battle of the war where the Iranian Chieftains and [[M60A1 (AOS)|M60A1 Pattons]] fought against the Iraqi [[T-62]]s. After that war, the Chieftain in Kuwait then saw combat fighting the Iraqis during their invasion in 1990. Kuwait eventually replaced their Chieftains with the Yugoslavian M-84 tanks, which are a variant of the Soviet T-72s.

The Chieftain is still in service Iran, Jordan, and Oman in varying numbers, about 100 in Iran, 350 in Jordan, and 27 in Oman. The Chieftains underwent local upgrades to keep them up to date against a modern threat, which resulted in the Iran ''Mobarez'' Chieftain upgrade.

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|W4R1fPzk-tU|'''Review: Chieftain Mk 3''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}|XlNDQ2PVPpI|The Chieftain at Bovington|D3OF9IvtHLk|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: Chieftain}}

== 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 ==

[https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/885/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> The Chieftain tank: A very British warlord!] 

{{Britain medium tanks}}
<references />

QF 2-pounder (40 mm)

2020-08-22T15:40:45Z

U22652589:

== Description ==

Following the 1935 budget in Britain, the Government decided to standardise the armaments employed by both the Royal Tank Regiment and anti-tank gun companies to be identical. The first tank to utilise this gun was the Cruiser Mk. I (A9) which entered service in 1938. This tank, whilst not in the game, saw service in North Africa and France alongside other tanks such as the A13.

Seeing action during the Phony War and the Retreat to Dunkirk, it was first used on the battlefield by the Belgian Army, however many of the guns that were produced had to be abandoned following the evacuation of Dunkirk. Stockpiles in Britain would eventually be distributed to the Army before they were phased out for the QF 6-pounder, and the remaining guns were sent to Home Guard Anti-tank sections across the United Kingdom.

The gun was proven to show its effectiveness against the early Panzer IIs and Panzer IIIs however it could also pierce elements of the later Panzer IVs until the E variant.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Light tanks'''}}{{Specs-Link|uk_daimler_mk_2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a17_mk_1_tetrarch}}
{{Navigation-Line|A13}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a_13_mk1}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a_13_mk1_3rd_rtr}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a_13_mk2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a_13_mk2_1939}}
{{Navigation-Line|Crusader}}{{Specs-Link|uk_crusader_mk_2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_crusader_mk_2_the_saint}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|fr_crusader_mk_2}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Medium tanks'''}}{{Specs-Link|uk_valentine_mk_1}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Heavy tanks'''}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a_22_mk_1_churchill_1941}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_a_12_mk_2_matilda_2}}

{{Navigation-End}}

== General info ==
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''

=== Available ammunition ===
''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).''

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High-penetrating round
* Quick reload
* Decent muzzle velocity

'''Cons:'''

* Lack of explosive filler means multiple shots could be needed to take out a target
* 3 of the 4 available shells incorrectly lose penetration very quickly over range

== History ==

The gun proved its effectiveness against early Panzer IIs and Panzer IIIs and proved effective even later against more advanced enemies where it could also pierce elements of the Panzer IVs until the E variant arrived to the battlefield.

Examinations of the gun on angled surfaces showed good results in the 1936 tests.<ref>Bird, Lorrin; Lingston, Robert (2001). World War II Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Albany, NY USA: Overmatch Press. p. 60</ref>

== 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 article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

{{Britain tank cannons}}
{{France tank cannons}}

[[Category:Tank cannons]]

Churchill I

2020-08-22T15:38:33Z

U22652589:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a_22_mk_1_churchill_1941}}
{{About
| about = British heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = Churchill (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]] along with the [[Vickers MBT]] and [[Chieftain Mk 5]] as an expansion to the British tech tree. Like the original model of the Churchill infantry tank, it has the substantial frontal armour able to withstand enemy shells.

The Churchill Mk I is one of the more capable heavy tanks at rank II. The tank has excellent frontal armour that can absorb and bounce shots. Tanks such as the [[Pz.III J1|Panzer III]], [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]], [[M4|M4 Sherman]], and even the dreaded [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]] can be blocked if angled. Very few tanks can deal with the Churchill Mk I effectively from the front, such as the [[M10 GMC|M10]] or [[Achilles]]. Its 2-pounder gun, however, is very underpowered for its battle rating. It is of small calibre and low penetration and damage. Its secondary howitzer is also nearly useless as it only has HE shells.

The Churchill Mk I is slow and hard to turn, which can be taken advantage of when flanking. Its engine is also easily damaged.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Driver viewport, Machine gun area, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 89 mm ''Front plate'' 89 + 89 mm ''Front plate (MG Port)'' 38 mm (63°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis'' || 63.5 mm ''Overall side armour'' 76.2 mm ''Side hatch'' 38.1 mm ''Side edge'' || 50.8 mm 25.4 mm (68°) ''Bottom'' || 15.87 mm
|-
| Turret || 89 mm ''Turret front'' 89 mm (0-30°) ''Gun mantlet'' 18 mm (76°) ''Roof area'' || 76.2 mm || 76.2 mm || 18 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 19 mm thick.
* A 8 mm Structural steel plate separates the engine and crew compartment.
* 50mm internal mantlet that can be either a weakspot or an extra layer of armor
* The 8mm engine vents on the side of the tank lead directly to the engine and fuel tanks

=== Mobility ===


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

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-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" | 150 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 19.42 || 26.88 || 32.64 || 36.10 || 38.40 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.22 || rowspan="2" | 2.97 || rowspan="2" | 2.80
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 88 || 83 || 64 || 46 || 33 || 24
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 78 || 67 || 56 || 47 || 40
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 20.9 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Churchill_Mk_I.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''150''' || 110 ''(+40)'' || 80 ''(+70)'' || 58 ''(+92)'' || 36 ''(+114)'' || 26 ''(+124)'' || 16 ''(+134)'' || 1 ''(+149)'' || No
|-
|}

Center & turret empty: 58 ''(+92)''

===== Optics =====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[T-34 (1940)]]
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I (76 mm)|76 mm OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 58 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+9° || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 12 || 17 || 20 || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | 8.2 || rowspan="2" | 7.2 || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.9 || 10 || 13 || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" 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
|-
| 3-inch Mark II || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" 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%
|-
| 3-inch Mark II || HE || 210 || 6.02 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 606 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| 3-inch Smoke || 210 || 3.18 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 8
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Churchill_Mk_I.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
|-
| '''58''' || 45 ''(+13)'' || 31 ''(+27)'' || 16 ''(+42)'' || 1 ''(+57)'' || No
|-
|}

Minimal load: 16 ''(+42)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{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 || 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This tank can use a play style similar to the Matilda or a weaker Churchill III. It's best played up close, to make use of the armour and also gun. Since the tank is rather boxy, it's very good at angling. Unlike the Churchill III, it's gun isn't capable of taking on most other tanks of its rank. Its main role in the battlefield is to soak up and take shots, with its thick armour, that can withstand most tanks of its rank. Main enemies for this tank would be the M10, the Achilles, the 88 mm SFL, and most Panzer IVs and StuGs.

The Churchill has heavy armour, especially when it is angled, but this certainly does not mean that it is invincible. In fact, there are a lot of guns around BR 3.0 that can destroy the Churchill, even at long range. The most immediate threat comes from the Germans, as in every RB/SB battle the British will be facing them. By far the most lethal tanks are the Panzer IVs with the long barrel 75mm. They can penetrate the Churchill Mk I frontally at long range. Later versions of the Panzer IV also have armour which the 2-pdr will really struggle to penetrate at long range, putting the Churchill at a big disadvantage. The same applies to any vehicle armed with the long barrel 75mm gun, including the StuG III F/G, Marder III H (Particularly the Marder III H which has almost 200mm penetration with APCR). The Churchill Mk I can also come across tanks like the 88mm Flak Truck which is a massive threat. The 2-pdr's 40mm is almost useless against the Flak Truck as it will have to take each crew member out individually. Luckily, the Churchill Mk I has access to the 75mm howitzer, which provides well needed explosive firepower. It can quite easily hull break the Flak Truck. Luckily, the Flak Truck is a whole BR higher than the Churchill, so it will be a rare opponent. Also, watch out for tanks armed with HEAT (such as Panzer III/IVs with the short-barreled 75 mm), as it has up to 100mm penetration. The Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G is also dangerous, with a powerful HE round and a high penetration HEAT round. Luckily both of the aforementioned tanks will have to close into shorter ranges to effectively attack the Churchill Mk I, as their guns have poor ballistics. This means that Churchill's 40 mm gun will be more effective. Also, watch out for the Sd.Kfz.234/2 or Sd.Kfz.234/4. These are vehicles based on the Puma armoured car. The /2 has a 50mm and the /4 has a 75mm gun. Both are excellent flanking vehicles, extremely fast and potent. They will easily outflank the slow Churchill.

Sometimes in RB matches, the Churchill will also face the Russians. At long range, the ZiS-30 proves to be a real threat. it has a high penetration gun and is great at ambushing. Luckily, it has light armour and can be destroyed easily. Russian armour is a bigger threat. Tanks like the T-34 are highly resistant to the 2-pdr gun due to their steep sloping armour. The L-11 gun on the T-34 (1940) will struggle to penetrate the Churchill, but the F-34 gun found on Post 1940 versions is much more effective. Below 500 m, the F-34 guns can destroy the Churchill with its potent BR-350B APHEBC rounds or APCR rounds (though they do less damage). An even bigger threat is the KV-1 type tanks. A Churchill vs a KV-1 L1-1 can end in a stalemate situation, as both tanks will struggle to penetrate the other frontally. However, later KV-1 models have the ZiS 5 gun, which is pretty much identical to the F-34 gun found on the T-34. There is also the German premium KV-1B which has upgraded armour but a weaker gun, which is a dangerous opponent and quite common despite being a premium vehicle.

