War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Ru 251

2023-03-13T11:01:56Z

U93912390: Added more informations in pros and cons

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_ru251
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. A very mobile light tank developed for the Bundeswehr to replace their [[leKPz M41|M41 Walker Bulldogs]], the Ru 251 boasts great mobility and firepower for its users.

The Ru 251 has a relatively small profile for a tank, but for a light tank its profile is average. The Ru 251 utilizes a 90 mm [[BK 90 (90 mm)|BK 90]], the same gun as on the [[JPz 4-5|Kanonenjagdpanzer]]. It is capable of firing HEAT-FS, a potent round, and has a reasonably quick reload. Best for medium range engagements, but can fulfil close range and long range applications as well. Similarly to the Leopards, it has a raised engine deck at the rear, which messes with the gun depression. While it has 9 degrees of gun depression for about 130 degrees of turret rotation to the left or right (gun pointing straight ahead), for the rear 100 degrees of angle, the gun depression is only a degree or two.

The bigger the map (provided it has cover), the more successful the Ru 251 will be. This is because it can use its speed to reach places early in battle that the enemy would not suspect an enemy tank already occupying.

The smaller the map (Even with cover), the less successful the Ru 251 will be. This is because it cannot make use of the single biggest advantage it has, speed. Essentially it will be forced into slugging matches, and the enemy will always have a pretty good idea of where the Ru 251 will be.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret hatches)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Driver's bulge)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (60°) ''Frontal glacis'' 30 mm (38°), 12.7 mm (69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm (35°) ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 8 mm (45°) ''Top'' 8 mm (41°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (23-38°) ''Turret front'' 15 + 30 mm (12-37) ''Gun mantlet'' 30 mm (0-78°) ''Gun mantlet border'' || 20 mm (30-35°) || 20 mm (30-32°) || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, torsion bars, and tracks are 15 mm thick
* Lower part of gun mantlet have additional 20 mm underneath
* Belly armour is 9.5 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,023|rbMinHp=584}}

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

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

{{main|BK90 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BK90 (90 mm)|90 mm BK90]] || 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" | 61 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 22.80 || 31.60 || 38.40 || 42.47 || 45.18 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:BK90 (90 mm)/Ammunition|DM502, M431 shell, M71 shell}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''61''' || 57 ''(+4)'' || 51 ''(+10)'' || 41 ''(+20)'' || 31 ''(+30)'' || 21 ''(+40)'' || 11 ''(+50)'' || 1 ''(+60)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 51 ''(+10)'' shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 2,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || -10°/+25° || ±60°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Ru 251 is a very quick light tank, but it is not always fast. While it is true that the tank has a very high road speed, it can only make use of it in certain situations, much like the [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]]. That being said, thanks to almost 26 horsepower per ton, it can manoeuvre much more quickly over smooth and rough terrain than most other tanks. An important thing to remember is that just because the Ru 251 has the capability of covering large distances quickly, doesn't mean it is advisable. This tank, like many german post-war vehicles, has virtually no armour, and a huge ammo rack located in the front of the hull.

This tank is highly effective in ambushes, and sniping from cover and the sides of maps. As mentioned prior, this vehicle is not being played to its fullest extent when the enemy knows where it is, or in slugging matches.

Because the Ru 251 enjoys a gun similar to the [[M47|M47 Patton]] and [[JPz 4-5|Jagdpanzer 4-5]] that utilizes HEATFS, HESH, and HE, which are extremely potent at 6.7. There are virtually no enemies that can withstand the power of the HEATFS, even if it only penetrates 320mm of armour compared to later HEATFS that can penetrate 380 mm of armour or even more.

Thanks to the transmission in the Ru 251, it can travel as fast forward as it can backwards. As many German tanks have poor reversing speed, this is a welcome change. Another wonderful feature of the transmission is the neutral steer. Unlike other tanks that are sluggish in their neutral-steering abilities, the Ru 251 will turn quickly when the input is made (Unlike the M41, which feels sluggish when neutral-turning, and at times feels hesitant).

===Tactics===
Even though the Ru 251 is a light tank, it utilizes advanced HEATFS that allows it to penetrate even the most challenging of opponents, such as the [[Maus]]. Upon contact with ammo racks and fuel tanks, serious damage will be done, if it does not outright destroy the opponent.

