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AMX M4

2021-03-31T02:49:16Z

U64778675: minor correction for the AMX M4 article

{{About
| about = French medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_amx_m4
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the [[ARL-44]] but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tanks, offering new battle opportunities.

This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, it's efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the [[ARL-44]] and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret rear)
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret, cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (54°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' 60 mm (38°) ''Front cheeks'' || 60 mm (38°) ''Top - Front cheeks'' 40 mm (24°) ''Top - Centre & rear'' 40 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (1°) ''Upper plate'' 40 mm (29°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm 5 mm ''Radiator vents''
|-
| Turret || 85 mm (60°) ''Turret front - Upper glacis'' 40+85 mm (cylindrical) ''Turret front - Base'' 60 mm (56-60°)''Gun mantlet'' 85+100 mm ''Barrel shroud'' || 60 mm (0-61°) ''Turret'' 40 mm (0-27°) ''Turret base'' || 40 mm (0-60°) ''Turret bustle'' 25 mm (16-25°) ''Pivot ball'' 20 mm ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 60 mm (spherical) || 60 mm ''Outer ring'' 20 mm ''Centre''
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick. Suspension wheels are interleaved and thus overlap in some areas.
* The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
* The internal armour plate separating the crew compartment and the engine bay is 5 mm thick.
* Floor armour is 20 mm thick, with the underside of the sponsons also being 20 mm thick.

As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.

In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role quite fluctuates as it depends on if what it faces can penetrate it or not.

Dealing with an opponent AMX M4 leads to a new sort of challenge. It is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns do not provide enough power at distances, then get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here are a few tips for dealing with an AMX M4:

;Frontal assault:

Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically, to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots. Don't panic though, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.

;Flanking:

As for flanking onto a single AMX M4, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its ''large gun breech'' first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1550|rbMinHp= 884}}

Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The {{PAGENAME}} may be the worst of them all, on par with the [[AMX-50|AMX-50-100]] as they share a ''very similar'' hull, they still have ''above average'' mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the same BR. This observation is based on the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.

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

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

{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA45 (90 mm)|90 mm SA45]] || 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" | 49 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 28.6 || 39.6 || 47.0 || 51.5 || 56.5 || rowspan="2" | 6.70 || rowspan="2" | 6.70 || rowspan="2" | 6.70 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 ||21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

The gun may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.

The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.

==== 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
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 215 || 212 || 201 || 188 || 175 || 164
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 1,000 || 10.60 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 700 || 11.30 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 945 || 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
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''49''' || 45 ''(+4)'' || 43 ''(+6)'' || 36 ''(+13)'' || 29 ''(+20)'' || 22 ''(+27)'' || 15 ''(+34)'' || 11 ''(+38)'' || 8 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+48)'' || No
|-
|}
Notes:

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 9 (autoloader magazine) is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 7 shells.
** This racks 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. The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun (about 15 seconds). Take this into account when playing.
** Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 7* then 6*. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
** The depletion order at full capacity is: 9 - 1 - 2 up to 8.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,000 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, ''sniping'': a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it ''can'' take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.

This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as the context is on its side. Here are some roles this tank is the most efficient at:

'''Sniper:'''

This is clearly this tank's intended role: at all BR placements, it provides the best results from this tank. There is only a few things that can defeat such tactic: drastically better firepower and thick frontal armour faced towards it. This gun's performance is not the best at its rank, in that way, the AMX M4 may have to rely on surprise attacks to its foe's sides in order to disable them. Use this tank's great mobility to get into a good spot and reposition ''whenever it is needed'' do not allow approaching targets as they increase your chances to be dealt with. Don't bother falling back before it is needed: your reverse speed won't allow for hasty retreats.

'''Frontline fights:'''

When facing lower BR tanks, the AMX can easily be used in the same role as Panther tanks: breakthrough...but with reserve, your side armour won't allow even the slightest side shot. Use your good reload speed and turret rate to their best: fast reaction times and multi-target engagements are possible.

'''Flanker:'''

Got a light tank squad wanting to flank? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "''sniper''" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.