From the Japanese, be careful of the Ho Ro with its massive howitzer, or the Chi Nu with its powerful 75mm gun.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T
| 3-inch Smoke
| Smoke grenade
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent frontal armour
* Almost immune to small calibre guns
* Well armoured sides
* Good mantlet
* Quick firing gun
* Its size eliminates any recoil from the gun, making it easy to fire a second shot without losing any accuracy
* Ability to pivot steer
* Large suspension sides have side hits more likely to break tracks than penetrate the hull
* Incredibly hard to dislodge or destroy when properly angled
* Works well as the spearhead of an assault when capturing a point, absorbing damage
* Good acceleration

'''Cons:'''

* 40mm gun is ineffective against anything with sloped armour
* Will lose a lot of speed when making a sharp turn in motion
* Has difficulties engaging other heavy tanks
* Up-gunned Panzer IVs are a major threat
* Poor mobility when compared to other heavy tanks from other nations
* Terrible reverse speed
* Has trouble scaling obstacles
* Slow, will take a lot of time just to reach the combat zone from spawn points
* Frontal 50 mm weak spot (Machine gun port)
* Roof armour is somewhat thin
* Priority target by planes due to size and bad reverse speed
* Plenty of weakspots

== History ==

===Development===
The General Staff specification ''A20'' was implemented before World War II and was meant to replace the [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]] and [[Valentine Mk XI|Valentine]] infantry tanks. The specification was based around the British infantry tank doctrine and with the expectation that the coming war would be based off the World War I trench warfare, thus the tank was needed to travel across unfavorable terrain and able to destroy enemy defenses and infantry obstacles. As speed and heavy firepower was not taken with priority, the vehicle was to have two 2-pounder gun on side sponson mounts with a coaxial machine gun, with another machine gun and smoke dischargers on the front hull, armour was about 60 mm on the turret. Four prototypes were made by June 1940 by Harland and Wolff. The front hull would see an upgrade in armament with a 3-inch howitzer during the prototype stages, the 43 ton tank had a 300 hp Meadows engine from the Covenanter tank and was made the tank underpowered. The A20 project was cancelled with the Battle of France, which saw the emergency evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk that left a majority of their heavy equipment behind.

The Battle of France proved that the coming World War II was not going to be a stagnant battlefield like the trench warfare from World War I. The entire concept had to be redesigned and was done so by Henry Merrit, the director of Tank Design at Woolwich Arsenal. His new concept, the '''A22''' or '''Infantry Tank Mark IV Churchill''', was given to Vauxhall Motors in June 1940. War Office requested that the A22 be ready to enter production within the year due to growing pressure of a German invasion of Britain. The designs were ready in July 1940 and the first prototypes were made by December of the same year, production soon followed in June 1941. The rushed development was acknowledged in the company to being the cause of many faults and defects in the tank, but the demand by the government was so great that it must be carried out, with the expectation that the issues will be fixed during production. The Churchill tank suffered from an under-powered engine, weak armament, and mechanical issues. The weak armament from a 2-pounder was fixed with the arming of a 6-pounder on the Churchill, but the other issues caused poor performance of the Churchill in the battlefield. In fact, the Churchill production was almost cancelled in favor of the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] due to its issues, but its usage in the Second Battle of El Alamein proved its value and kept it in service.

The Churchill would carry on the rest of the war as one of the most versatile tank design in British service, serving in many specialist roles other than its tank role. Altogether, a total of 7,568 Churchill units produced from 1941 to 1945, with 5,968 as tanks.

===Variants===
The Churchill, used in a multitude of roles, is made into many different variants. 12 different kinds of tank variants were produced for combat roles, with 11 more variants in specialized roles ranging from armoured personnel carrier, a bridge-layer, mine clearer, a [[3 inch Gun Carrier]], flamethrower tank, and an armoured recovery vehicle.

===Combat usage===
The Churchill tank was first used in the Dieppe Raid in August 1942. While it was really a test on how an opposed landing would work, the 60 Churchill tanks to support the Canadian units suffered from mechanical issues, and those that did work are not able to penetrate past the sea wall due to impassable defenses. None of the Churchill tanks that landed returned from the beaches and with a 70% casualty rate, the raid's attempt to establish a beachhead was a failure.

The next use of the Churchill was in North Africa during the Second Battle of El Alamein. At this point, the Churchills have been upgraded to the '''Mk.III''' variants with 6-pounders as their main armament. The detachment, code named "King Force", help supported the 7th Motor Brigade in their attack. The Churchills were fired upon by many German anti-tank weapons, but none were taken out with only one receiving note worthy damage. "King Force", as a test bed for the feasibility of Churchills operating in the desert environment, was disbanded with the establishment of the 25th Army Tank Brigade with the Churchills to see action in February 1943 in Tunisia. In the German offensive Operation Ochsenkpf, two Churchill Mk.III from the 51st Royal Tank Regiment came across an entire German transport column that they ambushed. The end result was a loss of twelve artillery pieces, 25 wheeled vehicles, two [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]]s and 200 casualties on the German side with no losses for the British. The Churchill also played a key role in the Battle of Longstop Hill, where Churchill tanks in the 48th Royal Tank Regiment faced off with Germany's newest heavy tank [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]. Though suffering losses, a lucky 6-pounder shot from the Churchill ended up jamming the Tiger's turret and turret ring that injured the crew, forcing them to abandon the tank. The Tiger tank was captured by the British for intelligence purpose on Germany's armoured forces. The Tiger Tank is named Tiger 131.

After the North African campaign, the Churchill began to see widespread usage in the British army as a support unit for the infantry. The Churchill saw much more operation hours than any other British tank in service. It was at this point that the Churchill Mk.III began a conversion into the 75 mm guns that were used on the American [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks. These conversions, known as ''NA75'', proved to be more efficient than the Shermans and were used more effectively. Some Churchills were also converted into close support vehicles with 95 mm howitzers as their main armaments. In response to the growing German anti-tank firepower in the later years of World War II, the Churchill tanks were also upgraded in armour by a large degree, though their engines were also upgraded to compensate for the additional weight. The [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill Mk.VII]], for example, has armour ranging up to 152 mm thick in the front, in comparison to the Mk.III 89 mm thick front hull. The Churchills also saw service in Europe during Operation Overlord. At the time, it was considered that the Churchill would become severely outdated with the growing tank technology, so an experimental program under specification A43, otherwise known as the [[Black Prince|Black Prince]], to uparmour and upgun the Churchill. While this experimented seem fruitful, the development of more agile tanks with the same level of protection and armament such as the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] rendered the project obsolete.

The Churchills were also given out to the Allies to help combat the Axis forces. The Australian Army received a handful of Churchills for testing alongside the M4 Sherman with the Matilda II as the basis, to which proved that the Churchill was superior in jungle warfare. Of the 510 Churchills ordered by the Australians in the war, only 46 arrived in time and were not used in the Pacific War, the rest were cancelled with the end of World War II. The USSR also used the Churchills given by the British as part of the Lend-Lease act. 301 Churchills were sent, but 43 were lost to the sea by German naval forces. Of those that arrived, the Soviets gave the Churchills to the 5th Guards Tank Army in the Battle of Prokhorovka during the Kursk Offensive.

After World War II, the Churchill stuck around in the British Army until the Korean War, where the British sent the Churchill Crocodile Squadron (C squadron of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment) to Korea to fight with the Allied coalition. They fought as gun tanks in battle such as the Third Battle of Seoul. The Churchills were instrumental in some victories and were widely praised by both British and American forces and historians. After the Korean war, the Churchills remains in combat service until 1952, with the specialized bridge-layer variant stayin until the 1970s. The Irish Army also received three Churchill tanks in 1948 and another in 1949 as rentals until 1954, where they were purchased after trials with the vehicles. Despite running out of spare parts for the Churchill, the Irish Army took them in and experimented with using different engines to keep them functional, though this ended with a failure and by 1967, only one was still functional. All were retired in 1969 and one was preserved at the Curragh Camp.

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4793-vehicle-profile-a22-churchill-mk-i-first-of-its-breed-en|[Vehicle Profile] A22 Churchill Mk I - "First of Its Breed"]]

{{Britain heavy tanks}}

Gun Carrier (3-in)

2020-08-22T15:29:07Z

U22652589: Cons - Penetration and accuracy is good, not terrible

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_3_inch_gun_carrier}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_3inchGunCarrier.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the entire British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. This abomination of a vehicle is based on a Churchill chassis. It sport a 3-inch gun that they couldn't fit into a normal Churchill turret, but in the world's boxiest crew compartment. In all seriousness, you will likely see the tracks (and suspension) before you see anything else. Once you've recognized that there is no turret, then you know its a 3-inch Gun Carrier.

The 3 inch Gun Carrier is an interesting tank that can be difficult to play. Combining the aspects of an assault gun and a tank destroyer, it has a strange play style. At longer ranges, getting a penetration with the main gun can be difficult whilst the small arc and low turn rate makes close quarters fighting extremely hazardous. The first thing to take note of is your armour - at 89mm on the front you are one of the toughest vehicles at this rank. However this armour is flat and unsloped. At the sides the armour drops to 76 mm and the rear is only 25 mm thick meaning that, when combined with the positioning of the crew, a penetration from either of these angles is usually deadly.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38 mm (69°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (17°) ''Lower glacis''|| 76.2 mm || 25.4 mm ''Top'' 25.4 mm (68°)''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 89 mm 100 mm (2-46°)''Gun mount'' || 76.2 mm || 25.4 mm || 16 mm 40 mm ''Cupola''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and chassis construction are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 497|rbMinHp= 310}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|OQF 3in 20cwt (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[OQF 3in 20cwt (76 mm)|76 mm OQF 3in 20cwt]] || 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°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±5° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 3.96 || 5.48 || 6.66 || 7.37 || 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 2.68 || 3.15 || 3.82 || 4.23 || 4.50
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.2 || AP || 111 || 109 || 97 || 84 || 73 || 64
|-
| Shell HE || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | 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)
! rowspan="2" | Normalization At 30° from horizontal
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.2 || AP || 762 || 5.67 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell HE || HE || 609 || 7.3 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 530 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_3inchGunCarrier.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''65''' || 53 ''(+12)'' || 40 ''(+25)'' || 27 ''(+38)'' || 14 ''(+51)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}

Left side empty: 27 ''(+38)''

===== Optics =====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[Marder III H]]
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The first thing you need to worry about are your flanks. If the enemy gets on to these you will usually be knocked out pretty quickly and with the pathetic turn rate you will rarely be able to respond. When positioning yourself make sure that your flanks are covered. The best way to do this is to position yourself in the centre of a narrow street or park up directly next to a large rock or building. Alternatively try to alert your comrades to your position and needs though if you have my luck then this will be a last resort.

Next angle yourself. With a bit of angling you can get your frontal and side armour to be effectively around 100mm thick together, meaning that only F2's will be able to take you from beyond short range. Finally, try to get below a bridge or overhang. Enemy aircraft love the 3" Gun Carrier's large, ponderous form and the thin top armour can be penetrated by some of the heavier armaments carried by fighters.