Before all, avoid colourful or bright decals. Camouflage is an essential part of defence. The characteristics for good performance in battle are: be "invisible", fast and effective. The Ru 251 speed is its best ally. This speed has to be used for flanking manoeuvres and relocate. Not for trying to cross open field. That`s a poor tactic.

'''Relocate:''' The Ru 251 will have to do this movement again and again. Choose a good spot wisely, if trees needed to be cleared for visibility, use the machine gun in short bursts. Remember, tracers can easily reveal anyone's position. When in a shooting spot, use the gun depression and keep the hull down until a target is found. Once a target is acquired, aim at critical components by firing into the fuel tanks or the ammo storage. If the shot misses, but are sure the enemy hasn't discovered where it came from, try another shot. Keep in mind, even if the target is oblivious, other members of the enemy team may have seen the firing location, so be careful. If detected, hide immediately! Relocation after being spotted is always advisable, but if relocation is not possible, wait until the enemy has become preoccupied with other team members.

'''Flanking:''' Flanking is the most dangerous manoeuvre of all because at times the Ru 251 has to expose itself to get to the enemy's rear but it's very effective when orchestrated properly. Early on in the battle, often enemy units are preoccupied with trying to get to their positions that they might not notice someone flanking, depending on the map and route taken. If a flank is attempted later on, be sure that all enemy vehicles are focused away from, or cannot see the path that is used to flank. When flanking, attacking lone targets will yield the best results. If firing carelessly into a group of tanks, they will locate the flank position and likely highlight the Ru 251 for the entire team to see. On the other hand, if targeting a lone tank, they typically do not tell their teams where they were shot from, and this gives some degree of protection. If they happen to spawn again, be sure to watch likely avenues of approach from the closest spawn and listen for aircraft, as they likely are trying to get vengeance.

Due to your quick speed, you may find yourself outnumbered by enemies. If this is the case, try to remain concealed and use the spotting feature to mark the tanks for your allies. Not only does this help you better keep track of the tanks, but it also helps your team know where the enemies are to give you a better chance of coming out a nasty situation alive.

'''Avoid flat terrain:''' Flat terrain means that the Ru 251 will become an easy target for virtually any vehicle by exposure, especially when not moving or when moving in a straight line. Open plains are the bane of the Ru 251. Whenever possible, one should try to stay amongst hills or within buildings.

'''Engaging:''' Unlike most German tanks, the Ru 251 does not possess APHE to reliably knock out its opponents in one hit. Thus, prioritize ammo locations of tanks before and learn their internal crew layout. Its HEATFS round will likely penetrate all vehicles at its battle rating reliably, thus, learning internal crew layout is more important than analysing the armour. If you are unsure where to shoot the enemy, going for the breech is the safest bet. Not only will this prevent the enemy from firing back, it will also force them to relocate and repair.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Is very, very quick, and has great manoeuvrability
* Utilizes a very similar gun to the one found on the M47, but at a lower BR
* Has (likely) the fastest reverse speed in the game
* Reload (with full crew + Expert training) is very quick for the calibre and potency of gun But not as fast as other light tanks of the same br with 90mm guns like M56, AMX-13-90, ELC Bis, Ikv 91)
* Better survivability when uptier because most of the tanks fire HEAT-FS rounds
* Perfect tank to make a nuke if well played
* Can be integrated into the German 7.3 line-up with Leopard 1 and Ar 234 C-3, making an excellent line-up

'''Cons:'''

* Huge ammo rack that sits at the front of the hull
* Little armour (disadvantageous for downtier battles, where more armour can lead to bouncing and where APHE is a common round)
* Very vulnerable to Cal.50 (never show your sides to a tank that has a cal.50)
* Very vulnerable to overpressure
* Horrible post-penetration damage with the HEAT-FS shell
* Perfect target to get revenge killed

== History ==

The Spähpanzer Ru 251 light tank was conceived solely as a reconnaissance vehicle. In the early 1960s, the Bundeswehr were still using the outdated American M41 Walker Bulldogs in their armoured scout battalions, however the time had come to replace them with something more modern. A program to develop a new light tank was launched in 1960. It was essential that the tank had excellent mobility and enough firepower to destroy the main Soviet tanks of the day. The first prototype was built in 1963, followed by at least one more by 1964. In 1964, the Ru 251 prototypes underwent intensive field tests, although by that time the Leopard main battle tank was already being readied for serial production and the Germans decided against ordering another tank so similar to the Leopard.