'''Support:'''

The AMX M4 is not fit for brawling due to the relatively light armor it dons. However, there is still a place for it in the Frontline if its commander is ever so daring. The supporting tank follows closely behind the Heavy Tanks, using them as shields. When an enemy fires at the Heavy Tank/s, the support tank should momentarily discard their cover(Heavy Tank), firing one(For this vehicle: two) round into the soft part of their frontal armor, cannon barrel, and/or the enemy's tracks. The Support Tank will reverse back into cover(the same Heavy Tank as before), readying itself once more for attacking others.

The AMX M4 wields this role well, as it has good maneuverability, good acceleration, and a quick firing cannon. It is however, a tall tank, so be wary of seeking cover behind any Russian Heavy Tank.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast and good manoeuvrability.
* Decent reverse speed.
* Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to the [[Panther D|Panther]]'s.
* Potent 90 mm gun (same as [[ARL-44]] or [[Char 25t]]: easy learning curve).
* Good gun depression angle of -8°.
* Good turret rotation.
* Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to the autoloader.

'''Cons:'''

* Overall armour is quite thin against expected opponents.
** Thin side armour.
** 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective.
** Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour).
* Bad elevation angles.
* Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader.
* Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds.
* Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets.

== History ==


===Design===
In the late 1940s, the French Army was looking to replace the medium tanks Panther and ARL 44 that were becoming obsolete with a new 50t medium tank. The new tank was to be the future spearhead of French armoured divisions. The French company AMX started working on a proposal which was essentially an improved Tiger II on the drawing board. The project evolved and later resulted in the AMX-50 tank. The AMX M4 present in the game is the first prototype of the project.

===Development===
In order to save weight from the Tiger II's initial weight of 70 tons, the first AMX proposal was an underarmoured version of the Tiger II with only 30 mm armour plates. The French Army quickly indicated that such a thickness was too weak for the intended purpose. The armour of the hull was increased to 80 mm frontally and 40 mm for the sides and the weight-saving measures were then applied to other components. The original turret was changed for an oscillating turret whose design was already available and the suspension wheels were redesigned to get rid of the interleaving wheels. The new version was approved and a first prototype was produced at the end of 1949. It sported the already available 90 mm SA 45 gun from the ARL 44, whose performance was equal to the 88 mm KwK43 equipping the Tiger II. The first prototype was dubbed M4 and had a weight slightly above 50 tons. The second prototype was produced 1 year later with the 100 mm SA 47 L/50 gun and a slightly modified turret, and resulted in the AMX-50 tank.

===Combat usage===
The AMX M4 was the first prototype of what would be the AMX-50 and never saw either service or combat action with the French Army.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=fr_amx_m4 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|3aCHooDoyCI|'''{{PAGENAME}}, French, Tier-4, Medium Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''|zUDt1Fhrjpk|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Last Man Running - Don't Be This Guy!''' - ''Napalmratte''|B6QC7xlKZm4|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[AMX-50]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same gun

* [[ARL-44]]
* [[Char 25t]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Panther II]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5265-vehicle-amx-m4-en|[News] AMX M4]]
* [[wikipedia:AMX-50|[Wikipedia] AMX-50]]

{{France medium tanks}}

AMX M4

2021-03-31T02:48:23Z

U64778675: I added another possible role the AMX M4 can be used in: Support. I may have put too much fancy language though

{{About
| about = French medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_amx_m4
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the [[ARL-44]] but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tanks, offering new battle opportunities.

This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, it's efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the [[ARL-44]] and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret rear)
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret, cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (54°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' 60 mm (38°) ''Front cheeks'' || 60 mm (38°) ''Top - Front cheeks'' 40 mm (24°) ''Top - Centre & rear'' 40 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (1°) ''Upper plate'' 40 mm (29°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm 5 mm ''Radiator vents''
|-
| Turret || 85 mm (60°) ''Turret front - Upper glacis'' 40+85 mm (cylindrical) ''Turret front - Base'' 60 mm (56-60°)''Gun mantlet'' 85+100 mm ''Barrel shroud'' || 60 mm (0-61°) ''Turret'' 40 mm (0-27°) ''Turret base'' || 40 mm (0-60°) ''Turret bustle'' 25 mm (16-25°) ''Pivot ball'' 20 mm ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 60 mm (spherical) || 60 mm ''Outer ring'' 20 mm ''Centre''
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick. Suspension wheels are interleaved and thus overlap in some areas.
* The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
* The internal armour plate separating the crew compartment and the engine bay is 5 mm thick.
* Floor armour is 20 mm thick, with the underside of the sponsons also being 20 mm thick.

