War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Ariete (Fighter)

2024-11-04T00:52:00Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = Italian fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Ariete (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ariete
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The Aerfer Ariete was a prototype aircraft primarily made for export after the previous design, the [[Sagittario 2]], lost the NATO competition to the [[G.91 (Family)|G.91]]. Aerfer would further improve the design by giving it a new engine, but otherwise remained largely similar to the original design, making it one of the most manoeuvrable aircraft of the time. However, it was also not chosen; the Aerfer Ariete would no longer be offered for export as the Aerfer company began to work on its next aircraft, known as the Aerfer Leone.

Introduced in [[Update "Danger Zone"]], the Aerfer Ariete is a further development of the Aerfer [[Sagittario 2]]. The aircraft is one of the most nimble and dogfight-friendly jets in the Italian tree. Similar to the Sagittario 2, it has great handling and two fast-firing cannons which can easily destroy any aircraft unlucky enough to be hit by them. However, it is equipped with an additional engine which, while rather weak on its own, provides a nice boost to the Ariete's flight capabilities. Similar to the Sagittario, it does not have a lot of fuel, so it cannot stay in the air for too long. Players may therefore not want to overextend when playing the aircraft.

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


The Aerfer Ariete has incredible manoeuvrability, at its battle rating and even above it, there won't be many aircraft that can match you in terms of how responsive the aircraft is. Whilst playing the Aerfer Ariete, you are able to do amazing manoeuvres that the enemy team could only dream of doing. Due to this, an experienced player in this aircraft can become quite a dangerous opponent. The max altitude of the Aerfer Ariete is 12,000 metres, thanks to its rate of climb, you should be able to reach a good altitude at the beginning of the match with minimal effort required. In a dogfight, the Ariete can typically pull 12G, and in extreme cases, up to 15G. This makes up for the less than desirable roll rate and allows you to quickly reverse dogfights in the two-circle and one-circle. Its secondary engine (in the tail) shuts down below 110% throttle, so you can conserve fuel and slow down quickly in turn fights, then regain energy quickly when the time comes. You can see this in game, at 100% throttle, the small scoop just before the vertical stabilizer will retract to be flush with the fuselage, and the OIL2 and ENGN2 values will begin decreasing until you go back to 110%.

{| 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
| 1,042 || 1,037 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.4 || 24.7 || 31.3 || 27.1 || rowspan="2" | 1,000
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,057 || 1,050 || 23.6 || 24.0 || 60.3 || 45.0
|-
|}

==== 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 !! + !! -
|-
| 1,125  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 498 || 470 || 320 || ~12 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 520 || < 550 || < 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" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Derwent 9 / Rolls-Royce RSr.2 Soar || 2
| colspan="2" | 2,544 kg || colspan="3" | 236 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 33m fuel
|-
| 580 / 121 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet / Axial-flow turbojet
| 2,825 kg || 3,095 kg || 3,371 kg || 3,480 kg || 3,526 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 (110%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || 110%
! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 33m fuel || MGW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,536 kgf / 38 kgf || 1,536 kgf / 764 kgf
| 0.81 || 0.74 || 0.68 || 0.66 || 0.65
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,536 kgf (0 km/h) / 38 kgf (0 km/h) || 1,536 kgf (0 km/h) / 764 kgf (0 km/h)
| 0.81 || 0.74 || 0.68 || 0.66 || 0.65
|-
|}

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


* 40 mm bulletproof glass - Windscreen
* 6.5 mm steel - Behind pilot's seat

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

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

{{main|Hispano HS 825 (30 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 30 mm Hispano HS 825 cannons, nose-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)

== Usage in battles ==


Using the Aerfer Ariete is quite straightforward, it's an aircraft that nearly anyone can pick up and do fairly well in. It plays basically like a better [[Sagittario 2]] so a lot of how to use this vehicle remains the same. The Aerfer Ariete will be one of the top dogs when it comes to dogfighting, this is mainly due to its amazing flight performance, which when compared with the majority of aircraft it'll face in a downtier, make this vehicle quite fun to use. The best way to play the Aerfer Ariete is to climb to an average altitude of around 3,500-4,000 metres at a 10° angle to make sure that you have some spare speed, and engage with any somewhat isolated enemy you can encounter. This is highly effective mainly due to the powerful 30 mm HS 825 cannons that the Ariete has access to. This plane is really good dogfighter so you are able to perform quite a lot of manoeuvres that many aircraft are not able to pull off. Make sure you consider that during engagements, especially because the aircraft can easily pull G's without too much punishment towards the player controlling it. However, you should be careful to not get caught in a furball or doing sustained turns as your plane bleeds a higher amount of speed during turns than your enemies, However if you have a pack of enemies behind you, and you're flying at a good speed (650 km/h or more), you can pull hard to evade all of them and try to fight back. Keep in mind, if you want to take advantage of its speed and manoeuvrability, you will have to keep the aircraft as light as possible, meaning bringing the minimal amount of fuel. This may seem like a disadvantage to some, but it's likely the most effective way to get eliminations with the vehicle as it allows the aircraft to remain fast and nimble. Do keep in mind that if you decide not to bring a lot of fuel, you won't be in the battle as long, so make sure to make every second count.

Another thing that people may claim is a disadvantage is the low ammo count; although this is somewhat true, doesn't mean the vehicle suffers. The HS 825 cannons are extremely deadly, they have a very high muzzle velocity (About 1000 m/s), and paired up with the hard-hitting 30 mm HE calibre, means that the majority of enemy aircraft you'll face will be destroyed after a small barrage of your main weapon. The Aerfer Ariete can also work at low altitude as an AI ground pounder, the main cannons it has access to are just as effective at taking out ground AI targets as they are at taking down air targets. This can be very effective as you can easily take advantage of your speed at the beginning of the match to slip past undetected by enemy aircraft. You could also use this to surprise enemies by flanking them once they've flown past you, unaware that you're actually able to go behind them. This is especially useful against A-10's and A-6E's you may face, as well as SU-25's as they will almost always engage you with all-aspect AAM's. If you stick close to the ground, you can come up from below and quickly glue yourself to their tail, and with enough awareness, you can juggle a dogfight between several opponents at once. Just be careful to watch your ammo counts, as the higher armoured planes (previously mentioned) tend to tank your shots if placed badly (wingtips, elevators, fuselage). When behind one of these vehicles, try to go for the base of the wings, the center of the elevators/rudder, or a clean pilot snipe. Planes like the MiG-19, MiG-17, and F-104 can put up a fight, but if you use your extraordinary climb rate, energy conservation, and turn time, again, you can easily reverse any fight.

The Aerfer Ariete does not have access to any countermeasures so keep that in mind if you choose to bring it in air or ground RB. Its cannons are enough to easily make make short work for the majority of lightly armoured ground vehicles, such as IFVs and SPAAs. One thing you will need to be aware of is the fact the the Aerfer Ariete will face enemy aircraft armed with missiles, if you get caught off-guard you will become easy prey for enemies far away from you. To make the most out the the aircraft, only engage when in close proximity. Considering it doesn't have any payload options such as rockets or bombs, you'll have to entirely rely on your main cannons, and that also goes for air vehicles, as you don't have access to air-to-air missiles. It is not recommended to land on short runways, it should be avoided or risk crashing at the end. This also applies for Arcade battles. Overall in the Aerfer Ariete try at all times to take advantage of your abilities, as it's the best way to come on top in duels, and win the match.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* The second engine provides about 50% more thrust than the Sagittario 2, making it accelerate better than most non-afterburning jets.
* The high fire rate and velocity of the 30 mm Hispano's can make quick work of any aircraft or light ground target
* The high velocity of the 30 mm Hispano is easy to use and beginner friendly
* Extremely effective aircraft control even at high speed

'''Cons:'''

* The second engine will burn off fuel faster if used
* Only a high explosive belt can be used
* A low ammo count of 240 rounds paired with a quick fire rate means trigger discipline is a must
* No suspended armament, nor AP rounds, making it strictly an ARB / Air Superiority fighter.
* Large possibility of facing many supersonic jets that cannot be chased down.
* Has a heavier airframe than the Sagittario 2 due to the second engine
* Requires high level pilot to handle high G turns and avoid constant blackout
* No Counter Measures, while most of the time facing 20g+ IR missiles, and sometimes even all-aspect missiles, such as the R-60M and Aim-9L.
* Fairly inadequate roll-rate.

== History ==


The story of the Aerfer Ariete began roughly around the 1950s during the Cold War. The aircraft would be completely designed by Sergio Stefanutti, who was one of the most original and innovative Italian aeronautical designers. In fact, in 1939, he produced the S.S.4 that was the first fighter in the world to fly with canard lifting surfaces and forward landing gear. During the Second World War he was involved in the construction of the "Light fighter", fast and well-armed, which was able to compete with those in its class, equal in weight, dimensions and even greater in power, but which couldn't be mass-produced because of the unfavourable conclusion of the conflict. His work as a designer also continued into the 1940s and 1950s, when, despite the destruction of the war, the Italian aviation industry was still showing its strength, proposing numerous new types of aircraft for both the internal and international market.

Eventually, he'd come up with the Aerfer "Sagittario II" (Sagittarius II), the light jet fighter with swept wings. It was the first Italian supersonic jet fighter, designed and produced at the beginning of the 1950s by Sergio Stefanutti and was a logical development on the light fighters previously built for SAI Ambrosini. The Sagittario 2 was actually a development of previous Stefanutti designs, originally based of a pre-war piston-engine aircraft meant for racing.

Eventually, after a few shortcomings which included some issues with the jet engine, the Sagittario was born. There were a lot of advancements made during the development of the Sagittario, but sadly whilst conducting tests, it was quickly learned about certain defects of the aircraft, one of them being discovered after landing.

In 1958, the Aerfer Ariete would first appear, it would be a further development of the Sagittario 2, one of the main differences would be the modified fuselage to allow for a new engine to be installed on top of the previous one. The main reasoning for this aircraft to be made was to bring the Sagittario 2 to industry standards for subsequent mass production and to hopefully make a useful fighter aircraft in the eyes of several airforces around the world. It would keep the same the dual 30 mm Hispano-Suiza 825 cannons. It would hold up to 120 rounds per cannon, they fired bullets that were 113 mm long and 30 mm in diameter. The bullets had a total weight of 360 grams. The reason the cannons would actually be as powerful as they were was due to the ammunition being 40% larger than the bullets of the same calibre used by the other small Western cannons then in production. As an example, the French DEFA used a 275 gram bullet, and the British Aden used 220 gram bullet. For suspended armament it kept the same options that the Sagittario had: conventional bombs, napalm, and unguided rockets would all be part of its arsenal.

The prototype would be built at the Aerfer plant in Pomigliano d'Arco, near Naples. On the 27th of March 1958 at the Experimental Flight Department, with registration number MM 568, the Aerfer Ariete would undergo its first test flight in Pratica di Mare. It did show some good qualities, however the results gained from the various tests conducted did prove that for an aircraft of that era, it would not be up to standards. Following this revelation, the Italian Air Force would renounce any acquisition of the aircraft and therefore remained a sole prototype. Following the Aerfer Ariete, the Aerfer Leone would be designed which would aim to improve and actually bring the aircraft to match the specification needs from the Italian airforce, sadly it would not be completed and the project would end there, marking likely the last proper attempt from Aerfer in making a jet for the Italian airforce.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|S_VWNErfrlA|'''Italian Beauty! Ariete - Italy''' - ''Jengar''|Vq-U6lM3EdA|'''Untouchable - Aerfer Ariete''' - ''DEFYN''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[Sagittario 2]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7741-development-new-premium-jets-lightning-f-53-and-ariete-en|[Devblog] New Premium jets: Lightning F.53 and Ariete]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/557164-ariete/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer Aerfer}}
{{Italy jet aircraft}}
{{Italy premium aircraft}}

T1E1

2024-11-04T00:44:38Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_t1e1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

When World War II started, the US began looking into heavy tanks as a means against adversaries. The project began in 1940, settling on a 50 ton tank design. One distinguishing feature on this tank was the incorporation of two cannon armament in the turret, one 3-inch gun and one 37 mm cannon. The program became known as the T1 heavy tank. Originally supposed to be fitted with a hydramatic transmission, it was recommended that a newer gas-electric drive be installed for better performance without much weight gain. This recommendation was accepted and the tank to be equipped with the electric drive was designated as the '''T1E1'''. The first T1E1 prototype was delivered around May 1942, which saw favorable enough performance to be considered for standardization as the M6A2. However, the change in priorities in the US from heavy tanks to medium to ease logistics led to an order of 40 M6 heavy tanks, with 20 T1E1 models produced.

Introduced in [[Update "Sky Guardians"]], the T1E1 is a more mobile version of the familiar [[M6A1]]. As such, players familiar with the M6A1 play style would have a better time with the T1E1 to get around the battlefield. This can allow the T1E1 to fit in alongside medium tanks, allowing it to make better use of the dual-cannon armament in better tactical positions. However, the huge size of the T1E1 is still a burden and can allow opponents catching the side of the T1E1 to quickly neutralize it.

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


The armor is almost the same as the armor the one of the [[M6A1]] has, it just has more angled and rounded for better ricochet chances and efficient armour thickness. The weak spots are the viewing slit to the right of the machine guns and the unangled part on the lower hull.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Front, Transmission area, Turret, Side, Rear, Roof)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Side, Rear, Roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull ||69.8-82.5 mm (2-39°) ''Front'' 101.6 mm (2-39°) Transmission
|44.4 mm (6-28°) ''Top'' 25.4 + 70 mm ''Bottom''
|41.4 mm
|25.4 mm 10 mm ''Grilles''
|-
|Turret||101.6 mm (3-59°) ''Turret front'' 50.8 + 50.8 mm (0-65°) ''Gun mantlet''
|82.5 mm (0-12°)
|82.5 mm (0-74°)||25.4 mm
|-
|Cupola||82.5 mm||82.5 mm||82.5 mm||25.4 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Lower side armor has holes thus armour thickness varies between just armour skirt (25.4mm) and armor skirt + hull (25.4mm + 70mm).
* Side skirts are 25 mm thick rolled homogeneous armour and will trigger fuses on APHE projectiles. In most cases, APHE shells set off before reaching the main hull and destroying the ammo stack beneath. Still, both skirts and hull

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

Like its close relative the M6A1, this tank has surprisingly good mobility for its size. Unlike the M6A1, however, the T1E1 is just as fast in reverse as it is going forward.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,033|rbMinHp=708}}

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

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

{{main|M7 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M7 (76 mm)|76 mm M7]] || 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" | -10°/+30° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Vertical|up to 24 km/h}} || 14.6 || 20.2 || 24.5 || 27.1 || 28.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.7 || 12.6 || 15.3 || 16.9 || 18.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:M7 (76 mm)/Ammunition|M62 shell, M42A1 shell, M79 shot}}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''75''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|M3 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[M3 (37 mm)|37 mm M3]] || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
| 202 || - || - || {{Annotation|Vertical|up to 24 km/h}} || 3.7 || 3.3 || 3.0 || 2.9
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:M3 (37 mm)/Ammunition|M74B1, M63 shell, M51B1}}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''202''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (200) || 575 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Hull || 3,000 (200) || 575 || -10°/+35° || ±15°
|-
| Hull || 3,000 (200) || 575 || -10°/+35° || ±15°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The T1E1 is able to penetrate the front of most tanks at its BR with the 76 mm gun and can destroy most smaller enemies in a single shot. With the 37 mm cannon, you can still detrack enemy vehicles or damage cannon barrels. You may also bait your enemy out of cover by firing the 37 mm gun and using the 76 mm when they get out of cover. In addition to the 76 mm and 37 mm guns, you get 3 x .50 cal MGs which are very affective against light vehicles and SPAAs. The playstyle is similar to the M6A1, with the main difference being the reverse speed for the T1E1. The reverse gearbox allows for a scoot-and-shoot play-style with the player being able to move backwards and forwards at a impressive speed.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Reverse gearbox allows to quickly pull out a difficult situation, which is also very useful as pseudo armour against APHE shells (which may only take out the engine).
* 37 mm gun is great for destroying tracks / lightly-armoured targets.
* Large crew of six
* 3 x .50 cal machine guns
* Gets a short-stop stabilizer, which is ideal for close-range engagements.
* The 76mm gun is adequate for 5.3, being able to penetrate most things frontally.

'''Cons:'''

* Overall weak hull armour, which angling is ineffective due to weak hull corners, despite being called a 'heavy tank'.

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_t1e1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|C4P93QnwRlI|'''The Shooting Range #349''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:23 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* T1E3 / [[M6A1]] - Heavy tank production variant
* [[M6A2E1]] - Upgunned and uparmoured {{PAGENAME}}.

== External links ==

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

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

{{TankManufacturer Ordnance Department}}
{{USA heavy tanks}}

M4A2

2024-11-04T00:40:29Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = other M4 Shermans
| link-1 = M4 Sherman (Family)
| usage-2 = other uses
| link-2 = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m4a2_sherman
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''M4A2 Sherman''' is the third variant of the early-generation [[M4 Sherman (Family)|Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family]]. In April 1942, the M4A2 was designed with a new General Motors 6046 engine (two GM 6-71 General Motors Diesel engines combined together), welded hull with increased appliqué armour on the hull sides, and gunner position (left side of the turret). Approximately 8,053 units were manufactured till May 1944. Early M4A2s had small hatches and protruding drivers' and co-drivers hoods (similar to the previous [[M4|M4 variant]]), a 57° sloped hull's upper front armour plate, and dry ammo stowage bins. The Fisher Body Tank Plant later improved the M4A2 design, adding a one-piece hull's upper front armour plate with a 47° slope, but retained dry ammo bins and appliqué armour. Late-production M4A2s were equipped with an upgraded General Motors 6046 diesel engine with 410 horsepower and were primarily used by the British Army and US Marine Corps. The M4A2 variant saw very limited combat in the US Army, with the majority transferring to the British Army, with some transferring to the Soviet Army and the US Marine Corps. Since the USSR only used diesel-powered tanks, this was the primary chosen variant for the Soviet lend-lease programme. From April 1942 to July 1945, 10,968 units of all turret types were built in six facilities.

Introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]], the M4A2 variant is without a doubt one of the best of the early-generation M4 Sherman variants. The M4A2 is one of the few early M4 Sherman variants having an uninterrupted, fully welded hull's upper front armour plate that slopes at 47°. This eliminates the earlier M4A1 and M4 variants' key frontal hull weak points. However, this is insignificant since the majority of adversaries have greatly upgraded their firepower and will easily penetrate the M4A2 regardless. The appliqué armour on the right side of the frontal turret gun mantlet has also been removed. As a result, a weak area on the turret cheek appears, which can be easily penetrated by even weak and small calibre tank guns.

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

The M4A2 has above-average survivability, with improved armour protection over previous Sherman models against common enemy tanks like the early T-34 and Panzer IV. If angled, hull down, and firing from a higher elevation, the armour can protect the crew and bounce a few shells from the 76 mm cannon found on early Soviet T-34 tanks, but it can still be easily penetrated by German Panzer IV tanks from any distance. Despite having five crew members, the close placement of the crews frequently results in the tank being destroyed immediately if enemy shells successfully penetrate. The tank's armour along its add-on armour allow for slightly more aggressive gameplay than previous Sherman tanks, but do not think it makes the M4A2 impervious to any enemy fire. When placed in an uptier, where enemies have increasingly powerful cannon that can easily penetrate the M4A2's armour, the survivability will decrease significantly.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, lower glacis, MG port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (47°) ''Upper glacis'' 51-108 mm (12-56°) ''Transmission housing'' || 38.1 mm || 38.1 mm (7-10°) || 19.5 mm
|-
| Turret || 76 mm (3-65°) ''Turret front'' 89 + 51 mm (2-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm (2-64°) || 51 mm (2-60°) || 19.5 mm
|-
| Cupola || 51 mm || 51 mm || 51 mm || 19.5 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, the bogies are 10 mm, and the tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Small applique panels are placed on the side hull armour over the ammunition, increasing armour by 25.4 mm.
* A small patch on the turret front right side is thinner (51 mm) than the rest (76 mm).
* There is a 9.5 mm thick sheet of armour dividing the engine bay and crew compartment.

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


The M4A2's mobility is good, with a quick acceleration and a high top speed. Because it lacks neutral steering, turning in this tank can be slow from stationary.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=635|rbMinHp=363|AoAweight=1.15}}

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

It is advisable to research Parts first, then Fire Protection Equipment, then the M61 shot round. Following that, engine upgrades are advisable, as the tank is much less manoeuvrable than it could be when it is stock.

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

{{main|M3 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3]] || 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" | 97 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Vertical|up to 24 km/h}} || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:M3 (75 mm)/Ammunition|M72 shot, M48 shell, M61 shot, T45 shot, M89}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''97''' || 91 ''(+6)'' || 88 ''(+9)'' || 86 ''(+11)'' || 78 ''(+19)'' || 63 ''(+34)'' || 45 ''(+52)'' || 31 ''(+66)'' || 1 ''(+96)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_M4.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[Ammo racks]] of the M4 Sherman.]]
'''Notes''':

* To go into battle with the turret basket empty of ammo, pack 78 ''(+19)'' shells (racks 1 to 4 emptied).
* To go into battle with the turret basket and the flanks empty of ammo, pack 31 ''(+66)'' shells (Racks 1 to 7 empty).
* The 8th rack is large and located at a weak spot: the bottom section of the armour. In case of penetration, there is a high risk of ammo rack detonation. Make sure not to expose your flanks unnecessarily.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 400 (200) || 577 || -10°/+25° || ±60°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The general playstyle of this tank is to be a support tank. This tank does not have the armour to function effectively on the front lines. Surviving on the front lines will be quite hard, though not impossible. Try to stay in the 2nd or 3rd line and support the team, or hide behind heavily armoured teammates and help them assault the enemy. Capturing objectives is also a good use for this vehicle, thanks to its speed. Be wary of German tanks, as well as T-34s. German vehicles have guns that can easily penetrate the {{PAGENAME}}'s armour even if angled well. It is best to use hull down tactics, or shoot first and knock-out their gunner. T-34s are much tougher, but have weaker guns. They can still very easily one shot the {{PAGENAME}} from the side, so keep the sides protected. T-34s have fairly thin armour but it is highly sloped, and if angled are hard to destroy with hull shots. It i advised to aim for the turret ring for a consistent knock-out of the enemy vehicle, or the turret cheeks to knock out the turret crew, and most likely the breech.

The best tactic to use is to not stay in the same place. Move after every shot so the enemy has to relocate you or potentially move themselves, leaving them exposed. Any accurate return fire from tanks at your tier will likely result in your incapacitation or destruction, so try to keep enemies from knowing where you are at all, and aim to kill with the first shot.

[[Arcade Battles]] 
When in this game mode: The tank is fast, but weakly armoured. Its gun is pretty decent with enough penetration to take on most opponents with accurate fire. Capture zones and support the team by firing at enemy medium tanks.

[[Realistic Battles]] and [[Simulator Battles]] 
The tank performs its role as medium tank very well. Both speed and strong frontal armour give this tank an edge over the enemy in a head-on engagement. However, it has very thin side armour that can be penetrated by essentially any tank, as well as many vehicles armed with autocannons. Watching the sides and rear is very important, and neglecting to protect them can often result in a destroyed {{PAGENAME}}.

When engaging enemy vehicles it is recommended to turn into their fire with the front of the tank. The {{PAGENAME}}'s glacis is thicker than most installed on tanks at its BR, and this can often save the tank from an untimely end. However, if the engagement begins with you taking a shot to the side it is unlikely you will get the chance to fight back, so always try to have your front toward the enemy to begin with.

When fighting against the {{PAGENAME}}, try to flank it if possible, as a side shot under the turret will be an almost guaranteed kill. A shot to the side of the turret will kill the turret crew, and a second shot once the crew has replenished will generally kill the tank. If forced to engage from the front, remember that you need about 110 mm of penetration to get through the upper glacis reliably. If you have this, you will be able to kill the tank easily. With a weaker gun, you will have to aim. Weak points include the very top of the lower glacis, which is almost flat; the machine gun port, which will result in a kill of at least half the crew if penetrated; the bottom right turret cheek (left from the attacker's viewpoint), which is much thinner than the rest of the turret; and the cupola, which if hit with an APHE shell will result in a kill of most of the turret crew. All of these weak points are quite difficult to hit, especially from range, and it may be better to retreat if you don't feel confident in your shot or if the Sherman is hull down.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

M4A2/[[M4A4 (1st PTG)]]: these Sherman tanks are widely used by both the Allied and the Axis side, so no matter which nation you play they can be quite tough to destroy in the hands of a skilled tanker. Given the rather weak penetration of your short 75 mm gun, their hull can be almost impossible to penetrate when angled, hull down or 300 m away. For an M4A4, there are 2 apparent bulges on the upper front plate, a penetration through there can guarantee a knock out most of the times. But in case the opponent covers them up or when it's an M4A2, aim for the middle parts of the gun mantlet or the turret armour unprotected by the mantlet, you can at least make them defenceless. Note that their guns are equally weak against you, so wiggle around to disrupt their aim while you reload, you have a good chance of bouncing some shells.

[[KW I C 756 (r) (Germany)|KW I C 756 (r)]] - An opponent the M4 Sherman will have trouble with is this upgunned German KV-1. Although the earlier KV-1's L-11 cannon lacks power, the newly-equipped German KwK40 cannon is more than enough to penetrate the Sherman's front, while the Sherman still cannot reliably penetrate the KV-1's thick armour, especially when it has additional armour plates. If you see this heavy tank angling its hull, aim for the gun mantlet as it is only 50 mm thick. You can easily take out his gunner, gun breech, etc. Or shoot at the thin commander's cupola, there is a chance to knock out the gunner too. Of course, the best method is to shoot from the side and from behind without angling, where the KV-1's armour is not angled, although you still need to get as close as possible to penetrate its armour. Additionally, side shots are likely to damage its fuel tank or ammunition storage and cause a fire or ammunition explosion. In a standoff, you can try angling your hull to make your well-sloped frontal hull more effective.

[[Churchill (Family)|Churchill]] heavy tanks - The Churchills, with their complex hulls and sturdy turrets, can be quite hard to penetrate at range. Again, manoeuvre as close to them as possible, the ideal distance being no more than 200 m. If they are angling their hull but facing their turret at you, only go for the turret. For the Mk I Churchills, aim at the near-vertical part of their rounded cheeks to ensure successful penetrations. For the Mk III and the German Churchill, also aim for their flat turret which is at most 89 mm. The shell should go in easily and knock out most, if not all of the crew. Only when you are facing their hull without any angles should you shoot the hull, otherwise shoot the turret only, as their big tracks can easily get in front of the frontal hull. The side hull have multiple layers of armour, some of which are weirdly angled and can absorb plenty of shells.

[[Pz.IV F2]]/[[Pz.IV G|G]]/[[Pz.IV H|H]]/[[Pz.IV J|J]] - The historical nemesis of any Sherman, the Panzer IV is one of the Shermans biggest threats at this rank. The long barrel 75 mm gun will easily penetrate the Sherman from the front. The F2 variant is admittedly easy to deal with. A single APCBC to its hull or turret should end it pretty quickly, even at long range. The other variants are slightly harder to deal with. They have thicker hull armour, at 80 mm, which will be much harder to penetrate with the APCBC over 500 m. Luckily the turret armour remains the same at 50 mm. Either aim here with APCBC or sacrifice damage potential and use the AP round to penetrate the hull.

[[StuG III F]]/[[StuG III G|G]] - Another historical nemesis of the Sherman, and another big threat. The StuG III packs the same punch as the Panzer IV line with its long barrel 75 mm gun, whilst losing the turret, which turns out to be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Lacking a turret means that it will have to traverse the whole vehicle to target an enemy, but it also means that it has a lower profile. The StuG's armour profile is also more complex than the Panzer IV, with less flat areas. Certain areas are sloped and very bouncy. Luckily, there is a big weak spot. There are two flat plates on the front of the hull. The flat plate on the right is the drivers port. Shoot that and you are able to incapacitate the driver, gunner and loader in one go. This is a very efficient way to destroy this vehicle. With the F variant, you can use APCBC to instantly knock out this vehicle with a single shot. With the G variant, it is more reliable to use AP at ranges within 500 m to ensure penetration.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent gun depression of -10° plus the angled frontal turret allows it to utilise hills very well
* Great firepower: adequate penetration and post-penetration damage when using M61 shells; can frontally penetrate and knock out most opponents like the [[Pz.IV F2]], [[Chi-Nu]] and [[StuG III F]] with a single shot. It also has APCR for hitting thick, flat armour up close, for example the [[Pz.Kpfw. Churchill (Germany)|Pz.Kpfw. Churchill]]
* Great turret traverse speed allows it to deal with multiple threats easily
* Well angled frontal hull provides protection against small calibre / low-penetration guns (e.g. 75 mm M3, 50 mm KwK39), and even large calibre guns when angled correctly. The side armour can be boosted with add-on armour.
* Pintle-mounted HMG provides an anti-aircraft defence (albeit small range of movement) or anti-tank duty against tanks like [[Marder III]] and Sd.Kfz.234/2
* Fitted with a vertical stabilizer, allowing more accurate fire on the move compared to other tanks, as well as better usage of shoot-n-scoot tactics#
* Fairly good top speed of 48km/h.
* Access to smoke grenades and smoke shells for cover while pushing.

'''Cons:'''

* Large profile and fairly weak side armour; flankers like the Sd.kfz.234/2 can easily see and penetrate it
* Frontal armour is still inadequate, will get penetrated and knocked out by tanks like [[Pz.IV F2]]/G, [[StuG III F]]/G, [[M10 (Family)|M10]] by a single shot if unangled properly.
* M61 and T45 all struggle to penetrate angled targets like Churchill Mk.III or even the T-34
* Trajectory is curved and velocity is low due to its short barrel, thus distant/moving targets are hard to shoot at
** Hull traverse is quite slow, making it sluggish in a turn. Also the narrow tracks offer poor ground flotation, thus poor off-road capabilities. Can only reach its top speed on paved or hard surfaces
* Roof armour of 19.5 mm thick is vulnerable to airstrikes with AP cannons. For example the widely used MG151 15/20 mm
* Acceleration even more sluggish than previous Shermans due to the two tons weight increase

== History ==

===Development===
The Battle of France in 1940 proved to America that their current tank arsenal would not be able to withstand a German assault. The only tanks in their inventory at that time was the [[M2A4|M2 Light Tanks]] and the [[M2|M2 Medium Tank]], both are inadequate against the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]]. The US Army, in response, ordered for a tank armed with a 75 mm gun. While a 75 mm gun was available for use, a turret able to mount the gun was not. So while the turret and tank design underwent development, the 75 mm would be mounted on the stopgap design, the [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] tank in a sponson mount. This interim design put the 75 mm on a lower and limited traverse mount that restricted its firing angle, but it did give the Allies a tank with the gun, so it was issued by the thousands until a better design could be made.

During the M3's development, the designs of the 75 mm armed vehicle were being drawn up and submitted by the Ordnance Department. Specifications on the tank design were strict, with restrictions made on the tank's height, width, and weight in order to make it able to be transported over bridges, roads, railroads, and on ships. These specifications would help the army by making the tank be very flexible on strategic, logistical, and tactical grounds. On April 1941, the Armored Force Board chose the simplest of the designs, which was a redesigned M3 hull and chassis with a turret mounting the 75 mm gun designated the T6, completed in September 1941. This tank would then designated the Medium Tank M4 in American service. The tank would become the most used Allied tank during World War II as it was lent out by the thousands in the Lend-Lease program to the Allied countries. The British called the M4 the "Sherman", which coined into the tank's name M4 Sherman that it would be known as in history. The production for the Shermans began on October 1941 and would continue to be produced until the end of the war in 1945 with around 50,000 units produced, making it the second most-produced tank in World War II before the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34 tank]].

===Design===
Many variants of the Shermans were produced, but they all followed a similar layout. The driver and bow gunner sat in the front driving compartment, the fighting compartment in the middle housed the turret its three crew member, and in the back was the engine compartment. The Sherman used many features present in previous American tank designs, the vertical volute suspension system (VVSS) and radial engine from the M2 light tanks, and the sloping armour of the M2 Medium. This became a contributing factor on Sherman's reliability on the field, as most of the design flaws were ironed out with the previous tank designs. The tank-mounted the [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3 gun]], giving the tank very good AP and HE capabilities. The Sherman's turret traverse speed was very fast, able to traverse a full 360 degrees in only 15 seconds, which is considerably faster than the traverse speed on most German tanks. Another unique feature on the Sherman was the installation of a [[Gun stabilizer|gyroscopic stabilizer]] on the gun and sight, making the Sherman one of the first produced tanks to incorporate those features. While the stabilization was only done for the vertical plane, it kept the gun stable enough to be able to shoot on the move effectively, with a study showing a 70 % hit probability on an enemy 300 to 1,200 yards away when moving at a speed of 15 mph. However, this feature was controversial among the crew and experiences with it vary.

The M4A2 Sherman model ran on a GM 6046 diesel engine. The Sherman model in-game is one of the later production models, featuring improvements on the turret and hull design to maximize armour thickness. The tank's hull was welded, with the earlier models having the front armour plate placed on a 56-degree sloping angle. However, this design had protrusions on the driver and assistant driver hatches that created "shot traps" as these protrusions gave less protection than the frontal armour plate. This was fixed on later models with a 47-degree angling instead, which eliminated the shot traps and made the frontal armour more effective than before. Up to 8,053 M4A2s were produced from April 1942 to May 1944, out of the 49,234 Sherman units produced in the war. Throughout the war, the M4A2 was mostly given out to other allies or used by the US Marine Corps as the US Army doctrine called for the use of only gasoline-engine Shermans such as the M4A3.

===Combat usage===
====European theater====
The Shermans first saw combat in the North African Campaign in the Second Battle of El Alamein on October 1942 in the hands of the British. It was much quicker to reinforce the British armoured divisions with the more than 300 M4 Shermans sent to North Africa than it was to create new American ones. It proved much better than the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]], able to eliminate them at distances more than 2,000 yards away. The Americans received their first Shermans in the next month in Operation Torch. However better the Shermans were to the German tanks at the time, the Allied armoured units still suffered casualties against the German tanks and anti-tank guns, most notably in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. In Italy, the Shermans proved much more mobile than the German Panzers, able to travel cross-country on the hilly terrain with ease. However, it was at this stage that the Sherman's shortcoming began to take face in the advent of the newer German tanks, the [[Tiger H1|Tiger Is]] and [[Panther D|Panthers]]. These two tanks featured armour that proved impenetrable when fired at the front, and with guns that could take out the Shermans from farther than the Sherman's effective combat range. The Shermans have to hit the side of these tanks for penetration, and at ranges that were considered suicidal. Although programs were initiated to [[M4A1 (76) W|up-gun the Sherman with a 76 mm gun]], American leaders determine that the Panther and Tigers would not be produced in large quantities and were not as great as a threat as these two vehicles could still be destroyed by the 75 mm gun and standard anti-tank equipment.