- ''From [[wt:en/news/4524-development-spähpanzer-ru-251-the-fastest-on-land-en/|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_ru251 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|k0xWIrlYSr4|'''The Shooting Range #55''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:35 discusses the Ru 251.}}

== See also ==


* [[JPz 4-5]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4524-development-sp%C3%A4hpanzer-ru-251-the-fastest-on-land-en/|[Devblog] Spähpanzer Ru 251: The Fastest on land]]

{{Germany light tanks}}
{{Germany premium ground vehicles}}

Ru 251

2023-03-13T10:41:18Z

U93912390: Added one cons

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_ru251
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. A very mobile light tank developed for the Bundeswehr to replace their [[leKPz M41|M41 Walker Bulldogs]], the Ru 251 boasts great mobility and firepower for its users.

The Ru 251 has a relatively small profile for a tank, but for a light tank its profile is average. The Ru 251 utilizes a 90 mm [[BK 90 (90 mm)|BK 90]], the same gun as on the [[JPz 4-5|Kanonenjagdpanzer]]. It is capable of firing HEAT-FS, a potent round, and has a reasonably quick reload. Best for medium range engagements, but can fulfil close range and long range applications as well. Similarly to the Leopards, it has a raised engine deck at the rear, which messes with the gun depression. While it has 9 degrees of gun depression for about 130 degrees of turret rotation to the left or right (gun pointing straight ahead), for the rear 100 degrees of angle, the gun depression is only a degree or two.

The bigger the map (provided it has cover), the more successful the Ru 251 will be. This is because it can use its speed to reach places early in battle that the enemy would not suspect an enemy tank already occupying.

The smaller the map (Even with cover), the less successful the Ru 251 will be. This is because it cannot make use of the single biggest advantage it has, speed. Essentially it will be forced into slugging matches, and the enemy will always have a pretty good idea of where the Ru 251 will be.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret hatches)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Driver's bulge)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (60°) ''Frontal glacis'' 30 mm (38°), 12.7 mm (69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm (35°) ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 8 mm (45°) ''Top'' 8 mm (41°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (23-38°) ''Turret front'' 15 + 30 mm (12-37) ''Gun mantlet'' 30 mm (0-78°) ''Gun mantlet border'' || 20 mm (30-35°) || 20 mm (30-32°) || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, torsion bars, and tracks are 15 mm thick
* Lower part of gun mantlet have additional 20 mm underneath
* Belly armour is 9.5 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,023|rbMinHp=584}}

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

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

{{main|BK90 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BK90 (90 mm)|90 mm BK90]] || 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" | 61 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 22.80 || 31.60 || 38.40 || 42.47 || 45.18 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:BK90 (90 mm)/Ammunition|DM502, M431 shell, M71 shell}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''61''' || 57 ''(+4)'' || 51 ''(+10)'' || 41 ''(+20)'' || 31 ''(+30)'' || 21 ''(+40)'' || 11 ''(+50)'' || 1 ''(+60)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 51 ''(+10)'' shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 2,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,500 (1,000) || 1,200 || -10°/+25° || ±60°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Ru 251 is a very quick light tank, but it is not always fast. While it is true that the tank has a very high road speed, it can only make use of it in certain situations, much like the [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]]. That being said, thanks to almost 26 horsepower per ton, it can manoeuvre much more quickly over smooth and rough terrain than most other tanks. An important thing to remember is that just because the Ru 251 has the capability of covering large distances quickly, doesn't mean it is advisable. This tank, like many german post-war vehicles, has virtually no armour, and a huge ammo rack located in the front of the hull.

This tank is highly effective in ambushes, and sniping from cover and the sides of maps. As mentioned prior, this vehicle is not being played to its fullest extent when the enemy knows where it is, or in slugging matches.

Because the Ru 251 enjoys a gun similar to the [[M47|M47 Patton]] and [[JPz 4-5|Jagdpanzer 4-5]] that utilizes HEATFS, HESH, and HE, which are extremely potent at 6.7. There are virtually no enemies that can withstand the power of the HEATFS, even if it only penetrates 320mm of armour compared to later HEATFS that can penetrate 380 mm of armour or even more.

Thanks to the transmission in the Ru 251, it can travel as fast forward as it can backwards. As many German tanks have poor reversing speed, this is a welcome change. Another wonderful feature of the transmission is the neutral steer. Unlike other tanks that are sluggish in their neutral-steering abilities, the Ru 251 will turn quickly when the input is made (Unlike the M41, which feels sluggish when neutral-turning, and at times feels hesitant).