You want to prioritize [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]]'s as these will make mincemeat of your tank. Go for the gunners position unless you have a shot at the hull and are confident that you will take it out in a single shell. [[T-34 (1941)|T-34's]] beyond 100 meters are tricky as well, but they also struggle with penetrating your armour. So its best to try and ignore them unless you are confident about it. Everything else should be a relatively easy target, but watch out for the enemy maneuvering to your sides in fast tanks. A tank on your flank is a sure way to get yourself destroyed since a single APHE shell from a German or Soviet tank could knock out the entire crew if it penetrates.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good frontal armour, can become practically invulnerable to incoming shells if angled properly
* Good gun with decent damage
* Can turn in place

'''Cons:'''

* Large target
* Slow
* Four crew members
* Vulnerable top, can be strafed by planes and set on fire
* '''Flat''' armour

== History ==

===Development===
In 1941, the British General Staff requested for tanks that can mount a high-velocity cannon. The purpose of this is to create an "expedient design to deal with enemy tanks until the 17-pounder became widespread" due to the risk of a German invasion on the British islands. None of the tanks at the time of this request had the necessary specifications to mount a heavier and larger cannon, the [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill]] and [[Valentine Mk IX|Valentine]] tanks could only hold the 6-pounders. To fix this, it was proposed that a casemate superstructure be used in the design to hold the heavier gun instead, akin to the typical tank destroyer used by Germany and Soviet Union at the time. The company Vauxhall was given 100 of the obsolete 3-inch guns and were tasked to produce a vehicle able to mount these guns. Designing was finished in April 1941, a mock up produced in July, and the first pilot vehicles were finished in early 1942, ready for testing. During these stages, the Department of Tank Design put in an order for 100 of these vehicles. The pilot vehicle was essentially a large 88 mm armoured superstructure with the 3-inch gun mounted in a ball mount, the entire thing was propelled on a Churchill chassis. The tests proved that the vehicles preformed satisfactory and could work, but with the now reduced risk of a German invasion and better equipment becoming to be more widespread, the orders placed on the vehicles wavered to only about 49 vehicles in January 1942. Production for the '''Carrier, Churchill, 3-inch Gun, Mk I''' proceeded from May 1942 to November 2, producing 50 3-inch Gun Carriers total.

===Proposed usage===
The 3-inch Gun Carrier never saw combat, but it wasn't ignored during its production life. In April 1942, it was proposed that several army tank brigades of Canada be equipped with these 3-inch Gun Carriers, of which 9 would be received and would be split to three troops of three Carriers. It was proposed by Brigadier R.A. Wyman, the commander of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, that these Carriers be distributed as anti-tank groups. A new company in the brigade system known as the "Heavy Support Company" would man the Carriers and the system would run like an anti-tank regiment in an infantry division. These companies would have about 97 personnel, with 28 headquarters and the rest in the troops, and these were to be assigned to army tank battalions. This was approved in June 24, 1942 by Canadian Military Headquarters and the formation of such unit commenced.

Formation of the Heavy Support Company in the 1st Canadian Army Tank brigade drew its ranks from the brigade, with Captain G.S.G. Jones as the commander of the company, nominated by the brigade regiments. Doctrine, organization, and training were discussed in July 15. Despite the preparation, the Carriers were never delivered until September 1942. During training, it was found that the Carriers had a tendency to throw their track while turning at speed higher than 10 mph. In October, the company was redesignated as a "squadron" to conform to armour nomenclature in the Canadian Armoured Corp. By November, there were 10 Carriers available for the squadron. In February 1943, the 1st Canadian Corps then ordered that the Heavy Support Squadron in the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade be broken up immediately, perhaps due to the Carrier's growing obsolesce with the evolution of tank warfare. By March 1943, all the Carriers were returned or stored away and the squadron was dismissed.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=uk_3_inch_gun_carrier 3 inch Gun Carrier] in Warthunder Live.

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

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

== External links ==


* [[Wikipedia:Churchill_tank#Gun_Carrier,_3-inch,_Mk_I,_Churchill_(A22D)|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Gun Carrier, 3-inch, Mk I, Churchill (A22D)]]
* [https://servicepub.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/the-carrier-churchill-3-inch-gun-mk-i/ [MilArt<nowiki>]</nowiki> An account on the usage of the 3-inch Gun Carrier]

{{Britain tank destroyers}}

Typhoon Mk Ia

2020-08-22T15:25:00Z

U22652589: Not a poor turner, also not the fastest 2.7

{{Specs-Card|code=typhoon_mk1a}}
{{About
| about = British fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| and
| usage = other versions
| link-1 = Typhoon Mk Ib
| link-2 = Typhoon Mk Ib/L
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===

The Typhoon Mk Ia is a great fighter for the rank it is at. The first thing that a pilot will notice with the Typhoon Mk Ia is that it is insanely fast for its battle rating, so diving at a five to ten-degree angle, if the Typhoon is being attacked or if its attack failed, is a solid choice if the plane has the altitude. However, if playing in Arcade battles with this plane, the diving tactic may not work since the Arcade battle maps are quite small. This is still worth trying since it is a low rank plane and because of that has a low repair cost.

Despite its thick wings, the Typhoon is surprisingly good at turning. It can reliably out-turn Fw 190s and other boom and zoom oriented fighters.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,157 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
| 612 || 596 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.9 || 22.5 || 14.5 || 14.5 || rowspan="2" | 580
|-
! Upgraded
| 656 || 634 || 20.1 || 21.0 || 20.1 || 17.1
|-
|}

==== 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 !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 420 || 420 || 250 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 390 || < 440 || < 480 || > 337
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,447 m || 1,960 hp || 2,077 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,981 m || 1,650 hp || 1,749 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 3 mm Steel - Armored engine plate
* 1 mm Steel - Fore cockpit plate
* 12.7 mm Steel - Armor plate behind pilot's seat
* 42.8 mm Bulletproof glass - Armored windscreen

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Browning (7.7 mm)}}

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

* 12 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (500 rpg outer x2 + 460 rpg center x2 + 500 rpg inner x2 = 5,840 total)

The {{PAGENAME}} 's signature 12 x 0.303 caliber machine guns means quite a lot of gun for a plane, though the drawback to the gun amount is that they are all rifle-calibre and such the Typhoon's firepower is drawn from the mass amount of bullets that can be laid out. The large amounts of bullet fired works as with the right belt, the Typhoon has a large chance to set fires with the high amount of incendiary in the machine gun belts; for this reason, it is plausible to switch to tracer, as 100% of the tracer belt contains incendiary. Be warned: the tracer rounds are much less powerful than the regular ones, so keep that in mind.

This fighter is an excellent bomber hunter due to its armament's high fire chance, aim for the fuel tanks and let the fire do the rest of the work.

Another plausible idea when flying the {{PAGENAME}} is to uninstall the New 7.7s modification once it has been unlocked. This will increase the weapon's spread and turn the plane into a flying shotgun, but also increase the chance of gun jamming. To reduce the risk of this, boom and extend with this plane and keep firing bursts disciplined, only firing once within 500 meters with a convergence of 400 to make the best use of the rather weak 7.7s.

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|G.P. Mk.IV (250 lb)|G.P. Mk.IV (500 lb)}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==


;<nowiki>Air Arcade Battles:</nowiki>

In regards to air arcade battles, it is advised to use Boom & Zoom tactics, as the aircraft's high power (for battle rating 2.7) and wing loading allows for high speed passes on lower flying planes. With the Typhoon's engine providing 2,000 WEP horsepower, there is a lot of energy for a player to use against their opponents.

When encountering fighters, avoid turn-fights most of the time as this aircraft simply doesn't turn well except against the Fw 190 and most American planes, with the exceptions being the F4F-3, the F4F-4, and the F6F-5. Do rudder turn in 1-v-1s and use the combat flaps; against Arcade players, the Typhoon will win the majority of the time, as Arcade people generally don't know the rudder-turn trick.

The best bet in a bad situation is to either outrun pursuers by engaging WEP and diving, which forces them to break off pursuit, or to just run flat out and hope the magic lead indicator doesn't land them a cockpit shot. Bobbing the plane up and down in the vertical slightly does prevent this.

Set gun convergence at or in excess of 400, as 500 seems to work the best for Boom and Zoom. Do note that due to the fact that in Arcade wing-rip is a non-element, the Typhoon can dive down in excess of 3 kilometers to chew up enemy planes going for ground targets, then climb back to altitude with the remaining prey none the wiser.

Play the Typhoon wisely, as none of these tips will be of any assistance if a pilot persists in flying straight into furballs

'''Air Realistic Battles:'''

The biggest threat to the Typhoon in a downtier is the [[He 100 D-1]] as it can match the Typhoon for top airspeed in level flight, however, the Typhoon can potentially accelerate and out-turn it, meaning that the Typhoon is not without hope.

In an uptier or midtier match there are many more threats: the Bf 109, which can shred the plane with its cannons, has a better climb rate and turn rate, and generally outperforms the Typhoon in all but speed; the Italian planes, which are generally powerful and require situational counters; and the [[Ki-44-II hei|Ki-44-II]]. The Ki-44-II is arguably the most dangerous of them, as its maximum speed nearly equals that of the Typhoon's at a similar altitude, its turning rate is better and its climbing rate exceeds the Typhoon's by at least one meter per second. Beating the Ki-44 requires discipline and good aim; do not turnfight, as the Typhoon cannot keep up with the lighter Japanese plane. Do note that the Typhoon performs better at high altitudes - in excess of 5,500 meters or 18,000 feet. Do not engage in turning engagements except with Fw 190s.

If all else fails, run on the deck: the Typhoon can reach in excess of 550 km/h with WEP at 150 meters (500 feet) in RB, 512 km/h without, and outspeeds almost every other plane at 2.7. The Typhoon's WEP is exceptional and lasts far longer before overheating than most other planes in the game at every altitude. Her rate of cooling also sits in the top half of those planes in War Thunder - especially after the Rank II Spitfires got their engine rework.

Against a skilled pilot, the A6M2 and A6M3 are non-issues; they simply do not have the speed, climb rate, or toughness to compete. Do be aware that if these planes catch a Typhoon at low speed and low altitude, they will very easily destroy the Typhoon. If the Typhoon pilot is fortunate enough to possess some altitude, he will pitch down, run, then climb until the plane has the energy to re-engage.

;
;<nowiki>Ground Realistic Battles:</nowiki>

*'''Tank realistic battle: "In fast, target blast, out fast."''' One of the unique capacities the Typhoon occupies is having the ability to carry two 500 lb bombs which provides ground strike capabilities.

It is important to learn how to use MEC (manual engine controls) as they are crucial for getting the most potential out of this aircraft, given the lack of auto propeller pitch control.

Using MEC, (which should ideally be within reach of the keyboard hand if on PC, such as the number keys above the WASD keys) hold down the button for 100% Propeller Pitch and Mixture, while using the mouse wheel to control the throttle. Use it to get a quick takeoff, and then set it to 90-93% throttle (using whichever key is assigned to engine control toggle 1) and cruise to the battlefield. It is recommended to keep an eye on the map periodically (Default key: M), to indicate potential targets. By the time the Typhoon reaches the Area of Operations, there should be a target in mind. Fly around the far outskirts of the map, to an angle of approach that is believed to be the opposite of where the target is looking. Considering the Typhoon will likely be going over 400 km/h (250 mph), wait until the target is about to be in sight, then toggle engine controls back on, hold the MECs to 100%, dump the throttle, Gear on/Flaps Landing (once below 400 km/h), Gear Off. doing so will effectively perform a hard braking manoeuvre, slowing the plane down enough to accurately place the munitions. Make sure to set the timers on the bombs to at least 3-5 seconds, as the bombs going off too early will likely destroy the piloting aircraft with the shock wave.

