War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

ADATS

2021-03-10T16:20:35Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */ Is this a joke? Its main way of defeating tanks is with ATGMs. That is not a weakness.

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

== Description ==


The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

It's essentially an [[M3 Bradley]] with a heavily modified turret. The crew was moved away from the turret and controlls it via interface in the back of the tank. The turret is fully automatic and now carries two enormous missile racks, a radar and the same old gun is tweaked to fire three times faster.

While designations for this tank go all over the place, Bradley ADATS can be simply called a multi-purpose tank, as it can fight fast jets and heavier tanks alike with missiles, while dealing with lightly armored tanks and slower aircraft by using a gun and/or missiles.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Aluminium alloy 5083 (Hull front, turret)
* Aluminium alloy 7039 (Hull sides, rear, optics)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull plates)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 25.4 mm + 6.35 mm (39-60°) ''Upper glacis'' 25.4 mm (7-39°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25.4 mm + 6-6.35 mm || 25.4 mm + 6.35 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
| Turret || 12.7 mm ''Turret front'' 25.4 mm ''Gun mantlet'' 19 mm ''Optics housing'' || 12.7 mm || 6.35-12.7 mm || 12.7 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick
* Tracks are 15 mm thick

The '''Bradley ADATS''' boasts the same protection as the regular '''[[M3 Bradley]]''' hull-wise, with one key difference being that the side armour is thinner by 19 mm. High-calibre machine guns such as the 20 mm's on French MBTs will easily penetrate the sides and at times even the front part of the hull. It's not advisable to use the '''Bradley ADATS''' as a front-line vehicle but rather as a second-line support vehicle by setting up in key-points around maps.

[[File:Bradley ADATS Side-view.jpg|thumb|300x300px|The gap between the Loader/Gunner and the Driver visualized with a green square. Also, you can see the unmanned turret.]]
One upside for the '''Bradley ADATS''' is that the turret is completely unmanned, meaning that any Armour-piercing shells will over-penetrate with no injuries to the crew at all (be aware that explosive shells can cause the rockets to explode and instantly destroy the vehicle). The three crew members are situated in the hull with a massive empty space between the loader/gunner and the driver when approached from the side. Every enemy you face will most likely over-penetrate that section and do minimal damage to the vehicle itself.

Overall, the '''Bradley ADATS''' can be quite a 'meme' vehicle as it can sometimes sustain 5-7 direct hits even centre-hull, seeing as most rounds just pierce and exit the armour without generating shrapnel, over-penetrating and forcing enemies to snipe for crew members.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=720|rbMinHp=448}}

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

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

{{main|M242 (25 mm)}}

The main armament of the ADATS is the M242 25 mm automatic cannon, the same as found on the M3 Bradley, but enjoys a faster rate of fire (500 rounds per minute, compared to the Bradley's 201 rounds per minute). When stock, like most AA vehicles, it starts with a belt of equal parts armour-piercing and high-explosive, though it is worth mentioning the AP rounds are sabot rounds with 101 mm of penetration at 100 meters against flat armour. This allows it to easily and effectively take on both air and ground threats simultaneously without needing to worry about ammunition costs. However, should you wish to use this vehicle in a dedicated anti-aircraft role, you can unlock a belt with three parts HE to one AP in Tier I modifications. This must be unlocked in order to unlock M791, the AP belt. With this belt, dealing with any and all lightly armoured vehicles and even quite a few of the MBT's is possible from the side. In regards to how much you should take, you may as well take a full ammunition load. At any range, this vehicle can and will be penetrated by any vehicle that looks in its general direction, so it's not like your armour is going to stop you from being ammo-racked by fin-stabilized sabot anyway. Also, due to the cannon's high-ish rate of fire and ammunition count of 600 rounds, it's worth taking as much as you can carry.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M242 (25 mm)|25 mm M242]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 600 (300) || rowspan="2" | 500 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+59° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 61.6 || 85.3 || 103.6 || 114.6 || 121.9 || rowspan="2" | 0.26 || rowspan="2" | 0.23 || rowspan="2" | 0.21 || rowspan="2" | 0.20
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 41.6 || 49.0 || 59.5 || 65.8 || 70.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}
* '''M792:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}
* '''M791:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 81 || 80 || 76 || 70 || 66 || 61
|-
| M792 || 81 || 80 || 76 || 70 || 66 || 61
|-
| M791 || 81 || 80 || 76 || 70 || 66 || 61
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''Belts: 2'''
'''Rounds: 600'''
| 0 ''(+2)''
0 ''(+600)''
|No
|-
|}


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

{{main|MIM146}}

Secondary armament of the ADATS (or primary, depending on how you choose to play it) are the MIM146 dual purpose guided missiles. You can effectively use these against any target you can point them at, due to the facts that they air-burst near aircraft, usually one-hit killing them with the 7.86 kilos of TNT equivalent, and have 900 mm of penetration against armoured targets. With a velocity of 1,200 m/s, aiming these things and tracking moving targets isn't an issue whatsoever. You point, you click, and the target usually dies in a single hit. In the event that, by some miracle of God himself, the target persists in clinging to their life, you can fire the MIM's as fast as you'd like to, meaning follow-up shots are quick and easy, and with the aforementioned 900 mm of penetration, anything you shoot these at WILL be penetrated, unless the angle of impact is extreme.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[MIM146]] missile
|-
! Capacity
! Vertical guidance
! Flight speed (m/s)
! Range (m)
|-
| 8 || 0°/+85° || 1,200 || 10,500
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| MIM146 || ATGM || 900 || 900 || 900 || 900 || 900 || 900
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| MIM146 || ATGM || 1,200 || 51.0 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 7,860 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Stock Gameplay:'''

As with any vehicle, the ADATS finds itself at a disadvantage while stock. Without access to the thermal vision devices, players will need to be more alert in order to spot enemies. While other modifications like artillery or smoke grenades can be helpful, the lack of thermals is a much larger issue. However the ADATS is relatively well off stock compared to most high tier vehicles, as the stock 25mm belts include APDS rounds, and the radar is capable of spotting air targets for you.

'''Spaded Gameplay:'''

The ADATS is an excellent multi-purpose support vehicle when spaded. Being able to target both enemy tanks and enemy aircraft, it can be a great tool for the team. However, there are some limitations to the vehicle, namely the low missile count and lack of armor. While survivability is decent due to the empty turret, the armor is very thin and the missiles can sometimes explode when hit. This means that the ADATS does best sitting behind friendly tanks, in a support role. Additionally the missiles can run out quickly, as there are only 8 to engage both air and ground targets. ADATS players should try and conserve their missiles, as they are very valuable.

'''Close Range Engagements:'''

The ADATS is capable at close range, but it will die very easily to enemy fire. The 25mm bushmaster autocannon can penetrate the side armor of most enemy tanks, but it will not disable the enemy as quickly as their large cannons are capable of killing the ADATS. The ADATS missiles can be useful at close range as well.

'''Long Range Engagements:'''

The ADATS is more capable at long range, where it can rely on thermal vision and the very fast ADATS missiles to disable enemy targets. The only issue at long range is the low amount of missiles, so shots should be taken with care. Additionally, the ADATS can be quickly disabled if the hull is exposed, so staying hull down is advised. The radar should also be turned off and on as needed, as it provides a good indicator of where you are for enemy ground vehicles, but is very useful in spotting air targets.

'''Gameplay summary:'''

The ADATS is an excellent support vehicle, able to defend teammates from both enemy air and ground threats. The ADATS missiles are excellent at disabling any target, although the low ammo count should be considered. The ADATS is also capable of locking an enemy aircraft without alerting their RWR, by turning off the radar.

One must take excellent care in their method of positioning, however, due to the implementation of the hullbreak mechanic on this vehicle. You can no longer use your turret as a sponge against MBTs to soak up damage, as a single round can easily send you back to the hanger, even if it were a glancing hit.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has access to 8 x multi-purpose missiles, can effectively eliminate both aircraft and tanks
* Missiles can penetrate up to 900 mm of armour
* Missiles are incredibly fast with a speed of 1,200 m/s
* Powerful 25 mm cannon with good APDS for ground targets and HE ammunition for use against air targets
* Gunner operates the turret and weapons from behind protective hull instead of being in the turret itself
* Built on the chassis of M3 Bradley- good mobility and acceptable armour
* Modifications are researched fairly quickly
* Effective radar with good range
* Can lock on to aircraft with the radar disabled as the ADATS tracks using an electro-optical targeting system, making sneak attacks easy
* Missiles can even be fired without lock on and retain their proximity fuse against aircraft
* Longest range SAMs in the game; 10 km, making it the only SAM system that can match the Ka-50's Vikr ATGMs for range

'''Cons:'''

* Thin armour is not effective against larger cannons
* High profile makes it hard to conceal, it is easily spotted
* Can be destroyed if directly rammed by a plane (hull-break)
* The three crew members are all situated within the hull, and can all be rendered unconscious if a shot penetrates the hull
* The missiles are essentially giant exposed ammo-racks
* No stabiliser makes firing on the move difficult and increases time to aim the weapons when suddenly breaking
* Missiles cannot be fired on the move, only guided
* Suffers heavily from the [[Damage mechanics#Hull-break|Hull Break]] mechanic

== History ==

The ADATS was developed at the end of the 1980s as a general-purpose weapon capable of bringing down low-flying airborne targets as well as armoured opponents. Hence the abbreviation: Air Defence Anti-Tank System. The system was comprised of radar for detecting and tracking targets, a complex radio kit for coordinating multiple vehicles, and eight MIM-146 guided missiles in transport and launch containers. The US Army version was built on the Bradley IFV chassis and fitted with a 25 mm autocannon. Notwithstanding the fact that it was selected after a US Army competition for the Forward Area Air-Defence program, it was found to be excessively expensive to manufacture and never made it to serial production on the Bradley chassis.

''-From [[wt:en/news/6173-development-bradley-adats-one-to-rule-them-all-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|luvhoX8Ht1I|'''New anti-air defence''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:59 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6173-development-bradley-adats-one-to-rule-them-all-en|[Devblog] Bradley ADATS: One to Rule Them All]]

{{USA tank destroyers}}

AH-1S

2021-02-11T05:13:15Z

U33573736:

{{About
| about = Japanese attack helicopter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = AH-1 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ah_1s_late
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese attack helicopter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

This helicopter is the exact same variant as the [[AH-1S Kisarazu]] and comes with a shark mouth skin.

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

The AH-1S has a single turboshaft T53-L-703 power plant, providing up to 1351 BHP & 220 kgf with a mass of 350 kg. This turboshaft engine is able to push the AH-1S to speeds in excess of 277 km/h whilst carrying wing-mounted armaments.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 255 || 243 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}}
|-
! Upgraded
| 295 || 277
|-
|}

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


The AH-1S is an armoured attack helicopter offering protection to the crew and engine:

* Composite boron carbide seat enclosures, for both of the crew, with a thickness of 20 mm.
* A steel seat, which offers a thickness of 12 mm for the pilot only.
* Steel plate covers, offering 12 mm of thickness over the turboshaft engine.

The AH-1S compensates with its small size compared to the [[Mi-24 (Family)|Mi-24 Hinds]] which are incredibly well armoured but are huge and much less nimble in comparison. However, the AH-1S does not protect all of its critical components, such as the fuel tanks, transmission, propeller shaft, and control surfaces, with armour plating, nor does it have armoured glass installed around the cockpit.

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

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

{{main|M197 (20 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 20 mm M197 cannon (750 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Heli-Suspended}}

{{main|BGM-71 TOW|BGM-71 TOW-2|FFAR Mighty Mouse|M134 Minigun (7.62 mm)}}

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

* Without load
* 28 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns (1,500 rpg = 3,000 total)
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns + 14 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 4 x BGM-71 TOW missiles
* 8 x BGM-71 TOW missiles
* 4 x BGM-71 TOW missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 8 x BGM-71 TOW missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns + 4 x BGM-71 TOW missiles
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns + 8 x BGM-71 TOW missiles
* 4 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles
* 8 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles
* 4 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 8 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns + 4 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles
* 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns + 8 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles

== Usage in battles ==

When playing the AH-1S, select the helipad which is in the ideal tactical location for your playstyle. Climb to around 1,500 meters, find a target, then descend on to them. For optimal effectiveness, it is important that you engage them from the rear or the side. As pilots primarily scan in front of themselves for targets, attacking from behind will give you the advantage of not being seen. When shadowing the target, approach as fast as possible to close the gap to within TOW range. After slowing, engage the sight stabilizer and fire the TOW missile and guide it to the target.