As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.

In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role quite fluctuates as it depends on if what it faces can penetrate it or not.

Dealing with an opponent AMX M4 leads to a new sort of challenge. It is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns do not provide enough power at distances, then get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here are a few tips for dealing with an AMX M4:

;Frontal assault:

Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically, to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots. Don't panic though, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.

;Flanking:

As for flanking onto a single AMX M4, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its ''large gun breech'' first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1550|rbMinHp= 884}}

Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The {{PAGENAME}} may be the worst of them all, on par with the [[AMX-50|AMX-50-100]] as they share a ''very similar'' hull, they still have ''above average'' mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the same BR. This observation is based on the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.

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

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

{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA45 (90 mm)|90 mm SA45]] || 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" | 49 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 28.6 || 39.6 || 47.0 || 51.5 || 56.5 || rowspan="2" | 6.70 || rowspan="2" | 6.70 || rowspan="2" | 6.70 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 ||21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

The gun may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.

The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.

==== 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
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 215 || 212 || 201 || 188 || 175 || 164
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 1,000 || 10.60 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 700 || 11.30 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 945 || 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
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''49''' || 45 ''(+4)'' || 43 ''(+6)'' || 36 ''(+13)'' || 29 ''(+20)'' || 22 ''(+27)'' || 15 ''(+34)'' || 11 ''(+38)'' || 8 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+48)'' || No
|-
|}
Notes:

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 9 (autoloader magazine) is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 7 shells.
** This racks 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. The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun (about 15 seconds). Take this into account when playing.
** Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 7* then 6*. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
** The depletion order at full capacity is: 9 - 1 - 2 up to 8.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,000 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, ''sniping'': a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it ''can'' take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.

This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as the context is on its side. Here are some roles this tank is the most efficient at:

'''Sniper:'''

This is clearly this tank's intended role: at all BR placements, it provides the best results from this tank. There is only a few things that can defeat such tactic: drastically better firepower and thick frontal armour faced towards it. This gun's performance is not the best at its rank, in that way, the AMX M4 may have to rely on surprise attacks to its foe's sides in order to disable them. Use this tank's great mobility to get into a good spot and reposition ''whenever it is needed'' do not allow approaching targets as they increase your chances to be dealt with. Don't bother falling back before it is needed: your reverse speed won't allow for hasty retreats.

'''Frontline fights:'''

When facing lower BR tanks, the AMX can easily be used in the same role as Panther tanks: breakthrough...but with reserve, your side armour won't allow even the slightest side shot. Use your good reload speed and turret rate to their best: fast reaction times and multi-target engagements are possible.

'''Flanker:'''

Got a light tank squad wanting to flank? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "''sniper''" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.

'''Support:'''

The AMX M4 is not fit for brawling due to the large and relatively light armor it dons. However, there is still a place for it in the Frontline if its commander is ever so daring. The supporting tank follows closely behind the Heavy Tanks, using them as shields. When an enemy fires at the Heavy Tank/s, the support tank should momentarily discard their cover(Heavy Tank), firing one(For this vehicle: two) round into the soft part of their frontal armor, cannon barrel, and/or the enemy's tracks. The Support Tank will reverse back into cover(the same Heavy Tank as before), readying itself once more for attacking others.

The AMX M4 wields this role well, as it has good maneuverability, good acceleration, and a quick firing cannon. It is however, a tall tank, so be wary of seeking cover behind any Russian Heavy Tank.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast and good manoeuvrability.
* Decent reverse speed.
* Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to the [[Panther D|Panther]]'s.
* Potent 90 mm gun (same as [[ARL-44]] or [[Char 25t]]: easy learning curve).
* Good gun depression angle of -8°.
* Good turret rotation.
* Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to the autoloader.