Once the bombs have been dropped, raise the flaps, throttle WEP and run out of there as quickly as possible before the enemy SPAA can react.

The biggest advantage to this method is the Typhoon can effectively enter the airspace, and engage targets faster most other aircraft, with as little warning to enemy forces as possible excepting enemy aircraft. At the same time, because of the Typhoon's brutal acceleration, it can engage a target and then use its superior speed (against ground attackers like Stukas, Russian light bombers, Japanese light bombers) to annihilate enemy air forces using the 12 machine guns.

=== 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 || Controllable Auto control available || Combined || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 7 mm
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| HSBC mk.2
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 7 mm MGs
| HMBC mk.2
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
|
|-
|}

* Of the rank I upgrades, only ''Offensive 7 mm'' is of noticeable effect to allow for belt choice for the 7.7 mm armaments. The next level's ''Compressor'' should be the first choice, with ''Airframe'' and the ''HSBC mk.2'' as unattractive choices. Having the option of a last-ditch ground attack with the bombs may save the occasional game though. For rank III: ''Engine'', ''New 7 mm MGs'' and ''Wings repair'' in that order, just having the ability to perform long, accurate burst fire (against bombers) makes the armament upgrade worthwhile. The last level is ''Engine Injection''. The remaining modules can be chosen for research by personal preference.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great speed, especially in a dive
* A lot of guns
* Powerful engine
* Can carry bombs
* Decent climb rate, similar climb rate to the [[Bf 109 E-3]]
* A great fighter in AB and RB, and a good ground-pounder in mixed battles

'''Cons:'''

* Slow roll rate
* 7 mm machine guns will not do much against anything with armour, and have difficulty destroying targets beyond 500 m in RB
* Mediocre turn in RB

== History ==
=== In-game description ===
The Hawker Typhoon was a single-seat, all-metal monoplane fighter, first designed as a high speed interceptor.

Even before the new Hurricane fighter was launched into full-scale production, the engineers of Hawker Aircraft Ltd.'s design office, headed by Sir Sydney Camm, embarked on the development of а next-generation interceptor for the RAF. It was proposed that the new aircraft would be equipped with a new engine whose power would surpass that of the Rolls-Royce Merlin.

Hawker Aircraft received a contract to develop two prototypes: one had a Rolls-Royce Vulture liquid-cooled engine (an Х-block); the second had a Napier Sabre engine (an Н-block). Both engines had 24 cylinders and provided about 2,000 hp.

The first prototype was named the Hawker Tornado and featured a ventral radiator in the same position that the Hurricane did. The second prototype, named the Typhoon, was equipped with a distinctive chin-mounted radiator in the forward fuselage.

Since the development of the Rolls-Royce Vulture engine progressed more quickly, the Hawker Tornado was the first to be test flown in October 1939. The first Hawker Typhoon (P5212) prototype made its maiden flight in February 1940.

After delays caused by the Battle of Britain, the full-scale production of Typhoon Mk IA, with a 2,100 hp Napier Sabre Mk.IIA engine and a de Havilland Hydromatic three-bladed propeller, was launched. Work on the Hawker Tornado was ceased due to serious problems with the Rolls-Royce Vulture engine after the first production aircraft was built.

Subsequent to the results found during flight trials, the tail fin of the Typhoon Mk.IA was enlarged to improve longitudinal stability and the aircraft obtained its distinctive rudder with a straight rear edge. The starboard door and the folding part of the canopy were used to enter the fighter's cockpit; in an emergency both doors and the folding part of the canopy could be jettisoned.

The armament provided for the aircraft consisted of wing-mounted machine guns in the "A" type wing (Mk.IA) and cannons in the "B" type wing (Mk.IB). The first 110 fighters built were of the Typhoon Mk.IA version, with 12 wing-mounted 0.303 inch Colt-Browning Mk.II machine guns, because of the shortage of belt-feed mechanisms for the Hispano Mk.II cannons.

The early service life of the Typhoon was less than impressive. With a relatively poor rate of climb and sluggish performance at high altitudes, it was not able to maintain pace with the latest enemy fighters in its planned role as an interceptor. Furthermore, the first RAF squadrons to use the Typhoon found, like the test pilots who had helped to develop the Typhoon, that an alarming number of accidents, sometimes fatal, were attributed to the new fighter. Hawker was able to ascertain that the cause of many accidents was metal fatigue resulting in several cases of the entire tail section detaching in flight. However, even after this issue was resolved, high speed buffeting and an unreliable engine caused the early Typhoons to be less than popular with their crews.

== 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Hawker}}
{{Britain fighters}}

Spitfire Mk Ia

2020-08-22T15:13:03Z

U22652589: Sub headings and minor changes

{{Specs-Card|code=spitfire_mk1}}
{{About
| about = British fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Spitfire (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The Spitfire Mk Ia is one of the first monoplane designs in the British tree, alongside the [[Hurricane (Family)|Hurricanes]]. The Spitfire is most distinctive with its sleek and thin elliptical wing design, a characteristic seen in most future Spitfire variants. The wing on the Spitfire is a Type A, as implied by the name "Mk I'''a'''", which contained four .303 machine guns per wing with a total of eight machine guns.

Its default paint coat consists of a green and tan two-tone colouring, with a white undercoat. The Spitfire Mk Ia possess the Royal Air Force Type A.1 roundel on the fuselage with a yellow outer ring, followed by blue, white, and then a red centre. On the wings, the Type B roundels are painted with a simple blue outer ring and a red centre. The red, white, blue fin flap exists on the tail vertical stabilizer.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===

The Spitfire Mk Ia has an excellent rate-of-climb and a high top speed of 460 kph when flying in a straight line. The plane has a decently high wing-rip speed, which should not come into play in controlled dives.

It also possesses a very quick turning ability, although in some situations this can mean that manoeuvring energy retention is worse than one might expect. Roll rate is good a low speeds, but suffers about ~300 kph.

In general, the Spitfire performs best at low and medium altitudes: below 4500 m. Above this altitude, engine power and manoeuvrability suffer.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,267 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
| 527 || 507 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 16.7 || 17.7 || 10.7 || 10.7 || rowspan="2" | 300
|-
! Upgraded
| 617 || 584 || 14.6 || 15.0 || 26.2 || 19.5
|-
|}

==== 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 || 230 || ~11 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 275 || < 400 || < 350 || > 500
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,900 m || 1,020 hp || 1,357 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
* 4 mm Steel - Armour plate in pilot's seat
* 6-7 mm Steel -Armour plate behind the pilot

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Browning (7.7 mm)}}

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

* 8 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 2,800 total)

'''Notes:'''

* 153 rounds per second total output (1150 rpm x 8 / 60).
* Muzzle velocity 2,660 feet/second [810 m/s]. <ref>http://www.aviation-history.com/guns/303.htm</ref>
* The .303 was a rifle round, accurate but fairly ineffective in air combat unless in skilled hands. The calibre was chosen over the .50 as it was lighter, had a higher rate of fire and was less susceptible to jamming. However, it required an average 4500 rounds to disable an enemy aircraft <ref>Flying Guns: World War II by Anthony G Williams, Emmanuel Gustin (2003), p95</ref>, of which 250 rounds needed to hit (i.e. a full 2-second burst). The accurate placing of the shot was essential, as it lacked sufficient energy to cause structural damage.
* The design used an open bolt mechanism to allow air to flow through the barrel and prevent overheating. This worked well at lower altitudes but caused icing at high altitude. The red canvas wing-port covering kept the gun clean and warm; later marks also ducted hot air from the engine to regulate the gun's breech temperature. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire#Armament</ref>
* RAF recommended convergence in 1939 was 400 yards [365 meters] in contrast to the Luftwaffe, with experience from the Spanish Civil War, using 200 meters (which the RAF adopted by mid-1940). Although many high scoring pilots reduced this, close to 150 yards [137 meters] or less for an accurate kill, others ignored convergence altogether or went to a box-shot where paired guns were set to different convergences.
* Choice of ammunition is essential as AP and ball rounds rely on kinetic energy to cause damage, which is lost quickly in small calibre rounds. The API round will also transfer chemical energy into the target and so will be more effective on lightly armoured targets, particularly if they hit something flammable. Pure tracer rounds help to target, especially in combat manoeuvres where lead varies, but have little penetration on contact. <ref>http://users.skynet.be/Emmanuel.Gustin/fgun/fgun-fi.html</ref>

== Usage in battles ==


;Climbing

The Spitfire should first climb, using its excellent rate-of-climb. This can be done most efficiently in two ways depending on the preference of the pilot. If you want to get high quickly without having covered much distance you can start off with a 26 degrees climb until 4 km (13,123 ft) after which you should lower the nose of the aircraft down to a 20 degrees climb. If you want to get to a higher altitude at a more moderate tempo and cover more distance, the preference is then to climb the entire way at 20 degrees. The advantage of the first way is that you are hands down going to be the highest fighter in the game. The advantage of the second way is that you will be ahead of your bases enough and at the altitude of enemy bombers so that you can take easy head-on passes at bombers which in those situations are free and easy kills (if you fail a head-on against a bomber it is not recommended to turn around and attempt to finish off the bomber as the tail, ventral, dorsal and beam gunners have an advantage of you flying into their bullets).

'''Speed'''

The Spitfire is fast, with a top speed of around 600 kph, although in a straight line it normally only reaches around 460 kph (can be higher if you're using MEC). For 2.7 the Spitfire Mk Ia's speed is above average overall, being able to reliably outrun aircraft that can outturn it and outturn aircraft that can outrun it. Utilizing its great climb you can dive on faster, heavier aircraft to prevent then from extending away.

'''Engaging Enemy Aircraft'''

The spitfire is disadvantaged in head-ons due to the lack of armament in the center of the plane which means you will have to rely on your convergence settings and this almost never ends well. In a Spitfire, you should almost always go for turn-fight engagements. It is possible to fake a head-on (by pulling away once your enemy starts firing) if you're forced to by an enemy plane but it is highly recommended to never commit to a head-on engagement with a dedicated monoplane fighter. A skilled opponent will try to energy fight you which you need to look out for. You can lose your energy faster than you realize and when you do, you've most likely been baited and are an easy target.

The Spitfire has a relatively good ammo count. The 4-digit ammo can (most likely will not) be deceiving, since there are 8 guns on the aircraft, making only around 400 RPG. The guns should be used at around 400 meters to have the most devastating effect. If aimed correctly your enemy is going to have a bad day. You can use this to ground attack light or un-armoured targets, usually with stealth or omni-purpose belts, but this job should be left to dedicated gun-platforms, like the Hurricane and [[F6F-5|Hellcat]].