If the target tries to evade, keep the missile on the target and adjust to counter any manoeuvres your adversary may attempt.

Perhaps most importantly, if out of TOW range, the missile will self-detonate and could give your position away, if your adversary is attentive and sees the explosion.

{{Notice|Remember you only have around one and a half miles before the missiles will detonate by themselves, you can only select to carry either 4 or 8 BGM-71 TOW missiles.|!}}

After gaining experience while playing with the BGM-71 missiles, you will be able to determine when you are within range based on that experience. This also applies to any other type of missile in the game too.

When engaging in close quarters combat with other helicopters, the biggest threats are air to air missiles- The AH-1S does not offer any protection against them with countermeasures such as flares or IRCM. This means you need to stay alert, active & on the lookout for fast moving dots. If you see a small fast dot heading towards you, make very sharp abrupt turns, change height at the same time while turning and rolling.

{{Notice|These are the biggest threats to you in battle since they can carry air-to-air missiles|!!}}

* [[AH-1Z|AH-1Z Viper]]
* [[Mi-24P|Mi-24P Hind]]
* [[Mi-24V|Mi-24V Hind]]
* [[SA.341F Gazelle]]
* [[SA.342M Gazelle]]

{{Notice|You may even be able to shoot down missiles with the installed 20 mm triple rotary M197 cannon.|!}}

When engaging other helicopters, the triple barrel rotary cannon makes short work of any adversary. Make sure to load it with the air target belt, aim for critical elements of the rival helicopters such as cockpit, engine and fuel tanks. If you have equipped your helicopter with the additional twin M134 miniguns, bring your target in front of you and open fire. They will obliterate the target and send a flaming wreck to the ground. The fast fire rate will chew through ammo at a rapid rate, but when fully loaded have 3,000 rounds in total. That's 1,500 rounds per mini gun, in addition to the 750 cannon rounds for the M197, potentially up to 3,750 rounds total!

====Ground forces====

Playing the AH-1S in ground forces, it is recommended to load up the 8 x BGM-71 TOW-2 missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse missiles. The BG-71 will give you the penetration at range in order to terminate tankers and with safety from the anti-aircraft missile equipped anti-air vehicles. It is a wise tactic that anti-aircraft missile equipped anti-air vehicles to be terminated first. Then once terminated, move into the battlefield and dominate the tanks with the 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse missiles, which can cause a lot of damage and could potentially terminate up to 38 tanks with well-placed shots.

The ideal tactic is to utilize the helicopter and the terrain. Such as maps which have forests and lots of tree lines, stay low over the trees and select your targets based on the threat to yourself first, then the impact to the team.

For example, if you have seen no enemy SPAA vehicles or other helicopters, climb in height, hover, then fire one or two missiles. Then quickly break off the hover and move to another part of the map, this way it allows you to stay undetected, remain stealthy and become a major threat to the enemy team.

Handling radar and surface-to-air missiles, when an enemy missile equipped SPAA is achieving a lock on, you will be notified with red arrows on the screen saying radar. To break the lock start rolling, gaining speed and the arrows will go away. If you are not successful, keep a close watch around the helicopter. At this, you will see white smoke coming from the ground, make very sharp abrupt turns. Change height at the same time while turning and rolling to avoid the missile.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great manoeuvrability
* Very agile, with secondary load outs installed
* Good secondary weapon loadout
* IR Thermal vision for cannon/ATGM camera and image intensifier for the pilot/gunner
* Joystick specific handling characteristics:
** Easy to recover from adverse roll (retreating blade stall) at high speeds
** Has SAS mode assistance support (Dampening mode only)
** Good pitch authority at high speeds 

'''Cons:'''

* Slow takeoff spool-up and acceleration
* No missile protection
* No IRCM
* No air-to-air missiles
* Poor missile range of 3.75km (TOW-2 missiles)
* Somewhat heavy even without additional ordinances,
** Strong tendency to fall into a vortex ring state
* Joystick specific handling characteristics:
** Retains energy rather poorly in turns
** Rotor RPM tends to drop easily
** Moderately strong adverse roll (retreating blade stall) at high speeds with poor roll control
** Has a light tendency to nose over but generally doesn't tend to fall into an inverted spin
** Moderately poor adverse yaw/roll/pitch stability characteristics
** Center of gravity sits behind the stub wings' center of lift

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter 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 ==

[[File:AH-1S WTWallpaper 003.jpg|thumb|none|400px]]

== See also ==


;Related development

*Bell [[AH-1 (Family)|AH-1]] SuperCobra
*Bell [[AH-1Z]] Viper
*Bell [[UH-1 (Family)|UH-1]] Iroquois

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

*Agusta [[A-129 International|A129]] Mangusta

== External links ==

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

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

{{AirManufacturer Fuji}}
{{Japan helicopters}}

MiG-21SMT

2020-11-08T05:37:25Z

U33573736: Spelling

{{Specs-Card|code=mig-21_smt}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]].

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


As an evolution of the previous [[MiG-21F-13|MiG-21 F-13]], the {{PAGENAME}} inherits some flight characteristics of its older sibling.

Both of them can pull high angle-of-attack (AoA) which enables its pilot to easily get guns on target at the cost of extreme speed loss. Both of them are light aircraft which enables them to climb with ease. And both of them have high wing loading, which can hinder manoeuvrability, particularly at high altitudes where the atmosphere is thinner. However, that's where the similarities end, as the {{PAGENAME}} comes with upgrades, most notably removed armour which shaved 500 kg off its scale and an uprated engine, the R-13F-300, which outputs 5722 kgf, 700 more than R-11F-300 on MiG-21 F-13. In practice, this means that the {{PAGENAME}} is best in class when it comes to acceleration and climbing performance.

Manoeuvrability wise, SMT is extremely nimble at lower altitudes, where its high AoA can outweigh its high wing load, and high acceleration can mitigate speed loss, allowing it to pull hard turns, provided the pilot monitors the speed. At high altitudes, the story is different, as it proves to be very unresponsive, leaving the user vulnerable to attacks, particularly to missiles. One more characteristic any prospecting user should note is that the aircraft tends to break its wings beyond 11 G, and considering the {{PAGENAME}} will merrily pull over 12 G at high speed turns if the boosters modification is equipped, unequipping it may help if the pilot has trouble with wings ripping.

When it comes to raw straight-line speed, the {{PAGENAME}} can get to its top speed much faster than its contemporary fighters at any altitude. In fact, speed should always be monitored, as it can easily reach its relatively high wing speed limit of ~1300 km/h indicated airspeed (IAS), even at level flight. High acceleration and high top speed mean that the {{PAGENAME}} is more than able to intercept almost any target, the only exception being [[F-4C Phantom II|F-4C]] which is already sitting at its top speed. One more notable feature is that due to its low weight and high thrust, energy management is a breeze and the aircraft will quickly both lose and gain speed, which may prove useful when trying to stay on the target's back.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 13,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,164 || 2,126 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 36.8 || 37.8 || 136.9 || 128.0 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,318 || 2,240 || 35.4 || 36.0 || 196.3 || 165.0
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 550 || 450 || ~11 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 650 || < 600 || < 780 || N/A
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="9" | Wing Performance (Clean Configuration)
|-
! colspan="4" |Maximum Climb
(Use Mach Number until IAS lowers to the appropriate value)
! colspan="2" |Efficiency
! colspan="3" |Limits
|-
! Mach Number !! IAS (km/h)
(max-zero fuel)
! Nose Angle (Sea Level, Degrees)
(max-zero fuel)
!Climb Rate (m/s)
(max-zero fuel)
!Best Glide (km/h)
(max-zero fuel)
!Best Glide
Angle, Ratio

(Degrees, ratio)
!Critical Angle of Attack
(Degrees)
!Zero-Thrust 1G Stall (km/h)
(max-zero fuel)
!Corner Speed (km/h)
|-
| 0.90 || ~950-680 || 44-65
|280-195
|~900-640
|~4.1, ~14:1
|25
|278-216
|850
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Tumansky R-13F-300 || 1
| colspan="2" | 5,950 kg || colspan="2" | 360 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel
|-
| 1,135 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 6,761 kg || 7,739 kg || 8,267 kg || 9,900 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 3,917 kgf || 7,295 kgf
| 1.08 || 0.94 || 0.88 || 0.74
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 3,917 kgf (0 km/h) || 7,850 kgf (1,200 km/h)
| 1.16 || 1.01 || 0.95 || 0.79
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


The {{PAGENAME}} is a light fighter and its survivability reflects that. It lacks armour and the airframe is fragile. On top of it all, MiG-21, in general, has a very unstable airframe, which means that any changes to its aerodynamic properties may make it difficult to control. Exercise caution when flying it.

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

{{main|GSh-23L (23 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon, belly-mounted (200 rpg)

The GSh-23L fires at a rate of 3,396 rounds per minute, which leaves the plane with a 3.53 second firing time.

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|OFAB-250-270 (250 kg)|FAB-500M-54 (500 kg)}}
{{main|R-3R|R-3S|R-60|S-5K|S-24}}

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

* Without load
* 64 x S-5K rockets
* 96 x S-5K rockets
* 4 x S-24 rockets
* 4 x R-3S missiles
* 4 x R-3R missiles
* 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x R-3S missiles
* 4 x R-60 missiles
* 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x R-60 missiles
* 2 x R-3S missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
* 2 x R-3R missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
* 2 x R-60 missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
* 2 x R-3S missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
* 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
* 2 x R-60 missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
* 4 x 250 kg OFAB-250-270 bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 2 x 250 kg OFAB-250-270 bombs + 2 x R-3S missiles (500 kg total)
* 2 x 250 kg OFAB-250-270 bombs + 2 x R-3R missiles (500 kg total)
* 2 x 250 kg OFAB-250-270 bombs + 2 x R-60 missiles (500 kg total)

The {{PAGENAME}} can be armed with both anti-air missiles and ground strike ordinance on its four hard-point pylons under the wing. While most of the weapons can be seen on other aircraft, the unique weapon that this aircraft can carry is R-60 IR air-to-air missile. Compared to R-3S which can be found on most Russian aircraft capable of launching missiles, R-60 has a much more sophisticated IR tracking system, allowing it to track targets up to 5 km away, and keep them on its sights at a much faster pace, which results in a reliable lock that not many targets can shake off. R-60 can also be fired in a wider range of situations, as the missile can track targets while on the pylon. This is critical to how the missile works which means that the missile has a much higher launch load factor and is able to intercept targets immediately after being launched. This is much different than the R-3S which tracks targets only half a second after launch and needs the platform to stay still in order to track the target, leaving the aircraft vulnerable to attacks. R-60 is a much smaller missile than R-3S, weighing at 44 kg instead of 77 kg that an R-3S weighs. Missile's explosive payload is also significantly smaller, weighing at 3.5 kg. Rocket motors on R-60 are much smaller than on R-3S and this means that R-60 is much slower than R-3S, and even though it can lock on targets at 5 km, it has a lower range than R-3S. In practice, R-60 is a reliable and potent anti-aircraft weapon that excels at taking out even nimble targets in dogfights at ranges from 300 m to 2 km but is unable to reach targets beyond 3 km due to its less powerful rocket motors. R-3S, however, can only be used reliably at targets which are not paying attention or are unable to react quickly to a missile launch, but they can also be used to intercept targets at much further ranges than R-60.

When it comes to dumb-fire rockets, {{PAGENAME}} can carry S-5K 55 mm rockets and S-24 240 mm rockets. S-5K have a small warhead that is able to penetrate 150 mm of armour at 0°. However, due to their small warhead, they need a direct hit on the target in order to do any damage and even if they do connect, the damage is minimal to any armoured target. S-24, though, is a 235 kg behemoth, capable of taking out most targets with a single hit.