During the Invasion of France, it was clear that the Sherman's current build with a 75 mm gun was no longer going to cut it against the German armoured forces. While the Sherman was adequate against what little Panzer III and IVs the Germans have left and against infantry and fortifications with the 75 mm gun, the Panthers and Tigers were in much large quantity than expected, and proved better in armour and firepower to the Shermans. Though in the bocage country of France, the Allies lost more tanks to hidden anti-tank guns and infantry weapons than to tanks. Despite these losses, the mass production of M4 Sherman back in the United States ensured that enough tanks were available for the Allied Forces as they spearhead through France, plus the lack of any other capable tanks meant they had to use the Shermans for the time being. The large quantities of Shermans produced during the war gave the Allied armoured units a major advantage of being fully equipped as the German panzer divisions were rarely in full strength, with some US infantry divisions having more tracked vehicles than some of the panzer divisions. Due to the high attrition rates, tank crews sometimes add [[Add-on Armor|improvised armour]] onto their Shermans in the form of sandbags and logs in hopes of increased survival, but these were determined to be ineffective from evaluations. A more effective method was to have metal armour welded on in improvisation, and an official project was made for such "assault tanks" that ended with the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 "Jumbos"]] with 250 made for the Battle of Normandy. During the Battle of Normandy, the first 76 mm Shermans on the M4A1 were put into combat in Operation Cobra in limited numbers. The Allies continued to primarily use the 75 mm Shermans until the Battle of the Bulge in Winter 1944, when the commanders request only 76 mm Shermans to be brought into Europe as the battle showed the intense armour disparity with the German's large numbers of [[Panther G|Panthers]] and [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II's]]. While new units arriving in Europe were armed exclusively with 76 mm armed-Shermans, the veteran units kept the 75 mm Shermans, to which it continued to do well against softer targets with little threat from German armour due to their extreme declining numbers.

====Pacific theater====
The M4 Sherman's importance in the Pacific theatre was less than that of the European theatre due to the different tactical doctrine established from the amphibious nature of combat. Only about 20 tank battalions fielded by the US Army were sent to support the Pacific theatre of operations, compared to the total of 16 armoured divisions and 70 tank battalions they have in service. The low priority in tanks was due to the following reasons. Firstly, the jungle terrain on most of the islands fought for against the Japanese were unsuitable for the deployment of large-scale armoured units, relegating armour support to light tanks such as the [[M3 Stuart|M3 Stuarts]]. Secondly, the Japanese forces' armoured units were rather inferior to the American tank forces by 1943. While the Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go tank was comparable to the M2A4 light tank, the Shermans out gun these tanks by a large margin. Such a large margin that the tank crew prefer to use high-explosive shots against the Japanese tank than regular armour-piercing as the AP rounds would penetrate straight through without causing much damage in the interior of the tank. The Japanese developed the Type 3 Chi-Nu and the Type 4 Chi-To to fight back the Shermans, but these two never saw combat as they were kept at the Japanese Homeland for the defence against the Allied invasion.

The Shermans, when deployed, were superior to most of the Japanese anti-tank equipment and often were essential to some of the Marine's advances on some of the island assaults. In 1945, the equipping of flamethrower Shermans known as M4A3R3, nicknamed "Zippos", were a significant boost to the infantry's firepower in having a very long range of fire compared to the standard infantry-modelled flamethrowers with the benefit of being in an armoured vehicle. The Zippos are able to flush out enemy combatants from within heavily fortified bunkers and caves that would be dangerous for even flamethrower infantry to take out. The Japanese solution against the Shermans, other than with their 47 mm anti-tank guns, were often suicidal tactics ranging from placing satchel charges right onto the tank, using pole-mounted anti-tank mines to reach and destroy the tank or even simply throwing oneself underneath a tank with mine or other explosive and triggering it manually.

====Lend-Lease====
The Sherman tank was given out in large numbers to American Allies during World War II under the Lend-Lease policy. While America retained about 20,361 Shermans in the Army and Marine Corps, 17,184 went to Britain (about 34% of Shermans produced and 78% of Shermans given out) and the Soviet Union obtained 4,102 Shermans.<ref name="ZalogaArmorT2">Zaloga Steven. ''Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II'' Stackpole Books, 2008, "The British Sherman"</ref> China obtained 812 Shermans, Brazil with 53, and New Zealand and Australia for 153 Shermans total. Other countries using the Shermans were Poland, Free France, and Czechoslovakia. The British deployed the Sherman among their armoured squadrons in such a large number to become the standard tank of their armoured forces. The increased threat of German tanks in the European theatre also provoked the British to up-gun the M4 Sherman with a more capable gun, resulting in the [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]].

====Post-War====
After the war, the Shermans continued serving America and its allies as the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8]] with a new suspension and 76 mm gun. The [[M26|M26 Pershing]] that was introduced late in World War II was phased out for the Shermans due to its unreliability, and the Sherman stayed until the [[M46|M46 Patton]] was introduced. After being phased out of American service, many other countries still used the Sherman as their main tank, mainly Israel where they up-gun the tank with the much powerful post-war French [[SA50 (75 mm)|75 mm]] and [[CN-105-F1 (105 mm)|105 mm]] guns as the [[M4A4 (SA50)|M-50]] and M-51 respectively (nicknamed "Super Shermans"). These proved successful as they were able to fight against the Soviet-supplied [[T-54 (1947)|T-54 tanks]] and [[T-34-85]]s in Middle East service, proving the Sherman as a successful and adaptable design for many years to come.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The second mass produced modification differed from the M4 in that two GMC 671 diesel engines were installed to make up for the Continental's insufficiencies. The engine and transmission were pulled from M3A3 and M3A5 medium tanks. In April 1942 the first M4A2 prototype was tested, with full-scale production subsequently beginning.

The tank had a welded hull, and the front plate initially had viewing slits cut out, though armour covers were later welded on and periscopes added. From the beginning of 1944 the front plate was made from a single piece, while the driver and gunner hatches were moved to the roof of the hull. The angle of the frontal armour went from 56° to 47° from vertical. The low-revving diesel engine gave the M4A2 better off-road ability and significantly more range as opposed to carburetor engines.

Approximately 8,000 M4A2s were produced between April 1942 and December 1943.

The tanks saw action in Africa and Italy, on the Western and Eastern fronts, and on Pacific islands through 1945. Lend-Lease included 1,992 of them delivered to the USSR.

In 1943 problems with the M4A2 were exposed by the Russian winter: those sent to the USSR had a smooth rubber protector for their tracks that made it tough to move across frozen roads. The difficulty finding traction was further complicated by a high center of gravity, giving the tank a habit of flipping over. Overall, it was the equivalent of the Soviet T-34 and was used similarly. The Sherman was much quieter than Soviet tanks, also lending itself to more effective infantry fire from behind its armour while on the move due to its lighter suspension.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m4a2_sherman Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis (M4A2)

* [[M4A2 (76) W]]
* [[M4 748 (a) (Germany)]]
* [[M4A2 (USSR)]]

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Ordnance Department}}
{{USA medium tanks}}

MBT-70

2024-11-04T00:27:23Z

U31618161:

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_mbt_70
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''152-mm Gun-Launcher Main Battle Tank 70''' (MBT-70), also known as the [[KPz-70]] in Germany, was a collaborative U.S. and West German initiative to develop a new main battle tank to replace the existing [[M60 (Family)|M60 family of MBT]] during the 1960s. This was intended to combat the new generation of tanks designed by the Soviet Union for the Warsaw Pact. The new tank was planned to have sophisticated features like newly designed hydropneumatic suspension, dual-layer spaced armour, and a 152 mm XM150E5 gun/launcher that could fire both conventional ammunition and the Shillelagh missile for long-range engagement. The tank additionally featured a remotely controlled 20 mm weapon station on the turret roof. Overall, the tank provided nuclear, biological, and chemical protection for the tank crews (NBC protection capability). The tank was anticipated to remain in service into the 1990s, however the program experienced significant challenges from the start, with the United States Army and the German Bundeswehr having diverging doctrines that were not coordinated and were not resolved before the project was too far along to be modified. The Germans were sceptical of the combined gun and missile launcher, and the U.S. Congress was frustrated by the program's increasing budget without results. By the late 1960s, the MBT-70's development had gone far over the allocated funds, prompting West Germany to abandon the project in 1969. The U.S. continued development of the MBT-70 with the [[XM-803]], a project intended to cut down on the costs of the MBT-70 by only utilising American components; however, this was also finally abandoned in 1971. Data and technology from the MBT-70/XM-803 project transferred to the development of the [[M1 Abrams]], while West Germany built the [[Leopard 2 (Family)|Leopard 2]] as its main battle tank.

Introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]], the MBT-70 offers players unique insights into the collaboration of tank development efforts by both the U.S. and West Germany. Despite the program's eventual demise, the MBT-70 gives several unique capabilities for Cold War U.S. Army ground forces players, particularly the capacity to launch anti-tank guided missiles from the gun barrel, which is unusual in Western MBTs but prevalent in Soviet MBTs. Overall, the MBT strikes a good balance between protection, speed, and firepower, allowing players to easily engage most threats.

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

Unlike the Soviet T-64A (its main rival), the MBT-70 does not utilise composite armour, but an air gap that forces munitions penetrating the initial layers to lose their mass by fragmenting apart before moving to the next layer of armour. This general design concept has been in use as far back as World War II and is even used to this day on modern fighting vehicles.

[[Armour#Sloped_armour|Spaced armour]] works wonderfully well against shaped charge munitions or any other munition with explosive filler provided it is of a stronger protection rating. Proceeding weapons and munitions development has seen this benefit decreased with either more powerful or tandem-charge warheads and can be seen in-game against weapons that proceeded different designs of spaced armour. As such, the MBT-70 will find itself against weapons that were designed to defeat spaced armour such as the HOT-K3S ATGM and [[Swingfire|BAE Swingfire]] system that will penetrate it. However, the spaced armour in the MBT-70 works exactly as it was designed to do against older anti-tank missiles, HEAT, HE, and HESH munitions.

The tank mounts no external spaced armour. The armour on the side and rear of the tank is not worth mentioning as it will only stop light machine gun fire and some cannon fire on the turret. Adversary sabot rounds will penetrate clear through the engine and into the crew compartment most likely destroying the MBT-70 if engaged from behind.

An unconventional feature at the time was that the MBT-70 was designed to house all the crew members in the turret. Because of the autoloading system, the need for a loader was eliminated and due to an attempt to further lower the tanks silhouette, the driver was located to the turret with the gunner and commander. This can have potentially devastating consequences on the battlefield as the crew can easily be injured or knocked out by penetrating munitions entering the crew compartment.

For defensive countermeasures, the tank is equipped with two quad barrel externally mounted smoke canister launchers on both sides of the turret, which can provide either a defensive screen for itself or friendly forces. These launchers can be fired in pairs of two. Keep in mind the smoke grenade launchers are operated by the gunner so should the gunner become incapacitated in a fight, the smoke will be unlaunchable until the gunner is replaced by another crew member or by the crew replenishment consumable.

Due to its low profile and effective array of camouflage options, the MBT-70 scores high marks in the concealability category. The addition of various foliage can further increase the ability to conceal the tank.

'''Armour type:'''

* Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 34* mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 23-34 mm (0-55°) ''Top'' 23-35 mm ''Bottom'' || 25.4 mm (12°) ''Top'' 25 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' 12.7 mm (29-45°) ''Engine exhaust'' || 20 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 50-200 mm (0-75°) || 12.7-38* mm (29-34°) || 12.7* mm (27-80°) || 20-50 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Rear turret''
|-
| Cupola || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Spaced armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 170 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' || '''38 mm sections:''' 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' '''12.7 mm sections:''' 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical'' || 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 16 mm thick.
* Gun mantlet ring around the gun barrel is 305 mm thick.
* A 16 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* Hull spaced armour configuration is 34 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 46 mm RHA.
* Turret spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 130-33 mm RHA.
* Turret rear spaced armour configuration is 13 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 19 mm RHA.

The MBT-70 is still an average medium tank with weak side armour. Thus, flanking is a good strategy to take for a shot at the weak spots. Go for the ammo, which is located in front of the engine, or in the protruding end of the turret. If in a head on engagement, shoot it directly below the gun, but above the upper glacis. This spot has 250 mm of armour with no composite armour. This shot, if successful, should knock out most of the crew, and maybe even the horizontal drive, allowing for a flank in a fast vehicle.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,286|rbMinHp=1,305}}

The MBT-70 handles like virtually no other vehicle (barring the [[KPz-70]], its German twin) in the game in terms of its ability to pick up and maintain speed over various terrains. Its cross-country mobility is arguably the best currently available in the game, and is one of the many traits that makes the MBT-70 stand out.

The MBT-70 is equipped with a 1,470 horsepower air-cooled Continental V-12 diesel engine. This engine pack produces slightly less power compared to its German counterpart, but both vehicles handle essentially the same.

A highly advantageous feature is the hydropneumatic suspension system which not only provides great cross country mobility but allows the crew to position the vehicle in such a way to only expose the strongest armour at an enemy threat. The suspension can also be used to gain further gun depression by raising the rear of the tank and lowering the front, improving the tank's performance in hull-down scenarios.

The MBT-70 features the standard NATO track and rubber block design. The rubber track blocks provide great traction both off-road and on-road, and minimize sliding during a short halt or drifting.

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

'''<big>Unlock order recommendations</big>'''

'''Tier 1'''

The first modification you should research is Parts, as only one module is needed to unlock Tier 2, and the other Tier 1 modules aren't needed immediately.

'''Tier 2'''

The first Tier 2 modifications you should research are FPE and the XM578A1 APFSDS shell. The MBT-70 catches fire often when hit, and even though teammates can assist you in extingushing it, playing without FPE is still painful. The other important module is the XM578E1 APFSDS shell. While the stock HEAT round may have more penetration, the APFSDS is more consistent damage-wise and doesn't catch on bushes, trees, and fences.

'''Tier 3'''

Three modifications are required to unlock Tier 4, and none of the Tier 3 modules are super important, so the order in which you research them doesn't matter as much. The recommended modules are Crew Repenishment, Smoke Grenades, and Elevation Mechanism. Filters can be swapped in for Elevation Mechanism, but doesn't add much and can be researched later.

'''Tier 4'''

Tier 4 contains the last two essential modifications, the Laser Rangefinder and NVD, which should be researched in that order. The MBT-70 unfortunately does not get access to a thermal imager, making the NVD module less important but still useful. Artillery Support is also helpful but doesn't affect the tank's performance much, so don't go straight for it.

'''Finishing Up'''

The rest of the modifications can be researched in any order, as none of the remaining modules are particularly influential. The least helpful modules, XM410E1, Brake System and Suspension can be left for last.

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

{{main|XM150E5 (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[XM150E5 (152 mm)|152 mm XM150E5]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || Reloading rate rounds (seconds) || Reloading rate ATGM (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Autoloader !! Autoloader
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 34.3 || 47.4 || 57.6 || 63.7 || 67.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.4 || 25.2 || 30.6 || 33.8 || 36.0
|-
|}
One of the most important facets of a tank is its firepower. In this department, the MBT-70 is no slouch. The 152 mm gun launcher system is very similar to the one used on the [[M551|M551 Sheridan]], the main difference being a longer barrel. This change increases the MBT-70's accuracy at range and allows rounds to leave the barrel at higher velocities, thus improving their penetration and overall damage when compared to the Sheridan. The MBT-70 also has access to two experimental rounds unavailable to the Sheridan, which are an APFSDS round and a [[Smoke screen|smoke]] round, as well as the M409A1 HEAT shell and MGM-51C Shillelagh ATGM shared with the Sheridan and [[M60A2|M60A2 Starship]]. This wide range of munition choices gives the operator many options in pre-combat configuration which can either hinder or enhance the tanker's capability on the battlefield.

Additionally, the 152 mm gun launcher is auto-loaded, greatly reducing its time between followup shots on a target.
For targeting, the option to equip a laser range finder is available. Additionally the 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in the turret can be used for range finding as well.

Because of the elevated engine deck, gun depression is significantly worse when firing or aiming the gun over the rear of the tank, but can be counteracted by raising the front of the tank using the hydropneumatic suspension.

==== Ammunition ====
{{:XM150E5 (152 mm)/Ammunition|XM578E1, M409A1, XM410E1, MGM-51C}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 44 ''(+4)'' || 33 ''(+15)'' || 25 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Hull empty: 25 ''(+23)'' shells.
* Racks 4 and 5 deplete top row together first before emptying in the second row.
* The MBT-70 can carry only 6 missiles.

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

{{main|Rh202 (20 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}

The Rheinmetall Rh 202 20 mm auto cannon is highly effective at dealing with light armoured battlefield threats and on some tanks exposed sides or rears. In some situations, it may be more beneficial to utilise the 20 mm as it will allow the tank to deal damage rapidly while conserving the main cannon ammunition. The cannon is also highly effective at shooting down low flying attackers. Note that if the commander is knocked out, the 20 mm will be unable to be used.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh202 (20 mm)|20 mm Rh202]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 750 (750) || 900 || -9°/+65° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The tank plays very much like the [[M41A1|M41A1 Walker Bulldog]]. Players familiar with the hit and run play style will easily adapt to the MBT-70. Its fast speed, especially with full upgrades and aced crew, allows it to manoeuvre into spots not typically accessible by less mobile tanks. Utilize this to an advantage to set up ambushes as this is how the MBT-70 will get most victories. It's important to recognize when an engagement is not beneficial to the tank so that it can re-position itself or escape from the threat.

Despite the initial appearance of strong frontal armour, it's important to remember when compared to its counterparts at its rank, it is not nearly enough to defeat threats head on such as the [[T-64A (1971)|T-64A]]. Even ATGM from missile vehicles such as the [[RakJPz 2 (HOT)|Raketenjagdpanzer 2 HOT]] will penetrate the turret and upper glacis plate. Even other Rank V tanks can and will penetrate from the front. Because of the rather condensed placement of crew and ammunition, the MBT-70 will most likely be destroyed with one shot. Because of this, it is critical to get the first shot off in an engagement and ensure it is either an eliminating shot or one that cripples the threat to such a capacity that they either cannot engage, will instinctively panic and try to run to repair or determine the engagement location and direction.

The gun is especially versatile and powerful with a wide range of ammunition selection, but the cannon-launched ATGM's and sabot rounds will generally be able to get the job done in most situations. The 20 mm turret roof mounted cannon is great for taking out lightly armoured targets (to include some tanks, ATGM vehicles, etc), anti-air, and aircraft.

