War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

ASU-85

2022-11-01T08:15:36Z

U6383140: /* Ammo racks */ Unknown Update changed Ammo Rack ordering for ASU-85. Updated rack list and suggested loadout

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_asu_85
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]]. It was designed to provide the VDV (''Vozdushno-Desantnye Voyska''), the Soviet airborne forces, with an air-portable self-propelled gun for independent fire support and anti-tank capability in support of paratroopers during airborne operations.

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

The front upper glacis plate, while only 45 mm thick, is quite heavily sloped and can occasionally ricochet rounds. The mantlet is also quite thick and rounded, and it can also bounce the occasional lucky shot.

However, the rest of the ASU-85 is very thinly armoured and vulnerable to even heavy machine guns. Angling is useless in this tank, since thin armour parts get overmatched by high calibre shells and they just ignore ricochet chance completely. If it is necessary to give the enemy something to fire at, it is possible to take only half of the shells and then present the left side to the enemy, as it will have less ammo racks, though it is still likely the entire tank will be obliterated anyway.

The tank itself is very short and can even bully tanks like the [[M4A3 (76) W]] by standing next to them, as it will only be able to aim at the autobounce zone on top of the ASU-85 and will likely miss. In the case if the tank it stands next to explodes, the ASU-85 will also suffer overpressure damage and often lose crew, so moderate levels of "vitality" crew skill are needed to survive when doing this.

The ASU-85 is also somewhat vulnerable to aircraft strafing, particularly if they attack from the top or with rockets.

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (37°) ''Lower glacis'' 50 mm ''Driver port''|| 6 mm || 6 mm (40°) ''Upper'' 6 mm (18°) ''Lower'' || 6 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 13 mm (37-38°) || 6 mm || 13 mm ''Front'' 6 mm ''Rear''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick, tracks are 15 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=298|rbMinHp=186}}

The ASU-85 is based on the [[PT-76B]] and uses the same engine. It is somewhat heavier, however, and the mobility thus suffers comparatively. With a top speed of under 50 km/h, the ASU-85 is relatively slow for such a lightly armoured vehicle, but it is adequate enough for repositioning when needed. The ASU-85 also has a fairly slow reverse speed and only one reverse gear, inherited from the PT-76B.

Note that the ASU-85 is not amphibious, unlike the PT-76B it is based on.

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

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

{{main|D-70 (85 mm)}}

The ASU-85 is armed with the '''85 mm D-70''', a significantly more powerful gun compared to the wartime Soviet 85 mm ZiS S-53 and D-5T guns and comparable in capability to the German 8,8 cm L/71 guns. The mounting has only 4° of gun depression due to the restricted size of the vehicle, but has a fairly generous amount of traverse for a casemate tank destroyer. It has a relatively low rate-of-fire for its calibre, reflecting the rather cramped crew compartment of the ASU-85. The recoil of a gun throws the tank around, especially if it is fired sideways, sometimes kicking the tank backwards up to 5-10 m.

The standard shell is the '''BR-372''' APBC shell with a lethal explosive filler. It has an excellent muzzle velocity and is accurate at long ranges, very similarly to APDS. It will also easily penetrate most things that the ASU-85 may encounter. Anything that cannot be penetrated by the APBC shell will almost certainly be penetrable by the '''3BK7''' HEAT-FS round. Boasting 300 mm of penetration, it is capable of punching straight through a [[Tiger II (P)|Tiger II]]'s upper glacis and does not lose penetration over distance. However, it suffers the usual drawbacks of HEAT rounds (cannot go through obstacles like trees or fences) and is significantly less lethal than the APBC shell. The muzzle velocity is also lower, which can complicate aiming at long ranges.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D-70 (85 mm)|85 mm D-70]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 39 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 6.2 || 8.5 || 10.4 || 11.5 || 12.2 || rowspan="2" | 9.23 || rowspan="2" | 8.17 || rowspan="2" | 7.53 || rowspan="2" | 7.10
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.2 || 4.9 || 6.0 || 6.6 || 7.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-372 || APCBC || 245 || 242 || 229 || 214 || 200 || 187
|-
| 3BK7 || HEATFS || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300
|-
| OF-372 || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-372 || APCBC || 1,040 || 9.3 || 1.2 || 14 || 77 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 3BK7 || HEATFS || 925 || 7.22 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,440 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| OF-372 || HE || 1,010 || 9.66 || 0 || 0.1 || 740 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''39''' || 33 ''(+6)'' || 25 ''(+14)'' || 20 ''(+19)'' || 12 ''(+27)'' || 6 ''(+33)'' || 1 ''(+38)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Left Side Empty: 20 (+19)