'''Cons:'''

* Overall armour is quite thin against expected opponents.
** Thin side armour.
** 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective.
** Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour).
* Bad elevation angles.
* Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader.
* Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds.
* Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets.

== History ==


===Design===
In the late 1940s, the French Army was looking to replace the medium tanks Panther and ARL 44 that were becoming obsolete with a new 50t medium tank. The new tank was to be the future spearhead of French armoured divisions. The French company AMX started working on a proposal which was essentially an improved Tiger II on the drawing board. The project evolved and later resulted in the AMX-50 tank. The AMX M4 present in the game is the first prototype of the project.

===Development===
In order to save weight from the Tiger II's initial weight of 70 tons, the first AMX proposal was an underarmoured version of the Tiger II with only 30 mm armour plates. The French Army quickly indicated that such a thickness was too weak for the intended purpose. The armour of the hull was increased to 80 mm frontally and 40 mm for the sides and the weight-saving measures were then applied to other components. The original turret was changed for an oscillating turret whose design was already available and the suspension wheels were redesigned to get rid of the interleaving wheels. The new version was approved and a first prototype was produced at the end of 1949. It sported the already available 90 mm SA 45 gun from the ARL 44, whose performance was equal to the 88 mm KwK43 equipping the Tiger II. The first prototype was dubbed M4 and had a weight slightly above 50 tons. The second prototype was produced 1 year later with the 100 mm SA 47 L/50 gun and a slightly modified turret, and resulted in the AMX-50 tank.

===Combat usage===
The AMX M4 was the first prototype of what would be the AMX-50 and never saw either service or combat action with the French Army.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=fr_amx_m4 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|3aCHooDoyCI|'''{{PAGENAME}}, French, Tier-4, Medium Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''|zUDt1Fhrjpk|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Last Man Running - Don't Be This Guy!''' - ''Napalmratte''|B6QC7xlKZm4|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[AMX-50]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same gun

* [[ARL-44]]
* [[Char 25t]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Panther II]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5265-vehicle-amx-m4-en|[News] AMX M4]]
* [[wikipedia:AMX-50|[Wikipedia] AMX-50]]

{{France medium tanks}}

M56

2021-03-31T02:25:25Z

U64778675: I added another possible use for the M56 Scorpion in Realistic Battles. I also inserted the terms for both my newly added tactic and the previous contributors tactical use for the M56: Flanking(Theirs), Ambush(Mine).

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m56_scorpion
|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 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]].

Though one of the lightest tank destroyers in the game, its 90 mm gun gives it a very powerful punch, especially when using the HEATFS round, which can penetrate up to 320 mm of armour.

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

Fitting the definition of a glass cannon, the M56 has virtually no armour to speak of, as the majority of the tank comprises structural steel not meant to protect the crew and has a weak armour modifier (x0.45 KE), which renders it near useless in protecting internal components from incoming fire of any calibre, with the exception of high-angle impacts from rifle-calibre rounds. This description also applies to the only armour plate found on the entire tank, the gun shield, as the 5 mm thick plate with 12 mm of bullet-proof glass will only be able to stop rifle-calibre bullets from mid to long ranges.

The crew consists of only 3 members: a driver on the left side of the gun breech, the gunner on the right side of the gun breech, and the commander sitting rather casually behind the driver. If the tank is spotted and takes fire, expect the commander to be the first crew member down, since he is the most exposed among the three, sitting far away and above the gun shield. This will also impact your reload rate.

Overall, survivability is very low and it is advised to take precautions not to take any fire from the opposition, making use of terrain and mobility when the battle gets heated.