Essentially if this tanks is treated like a light tank or fast medium tank, the survivability will increase dramatically. The hydropneumatic suspension allows for positioning the tank in such ways that it can engage from non-conventional spots while exposing only the strongest armour at the threat. The low silhouette makes the tank especially difficult to hit at longer ranges and this can be further enhanced by the adjustable suspension depending on the situation. Because of the accurate cannon, the MBT-70 will also find it to be easy to engage at longer ranges, which will maximize the strengths while reducing the targets.

In summary, the MBT-70 is a great addition to any end game lineup as it provides great flexibility in almost all engagements and is well worth the time and investment to acquire.

===Tactics===
Ambushing is the MBT-70's strength. As covered previously, utilize the speed to get into firing positions quickly and cause chaos and confusion among the enemy. In arcade battles, an MBT-70 can usually reach key positions quicker than even some 10.0 BR main battle tanks. This is only provided if it consistently drives in a linear format.

The MBT-70 can also quickly capture objective points and when used properly, it can hold these positions so long as it does not stay in them for too long.

Scoot and shoot tactics will benefit the MBT-70, as well as terrain masking techniques.

Should the MBT-70 have to fight in closer engagement ranges or in close quarters, it is critical to always remember that the armour will not protect the tank reliably; however, the speed, fast rotating turret, and manoeuvrability will. Provided the player utilise these traits to its advantage, the MBT-70 will be able to control the fight. Recognise when the MBT-70 is being baited into an ambush and avoid them as the MBT-70 doesn't stand a great chance of conducting a counter ambush due to the weak armour, which will allow the MBT-70 to be destroyed easily at close range.

If the MBT-70 finds itself a victim of an ambush from an opponent, launch a smokescreen, escape, and reassess for a counter ambush.

The MBT-70 benefits greatly from squad play. A skilled lone MBT-70 is most certainly a threat on the battlefield, but two or even three MBT-70's working in conjunction with each other in a squad is an extreme danger to the opposing team as the use of squad tactics in combination with the great strengths of the tank can almost completely control the momentum of the conflict.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Composite armour greatly enhances its survivability on the battlefield
* Has access to APFSDS shells with mediocre close-range penetrating power.
* Has a top mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon installed which can also be used to defeat lightly armoured vehicles reliably with its 44 mm of penetration.
* Has access to hydropneumatic suspension, useful for hull down engagements.
* Extremely fast in both forwards and reverse.
* Fast acceleration.
* Autoloader means a consistent load rate of 7.5 seconds.

'''Cons:'''

* Mediocre reload rate of 7.5 seconds, lower than that of the equal-tiered KPz-70.
* Generally less protection from composite armour, relative to other Rank 6 tanks.
* Weak side armour and LFP.
* 20 mm AA gun overheats rather quickly with sustained firing.
* Ammo racks are easy targets and are not entirely covered by its composite armour.
* Vulnerable to the rear due to raised engine deck, it can be solved if hydropneumatic suspension are used.
* Cramped interior, loss of more than one crew member more likely when penetrated.

== History ==

In the early 1960s, West Germany and the United States began work on a joint project to create a standardized new MBT design that would meet specific requirements set by both nations. The cause for this, was the introduction of the powerful Soviet 115mm smoothbore cannon, mounted on the [[T-62]]. The new cannon presented a serious issue for the respective primary fighting vehicles of the two nations - the [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]] and [[M60]]. Thus, work on the joint project, designated MBT-70 in the US and KPz-70 in West Germany, began in 1964. Right from the start, development was plagued by disagreements between the numerous design team members, due to the differing engineering practices of the two sides. By the time the disagreements were settled, the project has already suffered from several delays, which in addition to other things, inflated the project's budget early on in its development life.

Nevertheless, the result of the combined effort of engineers from both sides was first put to the test in the mid '60s, after the first prototypes were manufactured. The KPz-70 MBT received an innovative design like no other tank before it, in addition to being equipped with some of the latest military equipment of the time, such as hydropneumatic suspension, an autoloading system and laser rangefinding, just to name a few.

However, whilst the MBT/KPz-70 did come equipped with some of the most high-tech equipment of its time, the vehicle did also come with its own set of unique problems. Considered to be way ahead of its time, the designers often faced challenges that neither the German or American side of the team was able to effectively address, making the vehicle quickly exceed both weight limitations as well as budget restrictions. Spiraling development costs and design disagreements eventually lead to the Germans backing out of the project in 1969 to continue work on one of their own designs, before the Americans also abandoned the project a couple years later in 1971, leaving a total of 14 prototypes built.

''- From [[wt:en/news/4923-development-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en/|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_mbt_70 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|uQCn8UpVtDc|'''MBT-70: Tank from the Future''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|POgsyKommVk|'''T-64A versus MBT-70''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:03 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:27 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[KPz-70]] - German counterpart of the same vehicle.
* [[XM-803]] - An American "budget" version of the vehicle.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4923-gamescom-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en|[Devblog] KPz-70 & MBT-70 - A Warrior of Two Armies]]

{{TankManufacturer GM}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

MBT-70

2024-11-04T00:25:01Z

U31618161:

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_mbt_70
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''152-mm Gun-Launcher Main Battle Tank 70''' (MBT-70), also known as the [[KPz-70]] in Germany, was a collaborative U.S. and West German initiative to develop a new main battle tank to replace the existing [[M60 (Family)|M60 family of MBT]] during the 1960s. This was intended to combat the new generation of tanks designed by the Soviet Union for the Warsaw Pact. The new tank was planned to have sophisticated features like newly designed hydropneumatic suspension, dual-layer spaced armour, and a 152 mm XM150E5 gun/launcher that could fire both conventional ammunition and the Shillelagh missile for long-range engagement. The tank additionally featured a remotely controlled 20 mm weapon station on the turret roof. Overall, the tank provided nuclear, biological, and chemical protection for the tank crews (NBC protection capability). The tank was anticipated to remain in service into the 1990s, however the program experienced significant challenges from the start, with the United States Army and the German Bundeswehr having diverging doctrines that were not coordinated and were not resolved before the project was too far along to be modified. The Germans were sceptical of the combined gun and missile launcher, and the U.S. Congress was frustrated by the program's increasing budget without results. By the late 1960s, the MBT-70's development had gone far over the allocated funds, prompting West Germany to abandon the project in 1969. The U.S. continued development of the MBT-70 with the [[XM-803]], a project intended to cut down on the costs of the MBT-70 by only utilising American components; however, this was also finally abandoned in 1971. Data and technology from the MBT-70/XM-803 project transferred to the development of the [[M1 Abrams]], while West Germany built the [[Leopard 2 (Family)|Leopard 2]] as its main battle tank.

Introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]], the MBT-70 offers players unique insights into the collaboration of tank development efforts by both the U.S. and West Germany. Despite the program's eventual demise, the MBT-70 gives several unique capabilities for Cold War U.S. Army ground forces players, particularly the capacity to launch anti-tank guided missiles from the gun barrel, which is unusual in Western MBTs but prevalent in Soviet MBTs. Overall, the MBT strikes a good balance between protection, speed, and firepower, allowing players to easily engage most threats.

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

Unlike the Soviet T-64A (its main rival), the MBT-70 does not utilise composite armour, but an air gap that forces munitions penetrating the initial layers to lose their mass by fragmenting apart before moving to the next layer of armour. This general design concept has been in use as far back as World War II and is even used to this day on modern fighting vehicles.

[[Armour#Sloped_armour|Spaced armour]] works wonderfully well against shaped charge munitions or any other munition with explosive filler provided it is of a stronger protection rating. Proceeding weapons and munitions development has seen this benefit decreased with either more powerful or tandem-charge warheads and can be seen in-game against weapons that proceeded different designs of spaced armour. As such, the MBT-70 will find itself against weapons that were designed to defeat spaced armour such as the HOT-K3S ATGM and [[Swingfire|BAE Swingfire]] system that will penetrate it. However, the spaced armour in the MBT-70 works exactly as it was designed to do against older anti-tank missiles, HEAT, HE, and HESH munitions.

The tank mounts no external spaced armour. The armour on the side and rear of the tank is not worth mentioning as it will only stop light machine gun fire and some cannon fire on the turret. Adversary sabot rounds will penetrate clear through the engine and into the crew compartment most likely destroying the MBT-70 if engaged from behind.

An unconventional feature at the time was that the MBT-70 was designed to house all the crew members in the turret. Because of the autoloading system, the need for a loader was eliminated and due to an attempt to further lower the tanks silhouette, the driver was located to the turret with the gunner and commander. This can have potentially devastating consequences on the battlefield as the crew can easily be injured or knocked out by penetrating munitions entering the crew compartment.

For defensive countermeasures, the tank is equipped with two quad barrel externally mounted smoke canister launchers on both sides of the turret, which can provide either a defensive screen for itself or friendly forces. These launchers can be fired in pairs of two. Keep in mind the smoke grenade launchers are operated by the gunner so should the gunner become incapacitated in a fight, the smoke will be unlaunchable until the gunner is replaced by another crew member or by the crew replenishment consumable.

Due to its low profile and effective array of camouflage options, the MBT-70 scores high marks in the concealability category. The addition of various foliage can further increase the ability to conceal the tank.

'''Armour type:'''

* Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 34* mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 23-34 mm (0-55°) ''Top'' 23-35 mm ''Bottom'' || 25.4 mm (12°) ''Top'' 25 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' 12.7 mm (29-45°) ''Engine exhaust'' || 20 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 50-200 mm (0-75°) || 12.7-38* mm (29-34°) || 12.7* mm (27-80°) || 20-50 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Rear turret''
|-
| Cupola || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Spaced armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 170 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' || '''38 mm sections:''' 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' '''12.7 mm sections:''' 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical'' || 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 16 mm thick.
* Gun mantlet ring around the gun barrel is 305 mm thick.
* A 16 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* Hull spaced armour configuration is 34 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 46 mm RHA.
* Turret spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 130-33 mm RHA.
* Turret rear spaced armour configuration is 13 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 19 mm RHA.

The MBT-70 is still an average medium tank with weak side armour. Thus, flanking is a good strategy to take for a shot at the weak spots. Go for the ammo, which is located in front of the engine, or in the protruding end of the turret. If in a head on engagement, shoot it directly below the gun, but above the upper glacis. This spot has 250 mm of armour with no composite armour. This shot, if successful, should knock out most of the crew, and maybe even the horizontal drive, allowing for a flank in a fast vehicle.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,286|rbMinHp=1,305}}

The MBT-70 handles like virtually no other vehicle (barring the [[KPz-70]], its German twin) in the game in terms of its ability to pick up and maintain speed over various terrains. Its cross-country mobility is arguably the best currently available in the game, and is one of the many traits that makes the MBT-70 stand out.

The MBT-70 is equipped with a 1,470 horsepower air-cooled Continental V-12 diesel engine. This engine pack produces slightly less power compared to its German counterpart, but both vehicles handle essentially the same.

A highly advantageous feature is the hydropneumatic suspension system which not only provides great cross country mobility but allows the crew to position the vehicle in such a way to only expose the strongest armour at an enemy threat. The suspension can also be used to gain further gun depression by raising the rear of the tank and lowering the front, improving the tank's performance in hull-down scenarios.

The MBT-70 features the standard NATO track and rubber block design. The rubber track blocks provide great traction both off-road and on-road, and minimize sliding during a short halt or drifting.

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

'''<big>Unlock order recommendations</big>'''

'''Tier 1'''

The first modification you should research is Parts, as only one module is needed to unlock Tier 2, and the other Tier 1 modules aren't needed immediately.

'''Tier 2'''

The first Tier 2 modifications you should research are FPE and the XM578A1 APFSDS shell. The MBT-70 catches fire often when hit, and even though teammates can assist you in extingushing it, playing without FPE is still painful. The other important module is the XM578E1 APFSDS shell. While the stock HEAT round may have more penetration, the APFSDS is more consistent damage-wise and doesn't catch on bushes, trees, and fences.

'''Tier 3'''

Three modifications are required to unlock Tier 4, and none of the Tier 3 modules are super important, so the order in which you research them doesn't matter as much. The recommended modules are Crew Repenishment, Smoke Grenades, and Elevation Mechanism. Filters can be swapped in for Elevation Mechanism, but doesn't add much and can be researched later.

'''Tier 4'''

Tier 4 contains the last two essential modifications, the Laser Rangefinder and NVD, which should be researched in that order. The MBT-70 unfortunately does not get access to a thermal imager, making the NVD module less important but still useful. Artillery Support is also helpful but doesn't affect the tank's performance much, so don't go straight for it.

'''Finishing Up'''

The rest of the modifications can be researched in any order, as none of the remaining modules are particularly influential. The least helpful modules, XM410E1, Brake System and Suspension can be left for last.

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

{{main|XM150E5 (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[XM150E5 (152 mm)|152 mm XM150E5]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || Reloading rate rounds (seconds) || Reloading rate ATGM (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Autoloader !! Autoloader
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 34.3 || 47.4 || 57.6 || 63.7 || 67.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.4 || 25.2 || 30.6 || 33.8 || 36.0
|-
|}
One of the most important facets of a tank is its firepower. In this department, the MBT-70 is no slouch. The 152 mm gun launcher system is very similar to the one used on the [[M551|M551 Sheridan]], the main difference being a longer barrel. This change increases the MBT-70's accuracy at range and allows rounds to leave the barrel at higher velocities, thus improving their penetration and overall damage when compared to the Sheridan. The MBT-70 also has access to two experimental rounds unavailable to the Sheridan, which are an APFSDS round and a [[Smoke screen|smoke]] round, as well as the M409A1 HEAT shell and MGM-51C Shillelagh ATGM shared with the Sheridan and [[M60A2|M60A2 Starship]]. This wide range of munition choices gives the operator many options in pre-combat configuration which can either hinder or enhance the tanker's capability on the battlefield.

Additionally, the 152 mm gun launcher is auto-loaded, greatly reducing its time between followup shots on a target.
For targeting, the option to equip a laser range finder is available. Additionally the 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in the turret can be used for range finding as well.

Because of the elevated engine deck, gun depression is significantly worse when firing or aiming the gun over the rear of the tank, but can be counteracted by raising the front of the tank using the hydropneumatic suspension.

==== Ammunition ====
{{:XM150E5 (152 mm)/Ammunition|XM578E1, M409A1, XM410E1, MGM-51C}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 44 ''(+4)'' || 33 ''(+15)'' || 25 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Hull empty: 25 ''(+23)'' shells.
* Racks 4 and 5 deplete top row together first before emptying in the second row.
* The MBT-70 can carry only 6 missiles.

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

{{main|Rh202 (20 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}

The Rheinmetall Rh 202 20 mm auto cannon is highly effective at dealing with light armoured battlefield threats and on some tanks exposed sides or rears. In some situations, it may be more beneficial to utilise the 20 mm as it will allow the tank to deal damage rapidly while conserving the main cannon ammunition. The cannon is also highly effective at shooting down low flying attackers. Note that if the commander is knocked out, the 20 mm will be unable to be used.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh202 (20 mm)|20 mm Rh202]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 750 (750) || 900 || -9°/+65° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The tank plays very much like the [[M41A1|M41A1 Walker Bulldog]]. Players familiar with the hit and run play style will easily adapt to the MBT-70. Its fast speed, especially with full upgrades and aced crew, allows it to manoeuvre into spots not typically accessible by less mobile tanks. Utilize this to an advantage to set up ambushes as this is how the MBT-70 will get most victories. It's important to recognize when an engagement is not beneficial to the tank so that it can re-position itself or escape from the threat.

Despite the initial appearance of strong frontal armour, it's important to remember when compared to its counterparts at its rank, it is not nearly enough to defeat threats head on such as the [[T-64A (1971)|T-64A]]. Even ATGM from missile vehicles such as the [[RakJPz 2 (HOT)|Raketenjagdpanzer 2 HOT]] will penetrate the turret and upper glacis plate. Even other Rank V tanks can and will penetrate from the front. Because of the rather condensed placement of crew and ammunition, the MBT-70 will most likely be destroyed with one shot. Because of this, it is critical to get the first shot off in an engagement and ensure it is either an eliminating shot or one that cripples the threat to such a capacity that they either cannot engage, will instinctively panic and try to run to repair or determine the engagement location and direction.

The gun is especially versatile and powerful with a wide range of ammunition selection, but the cannon-launched ATGM's and sabot rounds will generally be able to get the job done in most situations. The 20 mm turret roof mounted cannon is great for taking out lightly armoured targets (to include some tanks, ATGM vehicles, etc), anti-air, and aircraft.

Essentially if this tanks is treated like a light tank or fast medium tank, the survivability will increase dramatically. The hydropneumatic suspension allows for positioning the tank in such ways that it can engage from non-conventional spots while exposing only the strongest armour at the threat. The low silhouette makes the tank especially difficult to hit at longer ranges and this can be further enhanced by the adjustable suspension depending on the situation. Because of the accurate cannon, the MBT-70 will also find it to be easy to engage at longer ranges, which will maximize the strengths while reducing the targets.

In summary, the MBT-70 is a great addition to any end game lineup as it provides great flexibility in almost all engagements and is well worth the time and investment to acquire.

===Tactics===
Ambushing is the MBT-70's strength. As covered previously, utilize the speed to get into firing positions quickly and cause chaos and confusion among the enemy. In arcade battles, an MBT-70 can usually reach key positions quicker than even some 10.0 BR main battle tanks. This is only provided if it consistently drives in a linear format.

The MBT-70 can also quickly capture objective points and when used properly, it can hold these positions so long as it does not stay in them for too long.

Scoot and shoot tactics will benefit the MBT-70, as well as terrain masking techniques.

Should the MBT-70 have to fight in closer engagement ranges or in close quarters, it is critical to always remember that the armour will not protect the tank reliably; however, the speed, fast rotating turret, and manoeuvrability will. Provided the player utilise these traits to its advantage, the MBT-70 will be able to control the fight. Recognise when the MBT-70 is being baited into an ambush and avoid them as the MBT-70 doesn't stand a great chance of conducting a counter ambush due to the weak armour, which will allow the MBT-70 to be destroyed easily at close range.

If the MBT-70 finds itself a victim of an ambush from an opponent, launch a smokescreen, escape, and reassess for a counter ambush.

