2S38

2023-03-05T14:57:32Z

U42707864: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_2s38
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

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

Built on the [[BMP-3]] platform, the 2S38 was an attempt to transform the platform into a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a 57 mm autocannon and a tracking system capable of fighting low-flying aircraft. In the game, the rapid-firing 57 mm autocannon allows the 2S38 to engage a wide range of enemies from tanks to fighter jets while maintaining the same profile and mobility of the original BMP-3.

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


The {{PAGENAME}} armour is essentially non-existent for the rank it is in. While the front array may be resistant to some autocannons from a long-distance, it isn't really reliable.

The rearranged modules within the 2S38 does improve the vehicle's overall survivability compared to the BMP-3 however. Firstly, the ammunition is a lot smaller and harder to hit, and they are all stored in the center so can be harder to hit if not precisely targetted. There are more empty space within the 2S38 as well, increasing the chances of a shot penetrating the armour, but not causing any critical damages to the components.

The crew are all arranged in the front, three in a row. This improves crew survivability in hull-down position as there is no crew in the turret anymore. This also marginally improves survivability to shots from the front, as there is a small chance a shot from the front does not knock out two or all the crew members in one shot. Given both the gunner and commander can fire the main gun, enemies would need to knock out both of them at the same time to disable the 2S38's armaments.

Overall, the 2S38 is favored comparatively to the BMP-3 in terms of being able to survive the first shot while also retaining the ability to fire back at the offending opponent.

'''Armour type:'''

* ABT-102 alloy - Hull and turret
* Rolled homogeneous armour - Gun mask
* Structural steel - Add-ons on the sides

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 18 mm (81°) ''Front glacis'' 60 mm (25°) + 12 mm + 10 mm ''Lower Glacis (Upper)'' 60 mm (45°) + 10 mm ''Lower Glacis (Lower)'' 60 mm ''Turret ring'' || 60 mm + 4 mm ''Top Front'' 43 mm + 4 mm ''Top & Bottom'' || 43 mm ''Upper Glacis'' 43 mm (22°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 15 - 18 mm ''Hull'' 20 mm ''Turret ring''
|-
| Turret || 43 mm (0°-23°-43°) ''Front'' 20 mm (0°-45°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 43 mm || 43 mm || 20 - 43 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


* Tracks are 15 mm thick, suspention and it's wheels are both 10 mm thick.
* Hatches are 18 + 20 mm (81°) thick.
* At the rear there is a 100 mm thick log.

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


The {{PAGENAME}} drives like the BMP-3. Namely, it is fast and accelerates well even in cross-country terrain. Travelling on long-distance maps will not be an issue for the {{PAGENAME}}. The only significant difference is that the {{PAGENAME}} weights about 2.8 t more than the BMP-3, and so the small weight difference may affect the fine acceleration and forward momentum, but not by much.

{{tankMobility}}

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

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

{{main|2A90 (57 mm)}}

The 57 mm 2A90 is a dual-purpose autocannon and can allow players to use it in both an anti-tank and anti-aircraft gun. While its top penetration for the anti-tank role is not ideal, with a point-blank penetration of 225 mm with the ''3UBM22'' APFSDS rounds, the rapid fire nature of the 57 mm gun means that quick follow-up shot from the first successful penetration can cripple, if not destroy, the enemy tank.

If firing at a tank's side armour, firing the ''BR-281'' APCBC round with explosive filler can be considered to absolutely devastate the enemy interior with fewer shots. It would trade maximum penetration of the round, so it is up to player preference on which ammunition to useif aiming at tank side armour.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[2A90 (57 mm)|57 mm 2A90]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 148 || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+75° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 57.1 || 79.1 || 96.0 || 106.2 || 113.0 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 35.7 || 42.0 || 51.0 || 56.4 || 60.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:2A90 (57 mm)/Ammunition|BR-281, OR-281U, 3UBM22, 3UO8}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''148''' || 78 ''(+70)'' || 21 ''(+127)'' || 1 ''(+147)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 or 3, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
* The visual discrepancy concerns the number of shells in rack 2 (58 shells modeled for 57 available).
* Rack 3 (autoloader magazine) is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 20 shells.
** This rack gets filled first when loading up the tank and is also emptied first.
** As the {{PAGENAME}} is equipped with an autoloader, manual reloading of the gun is not possible.
** Once the autoloader magazine has been depleted, you can't shoot until the loader has restocked the autoloader with at least 1 shell.
** The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun. Take this into account when playing.
** Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 and 2 into rack 3. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

{{main|PKTM (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[PKTM (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm PKTM]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 750 (250) || 700 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The 2S38 is played like a standard light tank: use your mobility and speed to flank enemies, and your gun is powerful enough to penetrate most tank's side and back armour. The gun has a very short reload time, at an astounding 0.5 s. The 2S38 has proximity-fused HE shells, allowing it to fire at helicopters and other aircraft to some effect.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely fast reload
* High mobility
* IRST target tracking system and HE-VT round allow for good anti-air capability
* Unmanned turret means it can get hit and not suffer crew losses
* APCBC is great for other IFVs, SPAAs, MBT sides, and APFSDS is good for almost all frontal armour for MBTs

'''Cons:'''

* Weak armour
* High rate of fire depletes ammo rather quickly
* All crew in the front so knock-outs are common
* Buyoancy isn't very good

== History ==

In the mid 2010s, the Central Scientific Research Institute Burevestnik in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, developed an artillery turret with a 57mm cannon, designed for ships and armored vehicles. A little later, the module was upgraded for installation on the 2S38 platform (a modified version of the BMP-3 AFV chassis). The first prototype was demonstrated to the public in 2018, in 2020 2S38s took part in the Victory Day parade on Red Square in Moscow. At the moment, the vehicle is being commissioned for service with the Russian army.

''- From [[wt:en/news/7933-development-2s38-fast-and-angry-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_2s38 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|n1VVzWsVeKs|'''The Shooting Range #328''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== 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/7933-development-2s38-fast-and-angry-en|<nowiki>[Development]</nowiki> 2S38 - Fast and Angry]]

{{USSR light tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

2S38