When in a fight with an enemy plane which is not Japanese, proceed to entice them into a turn fight. Wait until they get close enough and then turn into them, forcing a turning fight.

The Spitfire Mk Ia is a plane known for its maneuverability. It is faster than Japanese planes, so if attacked by one, either use a Rolling Scissors technique or just fly away. If in a good position, Boom & Zoom it by repeatedly strafing and then proceeding to either climb high and energy trap it, or extending away maintaining as much energy as possible.

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


* The Bf 109 Friedrich (F) series are planes you will want to watch out for. They can do tremendous amounts of damage if you don't watch out. They also have very good turning performance given the pilot flying the 109 knows what he's doing and they could seriously catch you by surprise. The energy performance of this plane also greatly excels your own plane.
* Japanese planes - The Japanese fighter planes like the Ki-43 and A6M will turn all over the Spitfire. As such, do not exploit the Spitfire's turning ability against a Japanese opponent. Instead, use the Merlin engine power on the Spitfire to try and outrun the Japanese plane. When attacking a Japanese plane, try to use Boom & Zoom tactics rather than turning to keep an energy advantage over the opponent.
* Biplanes - Biplanes may be slow, but they are among some of the most manoeuvrable aircraft in War Thunder. You must not try to turn-fight them. Instead, climb or dive away from them and then use Boom & Zoom tactics. Luckily, biplanes are fragile and your eight machine guns will tear them apart.
* Heavy Bombers - Although you have eight machine guns, they are only 7.7 mm machine guns. With larger aircraft, you may find yourself expending all of your ammunition and not even coming away with a kill. The Spitfire is also quite fragile. You need to be careful of defensive turrets. Even light machine guns can take out your engine, kill your pilot and destroy combat surfaces.
* The [[I-180S]] premium Russian fighter is extremely manoeuvrable and has great energy retention which can sometimes even out-turn Spitfires at higher speeds, thus you must be very careful when engaging these planes, making sure you have an energy advantage, or it will be a difficult battle.

=== 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 || Controllable Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 7 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 7 mm MGs
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
|
|-
| IV
| 100 octane fuel
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

[[File:CHARTWTTEMPLATEUK.png|thumb|Fighter abilities of the Spitfire Mk.Ia]]

'''Pros:'''

* Good anti-fighter armament of eight machine guns that can shred them apart
* Outstanding turn time, very good at turning fights
* Good roll rate at low speed
* Good performance at low altitude, less than ~4.5 km
* Below average top speed
* Great rate of climb
* Decent amount of armour, a front 38 mm glass and rear 4-7 mm steel plates
* ''100 octane fuel'' modification provides roughly 15% increase in engine power

'''Cons:'''

* Machine guns only effective if the target is hit in continuous bursts
* Machine gun armament lacks the long-range hitting power of cannons
* Ammo can run out quickly in prolonged, uncontrolled bursts
* Wing-mounted armament takes wing convergence into consideration
* Quick kills against large bombers without a pilot snipe is difficult, prolonged engagements expose the Spitfire to the defensive gunners
* Bad high altitude performance
* Roll rate stiffens dramatically at ~300 kph
* Not the best diver
* Below average energy retention
* Fragile construction, damage to the airframe, control surfaces, or engine can cripple the plane
* Pulling Negative G's (realistic/simulator only) can cause the carburettor float to fail, turning the engine off temporarily!
* Prone to overheating

== History ==


=== In-game description ===
Despite the British Air Ministry's preference for biplane fighters in the early 1930s, Supermarine designer RJ Mitchell began work on an all-metal construction, single-engine, single-seat monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The Spitfire (Prototype K5054) made its first flight on March 5th 1936, and after demonstrating superb handling qualities, was ordered into mass production for the RAF. The first Spitfires entered service with No.19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in August 1938.

Initially, the Mk I variant was equipped with type A wings and four wing-mounted Colt-Browning Mk II .303 (7.7mm) machine guns, although this was soon increased to eight. Further upgrades included the use of a Rolls-Royce Merlin III engine instead of the original 1030 HP Merlin II; the original two blade fixed pitch wooden propeller was also replaced with a metal, variable pitch three bladed propeller of either Rotol or De Havilland design. A bulged canopy, bullet proof windscreen, armor plating and hydraulics to operate the gear and flaps were also introduced, partly as a result of the combat experience gained by Hurricane squadrons during the Battle of France.

The first Spitfires had a basic targeting system consisting of a ringed sight, but by July of 1939 a more sophisticated collimator sight, the GM2 Mk II, began to be used; machines already in service were retrofitted with the new sights.

In 1940, 30 aircraft were delivered to front line service for Operational Trials with the new Type B wing; the Spitfire Mk IB was armed with two 20mm Hispano cannon and four 0.303 Browning machine guns, and the older eight gun fighters were re-designated the Mk IA. However, the drum feed for the 20mm cannon proved to be very unreliable and prone to jamming, so the Mk IB was withdrawn from service.

At the time of its introduction, right through the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, the Spitfire Mk I was considered by many to be the greatest fighter aircraft in the world. By the time the Spitfire Mk II began to replace it, 1566 Mk Is had been built.

=== Aces ===
The Spitfire Mk.1A was the iconic British aircraft of the Battle of Britain. Leading Spitfire aces of this battle were: <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Few</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Nationality !! Squadron
|-
| Pilot Officer Eric Lock || British || 41
|-
| Flying Officer Brian Carbury || New Zealand || 603
|-
| Pilot Officer Colin Gray || New Zealand || 54
|-
| Pilot Officer Bob Doe || British || 234
|-
| Flight Lieutenant Paterson Hughes || Australia || 234
|}

=== Notable pilots ===

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg|thumb|none|220px|User:U64962917#Bader,_Douglas_R.S.B.|The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was the first Spitfire in which '''[[User:U64962917#Bader,_Douglas_R.S.B.|Douglas Bader]]''' flew. As it was he crashed the first one during take off, however immediately jumped into another and took to the air.]] </li>
</ul></div>

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|9_txEPailKc|'''The Shooting Range #92''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 01:54 discusses the Spitfire Mk Ia.}}

== 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 ==


=== References ===
<references />

{{AirManufacturer Supermarine}}
{{Britain fighters}}

Chieftain Mk 3

2020-08-22T14:57:44Z

U22652589: minor inaccuracies

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_chieftain_mk_3}}
{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Chieftain (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_ChieftainMk3.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]] and established the series of end-game ground vehicle for the British tree. The Chieftain imposes a formidable force of reckoning on the battlefield with its heavily sloped armour and powerful [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm armament]].

The Chieftain series maintains the traditional UK lower front plate weak spot and strong turret armour of the Centurion series of tanks while increasing the firepower. Top speed increases from the Centurion line, but overall mobility is comparably worse.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

A major improvement from previous British mediums is the Chieftain's thick, sloped armour. Reaching a compound-angled 152 mm on the turret and a respectable 86 mm at 71° on the upper front hull, the Chieftain can actually resist point-blank shots from some cannons it will face at 8.3. In an up-tier, however, most of these benefits have less impact. This tank should avoid exposing its hull as certain tanks at (and most above) 8.3 can penetrate the hull with an APFSDS shot, knocking out the entire crew or detonating an ammo rack. The armour around the gun breech leaves something to be desired. Lower-rank APDS rounds (e.g. a T-54/55's APDS) can penetrate the right turret face at closer ranges, incapacitating the gunner and commander. The lower glacis is 76 mm at 45°, leading to a significant disadvantage in close-range engagements. Even 7.3 tanks (and many below 7.3) will always penetrate the lower glacis. The Chieftain also has thin side armour, meaning that the tank is vulnerable to flank attacks. The thin side armour also means angling the hull is not effective. A Chieftain should remain hull down (at the very least covering the lower frontal plate) to best take advantage of its armour profile.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Hull front, Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, Hull rear, Hull roof, Turret roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 70-127 mm (43-79°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (43-44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 88-220 (8-30°) + 13 mm ''Front Top'' 50 mm (1-31°) ''Center Top'' 37 mm (30°) + 13 mm ''Rear Top'' 37 (10°) + 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 37 mm (1-7°) || 13-28 mm
|-
| Turret || 125-250 mm (2-81°) ''Turret front'' 100-220 mm (1-53°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45-196 mm (1-65°) || 45 mm (1°) || 50.8 mm ''Front'' 25 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 150 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Armour thickness throughout the vehicle is very complex and the tank relies more on sloping thickness to enhance its effective armour.
* The metal boxes on the sides of the turret and hull are 13 mm of structural steel.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1023|rbMinHp= 584}}

The {{PAGENAME}} suffers from poor horsepower to tonne ratio. It is slow to reach its top speed of 41 km/h on almost any surface and will turn very slowly even when all mobility modules are researched. The {{PAGENAME}} especially struggles uphill and when pivoting. It has decent reverse speed (~ -9.4 km/h, compared to the -13 km/h reverse speed of tanks on the Centurion chassis).

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)}}

The Chieftain's 120 mm gun has access to APDS and HESH when stock, with no researchable ammunition. The APDS shell has a very good slope modifier compared to other APDS and will penetrate essentially any vehicle from 8.3 to 9.3, but has relatively weak post-penetration effects. HESH behaves similar to other HESH shells in the game and is a more situational round. The cannon's reload rate is much faster than average for its calibre at its BR (7.5 seconds with a fully-trained crew).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm L11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 53 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.4 ||29.6||36.0||39.8||42.4
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.4 ||15.8||19.1||21.1||22.5
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.7 ||8.6||7.9||7.5
|
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 320 || 315 || 305 || 294 || 280 || 270
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 1370 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,100 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| L34 || 670 || 17.0 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Turret empty: 30 ''(+23)''

==== Optics and night vision ====
The magnification of the gunner's optics on the Chieftain Mk 3 is ok, but not anything special compared to other tanks it faces. There is only a minimal difference between the default magnification and the zoomed in magnification.