The MBT-70 benefits greatly from squad play. A skilled lone MBT-70 is most certainly a threat on the battlefield, but two or even three MBT-70's working in conjunction with each other in a squad is an extreme danger to the opposing team as the use of squad tactics in combination with the great strengths of the tank can almost completely control the momentum of the conflict.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Composite armour greatly enhances its survivability on the battlefield
* Stock ammunition consists of the good MGM-51C "Shillelagh" guided missile, means no ammo costs for using it, plus a decent but inferior HEAT shell.
* Has access to APFSDS shells with great close-range penetrating power.
* Has a top mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon installed which can also be used to defeat lightly armoured vehicles reliably with its 44 mm of penetration.
* Has access to hydropneumatic suspension, useful for hull down engagements.
* Extremely fast in both forwards and reverse.
* Fast acceleration.
* Autoloader means a consistent load rate of 7.5 seconds.

'''Cons:'''

* Mediocre reload rate of 7.5 seconds, lower than that of the equal-tiered KPz-70.
* Less smoke grenades than that of the equal-tiered KPz-70.
* Generally less protection from composite armour, relative to other Rank 6 tanks.
* Weak side armour and UFP.
* 20 mm AA gun overheats rather quickly with sustained firing.
* Ammo racks are easy targets and are not entirely covered by its composite armour.
* Vulnerable to the rear due to raised engine deck, it can be solved if hydropneumatic suspension are used.
* Cramped interior, loss of more than one crew member more likely when penetrated.

== History ==

In the early 1960s, West Germany and the United States began work on a joint project to create a standardized new MBT design that would meet specific requirements set by both nations. The cause for this, was the introduction of the powerful Soviet 115mm smoothbore cannon, mounted on the [[T-62]]. The new cannon presented a serious issue for the respective primary fighting vehicles of the two nations - the [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]] and [[M60]]. Thus, work on the joint project, designated MBT-70 in the US and KPz-70 in West Germany, began in 1964. Right from the start, development was plagued by disagreements between the numerous design team members, due to the differing engineering practices of the two sides. By the time the disagreements were settled, the project has already suffered from several delays, which in addition to other things, inflated the project's budget early on in its development life.

Nevertheless, the result of the combined effort of engineers from both sides was first put to the test in the mid '60s, after the first prototypes were manufactured. The KPz-70 MBT received an innovative design like no other tank before it, in addition to being equipped with some of the latest military equipment of the time, such as hydropneumatic suspension, an autoloading system and laser rangefinding, just to name a few.

However, whilst the MBT/KPz-70 did come equipped with some of the most high-tech equipment of its time, the vehicle did also come with its own set of unique problems. Considered to be way ahead of its time, the designers often faced challenges that neither the German or American side of the team was able to effectively address, making the vehicle quickly exceed both weight limitations as well as budget restrictions. Spiraling development costs and design disagreements eventually lead to the Germans backing out of the project in 1969 to continue work on one of their own designs, before the Americans also abandoned the project a couple years later in 1971, leaving a total of 14 prototypes built.

''- From [[wt:en/news/4923-development-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en/|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_mbt_70 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|uQCn8UpVtDc|'''MBT-70: Tank from the Future''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|POgsyKommVk|'''T-64A versus MBT-70''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:03 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:27 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[KPz-70]] - German counterpart of the same vehicle.
* [[XM-803]] - An American "budget" version of the vehicle.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4923-gamescom-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en|[Devblog] KPz-70 & MBT-70 - A Warrior of Two Armies]]

{{TankManufacturer GM}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

M4A2

2024-08-12T21:26:06Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = other M4 Shermans
| link-1 = M4 Sherman (Family)
| usage-2 = other uses
| link-2 = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m4a2_sherman
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''M4A2 Sherman''' is the third variant of the early-generation [[M4 Sherman (Family)|Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family]]. In April 1942, the M4A2 was designed with a new General Motors 6046 engine (two GM 6-71 General Motors Diesel engines combined together), welded hull with increased appliqué armour on the hull sides, and gunner position (left side of the turret). Approximately 8,053 units were manufactured till May 1944. Early M4A2s had small hatches and protruding drivers' and co-drivers hoods (similar to the previous [[M4|M4 variant]]), a 57° sloped hull's upper front armour plate, and dry ammo stowage bins. The Fisher Body Tank Plant later improved the M4A2 design, adding a one-piece hull's upper front armour plate with a 47° slope, but retained dry ammo bins and appliqué armour. Late-production M4A2s were equipped with an upgraded General Motors 6046 diesel engine with 410 horsepower and were primarily used by the British Army and US Marine Corps. The M4A2 variant saw very limited combat in the US Army, with the majority transferring to the British Army, with some transferring to the Soviet Army and the US Marine Corps. Since the USSR only used diesel-powered tanks, this was the primary chosen variant for the Soviet lend-lease programme. From April 1942 to July 1945, 10,968 units of all turret types were built in six facilities.

Introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]], the M4A2 variant is without a doubt one of the best of the early-generation M4 Sherman variants. The M4A2 is one of the few early M4 Sherman variants having an uninterrupted, fully welded hull's upper front armour plate that slopes at 47°. This eliminates the earlier M4A1 and M4 variants' key frontal hull weak points. However, this is insignificant since the majority of adversaries have greatly upgraded their firepower and will easily penetrate the M4A2 regardless. The appliqué armour on the right side of the frontal turret gun mantlet has also been removed. As a result, a weak area on the turret cheek appears, which can be easily penetrated by even weak and small calibre tank guns.

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

The M4A2 has above-average survivability, with improved armour protection over previous Sherman models against common enemy tanks like the early T-34 and Panzer IV. If angled, hull down, and firing from a higher elevation, the armour can protect the crew and bounce a few shells from the 76 mm cannon found on early Soviet T-34 tanks, but it can still be easily penetrated by German Panzer IV tanks from any distance. Despite having five crew members, the close placement of the crews frequently results in the tank being destroyed immediately if enemy shells successfully penetrate. The tank's armour along its add-on armour allow for slightly more aggressive gameplay than previous Sherman tanks, but do not think it makes the M4A2 impervious to any enemy fire. When placed in an uptier, where enemies have increasingly powerful cannon that can easily penetrate the M4A2's armour, the survivability will decrease significantly.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, lower glacis, MG port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (47°) ''Upper glacis'' 51-108 mm (12-56°) ''Transmission housing'' || 38.1 mm || 38.1 mm (7-10°) || 19.5 mm
|-
| Turret || 76 mm (3-65°) ''Turret front'' 89 + 51 mm (2-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm (2-64°) || 51 mm (2-60°) || 19.5 mm
|-
| Cupola || 51 mm || 51 mm || 51 mm || 19.5 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, the bogies are 10 mm, and the tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Small applique panels are placed on the side hull armour over the ammunition, increasing armour by 25.4 mm.
* A small patch on the turret front right side is thinner (51 mm) than the rest (76 mm).
* There is a 9.5 mm thick sheet of armour dividing the engine bay and crew compartment.

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


The M4A2's mobility is good, with a quick acceleration and a high top speed. Because it lacks neutral steering, turning in this tank can be slow from stationary.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=635|rbMinHp=363|AoAweight=1.15}}

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

It is advisable to research Parts first, then Fire Protection Equipment, then the M61 shot round. Following that, engine upgrades are advisable, as the tank is much less manoeuvrable than it could be when it is stock.

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

{{main|M3 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3]] || 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" | 97 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Vertical|up to 24 km/h}} || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:M3 (75 mm)/Ammunition|M72 shot, M48 shell, M61 shot, T45 shot, M89}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''97''' || 91 ''(+6)'' || 88 ''(+9)'' || 86 ''(+11)'' || 78 ''(+19)'' || 63 ''(+34)'' || 45 ''(+52)'' || 31 ''(+66)'' || 1 ''(+96)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_M4.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[Ammo racks]] of the M4 Sherman.]]
'''Notes''':

* To go into battle with the turret basket empty of ammo, pack 78 ''(+19)'' shells (racks 1 to 4 emptied).
* To go into battle with the turret basket and the flanks empty of ammo, pack 31 ''(+66)'' shells (Racks 1 to 7 empty).
* The 8th rack is large and located at a weak spot: the bottom section of the armour. In case of penetration, there is a high risk of ammo rack detonation. Make sure not to expose your flanks unnecessarily.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 400 (200) || 577 || -10°/+25° || ±60°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The general playstyle of this tank is to be a support tank. This tank does not have the armour to function effectively on the front lines. Surviving on the front lines will be quite hard, though not impossible. Try to stay in the 2nd or 3rd line and support the team, or hide behind heavily armoured teammates and help them assault the enemy. Capturing objectives is also a good use for this vehicle, thanks to its speed. Be wary of German tanks, as well as T-34s. German vehicles have guns that can easily penetrate the {{PAGENAME}}'s armour even if angled well. It is best to use hull down tactics, or shoot first and knock-out their gunner. T-34s are much tougher, but have weaker guns. They can still very easily one shot the {{PAGENAME}} from the side, so keep the sides protected. T-34s have fairly thin armour but it is highly sloped, and if angled are hard to destroy with hull shots. It i advised to aim for the turret ring for a consistent knock-out of the enemy vehicle, or the turret cheeks to knock out the turret crew, and most likely the breech.

The best tactic to use is to not stay in the same place. Move after every shot so the enemy has to relocate you or potentially move themselves, leaving them exposed. Any accurate return fire from tanks at your tier will likely result in your incapacitation or destruction, so try to keep enemies from knowing where you are at all, and aim to kill with the first shot.

[[Arcade Battles]] 
When in this game mode: The tank is fast, but weakly armoured. Its gun is pretty decent with enough penetration to take on most opponents with accurate fire. Capture zones and support the team by firing at enemy medium tanks.

[[Realistic Battles]] and [[Simulator Battles]] 
The tank performs its role as medium tank very well. Both speed and strong frontal armour give this tank an edge over the enemy in a head-on engagement. However, it has very thin side armour that can be penetrated by essentially any tank, as well as many vehicles armed with autocannons. Watching the sides and rear is very important, and neglecting to protect them can often result in a destroyed {{PAGENAME}}.

When engaging enemy vehicles it is recommended to turn into their fire with the front of the tank. The {{PAGENAME}}'s glacis is thicker than most installed on tanks at its BR, and this can often save the tank from an untimely end. However, if the engagement begins with you taking a shot to the side it is unlikely you will get the chance to fight back, so always try to have your front toward the enemy to begin with.

When fighting against the {{PAGENAME}}, try to flank it if possible, as a side shot under the turret will be an almost guaranteed kill. A shot to the side of the turret will kill the turret crew, and a second shot once the crew has replenished will generally kill the tank. If forced to engage from the front, remember that you need about 110 mm of penetration to get through the upper glacis reliably. If you have this, you will be able to kill the tank easily. With a weaker gun, you will have to aim. Weak points include the very top of the lower glacis, which is almost flat; the machine gun port, which will result in a kill of at least half the crew if penetrated; the bottom right turret cheek (left from the attacker's viewpoint), which is much thinner than the rest of the turret; and the cupola, which if hit with an APHE shell will result in a kill of most of the turret crew. All of these weak points are quite difficult to hit, especially from range, and it may be better to retreat if you don't feel confident in your shot or if the Sherman is hull down.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

M4A2/[[M4A4 (1st PTG)]]: these Sherman tanks are widely used by both the Allied and the Axis side, so no matter which nation you play they can be quite tough to destroy in the hands of a skilled tanker. Given the rather weak penetration of your short 75 mm gun, their hull can be almost impossible to penetrate when angled, hull down or 300 m away. For an M4A4, there are 2 apparent bulges on the upper front plate, a penetration through there can guarantee a knock out most of the times. But in case the opponent covers them up or when it's an M4A2, aim for the middle parts of the gun mantlet or the turret armour unprotected by the mantlet, you can at least make them defenceless. Note that their guns are equally weak against you, so wiggle around to disrupt their aim while you reload, you have a good chance of bouncing some shells.

[[KW I C 756 (r) (Germany)|KW I C 756 (r)]] - An opponent the M4 Sherman will have trouble with is this upgunned German KV-1. Although the earlier KV-1's L-11 cannon lacks power, the newly-equipped German KwK40 cannon is more than enough to penetrate the Sherman's front, while the Sherman still cannot reliably penetrate the KV-1's thick armour, especially when it has additional armour plates. If you see this heavy tank angling its hull, aim for the gun mantlet as it is only 50 mm thick. You can easily take out his gunner, gun breech, etc. Or shoot at the thin commander's cupola, there is a chance to knock out the gunner too. Of course, the best method is to shoot from the side and from behind without angling, where the KV-1's armour is not angled, although you still need to get as close as possible to penetrate its armour. Additionally, side shots are likely to damage its fuel tank or ammunition storage and cause a fire or ammunition explosion. In a standoff, you can try angling your hull to make your well-sloped frontal hull more effective.

[[Churchill (Family)|Churchill]] heavy tanks - The Churchills, with their complex hulls and sturdy turrets, can be quite hard to penetrate at range. Again, manoeuvre as close to them as possible, the ideal distance being no more than 200 m. If they are angling their hull but facing their turret at you, only go for the turret. For the Mk I Churchills, aim at the near-vertical part of their rounded cheeks to ensure successful penetrations. For the Mk III and the German Churchill, also aim for their flat turret which is at most 89 mm. The shell should go in easily and knock out most, if not all of the crew. Only when you are facing their hull without any angles should you shoot the hull, otherwise shoot the turret only, as their big tracks can easily get in front of the frontal hull. The side hull have multiple layers of armour, some of which are weirdly angled and can absorb plenty of shells.

[[Pz.IV F2]]/[[Pz.IV G|G]]/[[Pz.IV H|H]]/[[Pz.IV J|J]] - The historical nemesis of any Sherman, the Panzer IV is one of the Shermans biggest threats at this rank. The long barrel 75 mm gun will easily penetrate the Sherman from the front. The F2 variant is admittedly easy to deal with. A single APCBC to its hull or turret should end it pretty quickly, even at long range. The other variants are slightly harder to deal with. They have thicker hull armour, at 80 mm, which will be much harder to penetrate with the APCBC over 500 m. Luckily the turret armour remains the same at 50 mm. Either aim here with APCBC or sacrifice damage potential and use the AP round to penetrate the hull.

[[StuG III F]]/[[StuG III G|G]] - Another historical nemesis of the Sherman, and another big threat. The StuG III packs the same punch as the Panzer IV line with its long barrel 75 mm gun, whilst losing the turret, which turns out to be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Lacking a turret means that it will have to traverse the whole vehicle to target an enemy, but it also means that it has a lower profile. The StuG's armour profile is also more complex than the Panzer IV, with less flat areas. Certain areas are sloped and very bouncy. Luckily, there is a big weak spot. There are two flat plates on the front of the hull. The flat plate on the right is the drivers port. Shoot that and you are able to incapacitate the driver, gunner and loader in one go. This is a very efficient way to destroy this vehicle. With the F variant, you can use APCBC to instantly knock out this vehicle with a single shot. With the G variant, it is more reliable to use AP at ranges within 500 m to ensure penetration.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent gun depression of -10° plus the angled frontal turret allows it to utilise hills very well
* Great firepower: adequate penetration and post-penetration damage when using M61 shells; can frontally penetrate and knock out most opponents like the [[Pz.IV F2]], [[Chi-Nu]] and [[StuG III F]] with a single shot. It also has APCR for hitting thick, flat armour up close, for example the [[Pz.Kpfw. Churchill (Germany)|Pz.Kpfw. Churchill]]
* Great turret traverse speed allows it to deal with multiple threats easily
* Well angled frontal hull provides protection against small calibre / low-penetration guns (e.g. 75 mm M3, 50 mm KwK39), and even large calibre guns when angled correctly. The side armour can be boosted with add-on armour
* Adequate top speed allows it to get to positions in time, or to do tactical manoeuvres like flanking
* Pintle-mounted HMG provides an anti-aircraft defence (albeit small range of movement) or anti-tank duty against tanks like [[Marder III]] and Sd.Kfz.234/2
* Fitted with a vertical stabilizer, allowing more accurate fire on the move compared to other tanks, as well as better usage of shoot-n-scoot tactics

'''Cons:'''

* Large profile and fairly weak side armour; flankers like the Sd.kfz.234/2 can easily see and penetrate it
* Frontal armour is still inadequate, will get penetrated and knocked out by tanks like [[Pz.IV F2]]/G, [[StuG III F]]/G, [[M10 (Family)|M10]] by a single shot if unangled properly.
* M61 and T45 all struggle to penetrate angled targets like Churchill Mk.III or even the T-34
* Trajectory is curved and velocity is low due to its short barrel, thus distant/moving targets are hard to shoot at
** Hull traverse is quite slow, making it sluggish in a turn. Also the narrow tracks offer poor ground flotation, thus poor off-road capabilities. Can only reach its top speed on paved or hard surfaces
* Roof armour of 19.5 mm thick is vulnerable to airstrikes with AP cannons. For example the widely used MG151 15/20 mm
* Acceleration even more sluggish than previous Shermans due to the two tons weight increase

== History ==

===Development===
The Battle of France in 1940 proved to America that their current tank arsenal would not be able to withstand a German assault. The only tanks in their inventory at that time was the [[M2A4|M2 Light Tanks]] and the [[M2|M2 Medium Tank]], both are inadequate against the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]]. The US Army, in response, ordered for a tank armed with a 75 mm gun. While a 75 mm gun was available for use, a turret able to mount the gun was not. So while the turret and tank design underwent development, the 75 mm would be mounted on the stopgap design, the [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] tank in a sponson mount. This interim design put the 75 mm on a lower and limited traverse mount that restricted its firing angle, but it did give the Allies a tank with the gun, so it was issued by the thousands until a better design could be made.