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

{{main|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 2,000 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The ASU-85 is a veritable glass cannon that relies on stealth and/or distance in order to survive on the battlefield. It is very vulnerable if caught in the open, especially to planes due to the very weak roof armour. The 85 mm gun is capable of handling almost any tank likely to be encountered by the ASU-85. Unfortunately, the ASU-85 lacks the mobility of its predecessor, the [[ASU-57]], and thus has to adopt a more passive playstyle. The stock APBC round is excellent for ambushes, which tend to involve a lot of side shots where the lethality of the explosive filler is valuable, especially with the long reload time of the gun. The HEAT-FS round is better suited for medium/long-range fighting, since it does not lose penetration over distance.

The ASU-85 has a rather unorthodox method of using its smoke screen. Unlike most vehicles, which use smoke shells, singular canisters, or canister clusters, the ASU-85 uses two large drum like structures at the rear. When deployed, these will drop away, so it is relatively easy to tell from close range whether or not an ASU-85 has smoke or not, and how many it has. Due to the orientation of the drums, the smoke screen will actually form behind the tank and take 5 seconds to fully envelope the assault gun.

The smokes screens themselves are very thin and allow ASU-85 to see through them with sniper scope and attack. In arcade mode, ASU-85 can use smoke screen to disable aim assist and spotting for enemy vehicles while still being able to track their position with scouting, which works well with its ability to bounce poorly aimed shots. The APDS-like APHE and HEAT-FS also help with fighting with aim assist off, which makes it a viable trick, though it will not help if enemy already took aim at ASU-85 and is just waiting for reload to finish.

Common opponent weakspots:

* Tiger II [[Tiger II (P)|(P)]], [[Tiger II (H)|(H)]], [[Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K)|105 mm]]: Turret cheeks. HEAT-FS can penetrate the hull front.
* [[Panther II]]: APBC can penetrate the turret face. HEAT-FS can penetrate the hull front.
* [[T29]]: Lower glacis. There are also weakspots in the gun mantlet, but they may be hard to hit at anything but close range.
* [[Caernarvon]]: Turret ring and lower glacis.
* [[Tortoise]]: Area surrounding the hull machine gun port.
* [[T95]]: Cupolas may be penetrated but do not trigger the explosive filler of AP rounds.
* [[Jagdtiger]]: HEAT-FS can penetrate the hull front and superstructure.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent 85 mm gun - higher penetration and muzzle velocity than the 100 mm D-10T found on the T-54s
* Competitive stock APBC round with explosive filler
* Access to HEAT-FS with 300 mm of penetration
* Tiny profile
* Access to a coaxial machine gun
* Access to night vision devices

'''Cons:'''

* Slow gun elevation and traverse
* Slow reload for an 85 mm gun
* Cannon recoil is so strong it throws the tank around and will not only mess with tanks aim but kick the user off a cliff if they are not careful
* Lightly armoured everywhere besides the front, vulnerable to aircraft strafing, angling even just slightly will expose the extremely weak side armor to vehicles with APCBC shells
* Poor reverse speed
* Mediocre mobility and low maximum speed, considering the light armour
* Poor gun depression

== History ==

===Development===
A new assault gun was requested by the Armed Forces sometime before 1953. Due to the success of the [[ASU-57]], they tasked the OKB-40 design bureau headed by Nikolaj Astrov to design the vehicle. The design, designated "Object 573", was ready for tests in the latter half of 1953. Constant changes and improvement was made from the span of 1956 to 1957. The design used the chassis of the [[PT-76B|PT-76]] amphibious light tank design, though it did not have the same amphibious feature and had a new engine propelling it. The armament was an 85 mm D-70 gun derived from the 85 mm D-48 anti-tank gun. The design could carry 45 rounds inside and could fire a variety of rounds up to 1 km away. Secondary armament for the vehicle was a GMT or PKT coaxial machine gun. The improved design was going to accepted and enter production in 1958 as the SU-85 (despite the existence of [[SU-85|a vehicle of the same name]]), but this was again delayed when the Ministry of Defense ordered an armoured roof to be installed. The design was to enter production in 1961, but by then the design was rather outdated for army forces usage. Thus, when the vehicle entered production, it was taken up by the VDV, the Soviet Airborne Forces, and renamed the ASU-85. The ASU-85 was produced from 1959 to 1966, while staying in service from 1959 all the way to 1993.