== Usage in battles ==


Combining its ability to pull high angle-of-attack on demand, excellent acceleration, high top speed and powerful dogfighting weaponry, {{PAGENAME}} is a potent air superiority dogfighter/interceptor. It allows the pilot to intercept any target, quickly get on its back and stay there, while also giving the user a safety net in the shape of its acceleration that enables it to break from any engagement with ease. If the pilot is feeling less adventurous, a slow and methodical boom and zoom attrition on the enemy air targets is also a possibility. However, it should be noted that at high altitudes, the aircraft is not responsive due to its high wing load and may pose an easy target to more nimble foes. While MiG-21 SMT can handle air targets with ease, ground targets may pose more of a problem, due to its lacklustre ground attack weaponry, fragile airframe and its low turn rate which may spell doom for its user trying to pull from a dive. Not all is lost, as it still has access to S-24 rockets, which can easily crack even the most hardened ground target.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Compressor
|
| Offensive 23 mm
| FAB-250
| FAB-500
|-
| II
| New boosters
|
| Airframe
|
| UB-16
| R-3S
|-
| III
| Wings repair
|
|
| New 23 mm cannons
| UB-32
|R-3R
|-
| IV
| G-suit
| Engine
| Cover
|
| C-24
| R-60
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High thrust-to-weight ratio
* Excellent acceleration from 1,000 - 1,200 km/h
* Excellent rate of climb, can maintain mach 1+ at 30 degrees
* R-60 missile is second highest G loading missile in-game (can lock on in some side aspect scenarios)
* Maintains speed in turns better than the [[MiG-21 F-13|MiG-21F-13]]
* Its RP-22SM radar has high tracking range
* Much higher rate of fire than earlier cannon-armed Soviet jets
* Has a radar-warning-receiver (RWR)
* Can perform a cobra with full real controls

'''Cons:'''

* Belly-mounted cannon can cause shots to go lower than expected
* Less agile than other MiG-21 variants
* Extra care on takeoff and landing must be taken to prevent the ventral fin from hitting the runway
* Using afterburner on the deck can overspeed the aircraft even in a slight climb
** The SMT variant has a significantly increased chance of breakup above the redline compared to the F-13 (Do not linger above redline at all if possible)
* [[R-60]] has less explosive mass than [[R-3S]]
* Radar is of shorter detection range than most competitors
* Currently lacks flares (1.99.1.105)

== History ==

The MiG-21 was a supersonic interceptor aircraft designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (Mikoyan OKB) located in the Soviet Union. The development of the aircraft began in early 1950's, when Mikoyan OKB finished their first design of the aircraft designated as Ye-1. However, the prototype was quickly determined to be too under-powered, and led to the a redesign of the aircraft, designated Ye-2. Both of these aircraft and the prototype to follow had swept back wings, such as those found on the MiG-15. The first prototype to have the signature delta wings of the MiG-21 was the Ye-4. The aircraft made it's maiden flight on June 16th, 1955, and made its first public appearance during the Soviet Aviation Display at Moscow's Tushino Airfield in July 1956. The MiG 21 became the Soviet Unions first successful fighter and interceptor aircraft, it was lightweight, and had a powerful afterburner, allowing it to reach speeds of up to Mach 2, and was comparable to the French Dassault Mirage III, and American Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter at the time. However, the aircraft had a short range, which was worsened by the poor placement of its fuel tanks. Due to this, the development of the MiG-21 SMT began. The SMT variant of the MiG-21 contained more fuel tanks in the spine of the aircraft, which resulted in the aircraft being hard to fly as a result of the enlarged spine. The fuel tank however, did give the aircraft an increased range of up to 250 km (155 mi). The SMT variant also had an electronic countermeasures capability. The MiG-21 SMT is no longer in service.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=fighter&vehicle=mig-21_smt Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|M1QGN0ge4C8|'''The Shooting Range #181''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:29 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|vhTZXYk6eao|'''Tank busters''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:19 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* {{Specs-Link|mig-21_mf}}
* {{Specs-Link|mig-21_f13}}

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

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

{{AirManufacturer MiG}}
{{USSR jet aircraft}}

T-54 (1947)

2020-08-10T23:46:46Z

U33573736: Not true

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_54_1947}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-54 (1947).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. This medium tank was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. The T-54 mod. 1947 is the first of the three T-54 variants in the game, and it features the best frontal hull armour of its variants albeit with the weakest turret and gun ammunition. The T-54 is a tank that excels in close-range engagements, where its relatively poor gun performance is less of an issue, and its frontal armour and stopping power can be used to its greatest potential.

The T-54 mod. 1947 is the first T-54 tank available to the player. A good throw-back to player's experience is in the gun, which is the same as the one on the [[T-44-100]], though with a better APCR ammunition. The firepower, speed, and armour of the T-54 makes it an amazing tank and can be played in a variety of roles, ranging from a short-range brawler, a support tank, and a sniper. Basically, the tank has a Jack-of-all-Trade characteristic and can be easily exploited to the player's advantage on the battlefield.

The T-54 is a beautifully armoured tank. Unlike its [[T-54 (1949)|successors]], the model 1947 has more armour at 120 mm thick front hull compared to the 100 mm in the next variants. This means that the front hull armour is vastly superior, but keep in mind that despite that the side armour is still only 80 mm thick. Thus it is actually best to minimize hull angling so the enemy cannot hit the weak side armour and cripple the tank.

The T-54 mod. 1947 does have an "Achille's heel". The biggest weakness is the "trap shot" under the gun mantlet, and the enemy will know about it from experience. Take note of this weakness and hide it by only exposing the top part of the turret if possible. The significance of the trap shot is that tanks like the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] and [[Panther II]], which cannot penetrate through the front hull, can indeed penetrate through the shot trap.

The T-54 mod. 1947 position on the battle rating scale has it gets put into a lower battle rating bracket frequently, making it likely to fight tanks that don't have powerful guns to obliterate it. However, if up tiered, the T-54 will have to start being played conservatively as there will suddenly be a lot of enemy tanks able to destroy the T-54.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 120 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 120 mm (53°) ''Lower glacis'' || 80 mm || 45 mm (18°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (73°) ''Lower'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 200 mm (2-74°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 160 mm (19-46°) ''Lower'' 125 mm (34-42°) ''Upper'' || 50 mm (6-54°) || 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 100 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* The first series of the legendary T-54 has got the strongest frontal armour, 120 mm instead of the later version's 100 mm. Albeit the turret is the weakest one. The big side profile and a rather flat side and rear turret form.
* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The turret side armour is not all equally the same armour thickness. As it goes toward the top, it gradually becomes thinner with 160 mm to 125 mm.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 806|rbMinHp= 460|}}

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

{{main|D-10T (100 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-10T (100 mm)|100 mm D-10T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 34 || -4°/+17° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' ||12.38||17.13||20.8||23.00||24.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' ||7.74||9.1||11.05||12.22||13
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
|11.05||9.78||9.01||8.5
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 218 || 213 || 192 || 169 || 148 || 130
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 218 || 214 || 195 || 173 || 154 || 137
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 239 || 236 || 223 || 207 || 192 || 178
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 224 || 216 || 186 || 153 || 127 || 105
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 887 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 93.94 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 1,050 || 8.53 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 880 || 15.2 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1,460 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| 3D3 || 880 || 15.6 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 272
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-54 (1947).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-54 mod. 1947.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''34''' || 28 ''(+6)'' || 27 ''(+7)'' || 26 ''(+8)'' || 23 ''(+11)'' || 21 ''(+13)'' || 1 ''(+33)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 27 ''(+7)'' One rack only: 21 ''(+13)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 250 (50) || 600 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,500 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The T-54 '47 is a great starting tank for rank V Soviets. It has armour, a good gun and decent mobility, all traits similar to pre-modern MBTs. However, you should still use any available cover, and it's even better if you can remain unseen. The turret of the '47 can be quite hard to penetrate, due to awkward bounces, and wiggling it can make it even more difficult for enemies to do any damage. In a down-tier, this tank is almost over-powered, because BR-412D can penetrate everything, while the T-54 is mobile and well-protected. You still need to play smart, mind you, but it's easy to get over 5k research points in a match (without premium) in a down-tier.

=== General Playstyle ===
The T-54 is often described as a Jack-of-All-Trades, similar to late-game MBTs. However, at its current battle rating, its armour still plays an important role, so the title 'Medium Tank' fits better. In Arcade Battles, the T-54 '47 is a joy to play. It can be compared to a Leopard with armour and, arguably, a better gun, because of improved mobility in Arcade. This iteration of the T-54 doesn't get high-penetration rounds, but BR-412D is usually enough to deal with the vast majority of enemies, especially when flanking is so easy in Arcade. In Realistic Battles, this tank is less mobile, but it is still able to cause a lot of damage when played to its strengths, notably the bouncy turret and the high explosive rounds that one-shot enemies - obviously this hints at an ambush or flanking playstyle.

'''Arcade Battles'''

In Arcade Battles, T-54 '47 is very capable even in an up-tier. You should never rely on attacking enemies upfront, rather by flanking and getting to their sides, which shouldn't be a problem because even when stock this tank is quite fast (upgrades mostly improve mobility, rather than raw speed). Flanking is much easier in city combat because there are paved roads and a lot of covers. Flanking on hilly maps is difficult because the T-54 has very little depression, so be cautious on those maps and use any cover you can find (e.g. rocks, buildings etc).

You should use the speed to push forward and gain capture points, because when at speed, it's harder for opponents to penetrate you, or even hit you. After capturing a point you can choose to move into an ambush position to defend it, or you can choose to traverse the map to another objective or to help a teammate. This choice depends on your playstyle, and whether you're playing for fun or for research points.

'''''Side-Note:''''' Using your speed to make it harder for enemies to hit you is a strategy that can be used to get into any strategic position, not just objectives.

'''''Important Note:''''' You don't have a stabilizer, so it can be difficult to take fast shots and to shoot on the move. Basically, don't play reactively in this tank, because some tanks (especially the British) can easily outplay you.

If you find yourself in a stand-off, aim for the enemy's weak spots (turret rings and lower plates are usually penetrable). Remember to wiggle your turret (and even the hull), because it can be quite difficult to penetrate, especially with conventional rounds. If you don't know how to penetrate the enemy, it's best to retreat and either try to flank or run away from that enemy hoping that your team can handle them.

==== Realistic Battles ====
In Realistic Battles, T-54 '47 behaves much more like a heavy tank. At the range, it's hard for opponents to hit your turret, but it's also hard for you to hit them, due to bullet drop. Overall, you should play by using cover and by getting behind the enemy lines. This can be easily accomplished by pushing up to objectives, and waiting for the enemies to push past you. This way, you will have the advantage, and your armour can help you survive some shots from other enemies or if your prey survives your shot. However, you should adapt to the game situation - if your team stomps the enemy on one objective, it might be better to flank to another objective and help out your team there, instead of pushing for the enemy spawn (attacking enemies head-on from spawn vs. attacking enemies from behind/side).

When upgraded, the T-54 becomes much faster, and the strategy of rushing can work, especially in a down-tier, where most enemies also have conventional rounds. Generally, your armour can be relied upon against certain enemies, which allows you to be a breakthrough tank, especially when there are teammates pushing with you. For example, on Fulda, the B point can be easily captured or overrun with 2-3 T-54s, because usually, enemies cannot deal with that much armour and firepower (attacking from the lower side proved more effective, too).

'''''Important Note:''''' Your armour is most effective on the move, standing in the open trying to snipe an enemy will make it easier for them to hit you. Using any sort of cover to advance is still the better option.

=== The Stock Grind ===
When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's '''a priority to research Parts and FPE,''' and it may also be a good idea '''to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups''' to be able to respawn twice in one match. In this case, it's worth it, because the T-54 '47 is a grinder for rank V and first rank VI vehicles - the faster you spade it, the faster you can grind!

General tips for the stock grind are these:

* In the case of T-54, it can be a good idea to let enemies shoot at you because it gives the "Adamant" award and also quite a decent amount of research points.
** In Arcade, you can hide your turret, but show your angled front plate. Enemies will see your marker, and try to shoot at you, but they will bounce and just give you points. Then you can just drive out and return fire to try to get a kill or two.
* Don't try to penetrate tanks frontally with stock rounds - it's no use. You have to flank around and try to get in the rear of the enemies. If you're successful, it usually grants multiple kills.
* Play the objectives - they award points, and if you stay to defend them, you will be able to get some easy kills for those who try to get it back (by ambushing them).
** You can also set up ambushes ''before'' the objective so that enemies will push past you and you can shoot their sides.

