War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Yak-3P

2022-12-11T03:16:26Z

U87965078: Extensive refinement of details, usage in battles, etc.

{{About
| about = Soviet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Yak-3 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=yak-3p
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.35]].

The Yak-3P is a fantastic all-around fighter. It has the manoeuvrability of an A6M, the armament of an Fw 190, the speed of a P-63, all combined into one fantastic combo.

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

Like most Yaks, the 3P has good manoeuvrability, and you can out-turn pretty much everything except for the A6M, some of the Bf 109s, and Spitfires. Its low rip speed does keep it from escaping enemy fighters in a dive. In arcade mode, WEP provides a very good rate of acceleration, so running away from a battle poses no challenges. The climb-rate is quite good, but not as great as the Spitfire or Fw 190. Thus, the Yak-3P excels at boom-and-zoom tactics. Performance is unfortunately rather terrible above a 3 km threshold. Below that altitude performance is fantastic, comparable nearly to a Spitfire in manoeuverability.

In Arcade mode, this is one of the best 5.0 planes available. The wings are not affected by high speeds, so you can push the 3P to the limits. However, in RB or SB, watch your speed if you use Boom & Zoom. Any speed higher than around 660 km/h (410 mph) will cause the control surfaces to lock up and any attempt to make a hard turn at this point will break your wings. The 3P also has really bad high altitude performance, so you are limited to around 3,000 m before your speed and performance drastically decrease.

Unlike the Yak-9s and 7s, the 3P is a fully composite plane. This means the wings have higher durability than the wooden-supported Yak-9, but it is still recommended you do not push the plane's manoeuvres to the limits, as the wings will still break trying to manoeuver near rip speeds. The engine also tends to overheat quickly.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,100 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 622 || 604 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.4 || 19.0 || 17.7 || 17.7 || rowspan="2" | 348
|-
! Upgraded
| 663 || 643 || 17.2 || 17.5 || 24.0 || 21.1
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 685  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 320 || ~12 || ~9
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 420 || < 490 || > 340
|-
|}

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

The Yak-3P does not have a lot of protection in terms of armour plates. It only offers protection from the rear of the cockpit, with a steel plate behind the pilot, a thick bullet proof glass head rest, with a small steel panel installed above it.

* 8.5 mm Steel - Plate behind the pilot
* 10 mm Steel - Plate above pilot's seat on the canopy
* 64 mm Bulletproof glass - Rear glass/headrest

The durability of the plane is not great. The abundance of .50 cals and 20mm cannons at its BR means that fires and otherwise crippling damage are common upon being hit. Thus, your greatest protection is agility, a gift abundant with the Yak-3P.

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

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

{{main|B-20M (20 mm)|B-20S (20 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 20 mm B-20M cannon, nose-mounted (120 rpg)
* 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (130 rpg = 260 total)

The armament is fantastic - three 20 mm cannons mounted in the nose can rip apart pretty much every plane you will face. These cannons have good ballistics and are very capable of setting enemies on fire. However, they do not pack the punch of Hispanos or AN/M2 cannons, or the unlockable belts, for that matter. Thus, it is recommended you research the belts as quickly as possible because the Ground Targets ammunition will increase performance markedly. One great advantage of the B-20M/S cannons is that they take much longer to jam than their American/British cannon counterparts. Watch your ammo count, it's best to attack at an angle with short bursts to maximize damage while preserving ammo.

== Usage in battles ==


The Yak-3P is much the same as the [[Yak-3]], however it has some differences such as armament, instead of the one cannon and two machine guns. It has no secondary armament, thus using it as a ground attacker or bomber is not advisable, it lacks the ordnance to perform that role. It should only be used as a fighter, using the boom and zoom tactic, to dominate and own the battlefield of the deep blue sky. A Yak-3P is equipped with three cannons, two B-20S and a single engine mounted B-20M.

The armament provides the Yak-3P with some of the best armament at its rank. The three cannons are able to make quick work of any enemy aircraft, using short bursts of about one second are able to knock the enemy aircraft out. The placement of the three cannons are all located in the front of the fuselage, making accuracy very good, at all ranges.

To get the best out of this legendary aircraft, climb between 3,000 and 4,000 m, it will only take a few minutes to reach this height. Once at this height level off and keep your eyes open, find an enemy target you want to engage and overshoot it then dive down on to it. Cut the throttle back as you dive, if you don't watch your speed, you will rip the wings clean off.

====Engaging fighters====
Most enemy fighters will be between 3,000 and 3,800 m, using your height advantage, drop down from your height and and get behind it. If the fighter is above you, nose-down slightly and turn out of their nose if they choose to engage. Getting behind the diving fighter shouldn't be difficult unless it happens to be a Zero of Spitfire. Once behind the fighter, do not engage until you are close enough to rip them in half with your three 20 mm cannons. If you miss and they turn, pending how sharp the turn is follow them. However, if it's a very sharp turn do not turn with them, instead open the throttle and climb back up to gain a height advantage. Then either try it again or find a new bandit to knock out.

====Engaging bombers====
Engaging enemy bombers, since the Yak-3P does not have any frontal protection the engine will get shot out or badly damaged. The best line of attack is to dive on the bomber from the front, as the three B-20 20mm cannons you possess can tear apart the bomber's crew or engines. If you have to attack the bomber from behind, try to dive on it from above, and do not travel in a straight line. Instead, zig-zag behind it, the additional benefit of this move is that it makes it harder for the enemy to knockout your pilot. The Yak-3P does not have any bullet proof glass on the front of the canopy, allowing enemy machine gun or cannon fire to penetrate inside of the cockpit from the front.

Since the Yak-3P has three powerful cannons, a short burst on the enemy tail will see that the slight surfaces get ripped off. Then move to one of the wings and fire a two-second burst, this will knock the engines out and cause fuel leaks in the wing, which can turn into fires if you have a HE round on your clip.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good acceleration
* Good speed in level flight
* Good climb rate
* Above-average turn rate
* Good horizontal energy retention
* Good roll rate
* Great armament, accurate and powerful
* Sufficient ammunition capacity (by Soviet standards; still needs trigger discipline to control ammunition usage)

'''Cons:'''

* Sub-par durability
* Easily catches fire
* Poor performance above 3,000 m
* No combat flaps, landing flaps cannot be safely used until sub-300kph
* No WEP
* Low wing rip speed for diving
* Serious control surface compression above 600 km/h
* Red paint scheme can be easily seen at long distances
* Easy to identify in Simulator battles

== History ==


The idea to produce a new fighter for the Red Army Air Force went as far back as 1941. It was then that the Yakovlev Design Bureau presented the I-30 prototype, intended an alternative to the earlier Yak-1 design. However, the German invasion of the USSR, as well as aluminium shortages, meant that the project had to be put on hold. Yakovlev resumed the development in 1943 while working on an upgraded version of the Yak-1 fighter. This time, it was decided that a new aircraft should be produced to completely replace the Yak-1 and Yak-7 models.

By September 1943, yet another improved variant was ready, designated Yak-1M Dubler, on which the canvas skin on the tail section was replaced with 2 mm plywood, and oil and water radiators were improved. The Dubler also had a new mastless antenna, a ring sight instead of a reflector sight, improved armour and a new propeller. Test pilots were impressed by the new prototype. Their report stated in part: "''Yak-1M possessed excellent horizontal, and especially vertical, manoeuvrability. Top speed greatly improved compared to earlier serial-production Yaks. Despite the improved performance, the aircraft remains easy to fly and does not require extensive pilot training''."

The new machine was dubbed as the Yak-3 and entered service with the Red Army Air Force in 1944. The Yak-3 was a further modification of the Yak-1, produced in 1944 and 1945, with a total of 4,848 built, and considered one of the best fighters of the war.

The new fighter quickly became very popular with Soviet pilots. They highly praised its solid armament of two Berezin UBS 12.7 mm machine guns and one ShVAK 20 mm cannon as well as ease of piloting and superb low-altitude performance. Marcel Albert, the top scoring French ace of World War II, cited the Yak-3 as one of the best fighters of the war, along with the P-51 Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire. After the war, the Yak-3 was also used by the Air Forces of Socialist Yugoslavia and Poland.<ref name="forum">[[wt:en/news/2693--en|[Aircraft Profile] Yak-3]]</ref>

The Yak-3P was produced from April 1945 until mid-1946, armed with 3 × 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannon with 120 rounds for the middle cannon and 130 RPG for the side weapons. The three-cannon armament with full ammunition load was actually 11 kg (24 lb) lighter than that of a standard Yak-3, and the one-second burst mass of 3.52 kg (7.74 lb) was greater than that of most contemporary fighters. Starting in August 1945, all Yak-3 were produced in the Yak-3P configuration with a total of 596 built.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
A single-seat monoplane fighter with a composite construction, retractable landing gear and a closed cockpit.

A modification of the Yak-3 fighter with improved armament consisting of the 20 mm Berezina B-20M engine cannon and two synchronized 20 mm Berezina B-20S cannons installed instead of the synchronized machine guns. Since the B-20 cannons were modifications of UB machine guns with an increased-calibre barrel, the fighter's design required practically no changes. The aircraft's empty weight increased by only 11 kg, while the weight of its armament and ammunition ended up even lower than that of the Yak-3 with its ShVAK cannon and two large-calibre UB machine guns. The change in weaponry had no detrimental effect on the aircraft's flight characteristics.

The Yak-3P fighter was armed with one B-20M engine cannon with 120 shells and two synchronized B-20S cannons with 130 shells each. All the cannons were fired using a compressed-air electric mechanism. The PKI-1 sight replaced the PBP-1A sight.

The Yak-3P had a strengthened airframe (particularly the wing), and clasps were installed on the extra landing gear panels. The aircraft received the new RSI-6M radio.

The experimental Yak-3P completed its maiden flight on 23 March 1945. The fighter went into series production at several aircraft plants only a few days before the end of the war, so it never reached the front. From August 1945 and to the end of series production, all Yak-3 fighters were built exclusively to the standard of the Yak-3P. In total, 596 were produced between April 1945 and the middle of 1946. The last of them served until 1950.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=yak-3p Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Lj3Uf9_LPMY|'''The Shooting Range #317''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:50 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|7UHpIcQQonY|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Red Dead Yak - Using speed correctly in a fight''' - ''Green Fury''|SlOBjdTVd9M|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Simple Ace And Soviet Teams In General''' - ''Napalmratte'' Review starts at 2:43}}

== 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 aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/312313-yakovlev-yak-3p/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

=== References ===
<references />

{{AirManufacturer Yakovlev}}
{{USSR fighters}}

Spj fm/43-44

2022-11-06T20:57:34Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_stormpjas_fm43_44
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_fm43-44.jpg|ArtImage Spj fm-43-44.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (shortened '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].

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

The fm/43-44 is a deceptively survivable vehicle from the front. Open-topped high-calibre tank destroyers and SPGs are seldom very well armoured, but this example is the exception, with 50 mm of armour covering the upper and and lower plate as well as the turret face, with the tapering sides being 30 mm. The only frontal weak point of this vehicle is the shield directly protecting the breech, which is only 15 mm.

It's also manned by 5 crew members, two in the hull and three in the back, which really helps its survivability. Most of the cannons you'll be encountering around this battle rating are quite low calibre, meaning it will take a fair few rounds penetrating this vehicle to knock out all the crew. Additionally, it's nearly impossible to one-shot this vehicle without detonating the ammo, as the crew in the front and back are completely separate from each other, so a shot entering one compartment won't cause any damage to the other, so after taking a shot you'll still either be able to fire the gun, or drive away, which is a huge advantage. A drawback of this vehicle though is in regards to its protection from the air, the crew operating the cannon have no armour protecting them from incoming air strafing, so even aircraft with weak machine guns can slowly chip away at this vehicle, additionally its also very vulnerable to artillery.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=227|rbMinHp=142}}

The mobility of this vehicle as well is deceptively effective. It can reach a max speed off-road of 42 km/h in RB modes, and 46 km/h in AB modes. It won't outpace many light vehicles, but it certainly isn't slow, and can easily cruise faster than most contemporary tank destroyers and medium tanks. Once upgraded, its hull traverse as well is effective, it can turn from stationary to re-position the gun and change direction easily, which is important for a turretless vehicle like this one. Its reverse speed is about average at 5 km/h, which will be enough to back out of sight into cover, but it wont save you if you're out in the open, so the lack of a fast reverse gear should play into where you choose to position.

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

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

{{main|fsthaub m/02 (150 mm)}}

This vehicle is equipped with a 150mm recoilless rifle with a small ammo pool of only 10 rounds. It's only equipped with a single ammo type, a standard HE round which sports huge damage potential if it connects with an enemy vehicle, in most engagements with conventional tanks you will only need to connect the round to the vehicle to knock them out in a single shot, which eliminates the tedium spent aiming for particular weak points, which isn't very easy for this vehicle as the muzzle velocity is quite slow at only 285 m/s, meaning that ranging in the gun can be quite tricky. Another slight drawback is the gun depression, at only -4°, this does somewhat limit the locations you can play effectively, as this vehicle can't use many hills or ridge lines to shoot over.

As well as this, the reload is fairly long at 19.5 seconds stock, so if you miss a shot this vehicle will be quite vulnerable, especially considering that the average reload of small calibre guns around this battle rating is around 4 seconds, so an enemy could potentially fire on you 5 times before you reload.

Because of this, it's recommended that you use the rangefinder when engaging enemies that aren't aware of you, this way you can almost guarantee the round connects, although it's not wise to spend the time rangefinding if an enemy is aware of you, as in the time you spend sitting and waiting for the range to come in, your enemy will likely be firing at you and knocking out your crew. Ultimately this round wont have any trouble knocking out the vast majority of vehicles you can meet around the battle rating, the only challenging vehicle will be the French B1 Bis, if you engaging one of these tanks it's recommended to aim your shot for just beneath the turret, as this will cripple the tank, avoid hitting the front plate as this likely will result in no damage.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[fsthaub m/02 (150 mm)|150 mm fsthaub m/02]] || 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" | 10 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+10° || rowspan="2" | ±12° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 7.0 || 9.8 || 11.8 || 13.1 || 13.9 || rowspan="2" | 19.50 || rowspan="2" | 17.25 || rowspan="2" | 15.90 || rowspan="2" | 15.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| sgr m/38 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| sgr m/38 || HE || 285 || 37 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,800 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Spj_fm43-44.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''10''' || 9 ''(+1)'' || 1 ''(+9)'' || No
|-
|}

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

{{main|ksp m/36 (8 mm)}}

The fm/43-44 is also equipped with a hull mounted 8 mm ksp m/36 machine gun, it has no viability against armoured targets but can knock out exposed crew members of enemy vehicles. It's recommended to select it directly when using it however as aiming it accurately by eye isn't very easy.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[ksp m/36 (8 mm)|8 mm ksp m/36]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Hull || 2,000 (250) || 648 || ±10° || ±10°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:Fm-43-44 1.jpg|thumb|300px|The fm/43-44 engaging an M13/40]]
The main trick to doing well in the fm/43-44 is to stay around cover, and to not advance too far into the map on your own. Due to the reload you can't afford to get caught out at close range as if you're unable to fire, an enemy can quite easily flank and disable you. To stay in the fight it's imperative you stay around some form of hard cover to retreat behind to reload, as this is the only time that you're really vulnerable.