===Usage===
The Soviet airborne forces primarily used the ASU-85 as a light infantry support/assault gun. Advancements in air-drop techniques and the advent of helicopters made its air deployment a more viable option in the early 1960s. The Soviet Union deployed 31 ASU-85s to each of its airborne divisions in and assault gun battalion. The Soviet Union used the ASU-85 during the Soviet-Afghan War with the airborne troops stationed there.

The ASU-85 was only given out to Poland and Vietnam. Poland used the ASU-85s in the same manner as the Soviet Union, with 31 vehicles in each airborne divisions. The ASU-85 are still in service in the Vietnamese military, with interests on improving their technical performances in early 2016.<ref name="JaneASU-85">Fisher</ref>

The ASU-85 also serves as the genesis of other support vehicles using the derived PT-76 chassis. The most notable vehicle using a similar chassis was the [[ZSU-23-4|ZSU-23-4 "Shilka"]] anti-aircraft system.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_asu_85 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|YuBjyMQLRy0|'''Airmobile tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:00 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|y2G4K-5ZvDw|'''ASU-85 self-propelled gun (Soviet Airborne Forces)''' - ''yolkhere''}}

== 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/3733-development-asu-85-death-from-the-skies-en/|[Devblog] ASU-85: Death from the Skies]]
* [[Wikipedia:ASU-85|[Wikipedia] ASU-85]]

===References===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Fisher, Richard D., Jr. "DSA 2016: Vietnam May Update Soviet Era ASU-85s." ''IHS Jane's 360'', Janes, 21 April 2016, [http://www.janes.com/article/59688/dsa-2016-vietnam-may-update-soviet-era-asu-85s Website]. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20161228181451/http://www.janes.com/article/59688/dsa-2016-vietnam-may-update-soviet-era-asu-85s Archive])

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

File:Ammoracks ASU-85.png

2022-11-01T08:11:06Z

U6383140: U6383140 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks ASU-85.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

User talk:U6383140

2022-04-20T14:20:05Z

U6383140: /* PT-76B ammo racks update */

== PT-76B ammo racks update ==

Hi, thanks for your recent contribution in updating the PT-76B's ammo racks layout. Would you be able to re-upload your new image using the "Upload a new version of this file" link at the bottom of [[:File:Ammoracks PT-76B.png|this page]] please? Many thanks, [[User:U38088265|U38088265]] ([[User talk:U38088265|talk]]) 17:07, 19 April 2022 (UTC)

Hi, just did as you said to. Have a pleasant day. Misty_Cloud 02:17, 20 April 2022 (UTC)

User talk:U6383140

2022-04-20T14:19:45Z

U6383140: /* PT-76B ammo racks update */

User talk:U6383140

2022-04-20T14:18:55Z

U6383140: /* PT-76B ammo racks update */

User talk:U6383140

2022-04-20T14:17:54Z

U6383140: /* PT-76B ammo racks update */

File:Ammoracks PT-76B.png

2022-04-20T14:12:27Z

U6383140: U6383140 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks PT-76B.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

PT-76B

2022-04-19T16:29:11Z

U6383140: Updated information regarding PT-76B's Ammo Racks (New Image, Changed table numbers, added recommended configurations)

{{About
| about = Soviet light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = PT-76 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_pt_76b
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was the first amphibious tank to be implemented in the game, being introduced with [[Update 1.53 "Fire Storm"]] (although the amphibious feature was not implemented until [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]).

The PT-76B, as a light tank, has paper-thin armour but also has a powerful main gun that can engage most tanks at its battle rating. Its amphibious nature means that the tank can cover terrain and paths not normally travelled by land vehicles, allowing flexibilities on certain maps featuring water bodies.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (80°) ''Top'' 13 mm (44°) ''Bottom'' || 13 mm ''Top'' 10 mm ''Bottom'' || 6 mm (1°) ''Top'' 6 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 6 mm
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (32-35°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (19-32°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm (35°) || 15 mm (35°) || 6 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

Pretty much every tank in the game will be able to destroy the PT-76B with relative ease due to the ultra-thin armour of it. Avoid tanks with access to heavy machine guns on their turrets such as most American tanks, the [[IS-2 (1944)]], etc.