The American [[M60|M60]], German [[Leopard I|Leopards]] and the British [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftain]] are perhaps the biggest worry the T-54 has against medium tanks. These tanks with their [[L7A1 (105 mm)|105 mm guns]] ([[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm]] in the Chieftain's case) can penetrate through the T-54's armour at longer ranges with their APDS and HEATFS rounds. Once heavy tanks are taken into the equation with the [[M103]], [[T-10M]], and [[Conqueror|Conqueror]], suddenly the T-54's armour no longer sounds very sufficient against their heavy-hitting rounds. Be wary of many tanks in the 7.7-8.3 BR range.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|BR-412B
|Horizontal Drive
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|
|Adjustment of Fire
|Smoke grenade
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|BR-412D
|Elevation Mechanism
|BR-412P
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|Artillery Support
|3D3
|
|-
|}After Parts and FPE, the player should focus on mobility upgrades or the Horizontal Drive modification, since both mobility and turret rotation are limited when the tank is stock.
=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Strongest frontal armour of the T-54 series at 120 mm
* Angled armour is particularly bouncy when on the move
* AP-HE filled rounds are particularly devastating upon a penetration
* Good mobility and speed
* Good reload for a gun
* Pintle 12.7 mm machine gun for fighting soft or air targets
* Low profile
* Access to smoke shells and canisters

'''Cons:'''

* Relatively poor penetration at the rank with only AP type rounds to work with
* Terrible gun depression of -4 degrees
* Slow turret traverse hampers reaction times
* No stabilizer
* Only one reverse gear
* Flat side armour tend to be penetrated easily and can be overmatched by some guns
* Hits to the frontal fuel tanks and ammunition can cause an ammo detonation, loss, or a fire
* Highly vulnerable to HEAT-FS or Sabot shells
* Low profile makes it possible for tall vehicles to shoot down at less angled armour during a brawl

== History ==

===Predecessors===
During World War II, the Soviet Union fielded the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] in large numbers to overrun the German tanks. The initial T-34 variant with the 76 mm gun soon became insufficient due to further German development on potent anti-tank weaponry. The response was the development of the [[T-34-85]] with the more powerful 85 mm gun. However, the T-34-85 was still insufficient fighting against the German "big cats" tanks. This prompted for further tank development to make a more protected medium tank for the Soviet armoured forces. This developed into the [[T-44]], which proved superior to the T-34 in armour, but retained the same 85 mm gun.

===Development===
The army then requested that the gun on the tank be increased for additional firepower. This developed into adding the 100 mm gun onto the T-44 and was designated the [[T-44-100]]. The T-44-100 proved successful in testing, but still suffered drawbacks that impeded its efficiency. It was decided that instead of quickly sending the tank into production, further development and modernization on the overall tank design should be made to make the tank the full transition from a World-War-II-era tank into the next generation. This developed into the '''T-54''' tank that was accepted into service on 29 April 1946.

The tank would enter production at Nizhni Tagil in 1947 and Kharkov in 1948. However, the initial production was slow as the serial production models underwent 1,490 different modifications. The first model produced was designated the [[T-54 (1947)|T-54-1]] (''Object 137''), which had a thicker hull armour than its future model. This production model suffered a quality deficiency, and was cancelled and upgraded into the [[T-54 (1949)|T-54-2]] (''Object 137R'') in 1949 that featured a new turret and other changes to the hull, transmission, and track design. In 1951, another change was made to the design and was designated the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54-3]] (''Object 137Sh''). The T-54-3 design featured a new turret design that removed shot traps. New gun sight and the smoke generating system were also installed into the tank. The T-54-3 would become the basis of future T-54 design, with the turret design staying in all of its successors.

Despite the T-54's great performance in its design, the T-54 did not stop at its base model. The first upgrades done was in 1953 and 1955 when the tank's D-10 gun was given stabilization gear, first with a vertical stabilizer in 1953 before upgrading again with a 2-plane stabilizer in 1955. These tank upgrades renamed the T-54 to ''T-54A'' and ''T-54B'' for the respective years. While an improvement in the tank's performance, the biggest jump came with the advent of nuclear technology in the Soviet arsenal. When testings show that a T-54 can survive the blast of a 2 - 15 kt nuclear charge at 300 meters (700 m for crew survival), the T-54 was slated for the instalment of a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) protection system to protect the crew from the weapons of mass destruction. This project was given to the KB-60 design bureau in Kharkov and this was finished in 1956. Along with many other changes to the tank interior, such as a new engine, heating system, fuel tanks, ammo storage, and new guns sights, the tank became the more common ''T-55'' tank, which would replace the T-54 design in production past 1958. The difference in the T-54 and the T-55 other than the mechanical differences in the presence of a dome-shaped ventilator in front of the loaders hatch, it is a T-54 if present as it was removed in order to seal the tank with NBC protection. All in all, the T-54/55 tank series became the most widely produced tank ever, surpassing the T-34 with an estimated 100,000+ built, many due to the export market and licensed manufacturing the Soviets gave to their allies.

===Design===
The T-54 is a simple and reliable, yet deadly machine compared to its contemporaries at its introduction. The T-54 retained the same interior compartments as traditional designs, with the driving in the front, fighting and turret in the centre, and the engine at the rear. The most distinctive features on the T-54 is the dome turret and the space between the first and second road wheels in the front, which would be absent in its successor, the [[T-62]].

The T-54 simplicity and reliability made it a very easy tank to operate, not requiring a thoroughly trained crew to operate (though a better crew can give better performance). The T-54 also presents a very low profile compared to the American and British tank, which makes it a smaller target to hit. The lightweight of the design at only 36 tons made it very easy to transport around on flatbed. The tank also features extra abilities like a cold-weather starting system and a snorkel for deep-wading that were mostly absent on similar vehicles. Finally, the [[D-10T (100 mm)|100 mm D-10T gun]] was much better than anything fielded as tank armament, able to defeat the American [[M47|Patton]] and the British [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurions]], which were their mainstay tanks. Even after the introduction of superior tanks like the [[M60|M60 tank]] with the 105 mm M68 gun, the T-54 is able to keep up with new HEAT and APDS rounds.

However, the T-54 design suffered from some of these advantages. The small profile gave the tank a small interior volume, which causes such a constraint to crew space that a height limit had to be set. The low turret silhouette also made the tank unable to depress the gun in a large angle due to the gun's breech hitting the roof, which restricts the T-54 ability to enter a hull-down position. Like other tanks in its generation, the T-54 also had unprotected ammo storage, which increased the chance of a catastrophic explosion of the ammunition if the tank is penetrated in battle.

Despite that, the T-54 design, upgraded into the T-55, proved very successful as a cost-effective weapon of war that can still stand on its own today. Its utility is further demonstrated by the many variants created from the chassis, such as bridge-layers, fire-fighting vehicles, flamethrowers, armoured-personnel carriers, engineer vehicles, and [[ZSU-57-2|anti-aircraft vehicles]].

===Combat usage===
Most of the service recorded in the T-54 and the T-55 are interchangeable as the two are essentially identical aside from the NBC protection. They will be referred to as the "T-54/55" unless specified otherwise.

The Soviets main tank during the course of the Cold War was the T-54/55 and the T-62 tanks, comprising about 85% of the Soviet armoured force in the mid-1970s. The first combat usage of the T-54 was in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. During the conflict, one T-54A was captured by the Hungarian rebels and delivered it to the British embassy. This act inspired the production of the [[L7A1 (105 mm)|105 mm L7 gun]] and the [[M60|M60 MBT]] when tests on this T-54 found it superior in firepower and armour. Afterwards, the Soviets did not have many activities with the T-54/55, but they are still in reserve status after being replaced by the Soviet [[T-72A|T-72]] and T-90 tanks.

The Middle East region saw more usage of the T-54/55 in the conflicts that ensured there, notably in the Israel-Arab conflicts in the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. Israel was able to beat back the T-54/55 in both conflicts due to superior tactics and air superiority in the Six-Day War, and the presence of superior tanks such as the 105 mm equipped M60 and Centurion tanks, which could more easily deal with the T-54/55 in the Yom Kippur War. Israel was able to capture many T-54/55 tanks intact in both wars and upgraded these tanks with the 105 mm L7 gun, designated as the ''Tiran-5''. The T-54/55 also saw usage in the Jordanian Civil War of 1970 on the Syrian side, the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, and even as recent as Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, a testament to the utility and reliability of the T-54/55 tanks to still be in use 60 years after its introduction despite its inferiority to the American [[M1A1 Abrams]] and the British [[Challenger 2]]'s.

The T-54/55 also saw use in the Vietnam War on the North Vietnamese side, equipping the NVA 203rd Armoured Regiment and many other divisions. The T-54/55 also made an appearance in Angola and Mozambique, which were supplied from the Soviets to support the rising Marxist influences in South Africa. These T-54/55s saw use in the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War, but many were lost against the turreted armoured car with HEAT rounds. Many other countries in the world used the T-54/55 as well, whether given by the Soviets and their allies or licensed to produce in-country, up to 50 countries in the world used the T-54/55 in their military, including irregular forces in these countries. Notable conflicts using the T-54/55 was in the Indo-Pakistani War in the Indian Army, in the Ugandan-Tanzanian War, Yugoslav Wars, Sino-Vietnamese War, and the Sri Lankan Civil War. The T-54/55 is still being used today in the modern century, such as the Libyan Civil War in 2011, and the ongoing conflicts of the Syrian Civil War in many sides, including ISIS and the Syrian Army.

=== In-game description ===
The first mass-produced post-war Soviet tank. Developed in 1945-1946 using the hull, transmission and a number of other technical solutions from the T-44.

The driver's compartment had an altered observation instrument layout. Instead of a viewing slot in the frontal hull plate, two periscopes were placed directly in front of the hatch. This decision had a positive affect on the upper frontal plate's durability and improved vision of the surrounding area from the driver's seat. The engine compartment underwent the most significant changes.

Instead of the old B-2 diesel engine, the vehicle was equipped with its modernised 520 hp B-54 model. The tank received a new rounded turret similar to that of the IS-3, but with a shot trap all along its perimeter, particularly prominent in the rear. The turret's frontal armour was 200 mm thick, and the side armour between 125 mm and 160 mm thick. The turret's vertical slope reached 45°. The undercarriage received toothed track action. Additionally, the capacity of the internal fuel tanks was increased to 545 litres.

The tank was equipped with a 100 mm D-10T cannon with a 56 calibre barrel length, two 7.62 mm SG-43 machine guns mounted on the track fenders in armoured boxes and used by the driver to lay down unaimed fire, and a 12.7 mm DShK anti-aircraft gun installed in a turret on the roof by the loader's hatch. The vehicle was outfitted with semi-automatic carbon-dioxide fire suppression equipment. Two MDSh smoke canisters were mounted outside on the frontal hull.

In April 1946, the T-54 tank was put into service and began to be mass-produced the following year. In total, 713 of them were built in 1947-1949.
These vehicles were supplied to Vietnam and also took part in suppressing the 1956 Hungarian uprising in Budapest.

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

== See also ==


* [[T-54 (1949)]] - Next prototype version, featuring a reduced front glacis plate, new ammo, and new turret eliminating front shot traps.
* [[T-54 (1951)]] - Production version, improved turret design from 1949 eliminating rear shot trap.

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/622 [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-54 (1947)]

{{USSR medium tanks}}

Type 62 (USSR)

2020-07-24T03:52:07Z

U33573736: /* Combat usage */ sp fix

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_type_62
|market=Type-62
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Type-62.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the 2016 "War Thunder Chronicle" that took place between 23 December 2016 to 16 January 2017. It was obtained via completing 10 tasks as part of the event and is no longer obtainable.

While playing the Type-62, it is important to stay hidden from your enemy at all times and avoid going head-to-head with enemies that have noticed your presence and are focusing on eliminating you. The paper-thin armour on the Type-62 cannot effectively stop any shell, and, unless you're facing the British, a hit will likely result in the HE filler of the shell knocking out most of your crew / detonating your ammo racks. So it is recommended to use flanking tactics on larger maps, while staying hidden behind terrain features such as hills, trees, even in ditches, while on smaller city maps it's recommended to stay behind piles of rubble, houses, even your teammates, to avoid the enemy seeing the Type-62 before it has the opportunity to disable their gun or destroy them.

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


'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25 mm || 15 mm (7-52°) || 20 mm ''Front'' 15 mm ''Engine deck'' 5 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (9-59°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (2-66°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 35 mm (11-44°) || 32 mm (11-46°) || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 775|rbMinHp= 442|}}

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

{{main|Type 62-85TS (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Type 62-85TS (85 mm)|85 mm Type 62-85TS]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 47 || -5°/+22° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 5.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 5.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.60 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 142 || 139 || 123 || 105 || 91 || 81
|-
| BR-367 || APCBC || 159 || 155 || 143 || 131 || 122 || 110
|-
| O-365K || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| BR-367P || APCR || 230 || 229 || 202 || 173 || 147 || 125
|-
| Type 1956 HEAT-FS|| HEATFS || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 800 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-367 || APCBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 74.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 793 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 660 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-367P || APCR || 1020 || 5.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Type 1956 HEAT-FS || HEATFS || 845 || 7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 822.8 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Type-62.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Type-62.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''47''' || 45 ''(+2)'' || 37 ''(+10)'' || 31 ''(+16)'' || 23 ''(+24)'' || 21 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}
Turret empty: 37 (+10)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 300 (50) || 600 || -2°/+25° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,200 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


With it's excellent mobility, the Type-62 is great for getting from point to point and setting up ambushes. However it is important to note that the reload rate is around the same or even slower than most enemy tanks, so making your first shot count is always going to determine whether you survive the engagement or not. Aiming for the turret or ammo racks of the enemy are great options, as they usually ensure ammo rack detonations or that the enemy won't be able to fire back at you if not.