'''Armour type:'''

* Structural steel
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Gun shield)
* Bulletproof glass

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (59-79°) ''Front glacis'' 15 + 10 mm (29-65°) ''Lower glacis'' 10 mm ''Engine cover'' || 15 mm || 15 mm (1-70°) || 10 mm
|-
| Gun Shield || 5 mm (17°) ''Shield'' 12 mm (17°) ''Bulletproof Glass'' || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheel thickness is 10 mm, sprocket and idler wheel are 20 mm thick, and tracks are 15 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=284|rbMinHp=177}}

Where the M56 lacks in armour, it easily makes up for in mobility. Its light weight and decently powered engine gives it a great power-to-weight ratio that lets it propel to top speed easily, even when stock. You'll want to use this to gain access to favourable positions at the beginning of each match. When your position is compromised, seek a retreat using its excellent reverse speed of -20 km/h and plan ahead your next route.

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

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

{{main|M54 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M54 (90 mm)|90 mm M54]] || 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" | 29 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+15° || rowspan="2" | -30°/+15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 5.3 || 7.3 || 8.9 || 9.8 || 10.5 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.6 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 5.6 || 6.0
|-
|}

[[File:M56 horizontal gun displacement.png|right|thumbnail|Gun horizontal displacement of the M56|200px]]
The 90mm M54 is the M41 gun available the [[M48A1]] but equipped with a recoil system. Which is why they have the same available ammunition choice. Its accuracy drop is noticeable as soon as 800m distance and a handicap over 1000m unless you fire at huge targets (Ferdinand, Jadgtiger, Tiger II, etc.). Some stabilized ammunition, such as HEAT-FS, do not suffer as much from the accuracy drop over distance.

The rotation speed of the gun is very slow compared to other tanks at the same rank or battle rating who can aim their gun in average 2 to 3 times faster than you do. Which means your targeting process will be long if you aim to be accurate. Also, any movement of your hull will make you restart your targeting process from 0, which limits greatly your possibility to overextend, even after a successful first disabling shot.

Additionally to having a limited gun rotation on the horizontal axis, that displacement is asymmetrical due to the driver position limiting movement to the right side. This can make the tracking of a target difficult as the gun quickly reaches a stop. You should take that constraint into account when positioning your hull at a firing spot.

Your recoil also is a handicapping feature: your hull being very light, it can not absorb much of the recoil power (even with the huge damping cylinders on the gun). Every shot taken throws your gun off target after firing, forcing to restart your targeting process or even reposition your hull. Using the "sight distance control" feature can help mitigate that aspect but any movement of the mouse during the recoil phase will nullify the sight setting.

==== Ammunition ====
The M54 cannon has 5 great flavours of destruction to choose from: APCR rounds, APCBC rounds, HEAT-FS rounds, HESH shells, and HE shells.

The '''M332 APCR''' shells are the basic rounds that you'll utilize when you first play your tank. Like any other APCR shell, with knowledge of the opposition's internal components such as gunner/driver locations and ammo racks, it is very useful against heavy foes with low-angle slopes in their armour profile. But, it is very lacking in post-penetration damage. Though they are free to use, players may find the lack of post-penetration damage unfavourable, especially for a glass cannon who can't risk staying exposed for very long trying to pick apart an armoured foe.

The '''M82 APCBC''' shells are probably the first shells you'll unlock and will provide some relief if you've grown tired of the APCR's low post-pen damage. Like any other APHE, they possess good penetration at close to mid range with exceptional post-penetration damage for dealing with moderately armoured targets like many of the medium tanks you'll encounter at your battle rating. As soon as you unlock these, start carrying these as your standard round against most tanks while carrying a few of the above APCR for heavier foes, at least until you unlock the HEAT-FS round.

The '''M431 HEAT-FS''' should be '''the''' round you want to rely on to take care of most armoured foes you come across. Combining the best muzzle velocity, the greatest penetration, especially at long range, and decent post-penetration damage makes this the superior round to use in any mid-to-long range engagement. At close range or in ambush situations, with this shell being your loaded round, you will most likely cripple any target you may encounter. It may then be best to switch to APCBC or HESH (depending on the vehicle type) as a follow up to finish off the surviving target, unless the target still presents itself to be very armoured from your angle of fire (like the [[Maus]] or most heavies from the front). Especially so if you're conscious about your ammo bill after the battle as HEAT-FS are not the cheapest option.