Another choice to make is at what range you're going to engage at, and there are notable drawbacks and advantages for each distance. At close range the cannon is very very easy to aim which will land you a lot of easy kills, however it is much too easy to get caught out here, if you miss a shot an enemy has plenty of time to rush and flank you, as well as this even if you do land a shot and knock an enemy out, enemy enemies that are aware of you in the surrounding area will know they safely have at least 15 seconds to rush you while you're on reload. At long range your armour will be very effective, the weak spots are very hard to hit here and some enemies might not even be able to get through the casemate itself, but as the muzzle velocity on the round is so low, hitting targets at this distance is very tricky, and considering as you only have 10 rounds, you can't really afford to miss very much, as each shot fired takes up 10% of your ammunition effectively.

At long range you're much more survivable but much less effective at taking out enemies, and at close range it's much the reverse, able to engage enemies easily at the detriment of being much more vulnerable. The Goldilocks principle in this situation is as the analogy goes- 'in the middle', where you have the best of both worlds, in essence all you really need to do is position yourself in a location around hard cover, and far enough away that an enemy can't rush you on your reload cycle, this is the ideal spot to be to maximise your survivability and combat effectiveness, if you are in this sort of position and watching a corner or sight-line, it's a good idea to rangefind that corner or sight-line as when an enemy appears you'll already have the perfect range, this really is the idea spot for consistency, there are a few smaller caveats to consider however. As this vehicle is so vulnerable from the air it's a good idea to position yourself around some form of lateral cover, some buildings, a hill, some trees etc- just to give you a slight advantage when hiding from enemies. Another spot in the map to position yourself around would be a friendly cap point, if you're running out of ammunition you can simply drive onto one to replenish your stores, which wont always be necessary but if you start to notice you only have a few rounds left it'd be a good idea to make your way towards one.

If you're confident with your map knowledge or playing with some friends you can use this vehicle to be a bit more aggressive, as the armour is still very effective and if you have support from friends watching your flanks you can really be a battering ram for the team as no enemy vehicle is safe from your cannon, if this way of playing does sound appealing in any case try to stick around some friendly tanks, as they will be able to help you if you get caught out.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Incredibly high damage output from the main gun
* Effective even when up-tiered
* Decent mobility
* Effective armour against low tier vehicles; frontal armor sufficient against light autocannons and .50 cal machine guns
* Five crew members, spread out within the vehicle offering protection against being one-taped
* High survivability against solid-shot munitions

'''Cons:'''

* Vulnerable to artillery and strafing aircraft
* Long reload time
* Low ammo count (10 rounds)
* Poor gun Depression at only -4°
* Slow muzzle velocity

== History ==

After the experimental Stormartilleripjäs fm/43 project, the Swedish army procurement division, known as the KAFT, asked Scania-Vabis on 11 November 1943, to design and build a prototype for a self-propelled gun with a rear-mounted superstructure. It was to be based off of the Spj fm/43 but with the engine moved forward and the fighting compartment moved to the rear; it retained the open-topped superstructure from earlier designs. The Stormartilleripjäs fm/43-44 (shortened to Spj fm/43-44) gained the nickname 'Trätoffelvagnen', meaning 'clog wagen' in English.

The Spj fm/43-44 was armed with a 150 mm recoilless rifle called the fsthaub m/02, a longer version of the gun mounted on the Spj fm/43. It weighed 10 tons and had a crew of five men: two loaders, a gunner/commander, a driver, and a machine gunner. The driver and machine gunner were located in front of the engine in the hull, while the rest of the crew was situated in the open superstructure at the rear of the vehicle.

The prototype was completed in August 1944, and it test fired seventeen rounds on 18 August, achieving a fire rate of four rounds per minute (15 seconds of reload). The vehicle later went on to mount different guns before the project ended in 1945, resulting in its use as a training vehicle.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_stormpjas_fm43_44 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="nolines" widths="240" heights="240">
File:Fm-43-44 2.jpg|the fm/43-44 using its machine gun to knock out a GAZ truck
File:Fm-43-44 3.jpg|The fm/43-44 in Winter livery
File:Fm-43-44 4.jpg|The fm/43-44 in standard livery
File:Fm-43-44 5.jpg|The fm/43-44 engaging a BT-5
</gallery>

== See also ==

{{main|LT-38 (Family)}}

;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Strv m/41 S-I]]
* [[Strv m/41 S-II]]

;Related development

* [[Sav m/43 (1944)]]
* [[Sav m/43 (1946)]]
* [[Pvkv II]]
* [[Pbv 301]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Ho-Ro]]
* [[15cm sIG 33 B Sfl]]

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

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

{{TankManufacturer Scania}}
{{Sweden tank destroyers}}

Ro-Go

2022-10-31T23:40:32Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = Japanese heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the tank destroyer
| link = Ro-Go Exp.
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=jp_type_95_heavy
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]].

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


The Ro-Go is an excellently protected vehicle for 1.3. Featuring armour thick enough to stop 12.7 mm machine-gun fire from all angles (except the roof), and even anti-tank guns if angled properly. The placement of modules deep down inside the hull, where most 1.3 players would never think of shooting, makes the chance that the ammo, engine, transmission and fuel tanks get hit rather low. Even the crew inside the tank are pretty well protected by the tank's armour, and if everything fails you still have the lone machine gunner in the back turret, which means that a lot of the time you will be able to make a partial recovery from getting shredded to pieces by the waves of Pz.IIs and M2A4s.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm ''Front plates'' 25 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm (0-56°) ''Top'' 30 + 6 mm ''Bottom'' || 13 mm ''Top'' 25 mm (0-32°) ''Bottom'' || 13 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 30 mm (8-78°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 25 mm (8-10°) 15 mm (2-34°) || 25 mm (8°) ''Machine gun port'' || 8 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret #1 || 30 mm (0-1°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 25 mm || 25 mm || 8 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret #2 || 14-15 mm (0-3°) || 25 mm || 25 mm || 13 mm
|-
| Cupola || 25 mm || 25 mm || 25 mm || 8-13 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick. Suspension bogies are 10 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=374|rbMinHp=256}}

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

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

{{main|Type 94 (70 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 94 (70 mm)|70 mm Type 94]] || 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" | 100 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+22° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 12.3 || 17.0 || 20.7 || 22.9 || 24.3 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.0 || 10.6 || 12.9 || 14.3 || 15.2
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
Only real choice here is the '''Type 3 HEAT''', it has the penetrating power to defeat any armour at this BR, and if it were to over penetrate as if it was an AP, it hull breaks its target due the fact it's a HEAT round. On the flip side, it has the lowest velocity of all the available shells and it's advised to learn to get accommodated to this round nonetheless.
{| 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
|-
| Type 95 APHE || APHE || 21 || 20 || 18 || 16 || 14 || 13
|-
| Type 92 HE || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Type 3 HEAT || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Type 95 APHE || APHE || 300 || 4.45 || 1.2 || 14 || 170 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Type 92 HE || HE || 348 || 3.81 || 0 || 0.1 || 590 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Type 3 HEAT || HEAT || 200 || 3.35 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 601.6 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''100''' || 98 ''(+2)'' || 95 ''(+5)'' || 70 ''(+30)'' || 45 ''(+55)'' || 20 ''(+80)'' || 1 ''(+99)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* The visual discrepancy concerns the 4 side racks: 4 rows of 11 shells are modeled but the first 3 rows contain 25 shells each and the last one 19 shells.
* Turret empty: 95 ''(+5)'' shells.
* Side rack empty above trackline: 45 (+55) shells.

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

{{main|Type 94 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 94 (37 mm)|37 mm Type 94]] || 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" | 150 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | -110°/+100° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 12.3 || 17.0 || 20.7 || 22.9 || 24.3 || rowspan="2" | 3.7 || rowspan="2" | 3.3 || rowspan="2" | 3.0 || rowspan="2" | 2.9
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.0 || 10.6 || 12.9 || 14.3 || 15.2
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Type 94 APHE || APHE || 34 || 33 || 27 || 22 || 17 || 14
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Type 94 APHE || APHE || 575 || 0.7 || 1.2 || 9 || 11 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}_secondary.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
|-
| '''150''' || 146 ''(+4)'' || 141 ''(+9)'' || 116 ''(+34)'' || 91 ''(+59)'' || 46 ''(+104)'' || 1 ''(+149)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* The visual discrepancy concerns side racks and floor racks: the four racks are modeled as 60 shells each but both side racks contain 25 shells each while both floor racks contain 45 shells each.
* Turret empty: 141 ''(+9)'' shells.
* Left flank empty: 91 ''(+59)'' shells.

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

{{main|Type 97 (7.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 97 (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Type 97]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Rear || 1,960 (20) || 499 || -8°/+20° || ±110°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Type 95 Ro-Go, like most landships, is the perfect vehicle to lead an assault. It can take a beating due its relatively thick armour and with the crew placement it shouldn't be an easy task to simply knock it out with a single shell. The tricky part about the Ro-Go is the difference between shell velocities of the two cannons, the 70 mm has an abysmal muzzle velocity and quick drop off rate with 300 m/s on the ''Type 95 APHE'' and a mere 200 m/s on the ''Type 3 HEAT'' while the secondary cannon, a [[Type 94 (37 mm)|''37 mm Type 94'']], found on the [[Ha-Go|Type 95 Ha-Go]] has 575 m/s. As last armament to mention the Ro-Go has a MG turret in the back of the tank, which in-game won't really see much use and can be seen as a safe spot for the last crew member, but in-case a light armoured truck tries to flank the Ro-Go and no-one is covering the back, as last resort the MG could prove handy.

As noted in [[#Ammunition|ammunition]], the only real choice is the '''''Type 3 HEAT''''' round, as it has the highest filler and penetration force of all available rounds at the cost of muzzle velocity. Though this can be used in an advantage as enemies behind cover are never safe when an experienced Ro-Go tanker is around, and lobs shells over cover with ease.

The ''37 mm Type 94'' can be used to either be used to shoot beyond the regular range of the 70 mm, or bait out shots in close range so the enemies pop out of cover and make quick work of them with the main 70 mm cannon.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Main gun with 70 mm HEAT and the secondary with 37 mm APHE are a deadly combination
* 70 mm's HEAT velocity of 200 m/s (one of the slowest in the game) means that it can shoot enemies behind cover
* Great gun depression and good elevation
* Six crew vehicle
* The secondary frontal turret can act as a shield to absorb some hits
* Has armour enough to stop heavy machine gun fire, and even some anti-tank weapons
* Good manoeuvrability for a heavy tank
* 70 mm HEAT shells excel in both penetration and damage
* Modules are very well hidden in the vehicle

'''Cons:'''

* Slow turret traverse makes the Ro-Go easy to flank
* Features only a single machine gun in a rear turret
* Two massively different trajectories for the main guns
* Back turret ammo runs out very quickly
* Very slow
* Penetration with standard APHE for both guns is lacking
* Low velocity HEAT shell can be difficult to aim
* Easy to ammorack
* Highly susceptible to large HEAT shells such as those of the [[15cm sIG 33 B Sfl]] and [[BT-42]].

== History ==


After World War I, the Imperial Japanese Army experimented with some possibility of multi-turreted tanks design based French Renault FT light tank. The development of the Type 95 Ro-Go heavy tank is based on the older version of the tank, the Type 91 heavy tank, which featured only a single 57 mm gun and two turrets, which both armed with a 6.5 mm machine guns. The tank had a maximum armour plate thickness of 17 mm. Although the design was not successful and soon cancelled, this project became the stepping stone to the Type 95 Ro-Go tank.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=jp_type_95_heavy Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|RyA5KcS2hAw|'''Multi-turreted Tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:04 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Related Development

* [[Ro-Go Exp.]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Nb.Fz.]]
* [[Independent]]

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

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

{{TankManufacturer Osaka Arsenal}}
{{Japan heavy tanks}}
{{Japan premium ground vehicles}}

Beaufighter Mk 21

2022-10-24T16:07:01Z

U87965078: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = British strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Beaufighter (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=beaufighter_mk21
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. This variant of the Beaufighter represents a version which was manufactured in Australia by the Australian government's Department of Aircraft Production (DAP).

The Beaufighter Mk 21 plays very similarly to its predecessor, the Mk X. However the Mk 21 features heavily improved weapons, boosting its ground attack abilities significantly. As before, you are still able to fulfil the roles of a heavy fighter, torpedo bomber, and an attacker. Once again though, added weapon mass will make you slower, and less manoeuvrable, so remember that you can't turn like the Mk 6c. In the ground attack role, the available rockets, combined with the cannons make it very good at defeating convoys. This option also has the benefit of allowing you to largely sidestep the Mk 21's issues of poor top speed and a bad climb rate. When used for bomber hunting as a heavy fighter, you will quickly find the replacement of the Mk X's 7.7 mm machine guns with 12.7 mm machine guns to be of great benefit. The climb rate works heavily against you however, so only medium and low altitude bombers should be targeted. The torpedo bomber role, however, should still be avoided. The torpedo drop requirements are still very bad, making any run against an enemy ship a very risky move. Long story short, stick to medium and low altitude and attack any bombers or ground targets you get the chance to. You should also equip your ammo belts accordingly, to ensure maximum effectiveness. Lastly, try to get fighter cover. More than any other version of the Beaufighter, the Mk 21 will struggle with lighter, more nimble opponents. Stick to what this aircraft is good at, and you can greatly improve your teams chance at victory.