Also note that going on rough terrain and over piles of rubble is not recommended while at risk to be shot at by the enemy, as the gun takes a very long time to adjust in the vertical. With the the HEAT-FS shell, staying at range is also possible, as it is much easier for you to hide your tank from the enemy while not losing accuracy and penetration of the HEAT-FS shell.

When facing heavy and medium tanks of the enemy, try to knock out their gun to allow you to get a clear shot of their side, as the stock shells for the 85mm gun on the Type-62 can't reliably penetrate tanks such as the [[T29]] and [[Tiger II (H)]] up front. However, with the HEAT-FS and APCR shells unlocked you'll be able to deal with heavily armoured tanks easier, so getting those early on is a must.

The hardest tanks to destroy in the Type-62 will be the T29 and Tiger II (H), as APHEBC and APCBC shells cannot penetrate these tanks from the front. When facing against these tanks, your best option is to get their ammo racks or turret crew from the side while they're busy dealing with your teammates, or, if they see you, relocating without them seeing you and getting them unawares. With the HEAT-FS shell it is possible to even penetrate the King Tiger's upper front plate if they underestimate you and don't angle their hull.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good acceleration, can reach fast travel speed quickly
* Small profile, smaller than the [[T-44]]
* 85 mm is similar to the one on T-44, with access to superior shells
* Access to 3BK2 HEATFS round, capable of penetrating 300 mm of armour
* Pintle-mounted 12.7 mm MG can provide AA defenses
* Decent ammo reserve for its size, 47 shells
* Looks like a [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], can ''maybe'' cause opponents in RB and SB to take a pause to figure out what you really are

'''Cons:'''

* Very thin armour - 35mm hull in front, 50mm turret front armour
* Slow turret traverse
* Rather long reload
* Cramped crew and scattered ammo all over ensures easy knock-outs if penetrated
* Gun depression is -4°
* Gun is difficult to use in uneven terrain, as it takes a long time to depress / elevate the gun

== History ==


===Development===
After World War II, China stayed in a state of conflict as part of the Chinese Civil War, pitting the Chinese Nationalists against the Communists. The Communist Party were victorious and they established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 01 October 1949. In 14 February 1950, the Chinese signed an alliance treaty with the Soviet Union, which allowed the Soviet Union to support China economically and militarily, leading to many money loans and arms trade. One of the weapons given in arms trade was the Soviet's new main battle tank, the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]. The tank became the basis of the Soviet's aid in building up China's tank manufacturing facility in 1956, starting with Soviet-made parts before transitioning to Chinese parts. The T-54 tank design was then accepted into the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1959 as the ''Type 59''.

While accepted as the main tank of the PLA, the Type 59 was deemed too heavy for some of the terrain and infrastructure on China. A light tank design was requested in the late 1950s, leading to the formal development process in 1958. The first prototype was produced in 1960 as the ''Type 59-16'', which was essentially a down-scaled Type 59 with an 85 mm armament, thinner armour, and smaller profile. Trials commenced until December 1962, when it was accepted as the '''Type 62''', production name ''WZ 131''. It was then put into production in 1963 with roughly 1,393 tank units produced until 1989.

===Combat usage===
The Type 62 light tank was primarily stationed with military units in Southern China where the infrastructure is not as sophisticated. However, the Type 62 would not see its first usage in Chinese hands. A number of them was supplied to the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War, which they used against America and South Vietnam until the end of the war in 1975. The Type 62 then saw use again in 1979 in Vietnam, but mostly in Chinese hands in the Sino-Vietnamese War. However, the Type 62 suffered due to anti-tank weapons such as the ubiquitous rocket launchers penetrating right through the thin armour. The overall consensus of their experiences in Vietnam was that the Type 62 not suitable to act around as a normal tank due to its light armour and armament, and was relegated to recon and fire support.

An upgrade program commenced on the Type 62 led to the ''Type 62-I'' variant. The program was based on the experiences in Vietnam, leading to many upgrades such as a laser range finder, a shield for the exterior-mounted 12.7 mm machine gun, and protection against HEAT rounds. The second modernization program began in 2000 to upgrade the Type 62-I into Type 62G which improved the armour layout and turret design of the tank, as well as adding smoke dischargers and a new 105 mm main armament with a modern stabilizer and fire-control system. The Type 62 stayed in the Chinese service up until early 2013.

The Type 62 also saw exportation to many countries, ranging from Albania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Congo, Mali, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, North Korea, and Zaire. In some cases, such as in North Korea, this led to confusions between the Soviet's [[T-62]] main battle tank due to the labeling of the Type 62 as simply "T-62". Information of the Type 62 in these countries are rather limited or unknown, though most of them seem to still have them in reserves today.

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}
{{Winter Event}}

T-55A

2020-01-27T17:34:40Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_55a}}

== Description ==


The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]].

After active development of nuclear weapons, the predecessor of T-55 ([[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]) was tested against nuclear charges. It was evaluated that the crew could survive only at distances of over 700m, so it was decided to create a new tank that would have a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection system, or ''Protivoatomnaya Zashchita'' (PAZ). The initial designs for this tank were completed in 1956, however, that was without additional NBC protection. In 1961, the development of an NBC system began, and it was introduced in the new T-55A variant. Among other upgrades, the T-55 had an increased ammunition supply with 18 more rounds being stored in the fuel tanks.

T-55 became a replacement for Soviet heavy tanks (IS series and the [[T-10M|T-10]]), something that is evident in War Thunder as well. Armour was sacrificed for better mobility and a better gun. Currently, the T-55A is one of the only vehicles at rank VI to have an APHE shell, which easily one-shots most vehicles from the sides and some from the front (notably, leopards). Unfortunately, the T-55A is relatively slow compared to other medium tanks around battle rating 8.3.

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

[[File:T-55A XRay Front.png|thumb|left|X-Ray view of the T-55A, when faced frontally.]]

At battle ratings over 8.0, armour becomes almost obsolete. The T-55A has moderate frontal protection, with 100 mm plates for UFP and LFP placed at angles 59° and 56° respectively; effective thickness frontally comes up to ~180 mm and ~200 mm, respectively. At a perfect angle, you can bring the effective thickness to ~200 mm and ~220 mm for UFP and LFP, while having ~250 mm of protection at your angled sides. However, the additional 20 mm of armour will rarely save you from top-rank APFSDS, or even APDS, shells.
[[File:T-55A XRay Side.png|thumb|left|X-Ray view of the T-55A when viewed side-on.]]

As for the turret, the T-55A has slightly less protection than the T-62 and combined with a generally larger turret, it is generally easier for your opponents to hit and penetrate your turret. The thinnest spots are right next to the cannon breach, at 200 mm, which rather slowly becomes over 300 mm as you move further away from the breach.

Your weakest side is the right-hand side when looking ''at'' the T-55A, frontally, because 3 of your 4 crew are located in a row there. A well placed APFSDS shot to the top-right of the UFP will one-shot the T-55A, see diagram on the right.

=== Mobility ===


The maximum speed that the T-55A can reach is listed as 56 km/h (AB) and 50 km/h (RB/SB). That is ~15 km/h slower than the [[Leopard A1A1]]. However, the amount of firepower that the T-55A brings to the battlefield, coupled together with the ability to withstand shots sometimes, that speed is decent. Backwards, the T-55A can go at up to -7 km/h, which won't let you back out of tricky situations often.

The T-55A cannot turn in neutral gear, which makes it difficult to manoeuvre in close-quarter encounters, which often occur in the cities. The acceleration is good, the T-55A can get to 25 km/h from a standstill on flat, rough terrain in a few seconds, and turning is decent on flat ground.

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

{{main|D-10T2S (100 mm)}}

The T-55A houses a 100 mm D-10T2S rifled anti-tank gun, which is equipped with an ejector and two-plane stabilizer arms. In-game, the T-55A has a 10.3 s reload rate, which is similar to its predecessor, the T-62. This rate of fire doesn't allow the T-55A to rush into battle and fend off waves of Leopards or [[M48A1|M48]]s/[[M60]]s, but it is sufficient to defeat one or two opponents in quick succession with good shot placements, granted you shoot first.

The stock round (3BM-8, APDS) allows the T-55A to penetrate [[MBT-70]] and [[KPz-70]] frontally, as well as deal with all other major threats, notably the [[Leopard I|Leopards]] (which you can penetrate anywhere), and [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftains]] (LFP, or UFP/LFP with the APFSDS round). One of the major advantages that the T-55A has over the majority of rank VI vehicles is its APCBC shell, which has the potential to one-shot any opponent if it penetrates. It is advised to flank your enemies and when given the opportunity, easily destroy oncoming enemies with this round.

== Ammunition ==

{| class="wikitable sortable;" style="text-align:center;" width="100%;"
! colspan="8" |Penetration Statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" |Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Type of Warhead
! colspan="6" |Penetration at 90° (mm)
|-
!10m
!100m
!500m
!1000m
!1500m
!2000m
|-
| 3BM-8 || APDS || 299 || 298 || 291 || 272 || 253 || 249
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 234 || 232 || 218 || 203 || 188 || 174
|-
| 3BM25 || APFSDS || 335 || 330 || 307 || 290 || 275 || 260
|-
| 3BK17M || HEATFS || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 20 || 20 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| 3BM-8 || APDS || 1415 || 4.13 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 887 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 93.94 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 3BM25 || APFSDS || 1430 || 3.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 76° || 77° || 78°
|-
| 3BK17M || HEATFS || 1085 || 9.96 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 935 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 880 || 15.2 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1.46 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| 3D3 || 880 || 15.6 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 272
|-
|}
=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)}}

The T-55A has a roof-mounted 12.7 mm DShK machine gun, which allows it to fight low-flying aircraft or helicopters. However, it is not effective against jets. It is recommended to use this machine gun against lightly armoured ground targets and to check whether or not a tank is alive or not, by shooting its tracks (which can also be done with the coaxial machine gun).

== Usage in battles ==

The T-55A has the great option to use an APCBC shell, which can one-shot Leopards frontally, and any well-armoured vehicles side-on. Therefore, this tank should be used as a flanker, large open areas present a great opportunity to scout and take out groups of oncoming enemies. However, make sure to stay near cover and use it after every shot to minimize the chances of getting scouted and penetrated.
[[File:T-55A Weakspot.png|thumb|right|The weak spot that allows a one-shot. 3 of the 4 crew members can be knocked out if shooting the upper right hand corner of the UFP.]]

However, that does not mean that the T-55A cannot engage opponents frontally. Its APFSDS round can penetrate all vehicles at its battle rating, apart from the T-64A/T-72 (if playing mixed battles), the Chieftains (when hull-down) and the Maus (when at distance and angled).

As a rule of thumb, protect your left-hand side when looking from behind the T-55A. You have 3 crew members there that can be taken out with a single well-placed APFSDS shot (upper right corner of the UFP). Also, don't rely on your reverse speed. You can't retreat efficiently, and will likely be destroyed in a close-quarters encounter if you don't engage your opponent first.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good mobility
* Good gun and a wide ammo choices (APDS, APFSDS, APHE, HEATFS and smoke)
* Roof-mounted machinegun for anti-air defense
* Has a spall liner in the turret, lacking in the T-62, affords some protection from spalling
* Safe ammo spot for 18 rounds near the driver in the fuel tanks give it some kinetic and chemical protection
* Comes with a stabiliser unlike its older series the T-54

'''Cons:'''

* Can easily be destroyed if penetrated through the turret, direct hits three of the four total crew members
* Stock performance is quite lackluster
* Paultry 100 mm front plate
* Abysmally weak sides on the hull (80 mm) and worse at the back of the turret (66 mm)

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

T-55A

2020-01-27T17:27:08Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_55a}}

== Description ==


The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]].

After active development of nuclear weapons, the predecessor of T-55 ([[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]) was tested against nuclear charges. It was evaluated that the crew could survive only at distances of over 700m, so it was decided to create a new tank that would have a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection system, or ''Protivoatomnaya Zashchita'' (PAZ). The initial designs for this tank were completed in 1956, however, that was without additional NBC protection. In 1961, the development of an NBC system began, and it was introduced in the new T-55A variant. Among other upgrades, the T-55 had an increased ammunition supply with 18 more rounds being stored in the fuel tanks.