During the M3's development, the designs of the 75 mm armed vehicle were being drawn up and submitted by the Ordnance Department. Specifications on the tank design were strict, with restrictions made on the tank's height, width, and weight in order to make it able to be transported over bridges, roads, railroads, and on ships. These specifications would help the army by making the tank be very flexible on strategic, logistical, and tactical grounds. On April 1941, the Armored Force Board chose the simplest of the designs, which was a redesigned M3 hull and chassis with a turret mounting the 75 mm gun designated the T6, completed in September 1941. This tank would then designated the Medium Tank M4 in American service. The tank would become the most used Allied tank during World War II as it was lent out by the thousands in the Lend-Lease program to the Allied countries. The British called the M4 the "Sherman", which coined into the tank's name M4 Sherman that it would be known as in history. The production for the Shermans began on October 1941 and would continue to be produced until the end of the war in 1945 with around 50,000 units produced, making it the second most-produced tank in World War II before the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34 tank]].

===Design===
Many variants of the Shermans were produced, but they all followed a similar layout. The driver and bow gunner sat in the front driving compartment, the fighting compartment in the middle housed the turret its three crew member, and in the back was the engine compartment. The Sherman used many features present in previous American tank designs, the vertical volute suspension system (VVSS) and radial engine from the M2 light tanks, and the sloping armour of the M2 Medium. This became a contributing factor on Sherman's reliability on the field, as most of the design flaws were ironed out with the previous tank designs. The tank-mounted the [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3 gun]], giving the tank very good AP and HE capabilities. The Sherman's turret traverse speed was very fast, able to traverse a full 360 degrees in only 15 seconds, which is considerably faster than the traverse speed on most German tanks. Another unique feature on the Sherman was the installation of a [[Gun stabilizer|gyroscopic stabilizer]] on the gun and sight, making the Sherman one of the first produced tanks to incorporate those features. While the stabilization was only done for the vertical plane, it kept the gun stable enough to be able to shoot on the move effectively, with a study showing a 70 % hit probability on an enemy 300 to 1,200 yards away when moving at a speed of 15 mph. However, this feature was controversial among the crew and experiences with it vary.

The M4A2 Sherman model ran on a GM 6046 diesel engine. The Sherman model in-game is one of the later production models, featuring improvements on the turret and hull design to maximize armour thickness. The tank's hull was welded, with the earlier models having the front armour plate placed on a 56-degree sloping angle. However, this design had protrusions on the driver and assistant driver hatches that created "shot traps" as these protrusions gave less protection than the frontal armour plate. This was fixed on later models with a 47-degree angling instead, which eliminated the shot traps and made the frontal armour more effective than before. Up to 8,053 M4A2s were produced from April 1942 to May 1944, out of the 49,234 Sherman units produced in the war. Throughout the war, the M4A2 was mostly given out to other allies or used by the US Marine Corps as the US Army doctrine called for the use of only gasoline-engine Shermans such as the M4A3.

===Combat usage===
====European theater====
The Shermans first saw combat in the North African Campaign in the Second Battle of El Alamein on October 1942 in the hands of the British. It was much quicker to reinforce the British armoured divisions with the more than 300 M4 Shermans sent to North Africa than it was to create new American ones. It proved much better than the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]], able to eliminate them at distances more than 2,000 yards away. The Americans received their first Shermans in the next month in Operation Torch. However better the Shermans were to the German tanks at the time, the Allied armoured units still suffered casualties against the German tanks and anti-tank guns, most notably in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. In Italy, the Shermans proved much more mobile than the German Panzers, able to travel cross-country on the hilly terrain with ease. However, it was at this stage that the Sherman's shortcoming began to take face in the advent of the newer German tanks, the [[Tiger H1|Tiger Is]] and [[Panther D|Panthers]]. These two tanks featured armour that proved impenetrable when fired at the front, and with guns that could take out the Shermans from farther than the Sherman's effective combat range. The Shermans have to hit the side of these tanks for penetration, and at ranges that were considered suicidal. Although programs were initiated to [[M4A1 (76) W|up-gun the Sherman with a 76 mm gun]], American leaders determine that the Panther and Tigers would not be produced in large quantities and were not as great as a threat as these two vehicles could still be destroyed by the 75 mm gun and standard anti-tank equipment.

During the Invasion of France, it was clear that the Sherman's current build with a 75 mm gun was no longer going to cut it against the German armoured forces. While the Sherman was adequate against what little Panzer III and IVs the Germans have left and against infantry and fortifications with the 75 mm gun, the Panthers and Tigers were in much large quantity than expected, and proved better in armour and firepower to the Shermans. Though in the bocage country of France, the Allies lost more tanks to hidden anti-tank guns and infantry weapons than to tanks. Despite these losses, the mass production of M4 Sherman back in the United States ensured that enough tanks were available for the Allied Forces as they spearhead through France, plus the lack of any other capable tanks meant they had to use the Shermans for the time being. The large quantities of Shermans produced during the war gave the Allied armoured units a major advantage of being fully equipped as the German panzer divisions were rarely in full strength, with some US infantry divisions having more tracked vehicles than some of the panzer divisions. Due to the high attrition rates, tank crews sometimes add [[Add-on Armor|improvised armour]] onto their Shermans in the form of sandbags and logs in hopes of increased survival, but these were determined to be ineffective from evaluations. A more effective method was to have metal armour welded on in improvisation, and an official project was made for such "assault tanks" that ended with the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 "Jumbos"]] with 250 made for the Battle of Normandy. During the Battle of Normandy, the first 76 mm Shermans on the M4A1 were put into combat in Operation Cobra in limited numbers. The Allies continued to primarily use the 75 mm Shermans until the Battle of the Bulge in Winter 1944, when the commanders request only 76 mm Shermans to be brought into Europe as the battle showed the intense armour disparity with the German's large numbers of [[Panther G|Panthers]] and [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II's]]. While new units arriving in Europe were armed exclusively with 76 mm armed-Shermans, the veteran units kept the 75 mm Shermans, to which it continued to do well against softer targets with little threat from German armour due to their extreme declining numbers.

====Pacific theater====
The M4 Sherman's importance in the Pacific theatre was less than that of the European theatre due to the different tactical doctrine established from the amphibious nature of combat. Only about 20 tank battalions fielded by the US Army were sent to support the Pacific theatre of operations, compared to the total of 16 armoured divisions and 70 tank battalions they have in service. The low priority in tanks was due to the following reasons. Firstly, the jungle terrain on most of the islands fought for against the Japanese were unsuitable for the deployment of large-scale armoured units, relegating armour support to light tanks such as the [[M3 Stuart|M3 Stuarts]]. Secondly, the Japanese forces' armoured units were rather inferior to the American tank forces by 1943. While the Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go tank was comparable to the M2A4 light tank, the Shermans out gun these tanks by a large margin. Such a large margin that the tank crew prefer to use high-explosive shots against the Japanese tank than regular armour-piercing as the AP rounds would penetrate straight through without causing much damage in the interior of the tank. The Japanese developed the Type 3 Chi-Nu and the Type 4 Chi-To to fight back the Shermans, but these two never saw combat as they were kept at the Japanese Homeland for the defence against the Allied invasion.

The Shermans, when deployed, were superior to most of the Japanese anti-tank equipment and often were essential to some of the Marine's advances on some of the island assaults. In 1945, the equipping of flamethrower Shermans known as M4A3R3, nicknamed "Zippos", were a significant boost to the infantry's firepower in having a very long range of fire compared to the standard infantry-modelled flamethrowers with the benefit of being in an armoured vehicle. The Zippos are able to flush out enemy combatants from within heavily fortified bunkers and caves that would be dangerous for even flamethrower infantry to take out. The Japanese solution against the Shermans, other than with their 47 mm anti-tank guns, were often suicidal tactics ranging from placing satchel charges right onto the tank, using pole-mounted anti-tank mines to reach and destroy the tank or even simply throwing oneself underneath a tank with mine or other explosive and triggering it manually.

====Lend-Lease====
The Sherman tank was given out in large numbers to American Allies during World War II under the Lend-Lease policy. While America retained about 20,361 Shermans in the Army and Marine Corps, 17,184 went to Britain (about 34% of Shermans produced and 78% of Shermans given out) and the Soviet Union obtained 4,102 Shermans.<ref name="ZalogaArmorT2">Zaloga Steven. ''Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II'' Stackpole Books, 2008, "The British Sherman"</ref> China obtained 812 Shermans, Brazil with 53, and New Zealand and Australia for 153 Shermans total. Other countries using the Shermans were Poland, Free France, and Czechoslovakia. The British deployed the Sherman among their armoured squadrons in such a large number to become the standard tank of their armoured forces. The increased threat of German tanks in the European theatre also provoked the British to up-gun the M4 Sherman with a more capable gun, resulting in the [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]].

====Post-War====
After the war, the Shermans continued serving America and its allies as the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8]] with a new suspension and 76 mm gun. The [[M26|M26 Pershing]] that was introduced late in World War II was phased out for the Shermans due to its unreliability, and the Sherman stayed until the [[M46|M46 Patton]] was introduced. After being phased out of American service, many other countries still used the Sherman as their main tank, mainly Israel where they up-gun the tank with the much powerful post-war French [[SA50 (75 mm)|75 mm]] and [[CN-105-F1 (105 mm)|105 mm]] guns as the [[M4A4 (SA50)|M-50]] and M-51 respectively (nicknamed "Super Shermans"). These proved successful as they were able to fight against the Soviet-supplied [[T-54 (1947)|T-54 tanks]] and [[T-34-85]]s in Middle East service, proving the Sherman as a successful and adaptable design for many years to come.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The second mass produced modification differed from the M4 in that two GMC 671 diesel engines were installed to make up for the Continental's insufficiencies. The engine and transmission were pulled from M3A3 and M3A5 medium tanks. In April 1942 the first M4A2 prototype was tested, with full-scale production subsequently beginning.

The tank had a welded hull, and the front plate initially had viewing slits cut out, though armour covers were later welded on and periscopes added. From the beginning of 1944 the front plate was made from a single piece, while the driver and gunner hatches were moved to the roof of the hull. The angle of the frontal armour went from 56° to 47° from vertical. The low-revving diesel engine gave the M4A2 better off-road ability and significantly more range as opposed to carburetor engines.

Approximately 8,000 M4A2s were produced between April 1942 and December 1943.

The tanks saw action in Africa and Italy, on the Western and Eastern fronts, and on Pacific islands through 1945. Lend-Lease included 1,992 of them delivered to the USSR.

In 1943 problems with the M4A2 were exposed by the Russian winter: those sent to the USSR had a smooth rubber protector for their tracks that made it tough to move across frozen roads. The difficulty finding traction was further complicated by a high center of gravity, giving the tank a habit of flipping over. Overall, it was the equivalent of the Soviet T-34 and was used similarly. The Sherman was much quieter than Soviet tanks, also lending itself to more effective infantry fire from behind its armour while on the move due to its lighter suspension.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m4a2_sherman Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis (M4A2)

* [[M4A2 (76) W]]
* [[M4 748 (a) (Germany)]]
* [[M4A2 (USSR)]]

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Ordnance Department}}
{{USA medium tanks}}

XM803

2024-08-12T21:19:37Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_xm_803
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''Tank, Combat, Full-Tracked, 152 mm Gun/Launcher XM-803''', developed from the [[MBT-70]], was part of the abandoned collaborative U.S. and West German initiative to develop a new main battle tank to replace the existing [[M60 (Family)|M60 family of MBT]] during the 1960s. The program experienced significant challenges from the start, with the United States Army and the German Bundeswehr having diverging doctrines that were not coordinated and were not resolved before the project was too far along to be modified. By the late 1960s, West Germany abandoned the project and the U.S. solely funded the project for the next few years. The MBT-70 was redesigned and designated the XM-803, as an attempt to modify the MBT-70 design into a low-cost substitution using entirely U.S.-made components, resulting in the strikingly similar XM-803 prototype. The biggest cost savings came from switching to less expensive steel armour plates. Costs were also decreased by using an engine built in the U.S. instead of West Germany. The prototype was a little heavier and a little slower compared to the original MBT-70. Despite these savings, the XM-803 design began to match the MBT-70 in sophistication as development progressed and was ultimately terminated. The XM-803 program was cancelled by Congress in December 1971, and work on a new tank program began, the XM-1, which ultimately resulted in the production-model [[M1 Abrams]] MBT.

Introduced in [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]], the XM-803 offers players unique insights into the pathway of U.S. tank development that ultimately leads to the current-day M1 Abrams MBT. Despite the program's eventual demise, the XM-803 gives several unique capabilities for Cold War U.S. Army ground forces players, particularly the capacity to launch anti-tank guided missiles from the gun barrel, which is unusual in Western MBTs but prevalent in Soviet MBTs. The XM-803 performs very similarly to its ancestor, the MBT-70; however, it suffers from a slightly lower top speed and lacks the original 20 mm cannon mounted on the turret roof. Overall, the MBT strikes a good balance between protection, speed, and firepower, allowing players to easily engage most threats.

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


The XM-803's frontal armour is only effective versus full-calibre AP and APHE rounds and certain APDS rounds. Almost all large calibre (76 mm and up) sabot rounds will have no trouble slicing through it, even when hitting the frontal armour at an angle. Large calibre HEAT-FS has no problem going through it too, although the large fuel tank behind the frontal hull armour can sometimes absorb a lot of the damage. The fuel tank is also completely separate from the rest of the tank, and as a result, often burns out without damaging the rest of the vehicle. The spaced armour proves effective against HESH rounds as the spall generated upon detonation on the external armour will be soaked by the underlying layers, significantly reducing the damaging effect of the round. One big weak spot on the turret is the left turret cheek (the right from the view of the tank commander). This is because this part of the turret is not protected by spaced armour and only consists of a 177.8 mm thick CHA plate, which most chemical and kinetic energy projectiles can penetrate with ease.

'''Armour type:'''

* Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (64°) ''Front glacis'' 76 mm (63°) ''Lower glacis'' || 35 mm ''Top'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 25.4 mm (12°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm (67°) ''Bottom'' 5 mm (13°) ''Engine exhaust'' || 25.4 mm ''Front'' 5-12.7 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 38.1-203 mm (0-75°) || 12.7-38.1* mm (29-34°) || 12.7* mm (27-84°) || 25.4-76 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Rear turret''
|-
| Cupola || 25.4 mm || 25.4 mm || 25.4 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Spaced armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 250 mm ''Kinetic'' 240 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || 270-300 mm ''Kinetic'' 220-350 mm ''Chemical'' || '''38 mm sections:''' 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 220 mm ''Chemical'' '''12.7 mm sections:''' 50 mm ''Kinetic'' 60 mm ''Chemical'' || 30 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Road wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* A 6.35 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* The crew is protected by a 6.35mm thick turret basket
* Hull spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 51 mm RHA.
* Turret spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 127 mm CHA.
* Turret rear side spaced armour configuration is 12.7 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 25.4 mm RHA
* Turret rear spaced armour configuration is 12.7 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 12.7 mm RHA.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,937|rbMinHp=1,106}}

The mobility of the {{PAGENAME}} is worse than that of the MBT-70. In its stock configuration, it has a horsepower/ton ratio of 21.39, while with all upgrades this increases to 24.08 HP/t. The top speed (both forward and reverse) is 64 km/h (40 mph) with 8 gears for both directions. The tank can reach its top speed quickly on flat roads, while on more difficult terrain the top speed drops by around 20 km/h. The tank has neutral steering and good turning ability on all terrains.

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

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[XM150E5 (152 mm)|152 mm XM150E5]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || Reloading rate rounds (seconds) || Reloading rate ATGM (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Autoloader
! Autoloader
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 53 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 40.0 || 55.4 || 67.2 || 74.3 || 79.1 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
| rowspan="2" |10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 25.0 || 29.4 || 35.7 || 39.5 || 42.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:XM150E5 (152 mm)/Ammunition|XM578E1, M409A1, XM410E1, MGM-51C}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x200px|[[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
|-
| '''53''' || 48 ''(+5)'' || 46 ''(+7)'' || 34 ''(+19)'' || 27 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+52)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Rack 5 is a first-stage ammo rack, meaning it depletes first but refills from the other racks in the order they are listed. As such, it is the last rack to deplete.

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M85 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M85]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,080 (180) || 626 || -15°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (250) || 500 || - || -
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The XM-803, like the MBT-70, is a very good flanker. To get the most out of this tank, you must use its high speed and acceleration to flank the enemy or set up ambushes. Its gun and ammunition are good enough to penetrate most tanks of a lower BR with ease, although when up-tiered, you will have to resort to aiming for the weak spots of opponents. The HEAT round you get is free, and will easily penetrate tanks with plain steel armour, however its shortcomings are very apparent when fired against composite armour. The lower muzzle velocity of the shell also makes it difficult to lead shots and to account for the range whilst stock. The APFSDS round has decent penetration and will defeat most armour it faces. It also has very high muzzle velocity, almost 1,500 m/s, making aiming at longer ranges easy. The ATGM which comes stock can be very useful, especially when first unlocking the vehicle. Though it has an increased reload time of 12 seconds, it can extend your engagement distance significantly if you lack the necessary means otherwise.

When faced with an enemy around a corner, one can attempt to bait shots by only exposing the frontal hull - opponents will often shoot this, only to find, much to their dismay, that there is nothing of value inside and you may not even have to use your fire extinguisher to put it out due to the fact that it is separate from the rest of the tank.

While the armour may seem formidable at first, it struggles to fend off most other rounds at its battle rating, failing to stop most other APFSDS or HEAT-FS rounds. This lack-lustre protection is instead compensated by its other characteristics such as its excellent mobility and usage of an auto-loader.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good selection of ammunition types (Stock ATGM, stock HEAT shell, APFSDS)
* The ATGMs can be fired at any time, even when not stationary.
* Good mobility and acceleration, high speed both forwards and backwards
* Top mounted .50 cal can allow you to damage low-flying aircraft
* Frontal Fuel tank behind the spaced armour which can sometimes absorb enemy chemical effect rounds
* Steady reload time thanks to the autoloader: losing a crew member will not impact the reload speed, and it still functions when putting out a fire
* Has smoke grenade launchers
* Turret mantlet is strong, can even resist certain APFSDS rounds
* Features a hydropneumatic suspension which can have its clearance raised or lowered
* Excellent dual zoom of 8x and 12x

'''Cons:'''

* The spaced armour is not composite armour and cannot provide adequate protection against most guns of its rank
* Frontal armour can be penetrated even by some APHE rounds
* Weak sides and LFP
* Only the clearance can be adjusted with the hydropneumatic suspension
* Ammo racks are large, can be easily hit, and do not have blowout panels
* Vulnerable to the rear due to raised engine deck
* Cramped interior, loss of more than one crew member more likely when penetrated
* Poor roof armour protection on the ammo and engine section
* Chemical projectiles (HEAT and ATGM) will struggle a lot at this battle rating as vehicles with ERA protection are common, especially on Soviet vehicles.
* Reload rate of 7.5s is terrible.