The '''T142E3 HESH''' are an advanced high-explosive round that's capable of penetrating thick armour, even when it is highly-sloped. If you know your target possesses not a single plate of armour greater than 100mm, then these are the rounds to use to wreck them at any range, as these are equally effective against a valid target, including many medium tanks, any light tank and SPAA, and even some heavy tanks that rely on angles rather then raw thickness like an [[IS-3]] or [[AMX-50 Surbaisse]]. Just be sure to aim away from the tracks and suspension, as these modules can easily absorb any damage caused by HESH.

The '''M71 HE''' are just like your typical medium-calibre HE round, good against unarmoured targets like exposed crew members, hull-breakable vehicles, and air targets (should you be able to hit them), but not very useful outside of that. Though this is a free round with slightly better velocity (making it easier to use at long range), favour HESH instead when you can as it carries nearly as much of a payload and has increased versatility against more targets.

One last ammo type to mention are the '''M313 Smoke''' shells. While not particularly useful for the role the M56 typically fills, they can still have good effect in long-range conflicts where a smoke to the face of an experienced enemy sniper can buy you or your allies time to bypass them in favour of a retreat or advancement towards the objective.

Overall, with all shells unlocked where you'll be employing mid to close range tactics, the typical recommended ammo composition can look something like this: 12 HEAT-FS, 4 APCBC, 5 HESH. For long-range engagements where you'll be playing more of a sniper role, it's best to forgo the APCBC in favour of bringing as much HEAT-FS as you can while throwing in a couple of smokes, though the smokes are optional. With this the recommended ammo composition for long-range engagements will look more like this: 20 HEAT-FS, 7 HESH, 2 Smokes.

{| 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
|-
| M332 shot || APCR || 291 || 286 || 264 || 240 || 217 || 197
|-
| T142E3 || HESH || 102 || 102 || 102 || 102 || 102 || 102
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 185 || 182 || 170 || 155 || 142 || 130
|-
| M431 shell || HEATFS || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| M332 shot || APCR || 1,165 || 5.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| T142E3 || HESH || 792 || 10.6 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 3,050 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 853 || 10.94 || 1.2 || 14 || 137.2 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M431 shell || HEATFS || 1,216 || 5.8 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 712.64 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 823 || 10.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 925 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| M313 || 821 || 10.7 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''29''' || 20 ''(+9)'' || 11 ''(+18)'' || 1 ''(+28)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The ammo racks on the M56 are 3 staggered rows of 10 (top), 9 (middle) and 10 (bottom) totaling 29 shells.
* The first rack to be depleted is the top row, then the middle row and finally the bottom row.
* To go into battle at full capacity, pack 29 shells (bottom row: 10 + middle row: 9 + top row: 10, with 1 shell in the breech taken from the top row).
* To go into battle with the first rack depleted, pack 20 shells (bottom row: 10 + middle row: 9 + 1 shell in the breech).
* To go into battle with the first and second racks depleted, pack 11 shells (bottom row: 10 + 1 shell in the breech).
* To go into battle with the 3 racks depleted, pack 1 shell (1 shell in the breech).
* Recommended ammo load is 20. Carry a full load of 29 rounds only for large open maps like [[Kursk (Ground Forces)|Kursk]], [[Fulda (Ground Forces)|Fulda Gap]] and [[Maginot Line (Ground Forces)|Maginot Line]].

== Usage in battles ==

The M56 Scorpion is a fast, light tank destroyer with very little armour to speak of.

A rapid volley from an enemy machine gun will knockout the three crew members with ease, if not carefully concealed. Its 90 mm M54 cannon is very able to disable enemy tanks at Rank IV. It is able to perform various destruction missions utilising various tactics. An M56 Scorpion is a dedicated airborne tank destroyer with airborne vehicle-based performance. The scorpion has a very stable and fast rate of acceleration on any terrain with a top speed of up to 28 MPH (45 km/h). With its high speed, it is very tempting to charge towards the capture point. When in a situation where a single enemy tank is present, unprotected, uncovered and separated from the opposing team. A rampaging Scorpion will be able to close in, then blow it up to kingdom come. However, caution must be undertaken throughout.