===Tactics===
Even though the Ru 251 is a light tank, it utilizes advanced HEATFS that allows it to penetrate even the most challenging of opponents, such as the [[Maus]]. Upon contact with ammo racks and fuel tanks, serious damage will be done, if it does not outright destroy the opponent.

Before all, avoid colourful or bright decals. Camouflage is an essential part of defence. The characteristics for good performance in battle are: be "invisible", fast and effective. The Ru 251 speed is its best ally. This speed has to be used for flanking manoeuvres and relocate. Not for trying to cross open field. That`s a poor tactic.

'''Relocate:''' The Ru 251 will have to do this movement again and again. Choose a good spot wisely, if trees needed to be cleared for visibility, use the machine gun in short bursts. Remember, tracers can easily reveal anyone's position. When in a shooting spot, use the gun depression and keep the hull down until a target is found. Once a target is acquired, aim at critical components by firing into the fuel tanks or the ammo storage. If the shot misses, but are sure the enemy hasn't discovered where it came from, try another shot. Keep in mind, even if the target is oblivious, other members of the enemy team may have seen the firing location, so be careful. If detected, hide immediately! Relocation after being spotted is always advisable, but if relocation is not possible, wait until the enemy has become preoccupied with other team members.

'''Flanking:''' Flanking is the most dangerous manoeuvre of all because at times the Ru 251 has to expose itself to get to the enemy's rear but it's very effective when orchestrated properly. Early on in the battle, often enemy units are preoccupied with trying to get to their positions that they might not notice someone flanking, depending on the map and route taken. If a flank is attempted later on, be sure that all enemy vehicles are focused away from, or cannot see the path that is used to flank. When flanking, attacking lone targets will yield the best results. If firing carelessly into a group of tanks, they will locate the flank position and likely highlight the Ru 251 for the entire team to see. On the other hand, if targeting a lone tank, they typically do not tell their teams where they were shot from, and this gives some degree of protection. If they happen to spawn again, be sure to watch likely avenues of approach from the closest spawn and listen for aircraft, as they likely are trying to get vengeance.

Due to your quick speed, you may find yourself outnumbered by enemies. If this is the case, try to remain concealed and use the spotting feature to mark the tanks for your allies. Not only does this help you better keep track of the tanks, but it also helps your team know where the enemies are to give you a better chance of coming out a nasty situation alive.

'''Avoid flat terrain:''' Flat terrain means that the Ru 251 will become an easy target for virtually any vehicle by exposure, especially when not moving or when moving in a straight line. Open plains are the bane of the Ru 251. Whenever possible, one should try to stay amongst hills or within buildings.

'''Engaging:''' Unlike most German tanks, the Ru 251 does not possess APHE to reliably knock out its opponents in one hit. Thus, prioritize ammo locations of tanks before and learn their internal crew layout. Its HEATFS round will likely penetrate all vehicles at its battle rating reliably, thus, learning internal crew layout is more important than analysing the armour. If you are unsure where to shoot the enemy, going for the breech is the safest bet. Not only will this prevent the enemy from firing back, it will also force them to relocate and repair.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Is very, very quick, and has great manoeuvrability
* Utilizes a very similar gun to the one found on the M47, but at a lower BR
* Has (likely) the fastest reverse speed in the game
* Reload (with full crew + Expert training) is very quick for the calibre and potency of gun
* Little armour (advantageous for uptier battles, where mobility is favoured)

'''Cons:'''

* While acceleration is quick, it is not necessarily fast
* Huge ammo rack that sits at the front of the hull
* Little armour (disadvantageous for downtier battles, where more armour can lead to bouncing)
* Has very poor top armour, extremely vulnerable to artillery
* Differential steering without initial momentum does not traverse the tank quickly
* Horrible post-penetration damage with the HEAT-FS shell

== History ==

The Spähpanzer Ru 251 light tank was conceived solely as a reconnaissance vehicle. In the early 1960s, the Bundeswehr were still using the outdated American M41 Walker Bulldogs in their armoured scout battalions, however the time had come to replace them with something more modern. A program to develop a new light tank was launched in 1960. It was essential that the tank had excellent mobility and enough firepower to destroy the main Soviet tanks of the day. The first prototype was built in 1963, followed by at least one more by 1964. In 1964, the Ru 251 prototypes underwent intensive field tests, although by that time the Leopard main battle tank was already being readied for serial production and the Germans decided against ordering another tank so similar to the Leopard.