== History ==

Once it became apparent that the MBT-70 project was doomed to fail in the early '70s due to high costs and reliability issues, the U.S. Congress decided to cut their losses on the project by cancelling the MBT-70, and instead, diverted funding to the development of a new project called XM803.

The XM803 was, in essence, envisioned to be a "budget version" of the MBT-70. Although the new vehicle would heavily be based on the MBT-70, inheriting many of its design solutions, it would also try to drastically reduce production costs by using more conventional and only American-made parts. Although this meant that the XM803 had to give up some of its high-tech equipment in favour of lower production costs, it was projected that the influence of these changes on the XM803's combat performance would be minimal.

Despite showing favourable performance and being seen as a promising design by the Army, the XM803 still remained a comparably expensive tank to produce even with the applied changes over the MBT-70. Moreover, neither the MBT-70 nor the XM803 seemed to offer any substantial increase in combat performance over the already in service M60 Patton to justify the high production cost. This ultimately led to the Congress cancelling work on the XM803 only a short while after the cancellation of the MBT-70. In the late 1970s, some funding of the two failed projects would, later on, find its way to support the development of an entirely new, but this time around, more conventional tank project. That tank, of course, being the legendary M1 Abrams itself.

''- From [[wt:en/news/5536-development-xm803-the-second-chance-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_xm_803 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|yxrFP5uW_J8|'''The Shooting Range #104''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the XM-803.|ryfyneZ7390|'''The Shooting Range #106''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 12:39 discusses the XM-803.}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[MBT-70]]
* [[KPz-70]]

;<nowiki>Similar vehicles with large-calibre gun/launcher systems:</nowiki>

* [[M551]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5536-development-xm803-the-second-chance-en|[Devblog] XM803: The Second Chance]]

{{TankManufacturer GM}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

MBT-70

2024-08-12T21:17:49Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_mbt_70
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''152-mm Gun-Launcher Main Battle Tank 70''' (MBT-70), also known as the [[KPz-70]] in Germany, was a collaborative U.S. and West German initiative to develop a new main battle tank to replace the existing [[M60 (Family)|M60 family of MBT]] during the 1960s. This was intended to combat the new generation of tanks designed by the Soviet Union for the Warsaw Pact. The new tank was planned to have sophisticated features like newly designed hydropneumatic suspension, dual-layer spaced armour, and a 152 mm XM150E5 gun/launcher that could fire both conventional ammunition and the Shillelagh missile for long-range engagement. The tank additionally featured a remotely controlled 20 mm weapon station on the turret roof. Overall, the tank provided nuclear, biological, and chemical protection for the tank crews (NBC protection capability). The tank was anticipated to remain in service into the 1990s, however the program experienced significant challenges from the start, with the United States Army and the German Bundeswehr having diverging doctrines that were not coordinated and were not resolved before the project was too far along to be modified. The Germans were sceptical of the combined gun and missile launcher, and the U.S. Congress was frustrated by the program's increasing budget without results. By the late 1960s, the MBT-70's development had gone far over the allocated funds, prompting West Germany to abandon the project in 1969. The U.S. continued development of the MBT-70 with the [[XM-803]], a project intended to cut down on the costs of the MBT-70 by only utilising American components; however, this was also finally abandoned in 1971. Data and technology from the MBT-70/XM-803 project transferred to the development of the [[M1 Abrams]], while West Germany built the [[Leopard 2 (Family)|Leopard 2]] as its main battle tank.

Introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]], the MBT-70 offers players unique insights into the collaboration of tank development efforts by both the U.S. and West Germany. Despite the program's eventual demise, the MBT-70 gives several unique capabilities for Cold War U.S. Army ground forces players, particularly the capacity to launch anti-tank guided missiles from the gun barrel, which is unusual in Western MBTs but prevalent in Soviet MBTs. Overall, the MBT strikes a good balance between protection, speed, and firepower, allowing players to easily engage most threats.

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

Unlike the Soviet T-64A (its main rival), the MBT-70 does not utilise composite armour, but an air gap that forces munitions penetrating the initial layers to lose their mass by fragmenting apart before moving to the next layer of armour. This general design concept has been in use as far back as World War II and is even used to this day on modern fighting vehicles.

[[Armour#Sloped_armour|Spaced armour]] works wonderfully well against shaped charge munitions or any other munition with explosive filler provided it is of a stronger protection rating. Proceeding weapons and munitions development has seen this benefit decreased with either more powerful or tandem-charge warheads and can be seen in-game against weapons that proceeded different designs of spaced armour. As such, the MBT-70 will find itself against weapons that were designed to defeat spaced armour such as the HOT-K3S ATGM and [[Swingfire|BAE Swingfire]] system that will penetrate it. However, the spaced armour in the MBT-70 works exactly as it was designed to do against older anti-tank missiles, HEAT, HE, and HESH munitions.

The tank mounts no external spaced armour. The armour on the side and rear of the tank is not worth mentioning as it will only stop light machine gun fire and some cannon fire on the turret. Adversary sabot rounds will penetrate clear through the engine and into the crew compartment most likely destroying the MBT-70 if engaged from behind.

An unconventional feature at the time was that the MBT-70 was designed to house all the crew members in the turret. Because of the autoloading system, the need for a loader was eliminated and due to an attempt to further lower the tanks silhouette, the driver was located to the turret with the gunner and commander. This can have potentially devastating consequences on the battlefield as the crew can easily be injured or knocked out by penetrating munitions entering the crew compartment.

For defensive countermeasures, the tank is equipped with two quad barrel externally mounted smoke canister launchers on both sides of the turret, which can provide either a defensive screen for itself or friendly forces. These launchers can be fired in pairs of two. Keep in mind the smoke grenade launchers are operated by the gunner so should the gunner become incapacitated in a fight, the smoke will be unlaunchable until the gunner is replaced by another crew member or by the crew replenishment consumable.

Due to its low profile and effective array of camouflage options, the MBT-70 scores high marks in the concealability category. The addition of various foliage can further increase the ability to conceal the tank.

'''Armour type:'''

* Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 34* mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 23-34 mm (0-55°) ''Top'' 23-35 mm ''Bottom'' || 25.4 mm (12°) ''Top'' 25 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' 12.7 mm (29-45°) ''Engine exhaust'' || 20 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 50-200 mm (0-75°) || 12.7-38* mm (29-34°) || 12.7* mm (27-80°) || 20-50 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Rear turret''
|-
| Cupola || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Spaced armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 170 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' || '''38 mm sections:''' 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' '''12.7 mm sections:''' 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical'' || 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 16 mm thick.
* Gun mantlet ring around the gun barrel is 305 mm thick.
* A 16 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* Hull spaced armour configuration is 34 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 46 mm RHA.
* Turret spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 130-33 mm RHA.
* Turret rear spaced armour configuration is 13 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 19 mm RHA.

The MBT-70 is still an average medium tank with weak side armour. Thus, flanking is a good strategy to take for a shot at the weak spots. Go for the ammo, which is located in front of the engine, or in the protruding end of the turret. If in a head on engagement, shoot it directly below the gun, but above the upper glacis. This spot has 250 mm of armour with no composite armour. This shot, if successful, should knock out most of the crew, and maybe even the horizontal drive, allowing for a flank in a fast vehicle.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,286|rbMinHp=1,305}}

The MBT-70 handles like virtually no other vehicle (barring the [[KPz-70]], its German twin) in the game in terms of its ability to pick up and maintain speed over various terrains. Its cross-country mobility is arguably the best currently available in the game, and is one of the many traits that makes the MBT-70 stand out.

The MBT-70 is equipped with a 1,470 horsepower air-cooled Continental V-12 diesel engine. This engine pack produces slightly less power compared to its German counterpart, but both vehicles handle essentially the same.

A highly advantageous feature is the hydropneumatic suspension system which not only provides great cross country mobility but allows the crew to position the vehicle in such a way to only expose the strongest armour at an enemy threat. The suspension can also be used to gain further gun depression by raising the rear of the tank and lowering the front, improving the tank's performance in hull-down scenarios.

The MBT-70 features the standard NATO track and rubber block design. The rubber track blocks provide great traction both off-road and on-road, and minimize sliding during a short halt or drifting.

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

'''<big>Unlock order recommendations</big>'''

'''Tier 1'''

The first modification you should research is Parts, as only one module is needed to unlock Tier 2, and the other Tier 1 modules aren't needed immediately.

'''Tier 2'''

The first Tier 2 modifications you should research are FPE and the XM578A1 APFSDS shell. The MBT-70 catches fire often when hit, and even though teammates can assist you in extingushing it, playing without FPE is still painful. The other important module is the XM578E1 APFSDS shell. While the stock HEAT round may have more penetration, the APFSDS is more consistent damage-wise and doesn't catch on bushes, trees, and fences.

'''Tier 3'''

Three modifications are required to unlock Tier 4, and none of the Tier 3 modules are super important, so the order in which you research them doesn't matter as much. The recommended modules are Crew Repenishment, Smoke Grenades, and Elevation Mechanism. Filters can be swapped in for Elevation Mechanism, but doesn't add much and can be researched later.

'''Tier 4'''

Tier 4 contains the last two essential modifications, the Laser Rangefinder and NVD, which should be researched in that order. The MBT-70 unfortunately does not get access to a thermal imager, making the NVD module less important but still useful. Artillery Support is also helpful but doesn't affect the tank's performance much, so don't go straight for it.

'''Finishing Up'''

The rest of the modifications can be researched in any order, as none of the remaining modules are particularly influential. The least helpful modules, XM410E1, Brake System and Suspension can be left for last.

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

{{main|XM150E5 (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[XM150E5 (152 mm)|152 mm XM150E5]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || Reloading rate rounds (seconds) || Reloading rate ATGM (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Autoloader !! Autoloader
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 34.3 || 47.4 || 57.6 || 63.7 || 67.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.4 || 25.2 || 30.6 || 33.8 || 36.0
|-
|}
One of the most important facets of a tank is its firepower. In this department, the MBT-70 is no slouch. The 152 mm gun launcher system is very similar to the one used on the [[M551|M551 Sheridan]], the main difference being a longer barrel. This change increases the MBT-70's accuracy at range and allows rounds to leave the barrel at higher velocities, thus improving their penetration and overall damage when compared to the Sheridan. The MBT-70 also has access to two experimental rounds unavailable to the Sheridan, which are an APFSDS round and a [[Smoke screen|smoke]] round, as well as the M409A1 HEAT shell and MGM-51C Shillelagh ATGM shared with the Sheridan and [[M60A2|M60A2 Starship]]. This wide range of munition choices gives the operator many options in pre-combat configuration which can either hinder or enhance the tanker's capability on the battlefield.

Additionally, the 152 mm gun launcher is auto-loaded, greatly reducing its time between followup shots on a target.
For targeting, the option to equip a laser range finder is available. Additionally the 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in the turret can be used for range finding as well.

Because of the elevated engine deck, gun depression is significantly worse when firing or aiming the gun over the rear of the tank, but can be counteracted by raising the front of the tank using the hydropneumatic suspension.

==== Ammunition ====
{{:XM150E5 (152 mm)/Ammunition|XM578E1, M409A1, XM410E1, MGM-51C}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 44 ''(+4)'' || 33 ''(+15)'' || 25 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Hull empty: 25 ''(+23)'' shells.
* Racks 4 and 5 deplete top row together first before emptying in the second row.
* The MBT-70 can carry only 6 missiles.

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

{{main|Rh202 (20 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}

The Rheinmetall Rh 202 20 mm auto cannon is highly effective at dealing with light armoured battlefield threats and on some tanks exposed sides or rears. In some situations, it may be more beneficial to utilise the 20 mm as it will allow the tank to deal damage rapidly while conserving the main cannon ammunition. The cannon is also highly effective at shooting down low flying attackers. Note that if the commander is knocked out, the 20 mm will be unable to be used.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh202 (20 mm)|20 mm Rh202]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 750 (750) || 900 || -9°/+65° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The tank plays very much like the [[M41A1|M41A1 Walker Bulldog]]. Players familiar with the hit and run play style will easily adapt to the MBT-70. Its fast speed, especially with full upgrades and aced crew, allows it to manoeuvre into spots not typically accessible by less mobile tanks. Utilize this to an advantage to set up ambushes as this is how the MBT-70 will get most victories. It's important to recognize when an engagement is not beneficial to the tank so that it can re-position itself or escape from the threat.

Despite the initial appearance of strong frontal armour, it's important to remember when compared to its counterparts at its rank, it is not nearly enough to defeat threats head on such as the [[T-64A (1971)|T-64A]]. Even ATGM from missile vehicles such as the [[RakJPz 2 (HOT)|Raketenjagdpanzer 2 HOT]] will penetrate the turret and upper glacis plate. Even other Rank V tanks can and will penetrate from the front. Because of the rather condensed placement of crew and ammunition, the MBT-70 will most likely be destroyed with one shot. Because of this, it is critical to get the first shot off in an engagement and ensure it is either an eliminating shot or one that cripples the threat to such a capacity that they either cannot engage, will instinctively panic and try to run to repair or determine the engagement location and direction.

The gun is especially versatile and powerful with a wide range of ammunition selection, but the cannon-launched ATGM's and sabot rounds will generally be able to get the job done in most situations. The 20 mm turret roof mounted cannon is great for taking out lightly armoured targets (to include some tanks, ATGM vehicles, etc), anti-air, and aircraft.

Essentially if this tanks is treated like a light tank or fast medium tank, the survivability will increase dramatically. The hydropneumatic suspension allows for positioning the tank in such ways that it can engage from non-conventional spots while exposing only the strongest armour at the threat. The low silhouette makes the tank especially difficult to hit at longer ranges and this can be further enhanced by the adjustable suspension depending on the situation. Because of the accurate cannon, the MBT-70 will also find it to be easy to engage at longer ranges, which will maximize the strengths while reducing the targets.

In summary, the MBT-70 is a great addition to any end game lineup as it provides great flexibility in almost all engagements and is well worth the time and investment to acquire.

===Tactics===
Ambushing is the MBT-70's strength. As covered previously, utilize the speed to get into firing positions quickly and cause chaos and confusion among the enemy. In arcade battles, an MBT-70 can usually reach key positions quicker than even some 10.0 BR main battle tanks. This is only provided if it consistently drives in a linear format.

The MBT-70 can also quickly capture objective points and when used properly, it can hold these positions so long as it does not stay in them for too long.

Scoot and shoot tactics will benefit the MBT-70, as well as terrain masking techniques.

Should the MBT-70 have to fight in closer engagement ranges or in close quarters, it is critical to always remember that the armour will not protect the tank reliably; however, the speed, fast rotating turret, and manoeuvrability will. Provided the player utilise these traits to its advantage, the MBT-70 will be able to control the fight. Recognise when the MBT-70 is being baited into an ambush and avoid them as the MBT-70 doesn't stand a great chance of conducting a counter ambush due to the weak armour, which will allow the MBT-70 to be destroyed easily at close range.

If the MBT-70 finds itself a victim of an ambush from an opponent, launch a smokescreen, escape, and reassess for a counter ambush.

The MBT-70 benefits greatly from squad play. A skilled lone MBT-70 is most certainly a threat on the battlefield, but two or even three MBT-70's working in conjunction with each other in a squad is an extreme danger to the opposing team as the use of squad tactics in combination with the great strengths of the tank can almost completely control the momentum of the conflict.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Stock ammunition consists of the good MGM-51C "Shillelagh" guided missile, means no ammo costs for using it other than a longer reload, plus a decent but inferior HEAT shell.
* Has a top mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon installed which can also be used to defeat lightly armoured vehicles reliably with its 44 mm of penetration.
* Has access to hydropneumatic suspension, useful for hull down engagements.
* Extremely fast in both forwards and reverse.
* Fast acceleration.
* Autoloader means a consistent load rate of 7.5 seconds.
* Decent Optics for the BR.

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reload rate of 7.5 seconds, lower than that of the equal-tiered KPz-70, and worse than T-72s and T-64s.
* Generally less protection from composite armour, relative to other Rank 6 tanks.
* Weak side armour and LFP.
* 20 mm AA gun overheats rather quickly with sustained firing.
* Ammo racks are easy targets and are not entirely covered by its composite armour.
* Vulnerable to the rear due to raised engine deck, it can be solved if hydropneumatic suspension are used.
* Cramped interior, loss of more than one crew member more likely when penetrated.
* APFSDS is terrible for its BR.

== History ==

In the early 1960s, West Germany and the United States began work on a joint project to create a standardized new MBT design that would meet specific requirements set by both nations. The cause for this, was the introduction of the powerful Soviet 115mm smoothbore cannon, mounted on the [[T-62]]. The new cannon presented a serious issue for the respective primary fighting vehicles of the two nations - the [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]] and [[M60]]. Thus, work on the joint project, designated MBT-70 in the US and KPz-70 in West Germany, began in 1964. Right from the start, development was plagued by disagreements between the numerous design team members, due to the differing engineering practices of the two sides. By the time the disagreements were settled, the project has already suffered from several delays, which in addition to other things, inflated the project's budget early on in its development life.

Nevertheless, the result of the combined effort of engineers from both sides was first put to the test in the mid '60s, after the first prototypes were manufactured. The KPz-70 MBT received an innovative design like no other tank before it, in addition to being equipped with some of the latest military equipment of the time, such as hydropneumatic suspension, an autoloading system and laser rangefinding, just to name a few.