Be wary that any tank, even if only armed with a machine gun, is capable of knocking out the M56 due to the exposed crew. One particular enemy to keep an eye out for is the [[ASU-85]]. It's a complete Soviet equivalent of the Scorpion. Its stock BR-372 APCBC-HE is hopeless against a Scorpion since it will always overpenetrate it & be unable to explode inside its engine or gun breech. Meanwhile the M82 APCBC-HE has the opposite effect against it, as the ASU-85 has 45 mm armour just like the [[T-34-85]], which was a big mistake. Even with inferior penetration, an M82 still has 1.5x more explosive warhead. Given enough penetration, it will always be able to cause it to explode frontally without much effort. Take a grain of salt when firing at the ASU-85 from its flank, since the M82 will also overpenetrate away. Loading the M71 HE is much better, since the explosion will spam the ASU-85's interior all over the place. Or if already loaded with M82 & an ASU-85 is approaching while showing its flank, aim for the engine to prevent it from recovering & escaping. Then blast it away.

===Game modes===
While the Arcade Battle environment is not favourable due to the marker system easily spotting the M56, it can still perform in flank and surprise attacks if employed properly. It still can snipe from far away & make score against some targets when the M431 HEATFS is unlocked. Be aware that many light tanks can hunt it down if caught in firing range, particularly the [[M41A1|M41A1 Bulldog]] and [[T92]].

'''Flanking'''

The battle environment is more favourable in Realistic and Simulator Battles. It can completely perform full flanking manoeuvres even when stock, it can also snipe from far-distance without getting spotted easily. Using both tactics will guarantee a complete concealment from the enemy, while being able to launch '''M82 APCBC-HE''' at them with just a couple of shots. Closing in to the enemy is only viable if the enemy number has been completely depleted and/or are unable to insert reinforcements to cover their team.

Closing in, the Scorpion can out manoeuvre and outflank most, if not all enemy vehicles at its BR. When it is unable to flank due to tight enemy formation across the map, sniping is the best option.

It is recommended to Load: '''M431 HEATFS''' or '''M82''' if the enemy armour is insufficient to withstand such rounds. I.e. [[T-34-100]]). The reload time can help it to outgun any opposition, to withstand its sustained rate of fire. Especially if it is equipped with an Ace crew, which can reload around of 7 seconds. Also, try to use an ambush tactic. It can annihilate a whole team if used by a skilled player.

'''Ambush'''

In Realistic, the great speed, maneuverability, and miniscule size of the M56 is nearly perfect for the role of an ambush predator. The M56 is capable of driving stealthily behind enemy lines completely undetected. However, in city environments, the M56 must practice stealth much more, as to not alert any enemy.

Once in position, hopefully within a circle of bushes or rubble, the small tank destroyer can capitalize on its scouting ability, revealing most of its enemies' positions. The use of the main cannon will also thin out the enemy defense for the M56's team's main force.

However, firing the main cannon more than thrice before moving locations will most likely alert the enemy. Therefore, when the M56's position eventually does get compromised, its cannon and excellent acceleration can both take out any unwanted investigators, and carry itself nimbly into another hiding spot. It is recommended to load mainly on '''M82''' '''APCBC''' for attacking the unsuspecting sides of the enemy and a few '''M431 HEATFS''' rounds for any sticky situation that the M56 might get into whilst getting to or from a hiding spot.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very small profile (68% visibility)
* Excellent mobility & manoeuvrability on all terrain (45 km/h top speed & great acceleration, 20 km/h reverse speed)
* A practically airworthy vehicle- ''very'', ''very'' light (7 tons)
* The same 90 mm gun and ammunition selection as the [[M48A1|M48A1 Patton]]
* Heavy recoil when fired from a hill will sometimes save the vehicle from enemy fire, '''explosive push'''
* Considering its recoil, the gun is surprisingly accurate, even when stock
* Very quick sustained reload time
* 3 varieties of very capable shells
* APCR as stock shell; big penetration bonus from the start, also free
* Destructive APCBC-HE; can bake a tank's interior through side shot
* HEATFS can easily punch 320 mm of armour