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

The flight characteristics of the airplane are very similar to its predecessor, the [[Beaufighter Mk X]] but the added weapon mass makes flight performance worse. Both fighters carry Bristol Hercules XVII engines, however, Mk X carries variant optimized for low-altitude performance, featuring 1,581 hp engines that can carry the plane up to 4,575 m, while the Mk 21 features 1,369 hp engines for the maximum altitude of 9,382 m. This, combined with the upgraded armament makes it far more suitable to engage enemy bombers, even though the climb rate is still rather unimpressive 14.6 m/s (AB).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 498 || 480 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 43.3 || 44.2 || 6.6 || 6.6 || rowspan="2" | 478
|-
! Upgraded
| 545 || 520 || 41.0 || 42.2 || 14.6 || 10.1
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 354 || 242 || 216 || ~7 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 330 || < 390 || < 410 || > 300
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 152 m || 3,640 hp || N/A
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 2,438 m || 3,200 hp || N/A
|-
|}

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


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
* 25 mm Steel - Armoured plate in the nose
* 25 mm Steel - Armoured plate in front of gunner (note that the gunner is facing backwards)
* 1 mm Steel - Armoured plates behind the engine
* Self-sealing fuel tanks (2 in each wing)

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

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

{{main|Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, belly-mounted (283 rpg = 1,132 total)
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (600 rpg = 2,400 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|RP-3|18 inch Mark XII (450 mm)}}

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

* Without load
* 1 x 450 mm 18 inch Mark XII torpedo
* 8 x RP-3 rockets

=== Defensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Defensive}}

{{main|Vickers K (7.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 1 x 7.7 mm Vickers K machine gun, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg)

== Usage in battles ==

The final Beaufighter in the research tree can be characterized primarily by its main armament. In its BR there's barely anything that comes close to the combination of 4 x 20mm cannons and 4 x 12.7 mm machine guns, especially considering the superior layout of the cannons, with all four clustered right under the cockpit, making precise aiming far easier. If there's anything to be desired - it's the Minengeschoß of the [[M3 (20 mm)|German counterpart]] for the 20 mm cannons. This Beaufighter can swiftly tear apart enemy fighters and bombers alike, typically in a single sweep if aimed accurately. This makes it a potent fighter in a number of circumstances and giving it a fighting chance even if its an underdog in the encounter.

In Arcade Battles, the most favorable encounters are against unsuspecting targets, and ideally, only such should be picked, preferably diving in and out of the main battle, or picking off strugglers nearby. Good survivability, combined with outstanding firepower allows it to quickly take the enemies down before they manage to react. What should be avoided at all costs are turn fights or prolonged chases. Mk 21 neither has speed nor a turning rate to stand a chance against anything but bombers or other heavy fighters. Similarly fighting against high-altitude fighters (such as the [[Fw 190 A-4]]) might be extremely problematic due to their superior climb rate, which will give them the energy advantage, and through that - an opportunity to easily outfly you at any given time.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Combined || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful offensive armament
* Fairly rugged aircraft that can survive a fair share of damage
* Radial engines don't overheat easily
* Can carry rockets for the ground attack role
* Fuselage-mounted cannons assist in accuracy
* Crew is well protected against attacks from behind

'''Cons:'''

* Slow at all altitudes
* Poor energy retention and climb rate, handles like a heavy bomber
* Large control surfaces are torn off easily by enemy fire
* Cannons overheat quickly, even when upgraded
* The turret is very ineffective, given the small weapon calibre of 7.7 mm and the tail-gunner dead-zone
* Torpedoes have notoriously bad drop requirements
* The cockpit's frontal armoured glass is thin, at only 38 mm
* All M2 Brownings are placed centre-wing away from the fuselage, requires setting close convergence of guns to be effective

== History ==


=== In-game description ===
A design rapidly born from the wings and tail of the earlier Beaufort, the Beaufighter was a two seat, twin engine heavy fighter designed for long range, ground strike and night fighter duties. Equipped with an early AI radar, the Beaufighter was one of the world's first successful night fighters.

In 1944, after Australia's aircraft manufacturing contract expired, the Australian Department of Aircraft Production was commissioned to build 500 aircraft based on the Beaufighter Mk X. The Australian version of the aircraft was named the Beaufighter Mk 21 and differed from its predecessor in its armament; the nose mounted 0.303 inch Browning machine guns were replaced with Browning M2 50 calibre guns now fitted in the wings, and the Hercules XVII engines were replaced with Hercules CVIIs. Only 365 of these aircraft were built, since the war ended before completion of the first order and the rest of the torpedo bombers' production was cancelled.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=beaufighter_mk21 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|dYdJqnO5Cs4|'''The Shooting Range #9''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 06:20 discusses the Bristol Beaufighter.}}

== 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 aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[Wikipedia:Bristol_Beaufighter|[Wikipedia] Bristol Beaufighter]]
* [https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/bristol-156-beaufighter <nowiki>[BAE Systems]</nowiki> Bristol Beaufighter]

{{AirManufacturer Bristol}}
{{Britain strike aircraft}}

E.B.R. (1951)

2022-10-16T03:15:32Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = French light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = E.B.R. (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_panhard_ebr_1951
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

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

''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=310|rbMinHp=177}}

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

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

{{main|SA49 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA49 (75 mm)|75 mm SA49]] || 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" | 47 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 24.8 || 34.3 || 41.6 || 46.0 || 48.9 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 15.5 || 18.2 || 22.1 || 24.4 || 26.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 91 || 88 || 78 || 67 || 57 || 49
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 104 || 101 || 90 || 78 || 68 || 59
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 619 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0 || 0.1 || 666 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.79 || 1.2 || 14 || 63.7 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_E.B.R._(1963).png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the E.B.R. (1963) (identical).]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''47''' || 42 ''(+5)'' || 31 ''(+16)'' || 28 ''(+19)'' || 25 ''(+22)'' || 16 ''(+31)'' || 13 ''(+34)'' || 10 ''(+37)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

=== 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 || 4,950 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This wheeled light tank is extremely fast, a feature which is very useful for flanking manoeuvres. The EBR also excels in overextending tactics, as it drives forwards and backwards at the same speed. You have to be watchful of enemy tanks, as the EBR has very little armour.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely fast on road, both forward and backwards like the [[Sd.Kfz.234 (Family)|Sd.Kfz.234]]
* Fast turret traverse of ~25°/s allows it to engage agile targets like [[M18 Hellcat (Family)|M18]] easily
* 75 mm M61 shell has great penetration and explosive filler. Can knock out common tanks like [[Pz.IV H]], [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3]], [[T-34-57]], etc. with a single shot
* Has a narrow and low silhouette, easy to hide behind vegetation and cover
* High reverse speed and access to smoke grenade launchers grant it excellent tactical agility, meaning that the EBR can get out of dangerous situations quickly
* Capable of quick retreat and movement even with the loss of a wheel
* Frontal armour is entirely capable of shrugging off .50 cals

'''Cons:'''

* Relies on roads heavily as mobility on loose surfaces is quite poor
* Thin side armour can be penetrated by anything more powerful than .30 cals: Heavy MG and autocannons (e.g. [[M16 MGMC]], [[Wirbelwind]]) are considerably dangerous
* Steering radius is quite large, navigation in confined environment can be awkward
* M61 shell cannot reliably penetrate tanks like [[StuG III G]], [[T14]], [[KV-1E]]
* Wheels are large and spread out, can get damaged easily

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_panhard_ebr_1951 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==

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

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

{{TankManufacturer Panhard}}
{{France light tanks}}
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

BV 138 C-1

2022-07-27T22:12:20Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=bv-138c-1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

The first regular tree seaplane for the Germans was the main unit of the Luftwaffe for ocean patrols from nearly the beginning of the war. Called the "Flying Clog" by her crew, it was capable and versatile machine although under powered, unique in using opposed-piston diesel engines and a steel tube spar. The C-1 model chosen for the game comes with a formidable defensive armament and average bomb load for Rank I.

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


Even though the plane has 3 engines, it is very slow and its top speed is not high enough to escape from enemies.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 266 || 253 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 41.0 || 44.2 || 0.6 || 0.6 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 302 || 283 || 37.3 || 39.0 || 4.0 || 2.2
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 405  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 405 || 320 || ~4 || ~2
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 220 || < 220 || < 210 || > ___
|-
|}

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

The plane has no dedicated armour, but its sturdy airframe makes it pretty survivable. When one of the engines is damaged, the plane can keep flying with the two remaining engines. A hit to the self-sealing fuel tanks will cause a fire and some damage to the airframe but the fire will not last long enough to destroy the plane.

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

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

{{main|SC50JA (50 kg)}}

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

* 6 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (300 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Defensive}}

{{main|MG 151 (20 mm)|MG 131 (13 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, nose turret (1,000 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, tail turret (900 rpg)
* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, dorsal-rear turret (1,450 rpg)

== Usage in battles ==

With only six 50 kg bombs, this has one of the smallest bomb loads of the tier I German bombers, so do not expect big score in Air AB/RB missions in terms of bombing; however the 20 mm and 13 mm defensive weapons makes up with a potent sting if attacked, and can even be used on the offensive to great effect. Be familiar of the turret arcs, best to fly low to cover your unprotected belly. The BV 138 can be used as a low-altitude slugger in Air RB where its powerful turret-based cannons are able to blast through any monoplane or biplane it may face at its BR. Uptiers with the BV 138 can be much more unforgiving with this tactic, but the potency of it's defensive armament still remains.

It is naval missions where "the Clog" will shine, capping unguarded points or sinking boats with its armament, being more durable than the single-engine seaplanes often used. Make sure to have this in your Naval lineup!

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent defensive armament, one of the best to be had at rank one
* One engine can be knocked out and can still fly fine
* Surprisingly decent maneuverability
* Effective glider with a low stall speed, even with all engines knocked out
* Can capture naval points

'''Cons:'''

* Can't land on runways with conventional gear, forcing belly landings
* Poor climb rate
* Very slow in even flight
* Can't go particularly fast in a dive before ripping
* No offensive armament
* Unimpressive bomb load, even by rank I standards

== History ==

Not immediately obvious, the BV 138 is one of the more unique vehicles in game: a twin boom fuselage is very rare for a seaplane design, the Sikorsky S-38 the closest analogue and possibly inspiration for this one. The little known but brilliant aircraft designer Dr Richard Vogt was hired away from Kawasaki Aircraft in Japan to join the Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB), bringing with him some highly innovative aircraft technologies. One of his first projects was the '''Ha 138''', a twin-engine seaplane with gull wing similar to the PBM or the Be-6 but with twin booms to the tail plane, all to keep them high above the water. Unfortunately, the also highly innovative Jumo 205 diesel engines were underperforming so a third engine was mounted on the fuselage as an expedient modification.
The first Ha 138 (V1) was, well, a failure. The fact it did not crash in tests was a minor miracle. The next one (V2) redesigned to be a straight wing with integrated middle engine was not much better, but the lessons from these early experiments were learned and V3 was scrapped half started.

With the company now called "Abteilung Flugzeugbau der Schiffswerft Blohm & Voss", "Blohm & Voss" for short, the manufacturer prefix was changed from "Ha" to "BV" (the only all capital letter Reichsluftfahrtministerium code) and the completely redesigned BV 138A-0 (V4) was built. All the shortcomings from the first two designs were eliminated and the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) and the Luftwaffe (LW) was happy with the design and ordered it into production. There were still shortcomings with the underpowered engine, so to compensate mounting points for the HWK 109-500 booster rockets where added to aid in takeoff.

The original 138 was well armed aircraft for the period, sporting an early 20 mm cannon in the nose turret, very likely to attack boats and ships. Interestingly the bomb racks were added much later in the B version. It was literally a rack bolted under the right wing (and only the right wing), and could also carry small depth charges too. This was clearly an afterthought, and possibly a field modification for older units. The B version also sported standardized with MG 151 cannons (not clear if 15 mm was used at one time), the top turret being MG 15 or with the C model the MG 131. The BV138 also enjoyed an armoured fuel tank! The signature "Dr Vogt steel tube spar" was the main fuel tank, the wall was thick enough to resist machine gun rounds short of heavy AP cannon shells.

Called the "Flying Clog" for its wooden shoe-like hull shape, the plane was well liked by the crews. With an exceptionally long range and a comfortable cabin to work in, it was the eyes of the Kriegsmarine. Because the engines were diesel, it was common for the Flying Clogs to refuel from submarines at very distant locations.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=bv-138c-1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


* [[PBY-5 (Family)]]
* [[PBM-1 "Mariner"]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7315-development-bv-138-c-1-ship-of-the-sky-en|[Devblog] BV 138 C-1: Ship of the sky]]
* [http://www.feldgrau.com/bv138.htm <nowiki>[Feldgrau]</nowiki> Blohm & Voss BV 138]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120210025648/http://home.swipnet.se/our_stuff/Planes/BV138.htm <nowiki>[SwipNet]</nowiki> BV 138]

{{AirManufacturer BlohmVoss}}
{{Germany bombers}}

Lancia 3Ro (100/17)

2022-07-19T14:12:49Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_lancia3ro_100
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_Lancia_3Ro_(100-17).jpg|ArtImage_Lancia 3Ro (100-17).png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Danger Zone"]].

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

This truck has basically no armour, this is its greatest weak point. The crew can be knocked out even by rifle-calibre machine guns because it is exposed. The truck is quite big so it's an easy target to planes too.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

The truck itself is quite light and its mobility allows it to reach good spots in battle. The turning circle of the truck is big so it's not easy and fast to turn around in confined spaces.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=132|rbMinHp=82}}

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

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

{{main|Cannone da 100/17 Mod.1914 (100 mm)}}

The 100 mm Cannone da 100/17 Mod. 1914 has a long reload time. It has decent penetration for its BR but it's not that impressive either. The gun traverse is slow. The gun has no depression at front of the truck because of the cabin. Post-penetration damage is good. It usually knocks out opponents with a single shot, but not always.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Cannone da 100/17 Mod.1914 (100 mm)|100 mm Cannone da 100/17 Mod.1914]] || 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" | 72 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+48° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 12.3 || 17.1 || 20.7 || 22.9 || 24.4 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Granata da 100 Mod.32 || HE || 27 || 27 || 27 || 27 || 27 || 27
|-
| Granata da 100 Mod.914 || AC || 47 || 46 || 43 || 40 || 38 || 35
|-
| Effetto Pronto da 100 || HESH || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75
|-
| Effetto Pronto mod.43 || HEAT || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Granata da 100 Mod.32 || HE || 399 || 13.49 || 0 || 0.1 || 2,220 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Granata da 100 Mod.914 || AC || 370 || 16 || 1.2 || 19 || 1,550 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Effetto Pronto da 100 || HESH || 399 || 10.45 || 0.1 || 4 || 2,110 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| Effetto Pronto mod.43 || HEAT || 431 || 12.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,540 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''72''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)}}

There is a 8 mm Breda Mod. 38 machine gun on the front of the vehicle. Since it can give away your position, it is best to use it as a last resort weapon. Otherwise, you can use it against low-flying aircraft.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)|8 mm Breda Mod. 38]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,680 (24) || 600 || -10°/+25° || ±20°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Lancia 3Ro is very weakly protected tank destroyer so you should always try keep your distance with enemy vehicles. You need to know where to shoot your enemies because your shells can't penetrate everything everywhere. Its gun doesn't have any depression in the front so you must always present your side or back to the enemy.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has access to HESH and HEAT rounds
* Fast speed on roads
* Can hide the driver's compartment, improving chances of surviving an unfavorable encounter
* Large amount of crew

'''Cons:'''

* No armour
* Exposed ammo rack at the front
* Can be knocked out by rifle-calibre machine gun fire
* Not very good mobility offroad
* Big turning circle
* Slow gun traverse
* No gun depression when facing forward
* Slow muzzle velocity

== History ==

In the mid-1930s, Vincenzo Lancia started producing Ro trucks using Junkers diesel 2-cylinder 3.2L engines. In October 1937, the new 3Ro was introduced with a civilian variant (Serie 464) and a military variant (Serie 564). Deliveries began in 1938. It was very reliable, and due to its performance in sand, it was given the nickname "Re del Deserto" (King of the Desert). The 3Ro was so robust and powerful, that even the British started using them in North Africa. The Soviets also captured some for their own use.