However, whilst the MBT/KPz-70 did come equipped with some of the most high-tech equipment of its time, the vehicle did also come with its own set of unique problems. Considered to be way ahead of its time, the designers often faced challenges that neither the German or American side of the team was able to effectively address, making the vehicle quickly exceed both weight limitations as well as budget restrictions. Spiraling development costs and design disagreements eventually lead to the Germans backing out of the project in 1969 to continue work on one of their own designs, before the Americans also abandoned the project a couple years later in 1971, leaving a total of 14 prototypes built.

''- From [[wt:en/news/4923-development-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en/|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_mbt_70 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|uQCn8UpVtDc|'''MBT-70: Tank from the Future''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|POgsyKommVk|'''T-64A versus MBT-70''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:03 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:27 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[KPz-70]] - German counterpart of the same vehicle.
* [[XM-803]] - An American "budget" version of the vehicle.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4923-gamescom-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en|[Devblog] KPz-70 & MBT-70 - A Warrior of Two Armies]]

{{TankManufacturer GM}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

MBT-70

2024-08-12T21:12:54Z

U31618161: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_mbt_70
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''152-mm Gun-Launcher Main Battle Tank 70''' (MBT-70), also known as the [[KPz-70]] in Germany, was a collaborative U.S. and West German initiative to develop a new main battle tank to replace the existing [[M60 (Family)|M60 family of MBT]] during the 1960s. This was intended to combat the new generation of tanks designed by the Soviet Union for the Warsaw Pact. The new tank was planned to have sophisticated features like newly designed hydropneumatic suspension, dual-layer spaced armour, and a 152 mm XM150E5 gun/launcher that could fire both conventional ammunition and the Shillelagh missile for long-range engagement. The tank additionally featured a remotely controlled 20 mm weapon station on the turret roof. Overall, the tank provided nuclear, biological, and chemical protection for the tank crews (NBC protection capability). The tank was anticipated to remain in service into the 1990s, however the program experienced significant challenges from the start, with the United States Army and the German Bundeswehr having diverging doctrines that were not coordinated and were not resolved before the project was too far along to be modified. The Germans were sceptical of the combined gun and missile launcher, and the U.S. Congress was frustrated by the program's increasing budget without results. By the late 1960s, the MBT-70's development had gone far over the allocated funds, prompting West Germany to abandon the project in 1969. The U.S. continued development of the MBT-70 with the [[XM-803]], a project intended to cut down on the costs of the MBT-70 by only utilising American components; however, this was also finally abandoned in 1971. Data and technology from the MBT-70/XM-803 project transferred to the development of the [[M1 Abrams]], while West Germany built the [[Leopard 2 (Family)|Leopard 2]] as its main battle tank.

Introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]], the MBT-70 offers players unique insights into the collaboration of tank development efforts by both the U.S. and West Germany. Despite the program's eventual demise, the MBT-70 gives several unique capabilities for Cold War U.S. Army ground forces players, particularly the capacity to launch anti-tank guided missiles from the gun barrel, which is unusual in Western MBTs but prevalent in Soviet MBTs. Overall, the MBT strikes a good balance between protection, speed, and firepower, allowing players to easily engage most threats.

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

Unlike the Soviet T-64A (its main rival), the MBT-70 does not utilise composite armour, but an air gap that forces munitions penetrating the initial layers to lose their mass by fragmenting apart before moving to the next layer of armour. This general design concept has been in use as far back as World War II and is even used to this day on modern fighting vehicles.

[[Armour#Sloped_armour|Spaced armour]] works wonderfully well against shaped charge munitions or any other munition with explosive filler provided it is of a stronger protection rating. Proceeding weapons and munitions development has seen this benefit decreased with either more powerful or tandem-charge warheads and can be seen in-game against weapons that proceeded different designs of spaced armour. As such, the MBT-70 will find itself against weapons that were designed to defeat spaced armour such as the HOT-K3S ATGM and [[Swingfire|BAE Swingfire]] system that will penetrate it. However, the spaced armour in the MBT-70 works exactly as it was designed to do against older anti-tank missiles, HEAT, HE, and HESH munitions.

The tank mounts no external spaced armour. The armour on the side and rear of the tank is not worth mentioning as it will only stop light machine gun fire and some cannon fire on the turret. Adversary sabot rounds will penetrate clear through the engine and into the crew compartment most likely destroying the MBT-70 if engaged from behind.

An unconventional feature at the time was that the MBT-70 was designed to house all the crew members in the turret. Because of the autoloading system, the need for a loader was eliminated and due to an attempt to further lower the tanks silhouette, the driver was located to the turret with the gunner and commander. This can have potentially devastating consequences on the battlefield as the crew can easily be injured or knocked out by penetrating munitions entering the crew compartment.

For defensive countermeasures, the tank is equipped with two quad barrel externally mounted smoke canister launchers on both sides of the turret, which can provide either a defensive screen for itself or friendly forces. These launchers can be fired in pairs of two. Keep in mind the smoke grenade launchers are operated by the gunner so should the gunner become incapacitated in a fight, the smoke will be unlaunchable until the gunner is replaced by another crew member or by the crew replenishment consumable.

Due to its low profile and effective array of camouflage options, the MBT-70 scores high marks in the concealability category. The addition of various foliage can further increase the ability to conceal the tank.

'''Armour type:'''

* Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 34* mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 23-34 mm (0-55°) ''Top'' 23-35 mm ''Bottom'' || 25.4 mm (12°) ''Top'' 25 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' 12.7 mm (29-45°) ''Engine exhaust'' || 20 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 50-200 mm (0-75°) || 12.7-38* mm (29-34°) || 12.7* mm (27-80°) || 20-50 mm ''Front'' 12.7 mm ''Rear turret''
|-
| Cupola || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Spaced armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 170 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' || '''38 mm sections:''' 320 mm ''Kinetic'' 280 mm ''Chemical'' '''12.7 mm sections:''' 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical'' || 35 mm ''Kinetic'' 40 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 16 mm thick.
* Gun mantlet ring around the gun barrel is 305 mm thick.
* A 16 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* Hull spaced armour configuration is 34 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 46 mm RHA.
* Turret spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 130-33 mm RHA.
* Turret rear spaced armour configuration is 13 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 19 mm RHA.

The MBT-70 is still an average medium tank with weak side armour. Thus, flanking is a good strategy to take for a shot at the weak spots. Go for the ammo, which is located in front of the engine, or in the protruding end of the turret. If in a head on engagement, shoot it directly below the gun, but above the upper glacis. This spot has 250 mm of armour with no composite armour. This shot, if successful, should knock out most of the crew, and maybe even the horizontal drive, allowing for a flank in a fast vehicle.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,286|rbMinHp=1,305}}

The MBT-70 handles like virtually no other vehicle (barring the [[KPz-70]], its German twin) in the game in terms of its ability to pick up and maintain speed over various terrains. Its cross-country mobility is arguably the best currently available in the game, and is one of the many traits that makes the MBT-70 stand out.

The MBT-70 is equipped with a 1,470 horsepower air-cooled Continental V-12 diesel engine. This engine pack produces slightly less power compared to its German counterpart, but both vehicles handle essentially the same.

A highly advantageous feature is the hydropneumatic suspension system which not only provides great cross country mobility but allows the crew to position the vehicle in such a way to only expose the strongest armour at an enemy threat. The suspension can also be used to gain further gun depression by raising the rear of the tank and lowering the front, improving the tank's performance in hull-down scenarios.

The MBT-70 features the standard NATO track and rubber block design. The rubber track blocks provide great traction both off-road and on-road, and minimize sliding during a short halt or drifting.

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

'''<big>Unlock order recommendations</big>'''

'''Tier 1'''

The first modification you should research is Parts, as only one module is needed to unlock Tier 2, and the other Tier 1 modules aren't needed immediately.

'''Tier 2'''

The first Tier 2 modifications you should research are FPE and the XM578A1 APFSDS shell. The MBT-70 catches fire often when hit, and even though teammates can assist you in extingushing it, playing without FPE is still painful. The other important module is the XM578E1 APFSDS shell. While the stock HEAT round may have more penetration, the APFSDS is more consistent damage-wise and doesn't catch on bushes, trees, and fences.

'''Tier 3'''

Three modifications are required to unlock Tier 4, and none of the Tier 3 modules are super important, so the order in which you research them doesn't matter as much. The recommended modules are Crew Repenishment, Smoke Grenades, and Elevation Mechanism. Filters can be swapped in for Elevation Mechanism, but doesn't add much and can be researched later.

'''Tier 4'''

Tier 4 contains the last two essential modifications, the Laser Rangefinder and NVD, which should be researched in that order. The MBT-70 unfortunately does not get access to a thermal imager, making the NVD module less important but still useful. Artillery Support is also helpful but doesn't affect the tank's performance much, so don't go straight for it.

'''Finishing Up'''

The rest of the modifications can be researched in any order, as none of the remaining modules are particularly influential. The least helpful modules, XM410E1, Brake System and Suspension can be left for last.

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

{{main|XM150E5 (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[XM150E5 (152 mm)|152 mm XM150E5]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || Reloading rate rounds (seconds) || Reloading rate ATGM (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Autoloader !! Autoloader
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 34.3 || 47.4 || 57.6 || 63.7 || 67.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.4 || 25.2 || 30.6 || 33.8 || 36.0
|-
|}
One of the most important facets of a tank is its firepower. In this department, the MBT-70 is no slouch. The 152 mm gun launcher system is very similar to the one used on the [[M551|M551 Sheridan]], the main difference being a longer barrel. This change increases the MBT-70's accuracy at range and allows rounds to leave the barrel at higher velocities, thus improving their penetration and overall damage when compared to the Sheridan. The MBT-70 also has access to two experimental rounds unavailable to the Sheridan, which are an APFSDS round and a [[Smoke screen|smoke]] round, as well as the M409A1 HEAT shell and MGM-51C Shillelagh ATGM shared with the Sheridan and [[M60A2|M60A2 Starship]]. This wide range of munition choices gives the operator many options in pre-combat configuration which can either hinder or enhance the tanker's capability on the battlefield.

Additionally, the 152 mm gun launcher is auto-loaded, greatly reducing its time between followup shots on a target.
For targeting, the option to equip a laser range finder is available. Additionally the 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in the turret can be used for range finding as well.

Because of the elevated engine deck, gun depression is significantly worse when firing or aiming the gun over the rear of the tank, but can be counteracted by raising the front of the tank using the hydropneumatic suspension.

==== Ammunition ====
{{:XM150E5 (152 mm)/Ammunition|XM578E1, M409A1, XM410E1, MGM-51C}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 44 ''(+4)'' || 33 ''(+15)'' || 25 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Hull empty: 25 ''(+23)'' shells.
* Racks 4 and 5 deplete top row together first before emptying in the second row.
* The MBT-70 can carry only 6 missiles.

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

{{main|Rh202 (20 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}

The Rheinmetall Rh 202 20 mm auto cannon is highly effective at dealing with light armoured battlefield threats and on some tanks exposed sides or rears. In some situations, it may be more beneficial to utilise the 20 mm as it will allow the tank to deal damage rapidly while conserving the main cannon ammunition. The cannon is also highly effective at shooting down low flying attackers. Note that if the commander is knocked out, the 20 mm will be unable to be used.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh202 (20 mm)|20 mm Rh202]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 750 (750) || 900 || -9°/+65° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The tank plays very much like the [[M41A1|M41A1 Walker Bulldog]]. Players familiar with the hit and run play style will easily adapt to the MBT-70. Its fast speed, especially with full upgrades and aced crew, allows it to manoeuvre into spots not typically accessible by less mobile tanks. Utilize this to an advantage to set up ambushes as this is how the MBT-70 will get most victories. It's important to recognize when an engagement is not beneficial to the tank so that it can re-position itself or escape from the threat.

Despite the initial appearance of strong frontal armour, it's important to remember when compared to its counterparts at its rank, it is not nearly enough to defeat threats head on such as the [[T-64A (1971)|T-64A]]. Even ATGM from missile vehicles such as the [[RakJPz 2 (HOT)|Raketenjagdpanzer 2 HOT]] will penetrate the turret and upper glacis plate. Even other Rank V tanks can and will penetrate from the front. Because of the rather condensed placement of crew and ammunition, the MBT-70 will most likely be destroyed with one shot. Because of this, it is critical to get the first shot off in an engagement and ensure it is either an eliminating shot or one that cripples the threat to such a capacity that they either cannot engage, will instinctively panic and try to run to repair or determine the engagement location and direction.

The gun is especially versatile and powerful with a wide range of ammunition selection, but the cannon-launched ATGM's and sabot rounds will generally be able to get the job done in most situations. The 20 mm turret roof mounted cannon is great for taking out lightly armoured targets (to include some tanks, ATGM vehicles, etc), anti-air, and aircraft.

Essentially if this tanks is treated like a light tank or fast medium tank, the survivability will increase dramatically. The hydropneumatic suspension allows for positioning the tank in such ways that it can engage from non-conventional spots while exposing only the strongest armour at the threat. The low silhouette makes the tank especially difficult to hit at longer ranges and this can be further enhanced by the adjustable suspension depending on the situation. Because of the accurate cannon, the MBT-70 will also find it to be easy to engage at longer ranges, which will maximize the strengths while reducing the targets.

In summary, the MBT-70 is a great addition to any end game lineup as it provides great flexibility in almost all engagements and is well worth the time and investment to acquire.

===Tactics===
Ambushing is the MBT-70's strength. As covered previously, utilize the speed to get into firing positions quickly and cause chaos and confusion among the enemy. In arcade battles, an MBT-70 can usually reach key positions quicker than even some 10.0 BR main battle tanks. This is only provided if it consistently drives in a linear format.

The MBT-70 can also quickly capture objective points and when used properly, it can hold these positions so long as it does not stay in them for too long.

Scoot and shoot tactics will benefit the MBT-70, as well as terrain masking techniques.

Should the MBT-70 have to fight in closer engagement ranges or in close quarters, it is critical to always remember that the armour will not protect the tank reliably; however, the speed, fast rotating turret, and manoeuvrability will. Provided the player utilise these traits to its advantage, the MBT-70 will be able to control the fight. Recognise when the MBT-70 is being baited into an ambush and avoid them as the MBT-70 doesn't stand a great chance of conducting a counter ambush due to the weak armour, which will allow the MBT-70 to be destroyed easily at close range.

If the MBT-70 finds itself a victim of an ambush from an opponent, launch a smokescreen, escape, and reassess for a counter ambush.

The MBT-70 benefits greatly from squad play. A skilled lone MBT-70 is most certainly a threat on the battlefield, but two or even three MBT-70's working in conjunction with each other in a squad is an extreme danger to the opposing team as the use of squad tactics in combination with the great strengths of the tank can almost completely control the momentum of the conflict.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Composite armour greatly enhances its survivability on the battlefield
* Stock ammunition consists of the good MGM-51C "Shillelagh" guided missile, means no ammo costs for using it other than a longer reload, plus a decent but inferior HEAT shell.
* Has a top mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon installed which can also be used to defeat lightly armoured vehicles reliably with its 44 mm of penetration.
* Has access to hydropneumatic suspension, useful for hull down engagements.
* Extremely fast in both forwards and reverse.
* Fast acceleration.
* Autoloader means a consistent load rate of 7.5 seconds.

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reload rate of 7.5 seconds, lower than that of the equal-tiered KPz-70, and worse than T-72s and T-64s.
* Generally less protection from composite armour, relative to other Rank 6 tanks.
* Weak side armour and LFP.
* 20 mm AA gun overheats rather quickly with sustained firing.
* Ammo racks are easy targets and are not entirely covered by its composite armour.
* Vulnerable to the rear due to raised engine deck, it can be solved if hydropneumatic suspension are used.
* Cramped interior, loss of more than one crew member more likely when penetrated.
* APFSDS is terrible for its BR.

== History ==

In the early 1960s, West Germany and the United States began work on a joint project to create a standardized new MBT design that would meet specific requirements set by both nations. The cause for this, was the introduction of the powerful Soviet 115mm smoothbore cannon, mounted on the [[T-62]]. The new cannon presented a serious issue for the respective primary fighting vehicles of the two nations - the [[Leopard I|Leopard 1]] and [[M60]]. Thus, work on the joint project, designated MBT-70 in the US and KPz-70 in West Germany, began in 1964. Right from the start, development was plagued by disagreements between the numerous design team members, due to the differing engineering practices of the two sides. By the time the disagreements were settled, the project has already suffered from several delays, which in addition to other things, inflated the project's budget early on in its development life.

Nevertheless, the result of the combined effort of engineers from both sides was first put to the test in the mid '60s, after the first prototypes were manufactured. The KPz-70 MBT received an innovative design like no other tank before it, in addition to being equipped with some of the latest military equipment of the time, such as hydropneumatic suspension, an autoloading system and laser rangefinding, just to name a few.

However, whilst the MBT/KPz-70 did come equipped with some of the most high-tech equipment of its time, the vehicle did also come with its own set of unique problems. Considered to be way ahead of its time, the designers often faced challenges that neither the German or American side of the team was able to effectively address, making the vehicle quickly exceed both weight limitations as well as budget restrictions. Spiraling development costs and design disagreements eventually lead to the Germans backing out of the project in 1969 to continue work on one of their own designs, before the Americans also abandoned the project a couple years later in 1971, leaving a total of 14 prototypes built.

''- From [[wt:en/news/4923-development-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en/|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_mbt_70 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|uQCn8UpVtDc|'''MBT-70: Tank from the Future''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|POgsyKommVk|'''T-64A versus MBT-70''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:03 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:27 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[KPz-70]] - German counterpart of the same vehicle.
* [[XM-803]] - An American "budget" version of the vehicle.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4923-gamescom-kpz-70-mbt-70-a-warrior-of-two-armies-en|[Devblog] KPz-70 & MBT-70 - A Warrior of Two Armies]]

{{TankManufacturer GM}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]