Difference between pages "CR.32 bis" and "M240 (7.62 mm)"

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m (→‎Description: Have verified it was part of chests I, II, III and IV (as can be seen in the Gaijin Market))
 
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{{About
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[[File:M240.png|x250px|thumb|right|The M240 on top of the M1 Abrams turret]]
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| about = Italian fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 
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| usage = other versions
 
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| link = CR.32 (Family)
 
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}}
 
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{{Specs-Card
 
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|code=cr_32_bis
 
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
 
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|market=CR.32 bis
 
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}}
 
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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
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<!-- ''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]], along with the Italian aviation tree as a pre-order [[wt:en/news/4671-italian-aircraft-in-war-thunder-update-1-69-regia-aeronautica-en|premium pack]] prior to the update that also allowed access into the Italian Closed Beta Test. It was removed after the [[wt:en/news/5079-special-hurry-up-and-get-rare-packs-en|5th Anniversary sale]] but came back in the [[Warbonds]] shop as part of the first trophy chest in [[wt:en/news/5432-news-how-can-you-get-premium-vehicles-warbonds-en|April 2018]] and was part of the chests until the latest, which appeared for the [[Battle Pass: Season I, 75th Anniversary of the Great Victory|December 2020 Battle Pass Season I]] and lasted until [[Battle Pass: Season V, "River Hunter"|October 2020 Battle Pass Season V]].
 
  
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== General info ==
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The '''M240''' is an American 7.62 mm General Purpose Machine Gun. The M240 is the American designation for a version of the Belgian [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|FN MAG]] GPMG, designed for use as a co-axial machine gun for tanks. In-game the M240 is predominantly found as a co-axial (and on some tanks roof-mounted) machine gun on high rank American tanks. Being only a 7.62 mm machine gun it is largely ineffective against all but the most weakly armoured, or open cabin, vehicles.
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=== Flight performance ===
 
−
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}
 
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<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
 
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Being essentially an upgunned reserve plane, the CR.32 bis' flight performance leaves much to be desired. While it can outturn most monoplane fighters, the CR.32 bis will occasionally struggle to dogfight against most of biplanes (especially the [[I-15 (Family)|I-15]] series). Its slow top speed and very poor energy retention also restricting its dogfight capabilities.
 
  
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On the plus side, the CR.32 bis retain its great diving speed of its reserve counterparts, coupled with increased performance at higher speed, this makes it very excel at boom-and-zoom tactics, capable of strafing enemy from above before retreating.
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=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 +
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
  
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
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{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}
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! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
 
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! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 3,100 m)
 
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! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
 
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! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
 
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! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
 
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! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
 
−
|-
 
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! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
 
−
|-
 
−
! Stock
 
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| 337 || 324 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 14.9 || 15.5 || 4.9 || 4.9 || rowspan="2" | 150
 
−
|-
 
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! Upgraded
 
−
| 365 || 356 || 13.6 || 14.0 || 14.9 || 9.2
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
  
−
==== Details ====
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{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Light tanks'''}}{{Specs-Link|us_ccvl}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_ags_teledyne}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_hstv_l}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m3_bradley}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m3a3_bradley}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1128_mgs}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_xm_8}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|cn_m_41d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|it_kf_41}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|it_centauro_rgo_120}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_desert_warrior}}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
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|-
 
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! colspan="5" | Features
 
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|-
 
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! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
 
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|-
 
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| X || X || X || X || X    <!-- ✓ -->
 
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|-
 
−
|}
 
  
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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{{Navigation-Line|'''Medium tanks'''}}
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|-
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{{Navigation-Line|CM11}}{{Specs-Link|cn_cm11}}
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! colspan="7" | Limits
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{{Navigation-Line|M60}}{{Specs-Link|us_m60a1_rise_passive_era}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m60a3_tts}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|cn_m60a3_tts|␗M60A3 TTS}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m60a3_slep}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m60_120s}}
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|-
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{{Navigation-Line|M1 Abrams}}{{Specs-Link|us_xm1_chrysler}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_xm1_gm}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1_ip_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1_abrams_kvt}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a1_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a1_aim_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a1_hc_usmc}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a1_hc_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a2_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a2_sep_abrams}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_m1a2_sep2_abrams}}
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! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
 
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! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
 
−
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
 
−
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
 
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|-
 
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! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
 
−
|-
 
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| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~15 || ~7
 
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|-
 
−
|}
 
  
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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{{Navigation-End}}
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|-
 
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! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
 
−
|-
 
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! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
 
−
|-
 
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| < 200 || < 300 || < 300 || > 190
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
  
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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== General info ==
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|-
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<!-- ''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.'' -->
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! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
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Despite being a version of the [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|FN MAG]] the M240 performs differently. The M240 has the highest rate of fire of any American (or British) 7.62 mm machine gun at 750 rounds per minute, and a decent belt capacity. The ballistic performance is the same as other 7.62 mm machine guns.
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|-
 
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! colspan="3" | Setting 1
 
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|-
 
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! Optimal altitude
 
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! 100% Engine power
 
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! WEP Engine power
 
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|-
 
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| 2,600 m || 591 hp || 788 hp
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
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=== Survivability and armour ===
 
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{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}
 
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<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' -->
 
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* No armour plates or bulletproof glass
 
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* Self-sealing fuel tanks located between engine and pilot
 
−
 
 
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=== Modifications and economy ===
 
−
{{Specs-Economy}}
 
−
 
 
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== Armaments ==
 
−
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
 
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=== Offensive armament ===
 
−
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}
 
−
<!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' -->
 
−
{{main|Breda-SAFAT (12.7 mm)|Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm)}}
 
  
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The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:
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=== Available ammunition ===
 +
<!-- ''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).'' -->
 +
The M240 can only be equipped with one ammo belt consisting of one Armour Piercing (AP) bullet, followed by one Tracer (T) bullet. Neither bullet has much penetration (maximum of 13 mm), however the AP bullet performs much better than the tracer bullet.
  