During the North Africa campaign, Italian generals knew they needed armored cars and other vehicles to support Italian units as soon as possible. An armed vehicle with good mobility to quickly arrive at the battle and counter the opposition was needed. However, due to slow development in Italy, the Regio Esercito would need to make these vehicles on their own using the materials that they had.

The '''Autocannone da 100/17 su Lancia 3Ro''' was produced in small numbers by the Regio Esercito. These makeshift weapons were made by using Lancia 3Ro trucks and obsolete 100 mm guns that were already available in North African workshops. It was mainly used as a support vehicle, but was also used as an anti-tank weapon. It was used from 1941 until 1943 when they were all destroyed.

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PVOZmKuOow8|'''First 10: Lancia 3Ro''' - ''Orangefan''}}

== 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/7715-development-100-17-su-lancia-3ro-the-fly-swatter-battery-en|[Devblog] 100/17 su Lancia 3Ro: The Fly Swatter Battery]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/autocannone-da-100-17-su-lancia-3ro/ <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Autocannone da 100/17 su Lancia 3Ro]

{{Italy tank destroyers}}
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

Tortoise

2022-07-16T20:16:16Z

U87965078: /* See also */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a39_tortoise
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]] along with the initial British ground tree. A huge casemate structure made as an assault vehicle akin to the American's [[T95]], the Tortoise presents thick raw sloped armour with a unique heavy punching 94 mm cannon.

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


The Tortoise, as its name suggests, sacrifices speed to survivability.. With its cast 152 mm sloped armour, the Tortoise can survive most head on encounters. The area around the gun mantlet is 215 mm thick with a flat surface under the gunner's optics. It has a 55 mm plate (75°) under the gun and a 170 mm semi-rounded LFP. Sides are 152 mm thick. The engine deck's side armour is 101.6 mm thick with an asymmetry on the left. Rear armour is 100-110 mm thick flat plates. At this BR, there are not many tanks that can penetrate such thick material from the front. If used correctly, this vehicle should only get out of battles with a few 75, 88 and 122 mm scratches.

If, by any chance, an enemy gets through this massive steel casing, there is no less than 7 spaced out crew members to soak up damage. Most of the time, the AA gunner's cupola gets penetrated, since it is only 100 mm flat armour. AP (and APDS) shells will only disable the AA defences while any APHE shell may incapacitate the driver and 1 or 2 loaders. If unlucky, it will detonate the massive ammo rack lying on the floor. Another common angle of attack is the machine gunner's port. Once again, AP shots will knock-out 2-3 non-essential crew members (machine gunner, commander, loader) and APHE shells may even eliminate the gunner. Sometimes, when getting too exposed, the 170 mm almost flat LFP gets shot at. This will usually disable the gunner, transmission and even ignite an ammo rack if there's enough explosive. A few highly penetrating tanks may shoot through the flat 215 mm surface underneath the gunner's optics. This usually means an instant knock-out for the Tortoise if it happens to be an [[IS-2]], [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II (H)]] since there are ammo racks all around the gunner. Any penetrating hit to the side usually means an instant elimination (if not immediate, the following shot should be the last). The cannon barrel is often targeted by players: its large and thin muzzle brake tends to be damaged easily. Note that some large HE shells may tear through the top armour, wrecking havoc in the crew compartment.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Side hull, Rear hull, Hull roof, Superstructure roof)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 55 mm (75°) ''Front glacis'' 170 mm (3-71°) ''Lower glacis'' || 110 + 50.8 mm || 100 mm (10-45°) || 25 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 215 mm (0-59°), 152 mm (0-45°) ''Front armour'' 96 + 80 + 152 mm ''Gun mantlet''|| 152 mm || 110 mm (0-7°) || 50.8 mm
|-
| Cupola || 101.6 mm || 101.6 mm || 101.6 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Tracks on the side of the Tortoise give an additional 30 mm of armour.
* The steel boxes on the side of the rear of the Tortoise grant only an extra 5 mm of armour.

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

{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 923|rbMinHp= 575}}

Such a great armour plays heavily on mobility. With a max speed of 20 km/h in both directions, neutral steering and wide tracks, this tank has good enough mobility to get into position and fire on the enemy. It is not advised to travel up to the frontlines since it will only expose weak spots, make flanking easier, and take a really long time due to poor max speed.

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

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

{{main|32pdr OQF (94 mm)}}

Unlike other British Rank IV tanks, the Tortoise does not have access to APDS or HESH ammunition, it relies on pure AP solid shots. Fortunately, these large calibre rounds are roughly similar to [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|20-pounder cannon's]] APDS, meaning the learning curve from the [[Charioteer Mk VII]] is not too steep. Plus, these 94 mm shells are stock rounds in the Tortoise.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[32pdr OQF (94 mm)|94 mm 32pdr OQF]] || 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" | 60 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+18° || rowspan="2" | ±20° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 8.81 || 12.19 || 14.80 || 16.37 || 17.41 || rowspan="2" | 11.18 || rowspan="2" | 9.89 || rowspan="2" | 9.12 || rowspan="2" | 8.60
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 5.95 || 7.00 || 8.50 || 9.40 || 10.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 256 || 253 || 241 || 226 || 212 || 199
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 1,043 || 12.7 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 920 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 929 || 14.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo part
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 41 ''(+19)'' 59 ''(+1)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' 35 ''(+25)'' || 21 ''(+39)'' 31 ''(+29)'' || 11 ''(+49)'' ''1 (+59)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' N/A || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

The secondary armament on this tank is a MG turret with twin-mounted [[BESA (7.92 mm)|BESA]] machine guns, good for dealing with low-flying planes and even some bombers, although these MGs lack the power of cannons for aircraft encountered in mixed battles at this BR. Since this turret is the main weak spot on this tank's frontal armour, it is often disabled in the first few shots.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Cupola || 3,375 (225) || 600 || -6°/+20° || ±180°
|-
| Cupola || 3,375 (225) || 600 || -6°/+20° || ±180°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The A39 Tortoise was created with the intention of serving as a "heavy assault tank" to break through the Siegfried Line. It plays more as a tank destroyer that's best used at long range. Therefore, to maximize the potential of the Tortoise, one must stay at long distances and snipe enemies with the very accurate [[Ordnance QF 32-pounder (94 mm)|32 pdr OQF]] cannon, while making sure to choose good cover, so as to not allow the enemy to target the Tortoise's weak spots: the MG turret and gunner's cupola, the flat areas of the mantlet armour, and the lower front plate (LFP) if it is left exposed. With its slow speed and reload rate, this is not a frontline tank; it will easily be outflanked if used in shorter range engagements. In summary, the Tortoise is best used in a defensive capacity - either to defend capture points, or important strategic areas on the map (i.e. areas where enemies love to camp).

The Tortoise is a true sniper tank destroyer: the farther, the better. Its biggest vulnerability is that it moves extremely slowly, so it's not recommended for frontline combat. It plays much better as an entrenched shooter that can change a game by picking cover with a good field of fire, and then denying enemy entry or egress of an area. The cannon lacks an AP shell with HE filler, making general knowledge of tank internals a must. With good gun depression, it can be near-invincible when taking a good hull-down position, and can retreat back into cover easily enough due to its good reverse speed.

Some tips for specific combat environments:

;Plains

This type of terrain is mostly devoid of any structures that could possibly provide cover. The terrain itself will provide the main form of cover. Maps such as [[Kursk (Ground Forces)|Kursk]], [[Mozdok (Ground Forces)|Mozdok]] and [[Jungle]] can be described as such. Find decent cover that provides a good view of the battlefield and field of fire, then set up a kill zone to deny entry into an area. Scout with binoculars so as to not needlessly expose yourself, then pop out at the right time to fire at any worthwhile targets of opportunity. Overextend tactics work well with this tank: line up a shot, take it, and fall back behind cover. Do not bother to move from a good position if possible: the Tortoise can take many shots before going down, and its dreadful top speed make it counterintuitive to play in an offensive capacity. Reposition the tank only if the enemy line gets too close or if there is a flanker in the vicinity.

;Urban

These kind of grounds are all about buildings, terrain variation is almost nonexistent. Maps such as [[Abandoned_Factory_(Ground_Forces)|Abandoned Factory]], [[Port Novorossiysk]] and [[Advance to the Rhine]] are urban battlefields. This is the most tricky scenario to face with the Tortoise. Pick an alley and cover it from one end or ambush near a capture point, if feeling lucky. Always try to stay near allied cover.

;Rural

Rural maps are a mix of the two former: a small urban map surrounded by plains. Maps such as [[Fields of Poland]], [[Eastern Europe (Ground Forces)|Eastern Europe]] and [[Normandy (Ground Forces)|Normandy]] are rural environments. Stay around the town and never get in, cover alleys from afar, make the enemy fear to turn any corner. Try to get as far as possible to the town and keep an eye for flankers.

;Hilly terrain

These maps feature high terrain deformation with steep hills and even walls. Maps such as [[Ash River]], [[Karelia]] and [[Frozen Pass]] falls under this designation. Use the same tactics as with plains while being extra careful since flanking is easier on these kind of maps. Stick to the rear of allied armour or play as a bullet magnet, leaving light tanks a way to flank the enemy without getting too much attention. Make sure to hide weak spots behind props such as rocks or walls, leaving only the gun mantlet exposed.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good frontal armour and adequately thick side armour
* Angling the tank at near-45 degrees increases protection
* 94 mm 32-pdr OQF cannon offers both high penetration power and post-penetration spalling damage
* Highest penetrating round (Shot Mk. 1 APCBC) has a forgiving and predictable trajectory
* 7-man crew means that it will usually take several HEAT or APDS rounds to knock out the Tortoise (even penetrating APHE shells likely will not destroy the tank in a single hit)
* Goes as fast in reverse as it does when travelling forward

'''Cons:'''

* Given its enormous size, the tank is nearly impossible to fully conceal.
* Lack of speed and manoeuvrability: it is extremely slow given its enormous weight. You will not be able to run away from threats.
* The Tortoise lacks AP shells with any explosive filler. However, unlike most other British tanks at this battle rating, no APDS shells are available for the 32-pounder.
* Obvious weak spot: The MG turret on top of the tank is massive and is weakly armoured, which players will readily take advantage of: if an APHE round were to penetrate, it would likely kill the loader (and possibly the driver).
* The top left corner of the tank is big and flat; APHE rounds with high penetration can punch right through, killing the commander and gunner.
* Due to the casemate design, cover and fields of fire must be chosen carefully to minimize exposition of the Tortoise's weaknesses.
* The lower front plate (LFP) is somewhat flat and presents a possible weak spot for enemies to shoot at if exposed.

== History ==

===Development===
Years before the invasion of Normandy, there were men among the Allied planners worrying about the heavily-defended fortification lines such as the Siegfried Line blocking the path from France to Germany. One of the proposed methods was to develop extremely heavily armoured vehicles capable of destroying any fortification it comes across and any resistance the German had. Britain and America both worked on this project in order to develop these super-heavy tanks.

The British began to develop a new type of vehicle to counter this threat, the Assault Tanks that focuses all effort on armour. The first development for such a tank began in 1943 as the [[Excelsior|A33 Excelsior]] tank, though this was cancelled with better reliability of the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill infantry tank]]. The Secretary of State for War and the Minister of Supply sent out specifications for the Assault Tanks in April 1943, to which the Nuffield Organisation react with 18 designs for the specifications between May 1943 to February 1944, named ''AT1'' to ''AT18''. Each design was more armoured than its predecessor, but design ''AT16'' was approved by the Tank Board in February 1944. It was proposed that 25 vehicles would be produced and thus work began throughout the rest of the war. Six units were produced before production came to an end.

===Design===
The ''AT16'' was renamed the '''A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank''' during its production life. The Tortoise is a fixed casemate design. Though classified as an Assault Tank, it was in reality a self-propelled/assault gun. The fixed casemate superstructure limited the gun traverse, but the front armour is very thick at 225 mm. This large amount of armour came at the increased weight of 80 tons and a height of 10 feet. The gun is the 96 mm 32-pounder gun that provided effective explosive and armour-piercing capabilities, good enough to destroy a [[Panther G|Panther]] tank at 1,000 yards away. The Tortoise is powered by a Meteor engine with an all-speed transmission system for equal speed forward and reverse. The suspension is a bogie system, with each bogie having a pair of wheels that are linked to a transverse torsion bar. The vehicle holds a crew of six people, two of which are loaders for the 32-pounder gun.

===Cancellation===
By the time the few prototypes of the vehicles were made, World War II in Europe ended in May 1945. The rapid demilitarization and lack of need for such a vehicle reduced the original order amount to just 6 vehicles, which were built. One was sent to Germany for evaluation trials, where the Tortoise proved itself as being mechanically reliable and its 32-pounder a great asset on the battlefield. It's undoing was its 80 ton weight, which gave it a low speed and a logistical nightmare to transport around the region.

In the end, the super heavy tanks designs made by the Americans ([[T28]]) and the British (Tortoise) only proved that such needs for tanks were unnecessary. The Siegfried Line and other such fortifications were taken out by use of the standard issued medium tanks such as the [[M4|M4 Shermans]], proving that affordable, mass-produced vehicles could dominate the modern battlefield. The only positive note that these heavy tanks provided was that it showed the true extent of American and British industrial capabilities, being able to produce these massive monsters.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_a39_tortoise Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|-WGV2ECr-TA|'''The Shooting Range #252''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:25 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:18 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|FafvSJDEfwA|'''Tank Chats #15 Tortoise''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==


* [[T28]] / [[T95]]
* [[AMX-50 Foch]]
* [[Object 268]]

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

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

{{TankManufacturer Nuffield}}
{{Britain tank destroyers}}

Churchill I

2022-07-16T17:27:23Z

U87965078: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = British heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = Churchill (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a_22_mk_1_churchill_1941
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]]. As the original model of the Churchill infantry tank, it has the substantial frontal armour able to withstand enemy shells.

The Churchill Mk I is one of the more capable heavy tanks at rank II. The tank has excellent frontal armour that can absorb and bounce shots. Tanks such as the [[Panzer III]], [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]], [[M4|M4 Sherman]], and even the dreaded [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]] can be blocked if angled. Very few tanks can deal with the Churchill Mk I effectively from the front, such as the [[M10 GMC]] or [[Achilles]]. Its 2-pounder gun, however, is sub-par in dealing damage for its battle rating. It is of small calibre and has low penetration and damage. Use its very fast reload to make follow-up shots to finish off enemies. Its secondary howitzer is able to fire HE shells, however, due to their inefficiency, it is recommended to use smoke rounds to cover your team's advance or to smoke out enemy positions.