The Chieftain is equipped with a fairly basic night vision system, consisting of image intensifiers and an IR searchlight, there is no thermal imager. The image intensifiers are fairly standard compared to those fitted to vehicles of the same time period, they have a lower resolution and higher noise than those fitted to later vehicles.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X7.25 - X8 || 800 x 600 || 8.0 || High || Not Fitted || Image intensifier unlocked by "NVD" mod (tier 3)
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || 800 x 600 || 8.0 || High || Not Fitted || Image intensifier unlocked by "NVD" mod (tier 3)
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 || 800 x 600 || 5.0 || High || Not Fitted || Image intensifier unlocked by "NVD" mod (tier 3)
|-
|}

The IR searchlight on the Chieftain Mk3 is mounted in a distinctive box on the left hand side of the turret, it has a wide beam compared to other searchlights; however due to its placement some of the turret blocks some of the light which would otherwise go to the right. In practice this slightly narrows the beam, compared to the theoretical angle listed below (it is still much wider than other searchlights though).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Night_Vision_Devices#Infrared_Spotlights|IR Searchlight]]
|-
! Max Range
! Beam Width
! Location / Notes
|-
| 1,500 m || 15.3° || Searchlight mounted in box on left hand side of turret, does not pitch up or down.
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|L21A1 (12.7 mm)|L37A1 (7.62 mm)|L8A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L21A1 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm L21A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount (Ranging)''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 588 (3) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L37A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L37A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (100) || 650 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L8A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L8A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Fundamental advantages of Chieftain Mk 3 are its fast fire rate and high penetration. Few vehicles within its BR range can resist the Chieftain's firepower, with some exceptions possibly being a well-positioned [[T95|T95]] or [[Maus|Maus]]. Because the 120 mm APDS shells have such high penetration, one should aim for critical internal modules rather than armour weak points. This requires good knowledge of the enemy tanks. You should know where shells, fuel tanks, and crew reside in the vehicles you'll face.

'''Defensively:''' 
The Chieftain's gun is very accurate when equipped with all gun modules -- move to a location overlooking enemy movements from long range. Maintain a hull-down position whenever possible to hide your weaker hull. Consider placing camouflage bushes on your turret to force your enemy to spend more time aiming.

'''Offensively:''' 
The Chieftain's common enemies are the German Leopard 1 tanks and Russian T-54s. Aim for the hull to either knock out the enemy crew or detonate the hull ammunition stowage. Don’t hesitate to try this on IS-3/4 or T-10M as your gun still has sufficient penetration.
Other tanks can be easily knocked out or disabled by aiming for crew members. Don't forget that reload time is your best friend.
While maneuvering, beware to the width of Chieftain; it's very easy to make the mistake of exposing weak areas of the hull.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism
|Smoke grenade
|NVD
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|L34
|Laser rangefinder
|Artillery Support
|-
|}The first upgrades to head for are ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' for increased survivability. Then prioritize mobility upgrades (the Chieftain needs all the mobility it can get) and gun accuracy upgrades (to further enhance its accurate fire).

;Modules to get in order, maximizing recovery and speed first:

* Spare parts
* Extinguishers FPE
* Tracks (Critical for hull rotation speed. In the Chieftain, you'll need every little degree of speed)
* Adjustment shooting
* Elevation mechanism
* Horizontal drive
* Other mobility upgrades as needed

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Turret armour strong enough to resist APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
* Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against enemies of the same rank
* Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5-9.5 seconds)
* Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and powerful HESH shells immediately
* 10 degrees of gun depression
* Has access to a dual plane stabiliser
* Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be bound to a separate key
* Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed
* Only armour piercing round is unlocked from stock, so no need to grind for best shell

'''Cons:'''

* Weak hull armour overall
* Lower frontal plate is very poorly armoured and has an ammo rack behind it
* Very weak side and rear armour
* Ammo rack everywhere
* Small ammo variety (APDS or HESH only) means that it struggles with modern composite armour
* APDS deals little damage
* Slowest of all MBTs
* Poor mobility on rough terrain

== History ==


===Concept===
The idea of a "universal tank" began in Britain in 1944 when Montgomery and other influential people began advocating for a more standardized tank to replace the cruiser and infantry tank classes used on the field. Efforts did not start until after World War II under the General Staff designation A45, with development starting just as the new cruiser tank [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] started to enter military service. The A45 was cancelled in 1948 after development troubles and its inability to be used as a "universal" platform. Ironically, the Centurion proved to be a better "universal tank" platform than the A45.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Development===
The [[Centurion Mk 10|Centurion]] tank series was very successful in British and its allies' service, but the development of new Soviet armour such as the [[IS-3]] and [[T-54 (1951)|T-54/55]] caused the British tank arms race to take another leap forward. Development on the Centurion's successor began in 1951 under the name ''Medium Gun Tank No. 2''. The project's priority was gun and armour, but with mobility to be equal to the Centurion's and weight of fewer than 45 tons. The weight limit caused a program known as the Concept Study Programme to commence in order to find ways to keep the tank under that weight limit yet meet all the armour and firepower specifications. One of the concepts that came out was the usage of bagged charges, which was already in use on naval ships but was a new concept for tank ammunition. Thus, a gun using the bagged charge propellant system began development in 1954, along with a new specification by General Staff that the Medium Gun Tank No.2, now known as ''FV4201'', uses a conventional four crew tank with a turret and a better gun and armour than the Centurion. Though the [[Conqueror|Conqueror heavy tank]] was one such response to the firepower requirement, limited production cut that to only 200 units built.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

The biggest bump to the firepower of the FV4201 was the recommendation of a 120 mm calibre tank cannon. Though the Conqueror used a 120 mm, the new one would incorporate more innovative features such as the bagged charges. Other design features added was the usage of a Rolls-Royce V8 engine, an auxiliary engine, an automatic gearbox, and a reclining seat for the driver. The reclining seat was a very new feature in tank design as it reduced the vehicle's hull height and thus gave it a lower profile. Leyland Motors was assigned to be the main designer for the tank despite their commitment to the Centurion production lines. The manufacturing process of the tank was decided to be cast rather than welded. In 1957, several specifications added to the FV4201 impeded its attempt to fit in the specifications. A bigger turret was designed and it mounted IR equipment for night fighting. Troops requested more frontal and turret side armour, which along with the turret change caused an increase in the tank's overall weight. A controversial decision was also made in 1957 by NATO that tanks should have multi-fuel engines. The FV4201 installed a new engine conforming to these standards in 1958, a German engine derived from a Junkers Jumo aviation engine. This extended development time since the engine compartment had to be redesigned to fit the engine, raising the total tank weight to 50 tons. The engine, designated the L60, was received with a mixed reception by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and other users due to its novel features. Britain stayed as the only user of a multi-fuel engine in the Cold War as many other nations found the concept impractical and abandoned it.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

As the FV4201 finalized its prototype stages, General Staff sent a revised specification for it. The tank was to have the firepower of the Conqueror with the mobility of the Centurion, an armour that maximizes the protection-weight ratio, a weight limit at 45 ton with a top speed of 26 mph and an operating range of 300 miles. The first wooden prototype was made in March 1959, with full prototypes ordered in June 1959 for troop trials. Vickers-Armstrong and Royal Ordnance Factory shared the manufacturing process and the first prototypes were built in January 1960. The first two prototype FV4201 was trialled in Germany alongside their new [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]]. The greatest issue with the FV4201 was the engine, which caused many failures due to vibration, a result of the flawed multi-fuel concept. Trials were delayed due to lack of parts to fix broken pieces and redesigns were requested to fix problems. After a lengthy trial period in 1962, the FV4201, now named the '''Chieftain''', was sent to the operational unit in Germany for service and combat trials. The Chieftain was finally accepted for service in 1st May 1963, despite the many faults in the design. The first deliveries of the improved and redesigned Chieftains began in mid-1965. These were the ''Chieftain Mk.1's'', which further revealed problems with the horsepower that the ''Mk.2'' was designed and sent in April 1966. The '''Chieftain Mk.3''' rolled out of the production lines in September 1969, it now weighed 53 tons and the L60 engine was producing 650 hp, still underpowered for the weight. Engine failures were still frequent and left the Chieftain with a sour note until the ''Mk.5'' variant fixed these pressing issues with a new engine and NBC protection. The Mk.5 would be the main variant of the Chieftain in British service. During its production life from 1965 to 1985, a total of 2,265 Chieftains would be built by Britain, with about 1,000 used by the British Army.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Service===
The first British units to receive the Chieftains was the 1st and 5th Royal Tank Regiments back during the trials. The Chieftain, despite its initial engine flaws, proved to be combat-proof and could be upgraded to fit new requirements. Some of these upgrades were the addition of composite add-on armour to fight off new anti-tank technology such as the HEAT rounds. The Chieftain earned the title "most formidable tank in the world" during the 1960's Cold War period and also redefined the specifications of a "main battle tank". Its success is due to its novel main gun and heavily sloped armour, as well as satisfactory mobility and speeds able to compete with the Leopard 1. The Chieftain stayed in use by the British Army On the Rhine on the German border with the Warsaw Pact, which caused the Soviets to in turn station their best tanks such as their T-64's against the Chieftains. The British retained the Chieftains all the way until 1995 when it was replaced by the Challenger I.

The Chieftain was also successful in the export market, primarily in the Middle East to the hands of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman. Another user of the Chieftain was Israel, with Britain initially agreeing to help set up production for locally produced Chieftains. Two Chieftains were sent for trials among the Israeli Defense Force in 1967. After two years of trials and deliberation for the acquirement of the Chieftains, Britain ultimately refused to offer the Israelis the Chieftain for political reasons. The Israeli trials benefit Britain with data on desert combat with the Chieftain, however, and the refusal did jump start Israel's tank program that would become the ''Merkava''.

Despite that, sales to the Middle East soared, with Iran being the major buyer of the Chieftains with at least 887 of mostly the MK3 and MK5 variants sent to them before their revolution in 1979. The Chieftain saw prolonged combat in the Middle East in the Iran-Iraq War, including Operation Nasr which was the largest tank vs. tank battle of the war where the Iranian Chieftains and [[M60A1 (AOS)|M60A1 Pattons]] fought against the Iraqi [[T-62]]s. After that war, the Chieftain in Kuwait then saw combat fighting the Iraqis during their invasion in 1990. Kuwait eventually replaced their Chieftains with the Yugoslavian M-84 tanks, which are a variant of the Soviet T-72s.

The Chieftain is still in service Iran, Jordan, and Oman in varying numbers, about 100 in Iran, 350 in Jordan, and 27 in Oman. The Chieftains underwent local upgrades to keep them up to date against a modern threat, which resulted in the Iran ''Mobarez'' Chieftain upgrade.

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|W4R1fPzk-tU|'''Review: Chieftain Mk 3''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}|XlNDQ2PVPpI|The Chieftain at Bovington|D3OF9IvtHLk|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: Chieftain}}

== 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 ==

[https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/885/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> The Chieftain tank: A very British warlord!] 

{{Britain medium tanks}}
<references />

Chieftain Mk 5

2020-08-22T14:50:48Z

U22652589: APDS weighs about 17 pounds and does decent damage

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_chieftain_mk_5}}
{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Chieftain (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Chieftain Mk 5.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]]. The Chieftain Mk.5 carries over its strength from the [[Chieftain Mk 3|Mk.3]] variant, but with a more powerful engine for improved mobility.