T-55 became a replacement for Soviet heavy tanks (IS series and the [[T-10M|T-10]]), something that is evident in War Thunder as well. Armour was sacrificed for better mobility and a better gun. Currently, the T-55A is one of the only vehicles at rank VI to have an APHE shell, which easily one-shots most vehicles from the sides and some from the front (notably, leopards). Unfortunately, the T-55A is relatively slow compared to other medium tanks around battle rating 8.3.

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

[[File:T-55A XRay Front.png|thumb|left|X-Ray view of the T-55A, when faced frontally.]]

At battle ratings over 8.0, armour becomes almost obsolete. The T-55A has moderate frontal protection, with 100 mm plates for UFP and LFP placed at angles 59° and 56° respectively; effective thickness frontally comes up to ~180 mm and ~200 mm, respectively. At a perfect angle, you can bring the effective thickness to ~200 mm and ~220 mm for UFP and LFP, while having ~250 mm of protection at your angled sides. However, the additional 20 mm of armour will rarely save you from top-rank APFSDS, or even APDS, shells.
[[File:T-55A XRay Side.png|thumb|left|X-Ray view of the T-55A when viewed side-on.]]

As for the turret, the T-55A has slightly less protection than the T-62 and combined with a generally larger turret, it is generally easier for your opponents to hit and penetrate your turret. The thinnest spots are right next to the cannon breach, at 200 mm, which rather slowly becomes over 300 mm as you move further away from the breach.

Your weakest side is the right-hand side when looking ''at'' the T-55A, frontally, because 3 of your 4 crew are located in a row there. A well placed APFSDS shot to the top-right of the UFP will one-shot the T-55A, see diagram on the right.

=== Mobility ===


The maximum speed that the T-55A can reach is listed as 56 km/h (AB) and 50 km/h (RB/SB). That is ~15 km/h slower than the [[Leopard A1A1]]. However, the amount of firepower that the T-55A brings to the battlefield, coupled together with the ability to withstand shots sometimes, that speed is decent. Backwards, the T-55A can go at up to -7 km/h, which won't let you back out of tricky situations often.

The T-55A cannot turn in neutral gear, which makes it difficult to manoeuvre in close-quarter encounters, which often occur in the cities. The acceleration is good, the T-55A can get to 25 km/h from a standstill on flat, rough terrain in a few seconds, and turning is decent on flat ground.

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

{{main|D-10T2S (100 mm)}}

The T-55A houses a 100 mm D-10T2S rifled anti-tank gun, which is equipped with an ejector and two-plane stabilizer arms. In-game, the T-55A has a 10.3 s reload rate, which is similar to its predecessor, the T-62. This rate of fire doesn't allow the T-55A to rush into battle and fend off waves of Leopards or [[M48A1|M48]]s/[[M60]]s, but it is sufficient to defeat one or two opponents in quick succession with good shot placements, granted you shoot first.

The stock round (3BM-8, APDS) allows the T-55A to penetrate [[MBT-70]] and [[KPz-70]] frontally, as well as deal with all other major threats, notably the [[Leopard I|Leopards]] (which you can penetrate anywhere), and [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftains]] (LFP, or UFP/LFP with the APFSDS round). One of the major advantages that the T-55A has over the majority of rank VI vehicles is its APCBC shell, which has the potential to one-shot any opponent if it penetrates. It is advised to flank your enemies and when given the opportunity, easily destroy oncoming enemies with this round.

== Ammunition ==

{| class="wikitable sortable;" style="text-align:center;" width="100%;"
! colspan="8" |Penetration Statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" |Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Type of Warhead
! colspan="6" |Penetration at 90° (mm)
|-
!10m
!100m
!500m
!1000m
!1500m
!2000m
|-
| 3BM-8 || APDS || 299 || 298 || 291 || 272 || 253 || 249
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 234 || 232 || 218 || 203 || 188 || 174
|-
| 3BM25 || APFSDS || 335 || 330 || 307 || 290 || 275 || 260
|-
| 3BK17M || HEATFS || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 20 || 20 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| 3BM-8 || APDS || 1415 || 4.13 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 887 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 93.94 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 3BM25 || APFSDS || 1430 || 3.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 76° || 77° || 78°
|-
| 3BK17M || HEATFS || 1085 || 9.96 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 935 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 880 || 15.2 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1.46 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| 3D3 || 880 || 15.6 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 272
|-
|}
=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)}}

The T-55A has a roof-mounted 12.7 mm DShK machine gun, which allows it to fight low-flying aircraft or helicopters. However, it is not effective against jets. It is recommended to use this machine gun against lightly armoured ground targets and to check whether or not a tank is alive or not, by shooting its tracks (which can also be done with the coaxial machine gun).

== Usage in battles ==

The T-55A has the great option to use an APCBC shell, which can one-shot Leopards frontally, and any well-armoured vehicles side-on. Therefore, this tank should be used as a flanker, large open areas present a great opportunity to scout and take out groups of oncoming enemies. However, make sure to stay near cover and use it after every shot to minimize the chances of getting scouted and penetrated.
[[File:T-55A Weakspot.png|thumb|right|The weak spot that allows a one-shot. 3 of the 4 crew members can be knocked out if shooting the upper right hand corner of the UFP.]]

However, that does not mean that the T-55A cannot engage opponents frontally. Its APFSDS round can penetrate all vehicles at its battle rating, apart from the T-64A/T-72 (if playing mixed battles), the Chieftains (when hull-down) and the Maus (when at distance and angled).

As a rule of thumb, protect your left-hand side when looking from behind the T-55A. You have 3 crew members there that can be taken out with a single well-placed APFSDS shot (upper right corner of the UFP). Also, don't rely on your reverse speed. You can't retreat efficiently, and will likely be destroyed in a close-quarters encounter if you don't engage your opponent first.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good mobility
* Good gun and a wide ammo choices (APDS, APFSDS, APHE, HEATFS and smoke)
* Roof-mounted machinegun for anti-air defense
* Safe ammo spot for 18 rounds near the driver in the fuel tanks give it some kinetic and chemical protection
* Comes with a stabiliser unlike its older series the T-54

'''Cons:'''

* Can easily be destroyed if penetrated through the turret, direct hits three of the four total crew members
* Stock performance is quite lackluster
* Paultry 100 mm front plate
* Abysmally weak sides on the hull (80 mm) and worse at the back of the turret (66 mm)

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

T-62

2020-01-27T17:24:20Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_62}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.61 "Road to Glory"]]. The T-62 is a further development of the T-54 series and was made to fight the newer NATO tanks. It features a [[U-5TS_(115_mm)|115 mm U-5TS smoothbore gun]], which makes the T-62 the first tank in-game and in real life to use a smoothbore gun. The gun also was the first to introduce the Armour-Piercing Discarding-Sabot Fin-Stabilized (APDS-FS) into the game.

In the 1950s, with the introduction of the [[L7A1 (105 mm)|105 mm L7 tank gun]] on many NATO tanks such as the [[Centurion Mk 10|Centurion]], [[Leopard I|Leopard]], and [[M60]], the Soviets realised that the 100 mm D-10 on the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]/[[T-55A|T-55]] series of medium tanks was becoming obsolete. To maintain parity with the new NATO tanks, a new 115 mm smoothbore gun was developed along with a new medium tank based on the T-55. This tank entered service in 1961 as the T-62 and was the first tank in the world to begin service with a smoothbore gun.

As in real life, the T-62 is the first Soviet tank in the tech tree to be equipped with a smoothbore gun and is also the first Soviet medium tank in the tech tree capable of firing APFSDS rounds. While there is little improvement in terms of mobility or protection over the previous [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], the T-62 has substantially improved firepower. It is capable of frontally penetrating nearly any tank it is likely to see in-game at most combat ranges. It is also the first Soviet medium tank to have a gun stabiliser, allowing it to fire on the move with reasonable accuracy.

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


The armour protection of the T-62 is very similar to that of the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]. Unfortunately, the T-62 tends to face more powerful guns at its BR, so its armour is not nearly as effective for its BR as the T-54's is. The well-rounded turret and sloped hull can ricochet poorly aimed rounds when angled, but should not be relied upon to protect the T-62.

Like most Soviet tanks, the T-62 has a very compact layout, meaning that a single penetrating hit is will most likely cripple or outright destroy the tank. Of particular note of concern is the front hull ammunition rack inside the fuel tank situated next to the driver. This rack is the ready rack of the T-62 and cannot be emptied by reducing the number of rounds carried. A penetrating hit there is likely to result in an ammunition cook-off that will instantly destroy the tank.

=== Mobility ===


The T-62's mobility is somewhat similar to that of the T-54 medium tank, although the heavier weight makes it a little bit more sluggish. It can reach a respectable 50 km/h forward, and the maximum reverse speed is 8 km/h. Because the T-62 is longer than the T-54 and does not have neutral steering, its turning performance is noticeably worse, especially on rough terrain.

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


The 115 mm 2A20 smoothbore gun is a potent gun capable of firing APFSDS, HE-FS, and HEAT-FS ammunition. It is stabilised, allowing for accurate firing on the move. The turret traverse is also significantly improved over that of the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], and the turret also provides more gun depression, allowing for some use of hull-down tactics. It should be noted that the gun has limited depression when the gun passes over the hull fuel tanks (at roughly 45 degrees to each side). Due to the large size of the 115 mm ammunition and cramped space of the T-62, the reload is much slower than that of comparable NATO tanks (~10–12 s depending on crew skill level and training).

While the APFSDS ammunition is not as lethal as the APHE ammunition used on previous Soviet medium tanks and requires some degree of careful aim, it is still capable of one-shotting tanks, especially with frontal penetrations. There are two types of APFSDS ammunition: 3BM3 and 3BM4. The stock 3BM4 round has a pure steel rod penetrator while the unlockable 3BM3 penetrator is a steel rod with a tungsten slug inside the penetrator. The latter has substantially more vertical penetration and somewhat better post-penetration lethality, but its performance against highly sloped armour is significantly worse. Both rounds have outstanding muzzle velocities of over 1,600 m/s, allowing long-range shots to be made without much lead.

The 3BK4 fin-stabilised HEAT round has more penetration than either APFSDS round and retains its penetration at long ranges, but has a much slower muzzle velocity that makes aiming at long ranges significantly more difficult. It is more effective than APFSDS against lightly armoured targets since it can reliably hull-break them if it detonates.

The 3UOF11 fin-stabilised HE round is rather unremarkable and is only really useful against soft targets.

=== Machine guns ===


The T-62 is armed with a single coaxial 7.62mm SGMT machine gun with a single 2500 ammo belt.

== Usage in battles ==


The T-62 is the first entry in the new stage of Soviet MBTs that most Soviet Tankers will research. As usual with soviet MBTs, only the turret has armour to speak of. Do not let this put you off as the T-62's 115mm U-5TS is able to perform exceptionally even with 10.0 BR tanks. In fact, the U-5TS has more penetration than what comes after it, the T-55A, making a lot of players fall back to it (not to mention you lose the cool shell dump animation!). This comes at the cost of slightly slower reload time of 12.0s (9.2s if maxed crew), which is a little below average for it's BR. All in all, the T-62 will give Soviet Tankers a general idea of how to play upcoming MBTs, as the playstyle doesn't change much.

It is best to find visual cover as soon as possible if an enemy plane was spotted since the tank does not have a top machine gun to protect itself from aircraft.

=== General Playstyle ===
It is recommended to play Arcade through the stock grind of the T-62, because your mobility is automatically improved, and the aiming reticle in Arcade will help you penetrate vehicles with the poorer stock round. However, this tank does excel in Realistic, because it can make use of its lower silhouette and very accurate gun (long-range encounters are much easier because there is very little bullet drop).

==== Arcade Battles ====
The T-62 performs rather well in Arcade, due to a very good gun and a mobile platform. Its armour does help you survive from time to time, especially when you are hidden behind bushes or buildings, and the enemies have to go off of your red silhouette to aim (ricochets are plenty in this scenario, because of the circular turret), however, you shouldn't rely on the armour. The biggest downside of playing Arcade is the fact that you have to face Soviet vehicles, which have the most armour around tier you will be fighting and can be annoying to fight.

In Arcade, it's advised to go to sniping positions at the beginning of the match, and later move closer to the objectives to aid your team with clean-up or with a counter-push to secure objectives. Now, due to the small sizes of maps in Arcade, it sometimes works to drive straight into the open and try to hit an enemy exiting their spawn (something that is easy to do with the stabilizer and is a great way to get the "First Blow!" award). If not possible, then it's advised to go to one side of the map and occupy a sniping position (e.g. the hills on the Middle East, South spawn; or the rocks overlooking the sands of El Alamein, either spawn; or rocks around Alaska, either spawn; etc.).