The Churchill Mk I, despite being a heavy tank, is quite fast and can turn just as swiftly via neutral steering. However, a driver must be skilled to utilise this to the tank's advantage, as turning while in forward motion is slower than the neutral steer, which the enemy can take advantage of when flanking. The Churchill's engine is also easily damaged due to its large appearance.

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

The main attribute of the Churchill I is obviously its armour. the 89 to 178 mm of the front hull together with the 63.5 mm of side armour means that this tank performs very well when angled. However overangling can reveal the thinly armoured engine in the back. The very big tracks also aid in protection as they can soak up a lot of shells. Do not let the enemy get to your rear as all tanks at the Churchill I's BR can go through.

The turret of the Churchill I is very well armoured overall, it has 89 mm all around except 114 mm on the front. On the front, there is also a 50 mm thick mantlet plate below the main plate that when combined offers superb frontal protection. The turret front has a couple of small weak spots in the front where the turret MG and sight are placed: the armour is only 50 mm thick and can be penetrated by any opposing tank. Always keep the turret in motion when at close range.

The roof armour of the turret and hull are both very thin and can be easily strafed by aircraft with a calibre of 20 mm or larger.

The 5 crew members of the Churchill allow for decent survivability, however, due to the packed crew in the turret, an APHE shell will knock the crew entirely if it goes through. If this happens you'll have to wait for the hull-gunner (presuming they're still alive) to take up the gunner's position.

The abundance of smoke munitions on the vehicle (roof-mounted smoke grenades as well as howitzer-fired smoke rounds) allows for increased survivability in most situations.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Driver viewport, Machine gun area, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 89 mm ''Front plate'' 89 + 89 mm ''Front plate (MG Port)'' 38 mm (63°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis'' || 63.5 mm ''Overall side armour'' 76.2 mm ''Side hatch'' 38.1 mm ''Side edge'' || 50.8 mm 25.4 mm (68°) ''Bottom'' || 15.87 mm
|-
| Turret || 89 mm ''Turret front'' 89 mm (0-30°) ''Gun mantlet'' 18 mm (76°) ''Roof area'' || 76.2 mm || 76.2 mm || 18 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 19 mm thick.
* A 8 mm Structural steel plate separates the engine and crew compartment.
* 50 mm internal mantlet that can be either a weak spot or an extra layer of armour
* The 8 mm engine vents on the side of the tank lead directly to the engine and fuel tanks

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


As a heavy infantry support tank. the Churchill I is slow and will not be the first to reach the frontline. It was a top speed of 28 km/h (30 km/h in AB) and will reach that top speed fairly quickly due to a good engine and transmission. The Churchill I has a very poor reverse speed (-3 km/h), so it should not be relied on for peaking a hill or corner. The Churchill I can neutral steer allowing for good positioning, however the neutral steering is very slow. Short brakes can be used to pivot the tank much faster (keybinds can be defined in-game in the Controls menu: Controls > Ground vehicles > Short brakes).

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=452|rbMinHp=310}}

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

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

{{main|QF 2-pounder (40 mm)}}
The 40 mm QF 2-pounder has poor penetration even with its best round at its BR (89 mm point blank). You will still be able to penetrate most light or medium vehicles frontally at close range, but at ranges greater than 500 m the cannon becomes mostly ineffective due to both its lack of penetration and its inaccuracy. From the side, the round will usually go through, even at medium ranges. The 2-pounder's best attribute is its reload speed. Because of this you will in most cases be able to fire 2 rounds in the same times as the enemy can fire only one. It is advised to use the 2-pounder's reload speed to methodically take out key components within the enemy vehicle. This will also be necessary as the only round with explosive filler that he gun has, has terrible penetration. The 2-pounder is equipped with a shoulder stabilizer allowing for stable fire at slow speeds.

The gun has excellent elevation and depression angles as well as a turret with decent traverse speeds, however in a lot of situations the hull may be in the way of the gun, keep this in mind when engaging on uneven or hilly terrain.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|40 mm QF 2-pounder]] || 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" | 150 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Shoulder|up to 10 km/h}} || 19.42 || 26.88 || 32.64 || 36.10 || 38.40 || rowspan="2" | 3.64 || rowspan="2" | 3.22 || rowspan="2" | 2.97 || rowspan="2" | 2.80
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 72 || 68 || 52 || 37 || 27 || 19
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 89 || 86 || 77 || 66 || 57 || 50
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 80 || 75 || 58 || 41 || 30 || 21
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 66 || 62 || 49 || 36 || 26 || 20
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 AP/T || AP || 792 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T || APCBC || 792 || 1.24 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.1 APHV/T || AP || 853 || 1.08 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 AP/T || APHE || 792 || 1.08 || 1.2 || 9 || 20.9 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''150''' || 110 ''(+40)'' || 80 ''(+70)'' || 58 ''(+92)'' || 36 ''(+114)'' || 26 ''(+124)'' || 16 ''(+134)'' || 1 ''(+149)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Centre & turret empty: 58 ''(+92)'' shells.

==== Optics ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[T-34 (1940)]]
|-
|}

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

{{main|OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I (76 mm)}}

The hull-mounted 76 mm OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I has only 2 types of rounds available to it: HE and smoke. This is due to the fact that it was intended to be used against infantry. In the game, the HE round can be used to overpressure the roof or floor of light or open-topped vehicles. The smoke round is self-explanatory, and can be used to fire smoke at a great distance compared to smoke dischargers. The smoke rounds can be used to "smoke out" enemy positions by firing on them with the 76 mm howitzer to force them to move from a good position, or to cover advancing allies from enemy fire.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I (76 mm)|76 mm OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I]] || 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" | 58 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+9° || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 12.0 || 17.0 || 20.0 || 23.0 || 24.0 || rowspan="2" | 8.1 || rowspan="2" | 7.2 || rowspan="2" | 6.7 || rowspan="2" | 6.3
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.9 || 10.0 || 13.0 || 14.0 || 15.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 3-inch Mark II || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3-inch Mark II || HE || 210 || 6.02 || 0 || 0.1 || 606 || 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)
|-
| 3-inch Smoke || 210 || 3.18 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 8
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''58''' || 45 ''(+13)'' || 31 ''(+27)'' || 16 ''(+42)'' || 1 ''(+57)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Minimal load: 16 ''(+42)'' shells.

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This tank can use a play style similar to the Matilda or a weaker Churchill III. It is best played up close, to make use of the armour and also gun. Since the tank is rather boxy, it is very good at angling. Unlike the Churchill III, its gun isn't capable of taking on most other tanks of its rank. Its main role in the battlefield is to soak up and take shots, with its thick armour, that can withstand most tanks of its rank. In RB mode you will most likely have the Americans on your team, with the M10s and Shermans providing support for you. Main enemies for this tank would be the M10, the Achilles, and most Panzer IVs and StuGs.

The Churchill has heavy armour, especially when it is angled, but this certainly does not mean that it is invincible. In fact, there are a lot of guns around BR 3.0 that can destroy the Churchill, even at long range.

'''Germans'''

* Almost every RB/SB battle the British will be facing them. By far the most lethal tanks are the Panzer IVs with the long barrel 75 mm. They can penetrate the Churchill Mk I frontally at long range. Later versions of the Panzer IV also have armour which the Churchill's 40 mm will really struggle to penetrate at long range, putting the Churchill at a big disadvantage. The same applies to any vehicle armed with the long barrel 75 mm gun, including the [[StuG III F]]/[[StuG III G|G]] and [[Marder III H]].
* The [[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.]] "Flak Truck" is a massive threat. The 88 mm gun will easily penetrate an unangled Churchill, and the explosive mass will knock out all your crew. Your 40 mm is subpar against the Flak Truck as it will have to take each crew member out individually due to the lack of post-penetration damage of the 2-pounder. Luckily, the Churchill Mk I has access to the 75 mm howitzer, which provides well needed explosive firepower. Aim for the ammo box at the back to quickly dispatch the Flak Truck.
* Watch out for tanks armed with HEAT (such as Panzer III/IVs with the short-barreled 75 mm), as it has up to 100 mm penetration. The StuG III G is also dangerous, with a powerful HE round and a high penetration HEAT round. Luckily, these tanks will have to close in to shorter ranges to effectively attack the Churchill Mk I, as their guns have poor ballistics. This means that Churchill's 40 mm gun will be more effective. Also, watch out for the [[Sd.Kfz.234/2]] or [[Sd.Kfz.234/4]]. These are vehicles based on the Puma armoured car. The /2 has a 50 mm and the /4 has a 75 mm gun. Both are excellent flanking vehicles, extremely fast and potent. They will easily outflank the slow Churchill, and destroy you from your less-armoured sides. Due to the nature of HEAT in War Thunder, the Churchills tracks often negate much damage when angled, so keep this in mind.

'''Soviets'''

* At medium to long range, the [[ZiS-30]] proves to be a real threat. it has a high penetration gun and is great at ambushing. Luckily, it has light armour and can be destroyed easily with the 75mm mortar or even with machine guns.
* Soviet armour is a bigger threat. Tanks like the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]] are highly resistant to the 2-pdr gun due to their steep sloping armour. The L-11 gun on the [[T-34 (1940)]] will struggle to penetrate the Churchill, but the F-34 gun found on post-1940 versions is much more effective. Below 500 m, the F-34 guns can destroy the Churchill with its potent BR-350B APHEBC rounds or APCR rounds (though they do less damage). An even bigger threat is the [[KV-1 (Family)|KV-1]] type tanks. A Churchill vs a [[KV-1 (L-11)]] can end in a stalemate situation, as both tanks will struggle to penetrate the other frontally. However, later KV-1 models have the ZiS 5 gun, which is pretty much identical to the F-34 gun found on the T-34. There is also the German premium KV-1B which has upgraded armour but a weaker gun, which is a dangerous opponent and quite common despite being a premium vehicle.
* When fighting the T-34's aim for their turret weakspots or at the sides when given the oportunity. On the T-34 (1940) and [[T-34 (1941)|(1941)]], aim for the flat spot on their sloped turret cheeks, or shoot below at the shot trap. This will either disable their turret crew or destroy them. When fighting the KV-1 frontally, you cannot do much damage against it unless you manage to get a lucky shot through their turret cheeks. Otherwise, let your teamates distract it, or use smokes, and flank so that you can shoot its less angled 75 mm sides.

'''Japanese''' Be careful of the [[Ho-Ro]] with its massive howitzer, or the [[Chi-Nu]] with its powerful 75 mm gun. However, they don't have much armour and you will be able to destroy both relatively easily.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent armour
* Almost immune to small calibre guns
* Well armoured sides and a strong mantlet
* Very durable against enemy CAS strikes
* Extremely fast-firing 40 mm gun, you will pretty much always get another shot off before your enemy does
* The Churchill can fire APHE shells which have potent post-penetration damage
* The Churchill's size and shoulder stabilizer eliminates any recoil from the gun, making it easy to fire a second shot without losing any accuracy
* Ability to pivot steer
* 75 mm mortar can be used to smoke out enemy positions or cover retreats
* Large suspension sides have side hits more likely to break tracks than penetrate the hull
* HEAT shells may be totally absorbed by your tracks when angled
* Incredibly hard to dislodge or destroy when properly angled
* Works well as the spearhead of an assault when capturing a point, absorbing damage
* Good acceleration
* In a pinch the Churchill can act as a bullet sponge for less durable teammates

'''Cons:'''

* 40 mm gun is ineffective against anything with sloped armour
* Shell Mk.1 AP/T with explosive mass has a low penetration of 66 mm
* Will lose a lot of speed when making a sharp turn in motion
* Has difficulties engaging other heavy tanks
* Up-gunned Panzer IVs ([[Pz.IV F2]], [[Pz.IV G]], etc.) will penetrate flat faces with ease
* Poor mobility when compared to other heavy tanks from other nations
* Terrible reverse speed
* Slow, will take a lot of time just to reach the combat zone from spawn points
* Frontal 50 mm weak spot (machine gun port)
* Turret and hull roof armour is somewhat thin, giving weakpoints to enemies with the high ground
* Priority target by planes due to size and bad reverse speed

== History ==

===Development===
The General Staff specification ''A20'' was implemented before World War II and was meant to replace the [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]] and [[Valentine Mk XI|Valentine]] infantry tanks. The specification was based around the British infantry tank doctrine and with the expectation that the coming war would be based off the World War I trench warfare, thus the tank was needed to travel across unfavourable terrain and able to destroy enemy defenses and infantry obstacles. As speed and heavy firepower was not taken with priority, the vehicle was to have two 2-pounder gun on side sponson mounts with a coaxial machine gun, with another machine gun and smoke dischargers on the front hull, armour was about 60 mm on the turret. Four prototypes were made by June 1940 by Harland and Wolff. The front hull would see an upgrade in armament with a 3-inch howitzer during the prototype stages, the 43 ton tank had a 300 hp Meadows engine from the Covenanter tank and was made the tank underpowered. The A20 project was cancelled with the Battle of France, which saw the emergency evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk that left a majority of their heavy equipment behind.

The Battle of France proved that the coming World War II was not going to be a stagnant battlefield like the trench warfare from World War I. The entire concept had to be redesigned and was done so by Henry Merrit, the director of Tank Design at Woolwich Arsenal. His new concept, the '''A22''' or '''Infantry Tank Mark IV Churchill''', was given to Vauxhall Motors in June 1940. War Office requested that the A22 be ready to enter production within the year due to growing pressure of a German invasion of Britain. The designs were ready in July 1940 and the first prototypes were made by December of the same year, production soon followed in June 1941. The rushed development was acknowledged in the company to being the cause of many faults and defects in the tank, but the demand by the government was so great that it must be carried out, with the expectation that the issues will be fixed during production. The Churchill tank suffered from an under-powered engine, weak armament, and mechanical issues. The weak armament from a 2-pounder was fixed with the arming of a 6-pounder on the Churchill, but the other issues caused poor performance of the Churchill in the battlefield. In fact, the Churchill production was almost cancelled in favour of the [[Cromwell (Family)|Cromwell]] due to its issues, but its usage in the Second Battle of El Alamein proved its value and kept it in service.

The Churchill would carry on the rest of the war as one of the most versatile tank design in British service, serving in many specialist roles other than its tank role. Altogether, a total of 7,568 Churchill units produced from 1941 to 1945, with 5,968 as tanks.

===Variants===
The Churchill, used in a multitude of roles, is made into many different variants. 12 different kinds of tank variants were produced for combat roles, with 11 more variants in specialized roles ranging from armoured personnel carrier, a bridge-layer, mine clearer, a [[Gun Carrier (3-in)]], flamethrower tank, and an armoured recovery vehicle.