- ''From [[wt:en/news/4524-development-spähpanzer-ru-251-the-fastest-on-land-en/|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_ru251 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|k0xWIrlYSr4|'''The Shooting Range #55''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:35 discusses the Ru 251.}}

== See also ==


* [[JPz 4-5]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4524-development-sp%C3%A4hpanzer-ru-251-the-fastest-on-land-en/|[Devblog] Spähpanzer Ru 251: The Fastest on land]]

{{Germany light tanks}}
{{Germany premium ground vehicles}}

Mirage IIIC

2022-12-11T19:22:02Z

U93912390: I have added on Cons in Pros and cons

{{About
| about = French jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Mirage III (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=mirage_3c
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_mirage_3c.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

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

The Mirage IIIC has one of the best joystick handling characteristics of any aircraft in War Thunder, with the capability to perform a Kulbit, which is essentially a backflip in forward flight. Unlike the [[J35D|J35]] "Draken" it retains superb handling characteristics in a deep stall, allowing rapid-reaction vector-thrust-like manoeuvrability albeit the yaw control being commanded by the inverse roll control axis. It also does not suddenly transition from lack of elevator authority to excessive pitch-up authority like the [[J35D|J35]] but joystick pilots will still need to monitor their airspeed so sudden manoeuvring does not result in an Over-G wing stress or an unwanted cobra. The Mirage III also as a result of its low stall speed (100 knots, 185 km/h) is capable of tight turns only beaten by the [[J35D|J35]] however it has superb manoeuvring energy retention whilst on joystick, with the capacity to bleed speed at will, resulting in what is potentially, an irreversible supersonic fighter in the hands of a veteran pilot.

New pilots may find assistance utilising the Stability Augmentation System (SAS) mode set to dampening to prevent unwanted stalls. Additionally, setting pitch-axis multiplier down to less than 0.95 will also aid with unwanted Over-G wing stress situations.

It should be noted that the Mirage IIIE has differing flight characteristics to the Mirage IIIC, in that the IIIE flight model has heavier moment of inertia, resulting in sluggish control input.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,084 || 2,042 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 29.6 || 30.2 || 108.9 || 96.9 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,240 || 2,160 || 26.5 || 28.0 || 173.4 || 140.0
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~12 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 920 || < 750 || < 650 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel, no booster)
|-
| colspan="2" | SNECMA Atar 9B || 1
| colspan="2" | 6,340 kg || colspan="2" | 258 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load, no booster) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 8m fuel || 20m fuel || 28m fuel
|-
| 1,450 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 6,900 kg || 7,673 kg || 8,206 kg || 10,950 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP, no booster)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 8m fuel || 20m fuel || 28m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,230 kgf || 6,090 kgf
| 0.88 || 0.79 || 0.74 || 0.56
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 5,118 kgf (1,200 - 1,400 km/h) || 8,253 kgf (1,400 km/h)
| 1.20 || 1.08 || 1.01 || 0.75
|-
|}

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

The Mirage IIIC has no armour and is very susceptible to damage. Hits that do not outright destroy the aircraft will severely hamper manoeuvrability and performance. A damaged engine will require immediate landing, since the aircraft loses a lot of energy while turning, the loss of power will be very noticeable. Wing or tail/rudder damage will result in flatspins if the aircraft is taken to low speeds or if too many G's are pulled.

Overall, if damaged, a pilot should seek to land as soon as possible while attempting to make as few manoeuvres as possible.

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

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

{{main|SAMP Type 25 (250 kg)|SAMP Type 21 (400 kg)|SNEB type 23|AS-30 Nord|DEFA 552A (30 mm)}}
{{main|AIM-9B Sidewinder|Matra R511|Matra R530|Matra R530E|Matra R550 Magic 1}}

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

* 1 x 30 mm DEFA 552A cannon (250 rpg)

* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x Matra R550 Magic 1 missiles
* 1 x Matra R530 missile
* 1 x Matra R511 missile
* 1 x Matra R530E missile
* 2 x 250 kg SAMP Type 25 bombs (500 kg total)
* 2 x 400 kg SAMP Type 21 bombs (800 kg total)
* 14 x FZ49 rockets
* 36 x SNEB type 23 rockets
* 1 x AS-30 Nord missile