The fundamental average for Chieftain: its rate of shooting and its penetration. With Chieftain, there are few vehicles being able to resist the firepower, except perhaps [[T95|T95]] or [[Maus|Maus]]. Shoot anywhere at the enemy with L15A3 shells, it will more than likely penetrate the armour. Know where to shoot, any enemies can be taken down with the 120 mm gun. That requires good knowledge of the enemy tanks. A Chieftain player will have to know where are the shells, fuel tanks, crews.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Hull front, Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, Hull rear, Hull roof, Turret roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 70-127 mm (43-79°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (43-44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 88-220 (8-30°) + 13 mm ''Front Top'' 50 mm (1-31°) ''Center Top'' 37 mm (30°) + 13 mm ''Rear Top'' 37 (10°) + 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 37 mm (1-7°) || 13-28 mm
|-
| Turret || 125-250 mm (2-81°) ''Turret front'' 100-220 mm (1-53°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45-196 mm (1-65°) || 45 mm (1°) || 50.8 mm ''Front'' 25 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 150 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Armour thickness throughout the vehicle is very complex and the tank relies more on sloping thickness to enhance its effective armour.
* The steel boxes on the sides of the turret and hull add 13 mm of armour.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1178|rbMinHp= 672}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm Ordnance BL Tk. L11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 53 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.4 ||29.6||36.0||39.8||42.4
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.4 ||15.8||19.1||21.1||22.5
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.7 ||8.6||7.9||7.5
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 320 || 315 || 305 || 294 || 280 || 270
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 1370 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,100 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| L34 || 670 || 17.0 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Turret empty: 30 ''(+23)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|L21A1 (12.7 mm)|L37A1 (7.62 mm)|L8A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L21A1 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm L21A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 588 (3) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L37A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L37A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (100) || 650 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[L8A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L8A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

'''In long-range fight:''' 
The gun is very precise with all the shooting amelioration. Do not forget to protect the frame, it is fragile. The turret armour protects the tank well. Invest in camouflage plants, one or two seconds lost by the aiming enemy is time gained to eliminate the threat.

'''An aggressive way to play:''' 
The best clients are the German "Leopards" and all the Russian series "T-xx". Shoot it on front frame, where the shells are, for an assured popcorn effect. Don’t hesitate to try this on IS-3/4 or T-26/28/29, only shell place change (front side or turret rear).

Other tanks could be easily knocked out with fuel tank or disabled in aiming crew member. Don't forget that reload time is the vehicle's best friend.

Be wary of the Chieftain's width, often the weak points are exposed when trying to turn the Chieftain.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism
|Smoke grenade
|NVD
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|L34
|Laser rangefinder
|Artillery Support
|-
|}The first upgrades to head for is ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' for increased survivability. Once these two are unlocked, everything is good, but get the rangefinder for enhanced RB or SB gameplay.

*Spare parts.
*Extinguishers FPE.
*Horizontal drive.
*Adjustment shooting.
*Elevation mechanism.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Turret armour strong enough to bounce APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
* Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against same tier rounds
* Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5s - 9.5s)
* Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and HESH shells immediately
* 10 degrees of gun depression
* Has access to a dual plane stabilizer
* Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be separately bound
* Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed
* Much faster and easier to handle than the Mk 3 model
* Very effective in a hull down position
* Excels in maps with a lot of open ground where it can go hull down effectively

'''Cons:'''

* Weak hull armour overall
* APFSDS can go through this tank easily
* The design of the tank only allows for a limited playstyle
* Does not like fighting in small maps
* Lower frontal plate is very poorly armoured and has an ammo rack behind it
* Very weak side and rear armour
* Ammo rack everywhere but can be mitigated by carrying only 24 rounds
* Small ammo variety (APDS or HESH only) means that it struggles with modern composite armour
* APDS deals little damage
* Slowest of all MBTs

== History ==

===Concept===
The idea of a "universal tank" began in Britain in 1944 when Montgomery and other influential people began advocating for a more standardized tank to replace the cruiser and infantry tank classes used on the field. Efforts did not start until after World War II under the General Staff designation A45, with development starting just as the new cruiser tank [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] started to enter military service. The A45 was cancelled in 1948 after development troubles and its inability to be used as a "universal" platform. Ironically, the Centurion proved to be a better "universal tank" platform than the A45.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Development===
The [[Centurion Mk 10|Centurion]] tank series was very successful in British and its allies' service, but the development of new Soviet armour such as the [[IS-3]] and [[T-54 (1951)|T-54/55]] caused the British tank arms race to take another leap forward. Development on the Centurion's successor began in 1951 under the name ''Medium Gun Tank No. 2''. The project's priority was gun and armour, but with mobility to be equal to the Centurion's and weight of fewer than 45 tons. The weight limit caused a program known as the Concept Study Programme to commence in order to find ways to keep the tank under that weight limit yet meet all the armour and firepower specifications. One of the concepts that came out was the usage of bagged charges, which was already in use on naval ships but was a new concept for tank ammunition. Thus, a gun using the bagged charge propellant system began development in 1954, along with a new specification by General Staff that the Medium Gun Tank No.2, now known as ''FV4201'', uses a conventional four crew tank with a turret and a better gun and armour than the Centurion. Though the [[Conqueror|Conqueror heavy tank]] was one such response to the firepower requirement, limited production cut that to only 200 units built.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

The biggest bump to the firepower of the FV4201 was the recommendation of a 120 mm calibre tank cannon. Though the Conqueror used a 120 mm, the new one would incorporate more innovative features such as the bagged charges. Other design features added was the usage of a Rolls-Royce V8 engine, an auxiliary engine, an automatic gearbox, and a reclining seat for the driver. The reclining seat was a very new feature in tank design as it reduced the vehicle's hull height and thus gave it a lower profile. Leyland Motors was assigned to be the main designer for the tank despite their commitment to the Centurion production lines. The manufacturing process of the tank was decided to be cast rather than welded. In 1957, several specifications added to the FV4201 impeded its attempt to fit in the specifications. A bigger turret was designed and it mounted IR equipment for night fighting. Troops requested more frontal and turret side armour, which along with the turret change caused an increase in the tank's overall weight. A controversial decision was also made in 1957 by NATO that tanks should have multi-fuel engines. The FV4201 installed a new engine conforming to these standards in 1958, a German engine derived from a Junkers Jumo aviation engine. This extended development time since the engine compartment had to be redesigned to fit the engine, raising the total tank weight to 50 tons. The engine, designated the L60, was received with a mixed reception by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and other users due to its novel features. Britain stayed as the only user of a multi-fuel engine in the Cold War as many other nations found the concept impractical and abandoned it.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

As the FV4201 finalized its prototype stages, General Staff sent a revised specification for it. The tank was to have the firepower of the Conqueror with the mobility of the Centurion, an armour that maximizes the protection-weight ratio, a weight limit at 45 ton with a top speed of 26 mph and an operating range of 300 miles. The first wooden prototype was made in March 1959, with full prototypes ordered in June 1959 for troop trials. Vickers-Armstrong and Royal Ordnance Factory shared the manufacturing process and the first prototypes were built in January 1960. The first two prototype FV4201 was trialled in Germany alongside their new [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]]. The greatest issue with the FV4201 was the engine, which caused many failures due to vibration, a result of the flawed multi-fuel concept. Trials were delayed due to lack of parts to fix broken pieces and redesigns were requested to fix problems. After a lengthy trial period in 1962, the FV4201, now named the '''Chieftain''', was sent to the operational unit in Germany for service and combat trials. The Chieftain was finally accepted for service in 1st May 1963, despite the many faults in the design. The first deliveries of the improved and redesigned Chieftains began in mid-1965. These were the ''Chieftain Mk.1's'', which further revealed problems with the horsepower that the ''Mk.2'' was designed and sent in April 1966. The ''[[Chieftain Mk 3]]'' rolled out of the production lines in September 1969, it now weighed 53 tons and the L60 engine was producing 650 hp, still underpowered for the weight. Engine failures were still frequent and left the Chieftain with a sour note until the [[Chieftain Mk 5|Mk.5]] variant fixed these pressing issues with a new engine and NBC protection. The Mk.5 would be the main variant of the Chieftain in British service. During its production life from 1965 to 1985, a total of 2,265 Chieftains would be built by Britain, with about 1,000 used by the British Army.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>

===Service===
The first British units to receive the Chieftains was the 1st and 5th Royal Tank Regiments back during the trials. The Chieftain, despite its initial engine flaws, proved to be combat-proof and could be upgraded to fit new requirements. Some of these upgrades were the addition of composite add-on armour to fight off new anti-tank technology such as the HEAT rounds. The Chieftain earned the title "most formidable tank in the world" during the 1960's Cold War period and also redefined the specifications of a "main battle tank". Its success is due to its novel main gun and heavily sloped armour, as well as satisfactory mobility and speeds able to compete with the Leopard 1. The Chieftain stayed in use by the British Army On the Rhine on the German border with the Warsaw Pact, which caused the Soviets to in turn station their best tanks such as their T-64's against the Chieftains. The British retained the Chieftains all the way until 1995 when it was replaced by the Challenger I.

The Chieftain was also successful in the export market, primarily in the Middle East to the hands of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman. Another user of the Chieftain was Israel, with Britain initially agreeing to help set up production for locally produced Chieftains. Two Chieftains were sent for trials among the Israeli Defense Force in 1967. After two years of trials and deliberation for the acquirement of the Chieftains, Britain ultimately refused to offer the Israelis the Chieftain for political reasons. The Israeli trials benefit Britain with data on desert combat with the Chieftain, however, and the refusal did jump start Israel's tank program that would become the ''Merkava''.

Despite that, sales to the Middle East soared, with Iran being the major buyer of the Chieftains with at least 887 of mostly the MK3 and MK5 variants sent to them before their revolution in 1979. The Chieftain saw prolonged combat in the Middle East in the Iran-Iraq War, including Operation Nasr which was the largest tank vs. tank battle of the war where the Iranian Chieftains and [[M60A1 (AOS)|M60A1 Pattons]] fought against the Iraqi [[T-62]]s. After that war, the Chieftain in Kuwait then saw combat fighting the Iraqis during their invasion in 1990. Kuwait eventually replaced their Chieftains with the Yugoslavian M-84 tanks, which are a variant of the Soviet T-72s.