Also, keep well clear of enemy SPAA. 12.7 mm guns and above will absolutely wreck this tank. In particular, the Wirbelwind is a big threat. It has good penetration at range and will literally saturate the vehicle with autocannon shells. Just a short burst from the quad 20 mm guns will finish the PT-76B off.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=372|rbMinHp=212}}

The {{PAGENAME}} has decent mobility on land thanks to its rather light weight. It can reach its maximum speed of 49 km/h (AB) / 44 km/h (RB) easily due to its decent acceleration. Controlling it at maximum speed is not hard since its top speed is nothing special for a light tank (the ubiquitous [[M41A1]], for example, has a top speed of 72 km/h). The {{PAGENAME}} is also decently agile, being able to turn quickly in response to any events up the path. However, the vehicle does not have any type of neutral steering capability, so it will be difficult to turn on the spot. These forward mobility traits of the {{PAGENAME}} can be interrupted severely by moderate obstacles such as medium trees, wooden fences, concretes plots/barriers or stone walls; these will cause the vehicle to lose considerable amount of speed, or even be brought to a halt, especially in Realistic Battles

The maximum reverse speed is -7 km/h (AB) / -6 km/h (RB), which is too slow to allow overextend tactic (pop from behind cover, shoot, retreat behind cover), or for withdrawing from dangerous situation that the vehicle may have inadvertently driven itself into.

The amphibious feature of the {{PAGENAME}} makes the vehicle more versatile, broadening the flanking/sneaking potential and options on some maps. But this should only be exploited across smaller bodies of water, since it reaches only 12 km/h (AB) / 9 km/h (RB) in water when moving forward, and the reverse speed in water is only -7 km/h (AB) / -5 km/h (RB). These slow speeds mean that once the {{PAGENAME}} is on water, it will likely be a sitting duck if spotted. While firing from the water is an option due to the vehicle's stabilizer, the water waves and the recoil from firing may cause the vehicle to wobble, making it hard to get a good shot. On top of that when planning an amphibious trip, it is best to ensure the destination can be reached in a straight line as the vehicle turns poorly and slowly in the water and so any course corrections will take more time, which leaves the {{PAGENAME}} exposed to being spotted and taken out.

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

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

{{main|D-56TS (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D-56TS (76 mm)|76 mm D-56TS]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 40 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+30° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 19.0 || 26.4 || 32.0 || 35.4 || 37.6 || rowspan="2" | 9.23 || rowspan="2" | 8.17 || rowspan="2" | 7.53 || rowspan="2" | 7.10
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.9 || 14.0 || 17.0 || 18.8 || 20.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-354N || APCR || 152 || 148 || 129 || 109 || 92 || 78
|-
| 53-BR-354 || APHE || 98 || 96 || 88 || 79 || 71 || 63
|-
| BK-354M || HEATFS || 200 || 200 || 200 || 200 || 200 || 200
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-354N || APCR || 950 || 3.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| 53-BR-354 || APHE || 662 || 6.3 || 1.2 || 14 || 49.28 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BK-354M || HEATFS || 700 || 7 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,140 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:PT-76B new ammoracks.png|thumb|[[Ammo racks]] of the PT-76B]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''40''' || 39 ''(+1)'' || 25 ''(+15)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret Empty: 39 ''(+1)'' shells.
* Rear Ammo Racks Empty: 25 ''(+15)'' shells.

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

{{main|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


As the PT-76B doesn't have much armour, avoid directly confronting enemy tanks. In order to defeat heavy/medium tanks, watch them and fire when they are not aiming or focusing on you. Use the light tank's manoeuvrability and fire rate to deliver pin-point hits onto the enemy's flanks, then retreat back in to cover before they can get a fix on the firing location. The PT-76B is also helpful in scouting enemy positions for its allies so they could bring in more firepower. As previously mentioned, this tank does not have the armour nor the crew to take on enemies head-on, so try to remain stealthy. It functions great as a scout tank.

If short to mid-range confrontation is inevitable, staying mobile makes you harder to hit while the impressive stabiliser will allow you to fire back almost unimpeded (while moving and shooting to the side, shots travel in the direction your vehicle is moving so when aiming at farther targets, remember to aim a little to one side to counteract this motion). While moving and shooting, always look where your vehicle is headed: a rock, cliff, enemy vehicle or similar obstacle could seriously ruin your PT-76B's day.