'''''Important Note:''''' If more than half of your team is sniping, as often happens on disliked maps such as the Middle East, step up to the plate and go for the objectives. For details on city combat read-on.

The T-62 can fight in close quarters in Arcade very well. However, caution needs to be taken, because the reload is sub-par, and it generally doesn't allow you to push further than the objectives, because you get overrun with enemies just spawning in. So, if you find yourself in close quarters, decide if your team can cover you from the sides: if they look like they can, then focus forwards - take a strategic position where you overlook a passage to the objective and wait for enemies to pass through and shoot them; if your team can't cover you from the sides, then be very careful about your actions - it's best to find some cover in-front of your tank, and look around your sides, because when enemies don't encounter enemies, they will push up and show you their sides.

''However'', this doesn't mean that you should always rely on your team, or you should always stick to a single location. Arcade allows you to move around and to succeed, you must move around, because it is difficult for opponents to know where exactly you can shoot them from if you constantly change your angles. So you should find a piece of cover, snipe a couple of tanks, then move forwards or sideways across the map to another position and surprise other enemies.

'''''Important Note:''''' Try to keep an eye on the minimap and have a general idea where large groups of enemies are - you don't want to run into 3 leopards in a city by accident. Keeping general enemy locations in mind will help you with your advancement plans - you shouldn't rush around the map only ''hoping'' that you won't get shot.

==== Realistic Battles ====
The T-62 enjoys Realistic Battles because its low silhouette can surprise enemies. It can hide behind a small bush, and hold an ambush position overlooking an open area around an objective (e.g. around the city in Alaska, or in the forests on European Province). The low silhouette and the amazing gun should be used together to ambush enemies at any range, one-shot them and then change position so that any call-outs on the enemy team are wrong information by the time they are noticed. It can be rather annoying playing Realistic in this tank, however, due to German and Italian tanks being able to get half-way across the map and set-up ambushes before you are able to leave your spawn (this is negated in Arcade, because it's always mixed battles and faster tanks get killed first by faster enemy tanks).

In Realistic, long-range encounters are plenty, and they do favour the T-62, unless in a rather hilly environment, where the gun depression isn't enough. It is recommended to get into some sniping position at the start of the match, but after 3-5 shots to attempt to move forward, closer to the objectives. At that point, all of the Leopards and Centauros should be moving forward to your spawn, and while they are doing so, you can usually pick them off one-by-one (the is very effective if you've managed to move close to the objectives, because you will be in the enemy's rear as they move past the objectives).

'''''Side-Note:''''' If you see a teammate pushing in the same direction you are, then follow them, but stay some distance behind. Chances are if there are enemy ambushes, they are going to fire at your teammate and you will in turn be able to disable or destroy the ambushers.

There is less close quarters encounters in Realistic Battles, however many objectives are placed inside towns or cities. In those cases, when playing the T-62 it's important to surprise the enemy, so it's advised to go on a big flank. If you know where the enemies are, approximately, you may get away with simply rushing them, because they won't expect it, however, this poses a big risk and should only be done in dire situations. If you do find yourself in a stand-off with another tank, you can try baiting a shot by showing them your front plate while angling it (but not showing the side), by using a corner of a building as cover. You can also abandon the encounter, retreat, find an ambush and wait, although a smart enemy will be cautious, some might fall into your trap.

'''''Important Note:''''' Soviet vehicles such as the Object 906 or the BMP-2 are better equipped for close-quarters, so if you're planning on fighting in cities, they are the better choice.

=== The Stock Grind ===
Through experience, it has been found best to complete the first part of the stock grind in Arcade Battles, notably '''researching Parts and FPE''' and perhaps Adjustment of Fire. Arcade is better due to the fact that the maps are smaller and you are almost guaranteed to get one kill. Moreover, '''you can activate 3-5 spare universal back-ups''' and spawn twice in the T-62 in the next 3-5 battles.

However you decide to complete the stock grind, these are some general tips:

* Stay further back and play passive - your reload will be your death as soon as you find yourself too far in front of your team.
** As a part of this strategy, you can bait teammates by letting them go first and see where they are shot from, then shooting those enemies.
** You can also just snipe, because your rounds are insanely fast from the beginning, and it's easy to hit long shots.
* Play the objectives, because it increases the chances of your team winning, and also gives you research points.
** Moreover, enemies converge on objectives, especially light tanks, which are easy to take out.
* It's always a good idea to stick close to your squadmate, or a light tank because they ''are able'' to repair you even if you can't.



=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Larger caliber gun than the T-54/T-55A

* Ability to fire high-velocity APFSDS rounds
* Better gun depression in comparison to most Soviet tanks
* Faster turret traverse than the T-54/T-55A
* Larger ammunition capacity than the T-54, with a generous hull ready rack

'''Cons:'''

* No anti-aircraft heavy machine gun
* Slow reload compared to NATO 105 mm L7-armed main battle tanks
* Not as mobile as the T-54/55A
* No APHE ammunition
* Cramped layout prone to vulnerable crippling hits or ammunition detonation when penetrated

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

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

== See also ==


* [[T-62M-1]]: Improved variant with a more powerful engine, added-on composite armour, and missile-launch capability for the gun
* [[IT-1]]: Missile-launcher variant of the T-62

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

TAM

2019-10-04T12:11:29Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_thyssen_henschel_tam}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg ‎|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (shortened to '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''', English translated as: ''Argentine Medium Tank'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tanks {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.81 "The Valkyries"]].

It's arguably the best BR 8.7 tank that Germany has to offer, with slightly better mobility than the A1A1 and the ability to scout. The minimal armor and hullbreak detract from it though. Similar to the A1A1, it shares a horrible stock grind against the hordes of new 8.7 premiums, but holds its own very nicely once APFSDS is unlocked.

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

The armour is composed of welded steel, providing protection up to 32 mm.

The front can defend against 12.7 mm machine gun ammo, but the side armour is only proof against standard machine guns of 7.62 mm. However, most enemies that can be faced will usually have a 12.7 mm machine gun or larger in their possession, making it so even a burst of bullets could riddle the TAM with holes. With this in mind, take caution when flanking a tank with a disabled gun to get a side shot, as you can easily lose a few crew members to machine gun fire. This becomes less of an issue after unlocking the APFSDS round, when side shots are rarely as necessary.

The TAM also is hull-breakable, and so rounds that hit have a chance of instantly destroying the vehicle.

=== Mobility ===

Mobility is not bad, with a max of 70 km/h on the road in both forward and reverse. Off-road mobility is quite average, especially on flat terrain, but there is a poor steering response.

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

{{main|FMK.4 Modelo 1L (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FMK.4 Modelo 1L (105 mm)|105 mm FMK.4 Modelo 1L]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -7°/+18° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 22.8 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.28 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 8.7 || 7.7 || 7.1 || 6.7
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| DM13|| APDS || 303 || 302 || 296 || 277 || 257 || 252
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| DM13|| APDS || 1,478 || 4.00 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 730 || 14.85 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,310 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.50 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 1,270 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ? || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| M416 || 730 || 11.4 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

The TAM is equipped with two machine guns with a total of 4,000 rounds.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (200) || 60 || -__°/+__° || ±__°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The TAM could be played as an assassin, scout, or as a support vehicle on the battlefield. This variety of role is capable due to the powerful 105 mm cannon with an ammunition variety akin to the [[Leopard A1A1]], at the same time the thin armour prohibits any head-on combat which encourages fighting behind the front lines or from the flanks. Keep an eye out as an enemy that can be faced will be able to destroy the TAM if they so much as get a bead on with their armaments.

The best way to use the TAM is to exploit the scouting ability to mark enemies on the map, then call in friendlies to do the heavy fighting against them. While the team keeps the enemy busy, take pot shots with the 105 mm to also pick off the enemy as their attention is diverted from the TAM.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Decent firepower
* Very accurate gun, lands rounds with pin-point accuracy
* Faster and more manoeuvrable than the Begliatpanzer 57
* It has all kind of shells for different situations or to destroy all kind of tanks
* Unlike other tanks, the gun doesn't bounce at high speed
* The mounted turret has great depression, very good for shooting choppers and planes
* Little armour makes AP shots to pass through the tank without dealing much damage
* Very fast turret rotation and aiming
* Turret is on the back, won't need to expose all the tank to shoot from cover
* First ammo rack has more than enough shells for a battle
* Cheap repair cost

'''Cons:'''

* Very thin armour providing little to no protection
* Ammunition price is quite high (APFSDS shells are 600 Silver Lions each)
* Impossible to depress the gun when facing backwards
* Hard stock grind
* Turret is on the back, at some situations you will have to expose the whole tank to shoot
* Unlike other German tanks, {{PAGENAME}} does not have a great zoom capability (just x8.00)

== History ==

During the 1960s, Argentina was looking far and wide for offers to update its ageing fleet of WW2-era tanks. After obtaining some vehicles, the U.S. refused to make further vehicle sales. This forced Argentina to shift their attention towards the European market, resulting in the purchase of a number of French AMX-13s and its variants.

In 1973 however, the Ministry of Defense drew up a set of requirements for a completely new combat vehicle that would be produced domestically and would to enter service by 1980. Despite knowing what they wanted, Argentinian engineers lacked the technical know-how in order to actually design and produce such a vehicle. Faced with this problem, the Argentinian government sought collaboration with a foreign company in order to design and build the vehicle they wanted. Eventually, a contracted was signed with the German Thyssen-Henschel company, a joint development effort soon ensued.

The TAM (Tanque Argentino Mediano, eng: Argentinian Medium Tank), as it would be designated, was based off the German Marder IFV and equipped with a modification of the British, the Royal Ordnance L7A3 cannon that was produced in Germany. The first two prototypes of the TAM were built in 1976 and 1977 respectively and underwent extensive testing over the course of two years.

After successfully passing testing, the TAM was put into mass production in 1979. The vehicles were armed with FMK.4 Modelo 1L cannons, which was a domestic licensed copy of the original German cannon. The government ordered 200 vehicles of the IFV variant. However, economic difficulties resulted in the order being only partially fulfilled before production was restarted later on. Argentina was also very keen on exporting the TAM to other countries, but despite interest and some contracts being signed, the TAM was never widely exported for various reasons.

A total of around 280 TAMs were built and most of them still serve in the Argentinian army, albeit with upgraded equipment. The TAM was never deployed in any combat operations to this date.

''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5740-development-tam-replacing-the-old-guard-en Devblog]''

== Media ==

[[File:TAM.jpg|thumb]]

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5740-development-tam-replacing-the-old-guard-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> TAM - Replacing The Old Guard]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5714-development-tam-and-m247-sergeant-york-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> TAM and M247 Sergeant York]

{{Germany light tanks}}

Challenger 2

2019-08-14T00:39:33Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_challenger_II}}
{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Challenger (Disambiguation)
}}

== Description ==

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

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

The Challenger 2 shares the same weak spots as her predecessor. Your lower front plate is very weak and will not stop any kinetic or chemical round. This makes you vulnerable when you are playing in city maps. If an enemy tank sees you first, you're pretty much guaranteed to get shot. Now, you won't be instantly destroyed because of your driver getting knocked out, but the APFSDS or other kinetic rounds will go to the middle of your tank and hit the charged bags. This problem is not too big when playing in bigger maps with ridge lines. You can park your tank behind them so the enemy can't see and hit your LFP (lower front plate).

Then we have a bigger weak spot on the gun mantlet compared to the Challenger 1. So if the enemy gets a lucky shot, they may shoot through your gun mantlet, knocking out both the gunner and the loader. Though it's not the same problem you got on the [[M1A1 Abrams|M1A1]], where a lucky shot can incapacitate every crew member in your turret, losing your gunner and commander is pretty bad. The turret ring is quite okay, not too many shells are going through here so that's not too big of a deal. But still, be careful because it's not impossible to penetrate the turret ring. The roof top of the turret of the Challenger 2 is a big weak spot; not because tanks can penetrate it with APFSDS, but rockets and HE/HEAT can do massive damage to your turret crew. The Russian [[T-64A (1971)|T-64A]]/[[T-64B]] and [[T-80B]]/[[T-80U]] do possess a very strong HE shell and got missiles. A well-placed shot can knock out every crew member in the turret. When you encounter a helicopter, the same problem occurs, but the chance of a fatal hit becomes bigger since the helicopter player can aim his missile and rockets directly into the turret roof. The side of the Challenger 2 is also very weak. Even lightly armoured infantry fighting vehicles can penetrate your side with their 30mm rapid-firing guns. When an enemy is smart, he will shoot an APFSDS under your turret into the middle of the tank, and if it hits the charged bags, the Challenger is done for.