===Combat usage===
The Churchill tank was first used in the Dieppe Raid in August 1942. While it was really a test on how an opposed landing would work, the 60 Churchill tanks to support the Canadian units suffered from mechanical issues, and those that did work are not able to penetrate past the sea wall due to impassable defenses. None of the Churchill tanks that landed returned from the beaches and with a 70% casualty rate, the raid's attempt to establish a beachhead was a failure.

The next use of the Churchill was in North Africa during the Second Battle of El Alamein. At this point, the Churchills have been upgraded to the '''Mk.III''' variants with 6-pounders as their main armament. The detachment, code named "King Force", help supported the 7th Motor Brigade in their attack. The Churchills were fired upon by many German anti-tank weapons, but none were taken out with only one receiving note worthy damage. "King Force", as a test bed for the feasibility of Churchills operating in the desert environment, was disbanded with the establishment of the 25th Army Tank Brigade with the Churchills to see action in February 1943 in Tunisia. In the German offensive Operation Ochsenkpf, two Churchill Mk.III from the 51st Royal Tank Regiment came across an entire German transport column that they ambushed. The end result was a loss of twelve artillery pieces, 25 wheeled vehicles, two [[Panzer III]]s and 200 casualties on the German side with no losses for the British. The Churchill also played a key role in the Battle of Longstop Hill, where Churchill tanks in the 48th Royal Tank Regiment faced off with Germany's newest heavy tank [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]. Though suffering losses, a lucky 6-pounder shot from the Churchill ended up jamming the Tiger's turret and turret ring that injured the crew, forcing them to abandon the tank. The Tiger tank was captured by the British for intelligence purpose on Germany's armoured forces. The Tiger Tank is named Tiger 131.

After the North African campaign, the Churchill began to see widespread usage in the British army as a support unit for the infantry. The Churchill saw much more operation hours than any other British tank in service. It was at this point that the Churchill Mk.III began a conversion into the 75 mm guns that were used on the American [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks. These conversions, known as NA75, proved to be more efficient than the Shermans and were used more effectively. Some Churchills were also converted into close support vehicles with 95 mm howitzers as their main armaments. In response to the growing German anti-tank firepower in the later years of World War II, the Churchill tanks were also upgraded in armour by a large degree, though their engines were also upgraded to compensate for the additional weight. The [[Churchill VII]], for example, has armour ranging up to 152 mm thick in the front, in comparison to the Mk.III 89 mm thick front hull. The Churchills also saw service in Europe during Operation Overlord. At the time, it was considered that the Churchill would become severely outdated with the growing tank technology, so an experimental program under specification A43, otherwise known as the [[Black Prince]], to uparmour and upgun the Churchill. While this experimented seem fruitful, the development of more agile tanks with the same level of protection and armament such as the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] rendered the project obsolete.

The Churchills were also given out to the Allies to help combat the Axis forces. The Australian Army received a handful of Churchills for testing alongside the M4 Sherman with the Matilda II as the basis, to which proved that the Churchill was superior in jungle warfare. Of the 510 Churchills ordered by the Australians in the war, only 46 arrived in time and were not used in the Pacific War, the rest were cancelled with the end of World War II. The USSR also used the Churchills given by the British as part of the Lend-Lease act. 301 Churchills were sent, but 43 were lost to the sea by German naval forces. Of those that arrived, the Soviets gave the Churchills to the 5th Guards Tank Army in the Battle of Prokhorovka during the Kursk Offensive.

After World War II, the Churchill stuck around in the British Army until the Korean War, where the British sent the Churchill Crocodile Squadron (C squadron of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment) to Korea to fight with the Allied coalition. They fought as gun tanks in battle such as the Third Battle of Seoul. The Churchills were instrumental in some victories and were widely praised by both British and American forces and historians. After the Korean war, the Churchills remains in combat service until 1952, with the specialized bridge-layer variant staying until the 1970s. The Irish Army also received three Churchill tanks in 1948 and another in 1949 as rentals until 1954, where they were purchased after trials with the vehicles. Despite running out of spare parts for the Churchill, the Irish Army took them in and experimented with using different engines to keep them functional, though this ended with a failure and by 1967, only one was still functional. All were retired in 1969 and one was preserved at the Curragh Camp.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_a_22_mk_1_churchill_1941 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|gR3JPNt0iPw|'''Heavyweight Brits''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:32 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|zGxTG16T4Bs|'''Churchill Mk I- Out of place''' - ''Oxy''}}

== See also ==


* [[Matilda (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4793-vehicle-profile-a22-churchill-mk-i-first-of-its-breed-en|[Vehicle Profile] A22 Churchill Mk I - "First of Its Breed"]]

{{TankManufacturer Vauxhall}}
{{Britain heavy tanks}}

U-SH 405

2022-07-16T00:38:47Z

U87965078: /* General info */

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_landsverk_ush_405
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]]. It is a prototype vehicle from the late 1950s based on the Unimog 404 truck chassis. The key feature of this vehicle is the dual, high-penetration, fast-firing rocket launchers mounted on top of it, making it a force to be reckoned with for any tank it faces.

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


The U-SH-405 simply cannot afford to take any damage, it will die instantly from pretty much anything. However, the ability to fire its high-penetration rockets with no reload time at all makes it very good at taking out any target, and even several targets at once if the occasion arises.

With only 2 crew members and only 10 mm of armour at most, the U-SH 405 will die very easily, be it to aircraft, machine-guns, artillery, etc. As such, it is best to avoid frontal engagements unless necessary.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=139|rbMinHp=80}}

With 80 km/h (49.7 mph) forward and 157 horsepower for 5.7 tons, the U-SH 405 has good mobility in Arcade. However, in Realistic, the top forward speed is 73 km/h (45.3 mph) for 90 horsepower, making it good on-road but just decent off-road and awful at climbing hills. The reverse speed is 9 km/h (5.5 mph), which works most of the time but can still be too slow in some situations (especially off-road).

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|Oerlikon Typ 3Z 8Dla}}

The U-SH 405 has for sole armament two 81mm rocket launchers, but it still has very impressive firepower - especially considering that it is a light car.
Each launcher comes with 9 high-penetration rockets that have similar ballistic properties as regular HEAT shells. The rockets can be fired all at once in less than 10 seconds, making it able to kill several tanks of any type in just a few seconds, provided they are aimed properly.

The rockets are most efficient at close to medium range, over 600 meters, they start to become quite inaccurate. On top of the only 18 rockets, it is also fairly long to replenish them; as such, one should use them with caution.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Oerlikon Typ 3Z 8Dla]] launcher (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 18 (9) || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | N/A || rowspan="2" | N/A || 19.0 || 26.4 || 32.0 || 35.4 || 37.6 || rowspan="2" | 2.60 || rowspan="2" | 2.30 || rowspan="2" | 2.12 || rowspan="2" | 2.00
|-
! ''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
|-
| Pl-3 || HEAT || 330 || 330 || 330 || 330 || 330 || 330
|-
| SSK 032 || HE || 33 || 33 || 33 || 33 || 33 || 33
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Pl-3 || HEAT || 820 || 13.2 || 0 || 0.01 || 1,000 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| SSK 032 || HE || 820 || 19.7 || 0 || 0.01 || 2,780 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


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

== Usage in battles ==


Thanks to the very high penetration of its HEAT rockets, the U-SH 405 can kill any tank it faces from pretty much any angle; this, combined with its near-instant reload and high on-road speed gives it great flexibility. However, the vehicle can be killed by anyone and anything, the main threats to the U-SH 405 are American tanks (and any other tank that has high-calibre machine-guns) and aircraft. Some tanks in particular, like the American T34, T30 and T32, should be avoided because of their multiple .50 cals and somewhat high resistance against the rockets.

The low post-penetration damages require one to aim at a tank's critical spots (such as the ammo storage or the gunner) if they want to disable/kill the target with only 1 or 2 rockets. Fortunately, the near-instant reload allow for several follow-up shots if the first rocket did not do as well as hoped.

The good mobility and low-profile makes the U-SH 405 very good at flanking and relocating in general, and the high firepower makes it devastating on unaware targets.

The U-SH 405 works best at supporting allied vehicles as they can draw attention away from itself and flanking enemy tanks, but the limited amount of ammunition often forces it to return to strategic points to replenish its small ammunition racks.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast-firing rockets (basically no reload at all between each rocket) with very high penetration
* Low-profile
* Good speed on roads
* The rockets are fast and have similar ballistic properties than regular HEAT/HE shells, making them very easy to aim
* Small profile, can be easily concealed
* Almost completely silent, making it easy to sneak up on enemies undetected

'''Cons:'''

* The HEAT rockets explode when they're already out of the tank, making the post-penetration damage very similar to APDS despite having 1kg of explosive mass
* Extremely weak armour and only 2 crew members (will nearly always instantly die from .50 cals and can potentially die from .30 cals as well)
* Only 18 rockets, and you may need several rockets to kill just one tank due to their late detonation
* You can only replenish rockets once you've used all 9 of them, and replenishing takes a fairly long time
* Awful power-to-weight ratio in realistic (15.7 hp/t) making it quite slow off-road (30-35 km/h) and barely able to climb hills
* The rockets are ineffective at long range as they heavily deviate over time (even a mere 800 meters may prove difficult)
* Can be destroyed by hard collisions at high speeds
* Small, light frame and small crew lets it easily be crushed by heavier tanks

== History ==


=== [[wt:en/news/6631-development-swedish-ground-vehicles-u-sh-405-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of the U-SH 405 began in the late 1950's, after Landsverk and Daimler-Benz formed a cooperation to further develop the Unimog 404 truck into a family of different military vehicles, ranging from APCs to dedicated tank hunters. Development was initially headed by the Germans, but in 1958, Landsverk took over the lead role in its development.

As part of the ongoing development, Landsverk came up with a dedicated tank hunter variant of the vehicle in 1960, fitted with a pair of Oerlikon 81mm rocket launchers, originally developed for aircraft and helicopter use. A single prototype of the machine was built and trialed, but no production orders were issued.

However, the APC version of the U-SH 405 saw more success, being ordered by the Belgian armed forces in limited numbers. Despite placing an order for around two dozen vehicles, due to various geopolitical reasons, Belgium only received fewer than half of the machines initially ordered. The remainder of the machines built, but not shipped to Belgium were later on sold to the Irish military in the early 1970's, which used the vehicle until 1978 before retiring it.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_landsverk_ush_405 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:U-SH 405 WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:U-SH 405 WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:U-SH 405 WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:U-SH 405 WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:U-SH 405 WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:U-SH 405 WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|OR18NRGT7uw|'''The Shooting Range #254''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:26 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|vHooKt3mEcU|'''U-SH 405 - Rocket Turret Death Machine''' - ''PhlyDaily''}}

== 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/6631-development-swedish-ground-vehicles-u-sh-405-en|[Devblog] Swedish Ground Vehicles: U-SH 405]]

{{TankManufacturer AB Landsverk}}
{{Sweden light tanks}}
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

Centurion Mk 1

2022-07-15T23:14:59Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Centurion (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_centurion_mk_1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. It is equipped with the well-known British [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]] mounted on a new hull that definitively makes the Cromwell chassis outdated.

This tank does not play like any of the preceding British vehicles: while its mobility is below average for a rank IV medium, it compensates with armour, meaning that you will actually be able to withstand frontal combat and return fire, even if you get hit. It is the first medium to feature the late-game British armour pattern: a strong turret, thick and well-angled upper-glacis, weak lower glacis and thin sides. British tankers must get used to this configuration since it is found on every following medium tank.

The Centurion Mk 1 moves away from the familiar Cromwell chassis. While not being as fast or manoeuvrable, It does have sloped frontal armour, a strongly armoured turret, and a good QF 17-pounder gun with access to APDS.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret sides, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret front, Gun mantlet, Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (58°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51 (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (7°) ''Top'' 38 mm (18°) ''Bottom'' || 29 mm 8-14 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 127 mm (2-58°) ''Turret front'' 127 mm (6-40°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 76 mm (9-11°) || 76 mm (1°) 38 mm (89°) ''Turret underside'' || 25 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 90 mm || 25 mm ''Outer ring'' 19 mm ''Centre''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
*The steel boxes around the turret and hull give a 4 mm additional protection, though this seems to be a negligible addition.
*Skirting are placed on the sides of the Centurion, giving an additional 6 mm of side protection and can act as spaced armour.
*An internal structural plate of 17 mm thickness separates the forward ammo rack from the driver as seen in X-ray mode.
*Another internal 17 mm structural plate with large openings separates the driving compartment from the fighting compartment.

The {{PAGENAME}} is the first tank players will encounter in the British tech tree that sports a sloped hull front similar to the Panther, which with a thickness of 76.2 mm provides great protection for its battle rating, especially when the hull is angled slightly. Turret armour features 127 mm thickness throughout the front but features many flat areas that cannons of sufficient power will exploit to destroy the tank, especially since 3 out of the 4 crew members are located in the turret. Side armour can withstand auto-cannon fire with exceptions for HVAP rounds, so don't rely on it outside of that. If the situation becomes sticky and a tactical retreat is required, a single wide volley of smoke grenades launched from the turret can cover you from the line-of-sight.

The main improvement from previous British mediums is its thick and sloped armour. Reaching 152 mm on the turret and a good 76 mm angled at 58° on the front hull, this tank can actually block point-blank shots from most cannons it will face like the Russian [[D-5T (85 mm)|D-5T]], the Japanese [[Type II Model II (75 mm)|Type II 75 mm]] and even some German guns if aimed poorly. This tank can actually expose its upper glacis since it will bounce most shots. This tank still has weak spots though: gun and MG mantlet are "only" 127 mm thick, barely angled and lower glacis are 76 mm at 44°, meaning close-range shots will eventually penetrate. It also has thin side armour, meaning that the tank is vulnerable to flank attacks and compound angling cannot be done effectively without exposing the sides. These traits mean that the {{PAGENAME}} can happily stand up most frontal shots at this rank.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=984|rbMinHp=562}}

The Centurion easily reaches its top speed of 39 km/h on almost any ground, due to its wide tracks and a good engine, even at stock performances. It also has a refreshingly good reverse speed (~13 km/h) (compared to the dreadful reverse speed of tanks on the Cromwell chassis) and can turn on the spot quite fast.

Compared to the many Cromwell based tanks before the Centurion, it does lose out on a great forward speed, only being able to reach 41 km/h (AB) / 37 km/h (RB) maximum, but in return it does receive great reverse speed of 13.4 km/h (AB)/12.1 km/h (RB), allowing for tactics that would not be recommended with the Cromwell like "Peek-a-boos". It also retains good maneuverability, effective neutral steering, and a very acceptable acceleration due to good power-to-weight ratio.