The Chieftain is still in service Iran, Jordan, and Oman in varying numbers, about 100 in Iran, 350 in Jordan, and 27 in Oman. The Chieftains underwent local upgrades to keep them up to date against a modern threat, which resulted in the Iran ''Mobarez'' Chieftain upgrade.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
{{Youtube-gallery|XlNDQ2PVPpI|The Chieftain at Bovington|D3OF9IvtHLk|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: Chieftain}}

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}
<references />

Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)

2020-01-15T17:19:01Z

U22652589:

== Description ==
''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===

{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Fighters'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|Blackburn}}{{Specs-Link|firebrand_tf4|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|Fairey}}{{Specs-Link|firefly_mk5|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|Hawker}}{{Specs-Link|sea_fury_fb11|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|tempest_mk2|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|tempest_mkv|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|tempest_mkv_luftwaffe|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|Supermarine}}{{Specs-Link|seafire_mk17|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|seafire_fr47|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|Westland}}{{Specs-Link|wyvern_s4|short}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Twin-engine fighters'''}}{{Specs-Link|hornet_mk3|short}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Jet fighters'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|Gloster}}{{Specs-Link|meteor_fmk3|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|meteor_fmk3_navy|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|meteor_fmk4_lw|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|meteor_fmk4_sw|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|meteor_fmk8|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|meteor_fmk8_reaper|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|de Havilland}}{{Specs-Link|vampire_fb5|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|vampire_fb52a_italy|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|venom_fb4|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|sea_venom_faw20|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|Hawker}}{{Specs-Link|sea_hawk_fga6|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|sea_hawk_mk100|short}}
{{Navigation-Line|Supermarine}}{{Specs-Link|attaker_fb1|short}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Bombers'''}}{{Specs-Link|brigand_b1|short}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|lincoln_b2|short}} (Defensive)

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Jet bombers'''}}{{Specs-Link|canberra_bimk6|short}}

{{Navigation-End}}

== General info ==
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''

=== Available ammunition ===
''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).''

=== Comparison with analogues ===


* [[Hispano Mk.I (20 mm)]]
* [[Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)]]
* [[Hispano HS.9 (20 mm)]]
* [[Hispano 404 (20 mm)]]
* [[MG 151/20 (20 mm)]]
* [[FlaK 38 (20 mm)]]
* [[AN/M2 (20 mm)]]
* [[AN/M3 (20 mm)]]

== Usage in battles ==

Slightly lower velocity than its brethren Hispano cannons, it may throw off aim somewhat for the pilot. It has a good high explosive filler and a fast rate of fire allowing for strafing of land and water-based targets.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire
* Large amount of explosive filler

'''Cons:'''

* AP rounds have lower muzzle velocity than its predecessor Hispano cannons which may throw you off in aiming

== History ==

Developed by the British from the Hispano cannon series, it featured a higher rate of fire whilst being lighter and shorter. However, it had a lower muzzle velocity and required manual charging of ammunition in preparation to firing.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== See also ==


* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispano-Suiza_HS.404#From_Oerlikon_to_Hispano [Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Hispano-Suiza HS.404]

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

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

{{Germany aircraft cannons}}
{{Britain aircraft cannons}}
{{Italy aircraft cannons}}

[[Category:Aircraft cannons]]

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T18:47:15Z

U22652589: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more manoeuvrable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking, it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit-wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armour, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) ''Overlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

Average

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to manoeuvre. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to a position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* Great gun handling
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 64 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when up-tiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward travelling gears
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction with the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. The second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944, after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. The suspension was a Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks' road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger calibre. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm overtime for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in Northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T18:47:00Z

U22652589: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more manoeuvrable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking, it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit-wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armour, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) ''Overlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

Average

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to manoeuvre. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to a position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* Great gun handling
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 64 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when up-tiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward travelling gears
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction with the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. The second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944, after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. The suspension was a Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks' road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger calibre. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm overtime for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in Northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T18:46:02Z

U22652589: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more manoeuvrable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking, it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit-wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armour, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) ''Overlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

Average

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to manoeuvre. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to a position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 64 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when up-tiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward travelling gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction with the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. The second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944, after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. The suspension was a Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks' road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger calibre. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm overtime for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in Northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T00:38:16Z

U22652589: /* Optics */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more maneuverable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armor, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) O''verlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

Average

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to maneuver. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when uptiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in the northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T00:37:00Z

U22652589: incorrect penetrations

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more maneuverable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armor, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) O''verlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to maneuver. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when uptiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in the northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T00:33:25Z

U22652589: /* Survivability and armour */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more maneuverable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armor, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) O''verlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 107 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 109 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 121 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 13 || 13 || 12 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to maneuver. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when uptiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in the northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T00:32:57Z

U22652589:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more maneuverable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armor, Hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) O''verlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 107 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 109 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 121 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 13 || 13 || 12 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to maneuver. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when uptiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in the northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T00:31:34Z

U22652589:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more maneuverable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:'''

38 mm ''Upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) O''verlapping''

25.4mm ''Outer'' + 14mm ''Inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''compartment''
14 mm ''engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 107 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 109 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 121 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 13 || 13 || 12 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to maneuver. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when uptiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in the northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-12-28T00:29:47Z

U22652589: Fixed armor

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more maneuverable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit wonder.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || '''Compartment:'''
44 mm ''upper side'' 32 mm ''outer'' + 14 mm ''inner spaced lower side''

'''Engine:''' 38 mm ''upper side'' + 32 mm (34°) ''overlapping''

25.4mm ''outer'' + 14mm ''inner spaced lower side''

| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm compartment
14 mm engine
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 107 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 109 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 121 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 13 || 13 || 12 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to maneuver. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when uptiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in the northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== 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/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Spitfire F Mk 22

2019-12-13T17:13:53Z

U22652589: Dont know where mediocre roll comes from, its good even stock.

{{Specs-Card|code=spitfire_f22}}
{{About
| about = British fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Spitfire (Family)
}}

== Description ==


[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British fighter {{Battle-rating}}. This fighter was introduced in [[Update 1.39]].
== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 8,232 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 703 || 687 || 11,800 || 19.6 || 20.8 || 16.0 || 18.5 || 420
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 8,232 m)
! rowspan="2" |Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 784 || 740 || 11,800 || 17.8 || 18.2 || 35.7 || 23.7 || 420
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flap (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
| 875 || 260 || ??? || ~12 || ~7
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 482 || < 400 || < 470 || > 250
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,600 m || 1,510 hp || 2,190 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 8,600 m || 1,360 hp || 1,933? hp
|-

|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 42.8 mm Bulletproof glass - Armored windscreen
* 4 mm Steel - Armored pilot seat
* 4 mm Steel - Armor plate behind the pilot seat
* 7 mm Steel - Armor plate behind the pilot seat
* 3 mm Steel - Armored boxes around the wing ammunition (each wing)
* 12.7 mm Steel - Armored plate between fuel tanks.
* 6 mm Steel - Armored plate in front of the liquid cooling system.

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (175 rpg inner + 150 rpg outer = 650 total)


{{main|G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV (250 lb)|G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV (500 lb)|RP-3}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
* 3 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (750 lb total)
* 2 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 1 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb + 2 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bombs (1,500 lb total)
* 3 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bombs (1,500 lb total)
* 6 x 76 mm RP-3 rockets


== Usage in the battles ==

[[File:FighterImage_Spitfire_F_Mk_24.jpg|thumbnail|right|The new wing shape and larger control surfaces of the 22/24 series are a distinctive feature of the aircraft.]]
The Spitfire F Mk 22 an excellent plane in realistic battle with relatively few weakness, henceforth the enemy will have a really hard time shaking the Spitfire off of its tail and only few will succeed.

It is very important to avoid hard turning or rolling above 500 kph IAS, because the plane may lose its wing.

The main task for a pilot is to utilize the great climb rate (altitude = control engagements). Target altitude should usually be around 5-6 km on smaller maps and 6-7 km on larger maps such as Norway and Spain. The main form of attack (especially when there are more fighters around the target) is Boom & Zoom. Energy fighting is an option too, if in 1 vs 1 situation. The Griffon Spitfire is an excellent energy fighter, the namesake Griffon engine provides a tremendous amount of horsepower which can be used instead of energy retention (-> Boom & Zoom). Remember to maintain speed, altitude advantage, and judge the enemies energy state.

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

Griffon Spitfire can keep up with most enemies in turn fights, excluding most Japanese fighters and Bf 109s, both of which are more agile. Try to maintain a speed of between 500-400 kph IAS; this is where the plane maintains great agility, turning bellow this velocity against planes such as the [[Bf 109 G-14|109G-14]] is really not recommended. When fighting Soviet fighters it is NOT recommended to duel them between 1-4 km altitude.

===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 || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Separate || rowspan="2" | Not ontrollable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable
|-
|}

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage Repair
| Radiator
|
| HSBC mk.2
| HSBC mk.3
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| HMBC mk.2
| HMBC mk.3
|-
| III
| Wings Repair
| Engine
|
| Offensive 20 mm
| HRC mk.8
|-
| IV
|
| Engine Injection
| Cover
| New 20 mm Cannons
|
|-
|}

* The Griffon is Energy fighter/Boom & Zoom plane (suggested upgrade order):

# Fuselage Repair
# Radiator
# Compressor
# Airframe
# Offensive 20 mm
# Engine
# Wings Repair
# Fuel Injection
# Cover (many of the upgrades are crucial to boosting the aircraft's speed and climb rate)

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 4 x cannons with a high rate of fire
* Excellent climb rate
* Quite agile at medium and higher speeds
* Very responsive elevator(starts to lock at speeds above 600 kph IAS)
* Brutal acceleration when using WEP
* Good performance at higher altitudes
* Good roll rate

'''Cons:'''

* From time to time, pitted against jets which can be tricky to outmanoeuvre
* Poor agility at lower speeds and significant drag/mass ratio at high speeds limits optimal combat speed range
* Easily set on fire due to the location of the fuel tanks
* Landing gear rips very easily during take-off and landing travelling in excess of 260 kph
* Landing flaps also break off at roughly the same speed as the gear
* Somewhat sluggish without utilizing WEP

== 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 big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''

=== In-game description ===
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk.22 was a single engine, single seat fighter which served with the Royal Air Force during the early post war period. When the first Rolls Royce Griffon equipped Spitfires were tested it was obvious that a stronger airframe would be needed to harness the full power of the new engine. Added to this was the requirement for a much stiffer wing; the result of these findings was the Spitfire Mk.21. The Mk.21 was also fitted with larger ailerons and the same 2050 hp Griffon 65 engine which was fitted to the Mk.XIV and Mk.XVIII. By this point in the aircraft’s life, the Spitfire was so different from RJ Mitchell’s original concept that the notion of renaming the new aircraft the ‘Victor’ was considered.

The Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Boscombe Down began to test the Mk.21 in late 1944, but were deeply unhappy with the new Spitfire and recommended that no further attempts were made to progress the basic Spitfire design. Chief amongst the AFDU’s complaints was directional instability: Supermarine attempted to solve this problem by modifying the control surfaces. It was only with the introduction of a new, enlarged tailfin and tail plane which finally solved the instability problems.

The Mk.22 differed from the Mk.21 only in having a teardrop bubble canopy – a change which had not required a new mark number in previous Spitfires – and a different electrical system. The Mk.22, as with the Mk.21, was armed with four 20mm Hispano cannons. The Mk.22 was more prolific and more successful than the Mk.21, with some 280 aircraft being manufactured. It was used to equip No.73 Squadron and twelve squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. In 1955 the Spitfire Mk.22 was declared obsolete by the RAF and many were exported to South Rhodesia, Syria and Egypt.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read 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.''


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

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

{{Britain fighters}}