'''Cons:'''

* No armour, vulnerable to strafing attacks from planes
* Completely exposed crew from all angles
* Easily tipped over because of its weight
* A shot through the bulletproof glass will knock-out 2 crew members and instantly disable the vehicle
* Top speed is limited at 45 km/h. While boasting excellent acceleration, it will be outrun by other light vehicles on open field
* Heavy recoil will make the vehicle jump back about 5 feet, forcing a realignment of the sight
** Make sure your firing platform is steady enough and has space for you to recover after firing
* High chance to catch fire when shot in the frontal hull
* Hopeless if its engine is destroyed
* APCR as stock shell; unable to cripple a tank even from flank with only a shot
* HEATFS are expensive (640 SL, per round)
* Gun has very slow traverse and elevation, meaning that it takes a while to readjust after taking a shot
* Affected by the Hull Break mechanic (Large HE shells will destroy the M56 in 1 shot)
* Does not climb hills well unless approached with good speed

== History ==

===Development===
During World War II, the constant problem for the US Airborne divisions is that their anti-tank power was very minimal in the front lines. Though there were attempts to improve their firepower with towed anti-tank guns or airborne tanks like the [[M22|M22 ''Locust'']], the former proved too cumbersome and heavy while the latter proved too under-powered and weak. Thus, development began in April 1949 for a very lightly armoured vehicle to mount a hard-hitting gun with heavy emphasis on firepower, speed, and with as little weight as possible. This evolved into the development of a self-propelled 90 mm gun and the project was taken up by the Cadillac Motor Division of General Motors. The pilot vehicle developed were designated ''T101''.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref>

The first models were completed in 1953 and were tested in 1955. It was approved for service in 1958 and designated as the '''M56 90mm self-propelled gun''', or by its nickname '''"Scorpion"''' and its acronym '''SPAT''' ('''S'''elf-'''P'''ropelled '''A'''nti-'''T'''ank). It's main selling point was being light enough at only 7 tons to be lifted by helicopter or carried onto aircraft, allowing for parachute drops. As a rather specialized vehicle, it wasn't produced in large numbers, with only 150 units built from the Cadillac production line from 1953 to 1959.<ref name="ZalogaM551" />

===Usage===
The M56 Scorpion was issued out to airborne and anti-tank units from 1958 to the early 1960s. As a defensive weapon, the M56 Scorpion was never meant to venture out to seek and destroy enemy tanks, but its lack of armour was still criticized by its crew, what with only a simple gun shield blocking the crew from getting shot by even small arms. The lightness of the vehicle was also bad for the extreme recoil of the 90 mm M54 gun, which would lift the entire vehicle off its front wheels.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref> An informal manual even recommends that when firing, the commander and loader should step off the vehicle to avoid being harmed by the lurching vehicle. The M56 Scorpion served America in combat during the Vietnam War in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, with 17 vehicles organized into three platoons. It served as a defensive role in most of American foreign bases until the advent of the anti-tank missile launchers such as the TOW, which proved more potent than the Scorpion, and was replaced in the late 1960s and early 70s.<ref name="ZalogaM551" />

The M56 Scorpions were also given out in limited numbers, with Morocco given 87 vehicles and Spain obtaining 5 in the Military Aid Program. Morocco used the Scorpions in the Western Sahara War, being the only foreign user of the M56 Scorpions.

===Survivors===
At least 18 intact M56 Scorpions survive in the United States today, mainly in museums and in private collections.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=us_m56_scorpion Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|KqLoa0NIpzE|'''The Shooting Range #178''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|YuBjyMQLRy0|'''Airmobile tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:46 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[M50]] - Similar tank destroyer based around being air transportable

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:M56_Scorpion|[Wikipedia] M56 Scorpion]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/US/m56-scorpion-spat.php Tank Encyclopedia - M56 Scorpion]

===References===
<references />

{{USA tank destroyers}}