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

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

{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}

The gun does not fire any shells with explosive filler, meaning that pinpoint accuracy is needed to get reliable kills (aiming for important modules, crew, or ammo racks). This canon's reload rate is faster than average at this BR, meaning you will be able to land 2 shots before your enemy can even fire. After having depleted the ready rack of 5 shells, the reload time increases so be mindful when shooting. As any other tanks equipped with the [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]], you will have to grind through subpar AP, APC and APCBC shells before getting APDS. This last type of shell helps make accuracy quite easy and remains effective at long ranges while not being too costly in terms of silver lions.

A minor issue to notice is that the machine gun has very poor elevation and is loader-controlled, meaning that it cannot target even low flying aircraft and that it will be disabled once you lose two or more crew members.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm QF 17-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 75 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.84 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 228 || 226 || 207 || 189 || 159 || 134
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 6.98 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 1,203 || 1.73 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 229 || 8.44 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''75''' || 74 ''(+1)'' || 73 ''(+2)'' || 68 ''(+7)'' || 38 ''(+37)'' || 30 ''(+45)'' || 22 ''(+53)'' || 14 ''(+61)'' || 6 ''(+69)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* The QF 17-pounder cannon fires single-piece ammunition stored in stowage racks in the hull floor and the hull front next to the driver.
* Recommended ammo load is 38 to remove the large ammo rack at the front of the hull.
* Ammo rack 9 is a ready rack, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle.
* After the first order ammo rack is depleted, the reload time is longer, at around 10 seconds.

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

Unlike many turret-mounted machine guns that are co-axial, this machine gun is mounted in pintle mount similar to hull-mounted machine guns, so it is able to independently traverse on its own to a degree, a trait that is shared with the Soviet T-28. This can provide a slight advantage when the turret ring is disabled, as it can allow more accurate fire without the need to move the turret/hull.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || ±7° || ±7°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Overview:'''

The Centurion Mk 1 is widely considered as the first Main Battle Tank (MBT), and plays in the role of a medium/heavy. The armour is more than satisfactory against most enemy weapons, although it should not be relied upon. The 17 pounder cannon is very effective against enemy armour, although its post penetration damage is lacklustre. The tank is not particularly fast, but is mobile, especially in reverse.

'''Strategies:'''

Centurion tank commanders should use cover and be careful for the majority of the time. When the opportunity arises, the Centurion can help lead the charge against enemy medium and heavy tanks. Centurion commanders should keep in mind that the APDS ammunition is unlikely to destroy enemy vehicles in one shot, so they may need to expose themselves to enemy fire for extended periods of time in order to secure a kill. Generally, the Centurion plays similarly to other medium tanks of the tier. It is best practice to angle the turret, but the hull should not be angled due to the thin side armour.

In terms of engagement ranges, the Centurion works well at both long and short ranges. The issue with sniping in the centurion is that it is very difficult to secure kills with the lacklustre post penetration damage. Because of this, medium and short range engagements are preferable.

'''Notable Enemies:'''

At its BR, the Centurion faces many iconic German big cats like the Tiger I, the Panther and even the Tiger II. The Centurion is capable of going head to head with the big cats. The APDS rounds will slice through the Tiger I at most angles but one must be cautious of facing Tiger II, and can even penetrate the upper front plate of a Panther at close ranges or at range when using APDS. This round can even penetrate the Jagdpanther. It can also easily penetrate the hull of the IS-1 and early IS-2. Generally when firing at enemies, be careful to aim for the flat parts of the armour. APDS ammunition doesn't handle angled armour very well most of the time.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast firing 17-pounder armament with APDS rounds
* Good gun depression of -12°
* Tough round and sloped armour that is quite resistant to the 85mm, 76mm and even the German 88 mm (KwK 36) guns at medium/long range
* Turret's top armour is thick, can resist most aircraft guns and some HE shells
* Average mobility and decent manoeuvrability
* Good reverse speed and neutral steering
* Benefits greatly from the learning curve of the Comet I and Challenger, their players will find themselves at home when playing the Centurion
* Mastering this tank will provide a good learning curve for the next Centurion variants

'''Cons:'''

* Precision and knowledge of enemy tanks are required, because APDS localized damage
* Large tank size, especially length
* Weak side armour, angling the armour too much will result in the side armour being penetrated
* Not the fastest at its BR, especially without upgrades
* Unlike its later iterations, no [[Gun stabilizer|gun stabilizer]]
* Some-what weak lower frontal plate (LFP); ammo rack also present there, a weakness carried over to all British tanks onward
* Top armour covering the engine is poor, only 8 mm
* Only 6 shells available before the first order ammo rack is depleted, leading to a longer reload time
* Frontal turret cheek armour is flat
* Many angles and faces on the turret can yield various results when shot

== History ==


===Design===
In 1943, the British War Office mandated the Directorate of Tank Design to start working on a new heavy cruiser tank. The requirements stated that the new tank should be capable of withstanding a direct hit from the infamous German 88 mm gun, while providing greater protection against mines as well as staying under the 40-tons limit imposed by logistical constraints. The tank also had to offer a good cross-country capability when offroad, a high reverse speed was required but not a high forward top speed. The new project, called A41, had to surpass the Comet tank in all areas except the main armament for which the 17-pdr gun was still deemed effective enough to deal with enemy tanks.

===Development===
Early in the development, it became clear that the 40-tons limit imposed by logistical constraints (transport trailers, Bailey truss bridge, etc.) could not be held if the other requirements were to stay the same (armour and turret size). The limit was raised to 50 tons and the tank's maximal size for railway bridges and tunnels was also scrapped.
The hull was designed larger, welded and with sloped armour. The turret was made of thick cast armour, with the sides sloped and overall wider than previous tanks to fit the 17-pdr gun and 3 crew members.
Inside the hull was installed a Rolls-Royce turbojet, the engine found on the Gloster Meteor.
The suspension was changed to a Horstmann suspension to reduce its size and encroachment while allowing for modular maintenance in the field.
Prototypes for evaluation arrived in Belgium less than a month after the end of WW2 in Europe and manufacturing began later in 1945.
The new A41 tank was subsequently designated the Centurion. During its test phase, it demonstrated better performance than the Comet in all areas and was adopted by the British Army.

===Combat usage===
The Centurion Mk 1 never saw combat and was quickly upgraded to Mk 2 and 3 with the introduction of the 20-pdr gun.
The first Centurions to see combat were British and Canadian Centurions Mk 3 in Korea in the 1950s where the tank gained its laurels and became a major export success.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_centurion_mk_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|I5sGIacZ5jU|'''Centurion Mk1 Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|XThuUn_3u30|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review - APDS Only''' - ''Napalmratte''|HsiYQG4dKaQ|'''British Blitzkrieg - {{PAGENAME}} Review''' - ''MikeGoesBoom''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same gun and ammunition

* [[Challenger]]
* [[Black Prince]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4515-development-centurion-mk-i-a-tank-for-a-new-era-en|[Devblog] Centurion Mk I: A Tank for a New Era]]
* [[wikipedia:Centurion (tank)|[Wikipedia] Centurion]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/UK/FV-4200_Centurion <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> FV4007 Centurion]

{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
{{Britain medium tanks}}

Firecrest

2022-07-12T22:17:59Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=b_48_firecrest
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_b_48_firecrest.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} British strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]] as one of the first Squadron vehicles. It represents the attempt to develop an improved naval aircraft from the troubled [[Firebrand TF Mk IV|Blackburn Firebrand]].

In reality only 3 prototypes were ever made, since the arrival of improved technologies such as the jet engine halted any major development of war birds with piston engines after the Second World War.

However, in-game, everyone's got a chance with the Firecrest. It could be considered as a hybrid between the Firebrand and a [[F4U (Family)|F4U Corsair]], due to its gull shaped wings, durability, powerful engine and beautiful sleek appearance! Howbeit, it has other traits that make this plane well suited for the naval environment of War Thunder.

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


Once upgraded and spaded, the Firecrest is able to go anywhere it must go. Climbing to the sky or speeding steadily to a target. It all can be achieved.

The Bristol Centaurus 59 engine producing 2,475 hp is able to accelerate pretty quickly, something needed for sea and carrier landing and takeoff operations. This allows the plane to climb consistently to 6 km of altitude where the max speed can also be achieved while conserving all the manoeuvrability due to the supercharger and a great roll rate.

If necessary it can dive very fast and possesses air brakes for handling such speeds with ease. It does not turn that well horizontally but the skilled control of combat flaps and the airbrakes can prove adequate in several instances.

It's recommended to engage planes without carrying ordnance to maximize the flight performance, particularly the torpedo load.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 5,791 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 587 || 568 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.1 || 25.0 || 15.4 || 15.4 || rowspan="2" | 300
|-
! Upgraded
| 636 || 608 || 21.9 || 23.0 || 23.6 || 19.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 430 || 404 || 272 || ~10 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 460 || < 450 || < 450 || > 330
|-
|}

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


The pilots should note that no armour protection is present, this will limit the ability to tolerate heavy fire since any armour-piercing bullet is capable of going through the entire plane. The strongest and yet the more vulnerable part of the plane is the engine. No head-on engagements or attacking bombers are advised since the radial engine with the pilot can be easily taken out.

Separately, the fuselage is quite resilient and sleek. This can often ricochet fire that would otherwise hit the spars and inflict greater damage. The only thing protecting the pilot from behind aside from the fuselage is a fuel tank.

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

Pilots should focus on improving most of the flight performance first then the payloads, since this plane won't perform like it should when stock. Rockets, bombs and torpedoes should be secondary.

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

{{main|M3 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)

Here's the main difficulty of the Firecrest: its offensive armament.

The M3 Browning machine guns are amazing for quick and precise attack. They will inflict severe damage or ignite the enemy plane, mainly because of the rapid fire of the 2 machine guns. What pilots should be constantly alert about, is the ammo counter, since these machine guns will deplete all the ammo very quickly.

Fixing a convergence up to the preference of attack and having the right ammo belt is necessary, as the low ammo input does not allow for long bursts or consecutive leading shots. It's also relevant to ''note that such machine guns are generally only available on American jets'' such as the '''[[F-86A-5|Sabres]]''' and '''[[F-84 (Family)|Thunderjets]]''', thus making the Firecrest one of the few piston planes with such machine guns!

'''Most notable/useful ammo belts'''

* '''Tracers''': These bullets are completely visible, they will help to adapt with the ballistics of this unique machine gun for the British. They will start a lot of fires thanks to all the bullets being API-T (Armour-piercing incendiary tracer) with a good 23 mm of armour penetration.
* '''Default''': This ammo belt offers 2 types of incendiary ammunition, while it also carries full solid AP bullets. This increases the penetration damage for spars, armour plates or engines while also being able to make the rival plane burn.
* '''Ground targets''': This belt is not commended for anything heavier than light tanks or fully enclosed vehicles, as only a section of it carries full AP bullets. This performs as an all-purpose belt due to the large diversity of bullets that conform it. Great if required to engage all kinds of targets, ceding less ammo count of a specific type.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|G.P. Mk.IV (500 lb)|RP-3|18 inch Mark XV (450 mm)}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 1 x 450 mm (18 inch) Mark XV torpedo
* 8 x RP-3 rockets

'''[[RP-3|RP-3 rockets]]''': These are exceptional for many objectives. They have good armour penetration, moderate velocity and satisfactory amount of explosive mass when matched to contemporaries as US's [[HVAR]] or the Soviet's [[RBS-132]].

Appropriate for most tanks excluding some heavy tanks like the Soviet KV series or the German captured variant, the KV I C 756 with a very tough turret of 105 mm. Targeting at the top of these tanks is suggested. Naval objectives such as patrol boats can be annihilated in one single shot; a real spectacle. Destroyers or anything heavier could withstand more damage, but their modules and crew will be decimated by these rockets.

'''500 lb G.P Bombs''': They involve some skills at the moment of delivery since the lethal range for armoured targets is only of 4 m. For naval targets the lethal range is less of a drawback but the actual obstacle is dropping such bombs over AA covered ships. Pilots should note that these bombs might not consistently be enough to sink destroyers or anything bigger.

'''Mark XV torpedo''': It's when everything else doesn't seem enough that the torpedo joins into action. This ultimate ship destroyer is very capable and usually one sole hit is enough. What is more important, is the way to deliver the torpedo without sacrificing the plane.

== Usage in battles ==


The Firecrest is an experimental torpedo bomber with average capacities. It has low anti-air effectiveness in Air Arcade battles due to rather clumsy manoeuvring and no armour protection. A good pilot is needed to fully exploit the handy machine guns this plane is armed with. It has a place in Ground Realistic Battles, thanks to its payload capacities and the extremely powerful 8 x RP-3 rockets. However its best place is in Naval Battles, where is possible to engage more freely in wider spaces and make use of the full ordnance capacities (once the Mark XV torpedo is unlocked for use). Due to the lacklustre firepower when stock, one of the recommended ways to gain the necessary research points for unlocking modules is to simply attack AI targets like artillery and trucks, then tanks as the 500 lb bombs are unlocked prior to the torpedoes.

'''Naval Battles'''

Once the torpedoes are unlocked, the Firecrest performs similarly to other torpedo bombers of the rank. One of the outstanding traits is in its high survivability that can help in destroying one target if the tactics are played to the plane's strength (the good roll is perfect for low altitude flying). Aim towards destroyers or cruisers as they are larger targets that are easier to hit and prioritize the vessels that are threatening allies on the seas. However, try to ensure that the enemy ship is occupied with attacking surface targets so that their anti-air armament is not focused on the Firecrest to allow for some breathing room to position for an attack run.

'''Encounter mode''' proves to be one of the best for this plane. Here will be possible to infiltrate by the sides at low-level flight behind the enemies to the cargo ships, and release a torpedo from a safe distance. Always keeping in mind the torpedo drop requirements and the target. Is possible to risk a bit more if equipping bombs, but a tactic that might also work is to skip the bombs to the cargo ship swiftly retreating in the same direction, in a tactic that is known as ''Skip bombing''.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

The main aspects of using MEC with this aircraft are the Supercharger and Radiators, since this will increase drastically the climb and high altitude performance as well as the dive speed and energy retention.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire of M3 Browning provides rapid damage output
* Good top speed overall with decent acceleration; excellent high speed control
* Respectably durable airframe
* Has RP-3s and bombs against ground targets
* Good all altitude performance thanks to supercharger
* Has airbrakes (can be used as a dive bomber)
* Excellent roll rate
* Above average stock performance
* [[18 inch Mark XV (450 mm)|Mark XV]] torpedo is effective against ships; RP-3 lethal versus small PT-boats
* Attacker spawn in Air RB

'''Cons:'''

* Bleeds speed easily and not very manoeuvrable, especially at low speeds
* Only 300 rounds per machine gun; trigger discipline is needed for the pair of machine guns
* Limited payload options compared to Firebrand and contemporary naval planes of the Fleet Air Arm
* Large engine with no armour plates; not recommended to engage bombers
* No armour anywhere; even just a few .50 cal rounds can seriously damage vital components
* Large target, most dedicated fighters will run circles around the plane

== History ==


The Blackburn Firecrest was a British Torpedo Strike Fighter, derived from the earlier [[Firebrand TF Mk IV|Blackburn Firebrand]] but designed from the outset as a torpedo strike fighter. Designed to the S.28/43 specification set by the Admiralty on February 26th 1943 for a 'Firebrand Torpedo Fighter with improved wing and improved pilot view', the Firecrest was designed with a number of issues of the Firebrand in mind. Specifically, effort was done to produce a type which had improved forward visibility to facilitate deck landings, and which had better lateral control at landing speeds. The design specification also called for the Firecrest to be powered by a Bristol Centaurus 77 engine powering a contra-rotating propeller.