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="6%" | 1 !! width="6%" | 2 !! width="6%" | 3 !! width="6%" | 4 !! width="6%" | 5 !! width="6%" | 6 !! width="6%" | 7
| rowspan="14" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_Mirage_IIIE.png]]</div>
|-
! 30 mm DEFA 552A cannons (125 rpg)
| || || || || 2 || ||
|-
! 250 kg SAMP Type 25 bombs
| || || || 2 || || ||
|-
! 400 kg SAMP Type 21 bombs
| || || || 2 || || ||
|-
! FZ49 rockets
| 7 || || || || || || 7
|-
! SNEB type 23 rockets
| || 18 || || || || 18 ||
|-
! AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! AS-30 Nord missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R511 missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R530 missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R530E missiles
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! Matra R550 Magic 1 missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! SEPR 841 rocket booster
| || || 1* || || || ||
|-
! SEPR 841 tank
| || || || || 1* || ||
|-
| colspan="10" | * The SEPR 841 oxidiser tank must be carried when equipping the SEPR 841 rocket booster
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Mirage IIIC is a multirole strike fighter which can be used in a wide variety of roles from air-to-air and a really limited role in air-to-ground.

'''When in air battles:'''

The Mirage IIIC is one of the most feared planes in the sky, not only because of its speed but because of its powerful air-to-air missiles. However, the Mirage lacks "ACM" (Air Combat Manoeuvring) bore-sight lock capability, and thus it must "search" then "acquire lock" before being able to slave a missile to its radar, which can be exceedingly frustrating to use for joystick pilots, where the uncaged seeker of the Matra Magic missile will often lose lock without radar slaving assistance.

The Mirage has a wide range of AAMs featuring both IR seeker and radar-guided missiles: the AIM-9B, Matra R550 Magic 1, Matra R530E and the Matra R530. Each of the missiles has its pros and cons which will be explained. It should be noted that the Mirage '''should not be used as a bomber in Air Realistic battles''' due to its mediocre bomb payload.

''AIM-9B:''

This is one of the most universal and basic IR AAM which is available in many nations. Although they are one of the easiest missiles to evade, their speed and range make them deadly against unaware or low-energy enemies.

''Matra R550 Magic 1:''

This is an IR AAM unique to France which is hard to evade without the use of flares due to its high speed, G-limit and firing range. They are similar to the [[SRAAM]] missiles in terms of use due to its G-limit. The main difference is that the R550 does not have a thrust vectoring system, meaning it has to gain speed when launched in order to make turns which differs from SRAAM which can turn while gaining speed in super short distances (less than 1 km but greater than 200 m) due to the vectoring thrust.

''Matra R530E:''

This IR AAM has a tremendous explosive power, speed, and firing range. Despite not being the most agile AAM in the game, they are the best IR long range AAM. This comes with a cost, the Mirage only has access to 1 carried on the belly pylon. This missile should only be used when chasing enemy planes in a run, not while turning. The main downside is fighting against planes with Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) and Missile Alert Warning (MAW) which will automatically dump flares upon detecting the missile.

''Matra R530:''

This is the biggest radar-guided AAM in the game, exactly the same as the R530E but with radar guidance and without a maximum lock-on range in rear aspect, meaning it can be fired at any target locked by the radar no matter the aspect (rear, front, side, etc). The main downsides of this missile are the same as the R530E but this time it loses its "stealth" factor as many planes carry Radar Warning Receivers (RWR). MAW, IRCM and flares will not affect the performance of the missile as the only way to evade a radar lock-on missile is to escape from the radar range and azimuth or by causing interference using the ground (refer to [[Airborne radars#Clutter]]).

Take the required payload upon discretion.