While the PT-76B has amphibious capabilities, it is not necessary to use them all the time. Keep in mind that the PT-76B can only go about 10 km/h in the water (and your large size makes you an easier target for shore-based snipers), so utilize the ability to travel on land as well. Instead, use the water to make an escape or take a shortcut. As an example, drive into the water if an enemy has spotted you, and take cover behind an off-shore rock. Driving through a river to flank the enemy is also possible if a bridge is not nearby. Take caution that reversing in the water is slow, if not nonexistent, which may get the PT-76B stuck if driven into an obstacle. Also make sure to check the map, as some maps like ''Eastern Europe'' have rivers with no way to get back onto land, or at least not many.

Otherwise, avoid directly confronting an enemy. Instead, take cover and scout. Another good tactic to use is watching the enemy - find a spot where they can't engage you and watch them. Wait for the right moment; when the enemy is reloading, aiming somewhere else, not noticing the PT-76, is attacking an ally, etc, quickly check to make sure no other enemy can target you and send a shell towards your enemy! Try to snipe at the enemy, but make sure to avoid all enemy fire, as all tanks can penetrate the PT-76's armour (even the [[GAZ-AAA (4M)]] technically has enough penetration to get through the tank's rear armour!).

The amphibious capabilities are a huge helper to the vehicle, allowing it to reach unusual sniper areas that vehicles without said capabilities could not reach (e.g. hiding behind the rocks near the jetty on Normandy). The incredible stabiliser also allows the PT-76B to simply sit in the water and blast away at enemies without them even realizing where the shots are from. Make sure to relocate after knocking out enemies or being spotted, however, as they will know the PT-76B's location and likely broadcast it to other players, most often resulting in the PT-76B being destroyed.

The HEAT-FS shell is powerful in terms of penetration, but the post-penetration damage is lacking compared to other Soviet shells. Not to say that the BK-350M is weak (It's actually quite amazing for a HEAT shell), but oftentimes, 2 or more shots will be needed to destroy an enemy, particularly the more spacey vehicles like the Tiger 1 and Panther. It would be wise, therefore, to look up crew and module locations on enemy vehicles in order to make your shots as lethal as possible.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Access to HEAT-FS shells with excellent penetration
* Decent acceleration and turning
* Has a two-plane [[gun stabilizer]] (the lowest-ranked USSR tank with it!)
* Amphibious capabilities
* Good stabilizer works while shooting on water
* Good stabilizer works while traveling in land even on its top speed
* Excellent [[Scouting|scout tank]] to spot targets for allies
* Low profile
* Decent turret rotation
* Lack of turret rotational inertia
* Has night vision devices (NVD)

'''Cons:'''

* Very thin armour, even heavy machine guns can go through the front
* Stock shell is APCR, giving it terrible Stock Syndrome
* Slow reload compared to the opposition
* Efficiency is greatly reduced when a crew member is lost
* Shooting from the water will shake the entire vehicle, but not the aim
* Arcade Battles are unforgiving due to the Arcade spotting
* Lightweight vehicle means it is heavily affected from collisions
* Slow light tank compared to counterparts such as the [[M41A1]]
* No neutral steering, makes it difficult to turn the PT-76B when not moving
* Slow reverse speed both on land and also in water
* Driving on the water is very slow, even when going forward
* EXTREMELY vulnerable to aircraft strafes

== History ==

===Development===
The purpose of light tanks fell into disuse in the course of World War II. The light tanks of every nation found themselves to be too lightly armoured and under-gunned to be of any use in the battlefield. Their mobility, which they once held with utility, was overtaken by the advancing mechanics of tanks that allow the heavier tanks to reach speed and mobility that light tanks used to monopolize. The utility of light tanks fell to specialized roles, mostly as a reconnaissance vehicle. The Soviet Union developed a light-weight vehicle for this role, with an additional requirement that the vehicle also is amphibious in operation. The amphibious operation would grant the tank a greater degree of movement over different terrain.