Early on during its design, the Admiralty also ordered three prototypes which would have been driven by the Napier E.122 24-cylinder H-block engine, a 3500 hp development of the Napier Sabre used on the original Firebrand. However, it was soon found that in order to maintain an acceptable center of gravity, the heavy Napier engine would have to be installed behind the cockpit, which would require an extensive redesign and add considerable weight to the aircraft. As a result, the Napier E.122 powered variant was cancelled in October of 1945 before metal was cut on any of their prototypes. Just before completion of the design, the Centaurus 77 variant with its contra-rotating propeller was cancelled in January of 1946, and it was replaced by a 2,825 hp Centaurus 57 with a conventional five-bladed propeller. The first of three completed prototypes of the Firecrest flew on April 1st 1947.

The Firecrest differed from the Firebrand in having a cockpit that was set higher and more forward than that of the Firebrand, which combined with a shortened nose did improve the forward visibility during deck landing. A redesigned inverted gull wing conceptually not unlike that of the Vought Corsair did much to improve the type's low speed handling and take off characteristics: even at full weight, take-off was possible in just under 430 ft with a 29 mph headwind; its landing run was an impressive 390 ft with a 5 mph headwind. With its conventional five-bladed propeller, the Firecrest's top speed lay at 380 mph, some 38 mph faster than the Firebrand despite weighing slightly more. Unlike the Firebrand which used hand-folded wings, the Firecrest had power-assisted folding wings with a double fold.

However, it soon became apparent that the Firecrest was even more sluggish in handling than the Firebrand, that the design in itself did not give any distinct advantages over the Firebrand or the newly developed [[Wyvern_S4|Westland Wyvern]], and that it was less versatile than types such as the [[Firefly_FR_Mk_V|Fairey Firefly]] or [[Sea_Fury_FB_11|Hawker Sea Fury]]. As a result, all development work on the Firecrest ceased in September of 1947, with the second prototype only being used for structural testing, and the third prototype used to test the power-boosted ailerons which were eventually fitted to the Firebrand TF.5A. All three prototypes were bought back by Blackburn in 1950, and scrapped in 1952.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=b_48_firecrest Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|qoZv-sA80aI|'''Squadron Vehicles''' discusses the Firecrest at 02:10 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


'''Related Development:'''

* [[Firebrand TF Mk IV]]

'''Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era:'''

* [[F4U (Family)|F4U Corsair (Family)]]
* [[Firefly FR Mk V]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457979-b48-firecrest/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [[wikipedia:Blackburn_Firecrest|[Wikipedia] Blackburn Firecrest]]
* [https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/blackburn-b-48-firecrest <nowiki>[BAE Systems]</nowiki> Blackburn B-48 Firecrest]

{{AirManufacturer Blackburn}}
{{Britain strike aircraft}}
{{Squadron aircraft}}

Firecrest

2022-07-12T22:16:50Z

U87965078: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=b_48_firecrest
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_b_48_firecrest.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} British strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]] as one of the first Squadron vehicles. It represents the attempt to develop an improved naval aircraft from the troubled [[Firebrand TF Mk IV|Blackburn Firebrand]].

In reality only 3 prototypes were ever made, since the arrival of improved technologies such as the jet engine halted any major development of war birds with piston engines after the Second World War.

However, in-game, everyone's got a chance with the Firecrest. It could be considered as a hybrid between the Firebrand and a [[F4U (Family)|F4U Corsair]], due to its gull shaped wings, durability, powerful engine and beautiful sleek appearance! Howbeit, it has other traits that make this plane well suited for the naval environment of War Thunder.

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


Once upgraded and spaded, the Firecrest is able to go anywhere it must go. Climbing to the sky or speeding steadily to a target. It all can be achieved.

The Bristol Centaurus 59 engine producing 2,475 hp is able to accelerate pretty quickly, something needed for sea and carrier landing and takeoff operations. This allows the plane to climb consistently to 6 km of altitude where the max speed can also be achieved while conserving all the manoeuvrability due to the supercharger and a great roll rate.

If necessary it can dive very fast and possesses air brakes for handling such speeds with ease. It does not turn that well horizontally but the skilled control of combat flaps and the airbrakes can prove adequate in several instances.

It's recommended to engage planes without carrying ordnance to maximize the flight performance, particularly the torpedo load.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 5,791 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 587 || 568 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.1 || 25.0 || 15.4 || 15.4 || rowspan="2" | 300
|-
! Upgraded
| 636 || 608 || 21.9 || 23.0 || 23.6 || 19.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 430 || 404 || 272 || ~10 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 460 || < 450 || < 450 || > 330
|-
|}

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


The pilots should note that no armour protection is present, this will limit the ability to tolerate heavy fire since any armour-piercing bullet is capable of going through the entire plane. The strongest and yet the more vulnerable part of the plane is the engine. No head-on engagements or attacking bombers are advised since the radial engine with the pilot can be easily taken out.

Separately, the fuselage is quite resilient and sleek. This can often ricochet fire that would otherwise hit the spars and inflict greater damage. The only thing protecting the pilot from behind aside from the fuselage is a fuel tank.

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

Pilots should focus on improving most of the flight performance first then the payloads, since this plane won't perform like it should when stock. Rockets, bombs and torpedoes should be secondary.

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

{{main|M3 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)

Here's the main difficulty of the Firecrest: its offensive armament.

The M3 Browning machine guns are amazing for quick and precise attack. They will inflict severe damage or ignite the enemy plane, mainly because of the rapid fire of the 2 machine guns. What pilots should be constantly alert about, is the ammo counter, since these machine guns will deplete all the ammo very quickly.

Fixing a convergence up to the preference of attack and having the right ammo belt is necessary, as the low ammo input does not allow for long bursts or consecutive leading shots. It's also relevant to ''note that such machine guns are generally only available on American jets'' such as the '''[[F-86A-5|Sabres]]''' and '''[[F-84 (Family)|Thunderjets]]''', thus making the Firecrest one of the few piston planes with such machine guns!

'''Most notable/useful ammo belts'''

* '''Tracers''': These bullets are completely visible, they will help to adapt with the ballistics of this unique machine gun for the British. They will start a lot of fires thanks to all the bullets being API-T (Armour-piercing incendiary tracer) with a good 23 mm of armour penetration.
* '''Default''': This ammo belt offers 2 types of incendiary ammunition, while it also carries full solid AP bullets. This increases the penetration damage for spars, armour plates or engines while also being able to make the rival plane burn.
* '''Ground targets''': This belt is not commended for anything heavier than light tanks or fully enclosed vehicles, as only a section of it carries full AP bullets. This performs as an all-purpose belt due to the large diversity of bullets that conform it. Great if required to engage all kinds of targets, ceding less ammo count of a specific type.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|G.P. Mk.IV (500 lb)|RP-3|18 inch Mark XV (450 mm)}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 1 x 450 mm (18 inch) Mark XV torpedo
* 8 x RP-3 rockets

'''[[RP-3|RP-3 rockets]]''': These are exceptional for many objectives. They have good armour penetration, moderate velocity and satisfactory amount of explosive mass when matched to contemporaries as US's [[HVAR]] or the Soviet's [[RBS-132]].

Appropriate for most tanks excluding some heavy tanks like the Soviet KV series or the German captured variant, the KV I C 756 with a very tough turret of 105 mm. Targeting at the top of these tanks is suggested. Naval objectives such as patrol boats can be annihilated in one single shot; a real spectacle. Destroyers or anything heavier could withstand more damage, but their modules and crew will be decimated by these rockets.

'''500 lb G.P Bombs''': They involve some skills at the moment of delivery since the lethal range for armoured targets is only of 4 m. For naval targets the lethal range is less of a drawback but the actual obstacle is dropping such bombs over AA covered ships. Pilots should note that these bombs might not consistently be enough to sink destroyers or anything bigger.

'''Mark XV torpedo''': It's when everything else doesn't seem enough that the torpedo joins into action. This ultimate ship destroyer is very capable and usually one sole hit is enough. What is more important, is the way to deliver the torpedo without sacrificing the plane.

== Usage in battles ==


The Firecrest is an experimental torpedo bomber with average capacities. It has low anti-air effectiveness in Air Arcade battles due to rather clumsy manoeuvring and no armour protection. A good pilot is needed to fully exploit the handy machine guns this plane is armed with. It has a place in Ground Realistic Battles, thanks to its payload capacities and the extremely powerful 8 x RP-3 rockets. However its best place is in Naval Battles, where is possible to engage more freely in wider spaces and make use of the full ordnance capacities (once the Mark XV torpedo is unlocked for use). Due to the lacklustre firepower when stock, one of the recommended ways to gain the necessary research points for unlocking modules is to simply attack AI targets like artillery and trucks, then tanks as the 500 lb bombs are unlocked prior to the torpedoes.

'''Naval Battles'''

Once the torpedoes are unlocked, the Firecrest performs similarly to other torpedo bombers of the rank. One of the outstanding traits is in its high survivability that can help in destroying one target if the tactics are played to the plane's strength (the good roll is perfect for low altitude flying). Aim towards destroyers or cruisers as they are larger targets that are easier to hit and prioritize the vessels that are threatening allies on the seas. However, try to ensure that the enemy ship is occupied with attacking surface targets so that their anti-air armament is not focused on the Firecrest to allow for some breathing room to position for an attack run.

'''Encounter mode''' proves to be one of the best for this plane. Here will be possible to infiltrate by the sides at low-level flight behind the enemies to the cargo ships, and release a torpedo from a safe distance. Always keeping in mind the torpedo drop requirements and the target. Is possible to risk a bit more if equipping bombs, but a tactic that might also work is to skip the bombs to the cargo ship swiftly retreating in the same direction, in a tactic that is known as ''Skip bombing''.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

The main aspects of using MEC with this aircraft are the Supercharger and Radiators, since this will increase drastically the climb and high altitude performance as well as the dive speed and energy retention.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire of M3 Browning provides rapid damage output
* Good top speed overall with decent acceleration; excellent high speed control
* Respectably durable airframe
* Has RP-3s and bombs against ground targets
* Good all altitude performance thanks to supercharger
* Has airbrakes (can be used as a dive bomber)
* Excellent roll rate
* Above average stock performance
* [[18 inch Mark XV (450 mm)|Mark XV]] torpedo is effective against ships; RP-3 lethal versus small PT-boats

'''Cons:'''

* Bleeds speed easily and not very manoeuvrable, especially at low speeds
* Only 300 rounds per machine gun; trigger discipline is needed for the pair of machine guns
* Limited payload options compared to Firebrand and contemporary naval planes of the Fleet Air Arm
* Large engine with no armour plates; not recommended to engage bombers
* No armour anywhere; even just a few .50 cal rounds can seriously damage vital components.
* Large target, most dedicated fighters will run circles around the plane

== History ==


The Blackburn Firecrest was a British Torpedo Strike Fighter, derived from the earlier [[Firebrand TF Mk IV|Blackburn Firebrand]] but designed from the outset as a torpedo strike fighter. Designed to the S.28/43 specification set by the Admiralty on February 26th 1943 for a 'Firebrand Torpedo Fighter with improved wing and improved pilot view', the Firecrest was designed with a number of issues of the Firebrand in mind. Specifically, effort was done to produce a type which had improved forward visibility to facilitate deck landings, and which had better lateral control at landing speeds. The design specification also called for the Firecrest to be powered by a Bristol Centaurus 77 engine powering a contra-rotating propeller.

Early on during its design, the Admiralty also ordered three prototypes which would have been driven by the Napier E.122 24-cylinder H-block engine, a 3500 hp development of the Napier Sabre used on the original Firebrand. However, it was soon found that in order to maintain an acceptable center of gravity, the heavy Napier engine would have to be installed behind the cockpit, which would require an extensive redesign and add considerable weight to the aircraft. As a result, the Napier E.122 powered variant was cancelled in October of 1945 before metal was cut on any of their prototypes. Just before completion of the design, the Centaurus 77 variant with its contra-rotating propeller was cancelled in January of 1946, and it was replaced by a 2,825 hp Centaurus 57 with a conventional five-bladed propeller. The first of three completed prototypes of the Firecrest flew on April 1st 1947.

The Firecrest differed from the Firebrand in having a cockpit that was set higher and more forward than that of the Firebrand, which combined with a shortened nose did improve the forward visibility during deck landing. A redesigned inverted gull wing conceptually not unlike that of the Vought Corsair did much to improve the type's low speed handling and take off characteristics: even at full weight, take-off was possible in just under 430 ft with a 29 mph headwind; its landing run was an impressive 390 ft with a 5 mph headwind. With its conventional five-bladed propeller, the Firecrest's top speed lay at 380 mph, some 38 mph faster than the Firebrand despite weighing slightly more. Unlike the Firebrand which used hand-folded wings, the Firecrest had power-assisted folding wings with a double fold.

However, it soon became apparent that the Firecrest was even more sluggish in handling than the Firebrand, that the design in itself did not give any distinct advantages over the Firebrand or the newly developed [[Wyvern_S4|Westland Wyvern]], and that it was less versatile than types such as the [[Firefly_FR_Mk_V|Fairey Firefly]] or [[Sea_Fury_FB_11|Hawker Sea Fury]]. As a result, all development work on the Firecrest ceased in September of 1947, with the second prototype only being used for structural testing, and the third prototype used to test the power-boosted ailerons which were eventually fitted to the Firebrand TF.5A. All three prototypes were bought back by Blackburn in 1950, and scrapped in 1952.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=b_48_firecrest Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|qoZv-sA80aI|'''Squadron Vehicles''' discusses the Firecrest at 02:10 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


'''Related Development:'''

* [[Firebrand TF Mk IV]]

'''Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era:'''

* [[F4U (Family)|F4U Corsair (Family)]]
* [[Firefly FR Mk V]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457979-b48-firecrest/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [[wikipedia:Blackburn_Firecrest|[Wikipedia] Blackburn Firecrest]]
* [https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/blackburn-b-48-firecrest <nowiki>[BAE Systems]</nowiki> Blackburn B-48 Firecrest]

{{AirManufacturer Blackburn}}
{{Britain strike aircraft}}
{{Squadron aircraft}}