'''When in ground battles:'''

The Mirage has a decent payload when in GRB. Although limited, the Mirage can do competitive CAS runs with the SNEB rocket pods, bombs, and Nord AGMs. With the help of the ballistic computer, the Mirage is capable of enhancing the accuracy of this armament in addition to its 30 mm gun pods. It should be noted that the amount of ordnance is really small (only 36 x SNEB rockets, 2 x 400 kg bombs, 2 x 250 kg bombs, or 1 x AS-30 Nord AGM) but can be deadly in a good pilot's hands.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great air-to-air missiles
** Magic missiles have very good maneuverability
** Long range Matra R530E missile allows you to catch pilots by surprise
* Very manoeuvrable
* Vast array of suspended armament

'''Cons:'''

* Bleeds energy quickly at high angles of attack
* Below average acceleration
* No countermeasures of any kind (no flares or RWR)
* High Repair Cost

== History ==

=== Post-war French aviation ===
After the Second World War, the French aviation industry was still in ruins. While research had continued during the war, the destruction of factories and breakup of research teams had caused French designs to lag behind. The first design built by France after the Second World War was the famous VB.10 fighter, which completed its first flight mission in 1947, though the original design work was started in 1940 and interrupted by the German invasion. Even though the French designers were eager to get back to designing aircraft for their nation, the government still couldn't provide enough money and resources to help them achieve their objective, so the French Air Force was still equipped with American F-84 Thunderjets and British Vampires at the beginning of the Cold War. The SNCASE company also chose to buy the production license for the de Havilland Vampire fighter, naming it "Mistral".

Those early American and British designs helped the French designers learn about jet fighters, and soon thereafter they were able to launch a series of successful works such as the SO.4050 Vautour, MD.452 Mystère II, MD.454 Mystère IVA, and Super Mystère B.2 in the 1950s. However, soon afterwards the American F-100 Super Sabre and Soviet MiG-19 fighter entered into service in 1954 and 1955, leaving the French Air Force with only subsonic designs. Even the latest Super Mystère B.2 could only break the speed of sound in a dive, and so the French Air Force bought North American F-100D fighters as a stopgap measure.

However, the French designers wouldn't be beaten a second time. Marcel Ferdinand Bloch, designer of the famous MB.152 piston fighter, had been captured by Germans during the Second World War because of his Jewish identity, but was saved by the US Third Army in 1945. After that, Bloch changed his last name to Char D'Assault to honour his brother's Resistance service under the same name. In 1947, the Dassault company received their first order from French Air Force to build three prototype planes, and the first of them successfully flew in 1949. The duration of the entire development work was only 18 months, with the new fighter being named MD.450 Ouragan. The aircraft was introduced into service in 1952.

Their second product, MD.452 Mystère II, was based on their previous fighter design and used a swept wing to improve the flight performance. The MD.454 Mystère IVA was one of the most famous products made by Dassault company during the 1950s. The aircraft was used by the Israel Air Force during the Suez Canal War in 1956 and successfully combated Egyptian MiG-15 fighters.

=== The tale of "Mirage" ===
In response to the challenge of the Soviet Union's new Mach 2 MiG-21 which would enter into service in 1960, Dassault designed the MD.550 Mystère-Delta program, which was usually misunderstood by the public as a design born on the basis of the Super Mystère B.2 fighter. In fact, it was born based on an improved version of the Mystère IV fighter, and there was no direct relationship between it and the Super Mystère B.2. Initially competing with Dassault's MD.550 project were the Nord 1500 Griffon, SE-212 Durandal, and SO.9050 Trident II projects, but the Mystère-Delta stood out and soon received an order from the French Air Force for two prototypes.

In 1956, after the first design changes, the Mystère-Delta prototype was renamed the Mirage I. The aircraft only had one air-to-air missile as its primary weapon, and only achieved Mach 1.6 during the flight test, even after it utilised the built-in rocket motor. To achieve the goal of reaching Mach 2 speed in level flight, Dassault changed the main design again, including a change in fixed air intake design to a variable air intake design and the introduction of the area rule design. The Mirage I design was eventually abandoned, and the Mirage II fighter was designed to use Turboméca Gabizo afterburning turbojets along with a pair of the SEPR rocket motors, but it was cancelled and never built.

The final design which entered into service in 1961 was called the Mirage III, and the first truly mass production version was called Mirage IIIC with the A version only used for research propose, and the B being built as a training version. The basic weapon used on the Mirage IIIC fighter was the DEFA 552 30 mm canno, two of which were mounted on the aircraft and could carry 250 rounds in total. Dassault also introduced the Matra R.530 radar or infrared-guided medium-range air-to-air missile to the aircraft, which had a maximum firing range of 18 km and maximum manoeuvring overload of 12G. The Mirage IIIC fighter also carried two AIM-9B Sidewinder infrared-guided short-range air-to-air missile for WVR combat in the 1960s. In 1975, the famous Matra R.550 Magic 1 infrared-guided short-range air-to-air missile with a maximum manoeuvring overload of 35G entered into service, with both the Mirage III fighter and Mirage F.1 fighters being upgraded with the capability to launch the missile.