This all might sound like the Challenger 2 has weak armour, but that's certainly not the case. The turret cheeks are very strong. Also, the UFP (upper front plate) is way better compared to the previous Challenger 1. Both the cheeks and UFP are impenetrable for the strongest APFSDS shell in the game. The tank is good in a hull down position because enemies can't aim for your LFP. The tank can take a punch and the armour on the front is really good. If you learn to play it to its strengths and try to hide your side and your LFP, the Challenger 2 is quite a beast.

=== Mobility ===


The Challenger 2 is fitted with a Perkins CV12-6A V12 diesel 26.1-litre engine which produces 1,200 bhp. This gives the Challenger 2 a speed of 56 km/h (35 mph) forward. The transmission is a David Brown TN54E epicyclic transmission, with 6 gears forward and 2 gears backwards. The tank has a mass of 62.5 tons, which gives the tank a horsepower-to-ton ratio of 19.2. This means that your manoeuvrability is worse than most of the other MBTs because of the fact that most other MBTs are having a 1,500 hp engine with less mass. Also, the neutral steering of this tank exacerbates the already low mobility. You get forced into neutral steering at low speeds and because of your low hp-to-ton ratio, neutral steering is really slow.

So the Challenger 2, like other British tanks beforehand, is one of the heaviest MBT that is mated with a weak engine. The stock manoeuvrability makes the tank feel a bit sluggish. However, when you research the manoeuvrability upgrades, the tank has some decent mobility and will get you from A to B quite effectively; but again, not as quickly as some other MBTs, so be careful when the game starts and don't rush to caps and take care of the flanks.

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

{{main|L30A1 (120 mm)}}

The main gun is an L30A1 120 mm rifled gun. The reload of this gun is 6.5 seconds, which makes this one of the best reloading rates of the MBT's. The angle of elevation allowed by the gun is 20 degrees up and 10 degrees down. The stock turret rotation of this tank is 14.3 degrees per second. However, the vertical aiming speeds are really bad. The gun is accurate and combined with the armour makes the Challenger a good sniper. Because the gun can fire and reload very quickly, enemies can't shoot you as quickly as you can shoot them. You get the L23A1 stock APFSDS shell. This is a good shell but not special.

The gun fires three-staged ammunition (the loader only puts in the charged bag and round, but because of the firing mechanism it's called three-staged ammunition) which means you have charged bags. This makes the tank very vulnerable against ammunition explosions. It is recommended to take 25 shells max because of the charged bags that can be detonated. When you get the L26 shell, you'll receive 77 mm extra penetration at 500 m. This means you can shoot the upper front plate of a [[Leopard 2A5]] without trouble meaning you can penetrate 2A5s more effectively.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L30A1 (120 mm)|120 mm L30A1]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 29.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 18.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot L23A1 || APFSDS || 396 || 394 || 387 || 376 || 367 || 357
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
| Shot L26 || APFSDS || 471 || 469 || 464 || 457 || 450 || 443
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot L23A1 || APFSDS || 1,535 || 3.89 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17.10 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,100 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| Shot L26 || APFSDS || 1,550 || 4.10 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| L34 || 670 || 17.1 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

The Challenger 2 possesses two 7.62 mm machine guns. One of them being the coaxial L94A1, and one roof mounted L37A2 machine gun. These machine guns are weak against aeroplanes but can shoot down a helicopter. However, you should not use them for AA purposes as the chances of shooting down aircraft/helicopters are relatively small and you will just be giving your position away. These machine guns are also not effective against infantry fighting vehicles. The best way to use your machine guns is to spot enemies for your teammates.

== Usage in battles ==


The Challenger 2 should be played as a support tank. Try not to rush to capture points without knowing where the enemy is. The Challenger 2 really is not a street fighter or a rusher, the tank is designed for defensive game play so it should be played defensively.

When playing in city maps, try to find a spot where you can aim at enemies but that they can't get behind you very easily. Taking an enemy to the front is the best chance you got in a knife fight. Some enemies may forget that the Challenger 2 has a weak LFP and often try to take out your gun and gun breech, but since it's a knife fight, enemies will screw up their shots so you may have a chance winning. Taking a shot on the side is never a good option.

Try following the American or Russian tanks and give them support since the Challenger 2 won't be able to do a lot on its own. Take good care of the mini-map and try to predict where the enemy will go or come from. If you see a lot of team members being destroyed, take note since there is a big chance that a Leopard 2 may come from that direction. This precaution must be considered due to the Challenger 2s lack of mobility. The Challenger 2 is not slow, it's just not the fastest tank. The German and Russian tanks will get to the capture point much faster than any Challenger 2. Play with this thought in mind and if you need to go for a cap, try to scan the area really well before going in.

In open maps, try to find a good hull-down position. Don't give the enemy a chance firing at your weak spots. You don't want to play a fair fight, this is not a tank which can win a game on its own. It can do a lot more than the previous Challenger 1, but it's not able to carry games. The best usage in battles is to find the best spots and find your own way. But every way will be the same: defensive.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very accurate gun with good optics
* Good gun depression
* Fast reload rate
* Strong turret cheeks and hull's upper frontal armour
* More powerful engine than Challenger 1
* Good reverse speed
* Has ESS, smoke shells and smoke grenades

'''Cons:'''

* Ammo storage can be hit very easily, like in previous Challenger 1
* Weak frontal lower glacis
* Big weak spot near the gun breach
* The upper part of the turret is vulnerable to HEAT shots
* No reactive armour
* Poor manoeuvrability compared to other MBTs

== History ==

Work on developing a successor to the Challenger 1 began only a short time after the vehicle entered service with the British armed forces. Already by the mid-1980s, the Vickers company had developed a new MBT as part of a private venture. After requirements for a next-generation MBT have been issued, Vickers immediately submitted their design on the new Challenger 2 to the Ministry of Defence. Having briefly considered the adoption of the M1 Abrams, the Ministry decided to proceed with the Vickers design by ordering the construction of a prototype Challenger 2 for testing and evaluation. The Challenger 2 passed the evaluation and met expectations even when put through comparative testing against contemporary MBTs of other nations, such as the American M1 Abrams and German Leopard 2. Satisfied with the test results, the Ministry of Defence adopted the Challenger 2 and placed the first production order in 1993, with the initial batch consisting of 127 tanks in addition to 13 trainer vehicles. The first Challenger 2 tanks were delivered to the tank regiments by 1994. The Challenger 2 participated in several operations during the ‘90s and into the 2000s, ranging from peacekeeping missions on the Balkans to military interventions in Iraq. A number of Challenger 2 MBTs have also been exported to Oman, with this nation being the only operator of the Challenger 2, besides the UK. Production of Challenger 2 tanks seized in 2002 after all pending production orders were fulfilled, with close to 440 vehicles being produced. Since 2008, Challenger 2 tanks have constantly been undergoing modernization work, with a number of upgrade packages being developed. Thanks to these upgrades, the Challenger 2 MBT is expected to serve with the British Army well into the future.

''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6035-development-challenger-2-and-rank-vii-armored-vehicles-en Devblog]''

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6035-development-challenger-2-and-rank-vii-armored-vehicles-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Challenger 2 and rank VII armored vehicles]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Chieftain Mk 3

2019-08-08T16:26:06Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

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

== Description ==

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

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

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

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

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

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

=== Mobility ===

The Chieftain Mk 3 suffers from poor horsepower to tonne ratio. It is slow to reach its top speed of 45 km/h on almost any surface and will turn very slowly even when all mobility modules are researched. The Chieftain especially struggles uphill and when pivoting. It has decent reverse speed (~9.4 km/h, compared to the 13 km/h reverse speed of tanks on the Centurion chassis).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 54.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 45 (AB)
|-
|41 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,023
|1,259
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|584
|660
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.80
|23.14
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.73
|12.13
|-
|}

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm L11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 53 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.70 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

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

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_ChieftainMk3.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the Chieftain Mk.3.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' ||  ''(+)''||  ''(+)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 30 ''(+23)''

=== Machine guns ===

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

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

== Usage in battles ==


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

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

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

===Modules===
The first upgrades to head for are ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' for increased survivability. Then prioritize mobility upgrades (the Chieftain needs all the mobility it can get) and gun accuracy upgrades (to further enhance its accurate fire).

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Turret armour strong enough to resist APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
* Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against enemies of the same rank
* Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5-9.5 seconds)
* Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and powerful HESH shells immediately
* 10 degrees of gun depression
* Has access to a dual plane stabiliser
* Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be bound to a separate key
* Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Videos===
{{Youtube-gallery|W4R1fPzk-tU|Review: Chieftain Mk. III War Thunder Video Tutorials |XlNDQ2PVPpI|The Chieftain at Bovington|D3OF9IvtHLk|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: Chieftain}}

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

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

== External links ==

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}
<references />

Chieftain Mk 3

2019-08-08T16:24:07Z

U33573736: /* Mobility */ small correction

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

== Description ==

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

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

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

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

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

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

=== Mobility ===

The Chieftain Mk 3 suffers from poor horsepower to tonne ratio. It is slow to reach its top speed of 45 km/h on almost any surface and will turn very slowly even when all mobility modules are researched. The Chieftain especially struggles uphill and when pivoting. It has decent reverse speed (~9.4 km/h, compared to the 13 km/h reverse speed of tanks on the Centurion chassis).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 54.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 45 (AB)
|-
|41 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,023
|1,259
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|584
|660
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.80
|23.14
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.73
|12.13
|-
|}

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm L11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 53 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.70 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

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

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_ChieftainMk3.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the Chieftain Mk.3.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' ||  ''(+)''||  ''(+)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 30 ''(+23)''

=== Machine guns ===

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

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

== Usage in battles ==


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

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

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

===Modules===
The first upgrades to head for are ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' for increased survivability. Then prioritize mobility upgrades (the Chieftain needs all the mobility it can get) and gun accuracy upgrades (to further enhance its accurate fire).

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Turret armour strong enough to resist APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
* Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against enemies of the same rank
* Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5-9.5 seconds)
* Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and powerful HESH shells immediately
* 10 degrees of gun depression
* Has access to a dual plane stabiliser
* Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be bound to a separate key
* Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Videos===
{{Youtube-gallery|W4R1fPzk-tU|Review: Chieftain Mk. III War Thunder Video Tutorials |XlNDQ2PVPpI|The Chieftain at Bovington|D3OF9IvtHLk|Bovington Tank Museum Tank Chats: Chieftain}}

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

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

== External links ==

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}
<references />

F-100D

2019-03-01T21:16:39Z

U33573736: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=f-100d}}

== Description ==


[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left|The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' in the garage]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]] and was one of the first three jets to feature guided air-to-air missiles, the other two being the MiG-19PT and the Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9. The F-100D is the top-rank aircraft in the American fighter line-up.
== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 10668 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
|1,441||1,431|| {{Specs|ceiling}} ||40.6||42.1||65.9||64.4||1,400
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 10,668 m)
! rowspan="2" |Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| ? || ? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ???
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flap (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
| {{Specs|разрушение|конструкции}} || {{Specs|разрушение|шасси}} || 620 || ~?? || ~?
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 640 || < 540 || < 610 || > 300
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 0 m || 4205 kgf || No WEP available
|-

|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* No armour plating
* No armour glazing
* Critical components located at the front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
* More fuel tanks located in wings near the fuselage

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


      ''Main article: '''[[:Category:Suspended armaments|Bombs]]'''''-->

== Usage in the battles ==


===Manual Engine Control===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
|Jet engines do not have controllable parts
|-
|}

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage Repair
| Radiator
|
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
|-
| III
| Wings Repair
| Engine
|
|
|-
| IV
|
| Engine Injection
| Cover
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent guns that have both high muzzle velocity, rate of fire, plenty of ammo (200 rpg), and pack a good punch with high-explosive shells.
* Can carry a wide array of suspended armaments of bombs, rockets and missiles.
* Its AIM-9B missiles have a longer reach than the missiles on the Mig-19P
* Fast and out-accelerates both MiG-15 and MiG-17's

'''Cons:'''

* Thoroughly unmanuverable, and does absolutely not lend itself to traditional turning dogfights
* Suffers from severe lockup past the Mach 1 mark
* Bleeds a lot of energy when trying to turn around at high speed
* While fast, is still significantly slower in top speed and acceleration than the [[MiG-19PT]]
* Doesn't do direct-fire CAS well since at high speeds, target acquisition is difficult, and at lower speeds, the plane is too unmanuverable and easy pickings for anti-air

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''

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

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

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


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

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

{{USA jet aircrafts}}