Prototypes of the tank started in the late 1940s, one was ''Object 740'' developed by N. Shashmurin at the VNII-100 research institute of the Chelyabinsk Tank Factory in Leningrad. The vehicle was more successful than the others for using a simple design and good cross-country travel. The amphibious operation, the water-jet propulsion, was considered a breakthrough at the time. A prototype of this vehicle began to be built in 1950 at the Kirov Plant and adopted on August 6, 1951, after trials. This vehicle became designated as the ''PT-76'' and production began at the Stalingrad Tractor Factory. An upgrade was made in 1957 that replaced the initial D-56T gun with a D-56TM with a muzzle brake and fume extractor, as well as new observations and radios for the expense of a taller profile. Another upgrade in 1959 was made that added the D-56TS gun with stabilization and NBC protection capabilities on the '''PT-76B'''. Production lasted from 1951 to 1969 for a total of about 12,000 PT-76 built.

===Combat usage===
The PT-76 saw use in the Soviet Union, who used it as their standard reconnaissance tank and in naval operations. The PT-76 stayed stationed at various bases during the Cold War but did not see much combat with the Soviet Union, staying until it was replaced by the infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1. Despite its replacement, the PT-76 stayed in reconnaissance companies and battalions and in the naval infantry units, as well as having a much better gun than the BMP-1. The PT-76 may still be in Russian service today in reserves as some have been reported to been used during the war in Chechnya. The PT-76 also served in various specialized roles such as an anti-aircraft mount.

The PT-76 was exported in large numbers to up to 25 different countries allied with the Soviet Union. Of these, Vietnam has the best combat record due to the Vietnam War, the PT-76 was a large part of the North Vietnamese Army's armoured force during the conflict. The PT-76 first successful action in Vietnam was in the Battle of Làng Vây in February 1968, where 13 PT-76s of the NVA 202nd Armoured Regiment fought against up to 500 defenders of the camp. The PT-76s were able to overrun the camp despite the defender's use of M40 recoilless rifles and M72 rocket launchers, which accounted for three PT-76 kills. Another combat engagement was in the Battle of Ben Het when the NVA 202nd Armoured Regiment was ordered to attack the base there. The PT-76 detonated a mine on the border of the camp, alerting to their presence. Several M48 Pattons of the 1/69th armour battalion was sent to engage the tanks, but one got hit by a PT-76 round and had two crewmen killed. By dawn after sporadic firefights between the Pattons and NVA tanks, the scene revealed two knocked out PT-76s and a BTR-50 APC. It was in 1972 where the PT-76 served as the testbed of an important American weapons development. Two helicopters on May 9 were scouring the countryside for enemy targets for its new armaments, it was at this time that the NVA attacked a camp at Ben Het. The helicopters responded, firing the experimental XM26 launchers at PT-76s and accounted for three PT-76 destroyed. This was the first combat usage of what would be the TOW anti-tank missile.

Aside from Vietnam, the PT-76 also served in the Indian forces during the Indo-Pakistani Wars, the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War on both sides, the Angolan Civil War in Cuban and MPLA service, in the Iran-Iraq War in Iraqi service, and the Yugoslav wars.

=== In-game description ===
The first experimental model of the PT-76B light aquatic tank received the factory title of "Object 740" and was assembled at the ChKZ in February, 1950. It immediately began factory testing. Following state-run tests and the elimination of defects discovered during the testing process, "Object 740" was recommended for acceptance into the arsenal of the Soviet Army. Serial production of the tank took place at the STZ from 1952 to 1953.

Tanks from the base batch released in 1952 underwent experimental field use. As a result, further refinements were made to the vehicle's joints and components. Following field testing and experimental use, "Object 740," now called the PT-76, was accepted into the arsenal by a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers: (#3636-1447) on August 6, 1952.

During the process of serial release various changes were made to the design of the vehicle to enhance its combat capabilities and technical characteristics. Vehicles with these modifications were produced until 1959, however, an updated DT-56TM cannon was installed on the tank in 1956. During the production run 1,896 PT-76B tanks were built. Of these, over 1,200 vehicles had the DT-56T cannon.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_pt_76b Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|RkzTeKDqmnw|'''Long-serving tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 06:17 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|SJoW-2_6J6o|'''Amphibious tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:38 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|8Zol0mmU-9s|'''Why this advanced tank is matched with WW2 Vehicles''' - ''HowToPlay1337''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Type 63-I]]
* [[BMP-3]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/825|[Devblog] PT-76B - with developer's answers]]
* [[wikipedia:PT-76|[Wikipedia] PT-76]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/USSR/soviet_PT-76.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> PT-76 light tank (1952)]

{{USSR light tanks}}