For the ground attack role, the Mirage IIIC fighter can use unguided bombs and SNEB 68 mm rockets, with the Nord AS.20 and AS.30 radio-guided air-to-ground missiles also being good choices for the pilot. However, only one of the Nord missiles can be equipped at a time under the fuselage.

As for the avionics, the Mirage IIIC was initially equipped with a Cyrano I bis search and fire-control radar, later it was upgraded to Cyrano IIA radar with improved performance. After entering into service in 1961, the Cyrano radar suffered many technical problems which led to the fact that the first 25 Mirage IIICs didn't receive the system when they entered into service. The Cyrano I bis and Cyrano IIA radar only have air-to-air capacity, air-to-ground capability like the ground-mapping mode was added into the Cyrano IIB radar which was installed into Australian Mirage IIIO fighter and later versions. The Mirage IIIC fighter was also one of the first Western military aircraft design to utilise a heads-up display from the beginning in the form of the CSF95. The Mirage IIIC was also one of the first European designs which equipped the Crouzet 20 Central Air Data Computer. with the BAC Lightning only receiving its own Central Air Data Computer from the F.2A version.

The power plant of the Mirage IIIC fighter is the SNECMA Atar 9B turbojet engine. The pilot can choose to equip the SEPR 841 auxiliary rocket motor to improve the flight performance at high altitude, though this removes the two DEFA cannons.

=== [[wt:en/news/6728-development-mirage-iiic-an-illusive-figure-en|Devblog]] ===
In 1952, the French government issued a specification for a lightweight, all-weather jet fighter capable of reaching supersonic speeds. Three French aircraft manufacturers responded to the call, designing new aircraft to meet the given specifications. Among them was Dassault Aviation which came up with the MD.550 Delta - a single engine delta wing design with a large vertical stabilizer and provisions for an additional propulsion system in the form of a rocket engine.

The MD.550 Delta prototype first took to the skies in June 1954. After having its flight data evaluated, the design underwent some changes and received the official name Mirage I. Subsequent test flights of the redesigned prototype showed improvements in flight performance, but Dassault quickly came to the conclusion that the aircraft was too small and light to meet the required ordnance-carrying capabilities and as such the prototype was eventually scrapped.

However, Dassault didn't want to give up on the design. Instead, the company continued developing the aircraft, quickly coming up with an enlarged and more powerful version called Mirage II. With the advent of more powerful versions of the SNECMA Atar engines in the late 1950s, the Mirage II concept was abandoned before it even left the drawing board and Dassault immediately began working on an even larger version of the aircraft around the new engines. The result of this undertaking was the creation of the Mirage III.

By this time, the aircraft had also caught the attention of the French Air Force, which motivated Dassault to proceed with further development. In November 1956, the Mirage III first took to the skies, and after a number of subsequent test flights, an order for 10 pre-production machines, designated Mirage IIIA, was issued by the French Air Force.

Following positive experiences with the pre-production machines, the military placed a further order for 95 machines of the first production version, designated Mirage IIIC. This version of the Mirage first flew in October 1960 and entered official service in 1961, remaining in service with French units until the late 1980s.

Apart from French service, the Mirage IIIC also saw extensive use with the Israeli Air Force during the Six Day War as well as the Yom Kippur War of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some of the Israeli Mirages were later on sold to Argentina, which in turn used its Mirages in the Falklands War of the 1980s.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mirage_3c Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

'''Images'''<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Mirage IIIC WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:Mirage IIIC WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:Mirage IIIC WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:Mirage IIIC WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:Mirage IIIC WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:Mirage IIIC WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|QAA4S31Hbhw|'''The Shooting Range #202''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:40 discusses the Mirage III.|rpp-GqXiaKg|'''The Shooting Range #214''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:27 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Other delta-wing jet fighters

* [[Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9]]
* [[J35D]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6728-development-mirage-iiic-an-illusive-figure-en|[Devblog] Mirage IIIC: An Illusive Figure]]
* [https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/passion/aircraft/military-dassault-aircraft/mirage-iii/ <nowiki>[Dassault Aviation]</nowiki> Mirage III]

{{AirManufacturer Dassault}}
{{France jet aircraft}}