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* 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)
+
{{:{{PAGENAME}}/Ammunition|AP, T}}
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* 2 x 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, wing-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)
 
  
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The main (and only) difference between the CR.32 bis and its reserve counterparts is the addition of two 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted on the wings. These guns provided extra firepower at close range, thought you might need to set convergence due to wing-mounted setup.
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=== Comparison with analogues ===
 +
<!-- ''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' -->
 +
Compared to other 7.62 mm machine guns, the M240 has a very good rate of fire at 750 rounds per minute. This puts it ahead of all other American and British 7.62 mm machine guns by a minimum of 100 rounds per minute, and as much as 250 rounds per minute when compared to the [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|M1919A4's]] 500 rounds per minute rate of fire (in other words the M240 has 50% more RPM than the M1919A4). Its belt capacity of 200 is less than the M1919A4, but more than guns like the [[M60D (7.62 mm)|M60D]].
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
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<!-- ''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.'' -->
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The CR.32 bis is virtually similar to its reserve counterpart, the [[CR.32]] with the exception of 2 additional 7.7 mm machine guns. While these machine guns provided extra kick to the opponents, the CR.32 bis will have to face much faster and stronger opponents: monoplane fighers and bombers. Furthermore, its already mediocre top speed is now considered terrible at its BR. This means you have to be more careful when engaging targets.
+
Due to the very low penetration this weapon is largely ineffective against enemy armour (although you may be able to penetrate some vehicles with extremely thin armour). The gun is primarily useful for incapacitating exposed crew members in open topped vehicles (although there are few such vehicles at the battle ratings this gun is found at). The gun can also be used for ranging on some vehicles, as well as marking enemy vehicles and obscuring the view of enemy players (by shooting at their gun sight). You can use the gun against aircraft however it does minimal damage, and being co-axially mounted on most tanks can often not be brought / kept on target against aircraft.
−
 
 
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With a top level speed of only 380 km/h, the CR.32 bis will be usually outrun by most opponents it face. Instead, climb to higher altitude, then use its surprisingly fast dive speed to execute boom-and-zoom attack to kill an unsuspecting opponents. While it can dogfight against monoplanes to some extent, the CR.32 bis' poor energy retention will eventually catch up and slow down the plane significantly, be decisive and strike at enemy weak points (engines, pilot, etc.) to finish them off as fast as possible.
 
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=== Manual Engine Control ===
 
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
−
|-
 
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! colspan="7" | MEC elements
 
−
|-
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
 
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! rowspan="2" | Pitch
 
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! colspan="3" | Radiator
 
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! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
 
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! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
 
−
|-
 
−
! Oil !! Water !! Type
 
−
|-
 
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| Controllable || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
* Good offensive capabilities
+
* Best rate of fire of any British or American 7.62 mm machine gun
−
** 12.7 mm MGs are great for knocking out pilots and penetrating enemy armour plates
+
* Good rate of fire compared to most other 7.62 mm machine guns
−
** 7.7 mm MGs provided extra firepower at close range and can be used to strafe soft targets
+
* Decent belt capacity
−
* Excellent dive speed
 
−
** Excellent high-speed performance
 
−
* Surprisingly good turning against monoplane fighters
 
−
* Fixed gear makes it easy to land
 
−
* Durable airframe for a biplane
 
−
** Effective self-sealing fuel tanks
 
−
* In Simulator it almost never spins, allowing some really tight manoeuvres to be performed without danger
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
* Overall mediocre flight performance
+
* Slightly worse ammo belt other than [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|FN MAG 60-40]] derivatives (1/2 AP instead of 2/3 AP)
−
** Sluggish top speed
+
* Low penetration makes it ineffective against armour
−
** Turns worse than some biplanes it faces
+
* Low damage
−
** Poor roll rate for a biplane
 
−
** Terrible energy retention, will lose a lot of energy while turning
 
−
** Fixed gear increases drag
 
−
* No protection for the pilot
 
−
* Uses a telescopic gunsight which is extremely hard to use in Simulator
 
−
* Upper wing greatly obstructs the upward-forward view, a disadvantage in a Simulator dogfight
 
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft 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).''
+
<!-- ''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon 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 weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-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>.'' -->
 +
{{Main|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}
 +
[[File:M1A1_Abrams_Interior_Gunner_Position.jpg|x250px|right|thumb|none|A M240 coaxial machine gun to the left of the gunner position in an M1A1 Abrams.]]
 +
The M240 is an American 7.62 mm General Purpose Machine Gun, chambering the 7.62×51mm NATO round, it is an American built copy of the Belgian [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|FN MAG]] GPMG. The history of the M240 began with the failure of the [[M73 (7.62 mm)]] co-axial machine gun being used on American tanks in the 1960s and early 1970s. The despite being designed from the ground up as a tank co-axial machine gun the [[M73 (7.62 mm)|M73]] proved to be very poor at the role due to an extremely high failure and jamming rate. Despite attempts to fix the M73 the issues remained and in 1971 the US Army looked to replace it. A competition was launched to develop a replacement, however this was cut short in 1973 by the Yom Kippur War. The Israelis had used the M73 on their Magach (M60) tanks during the war and its performance had been so dire that they deemed it unfit for purpose and demanded the Americans replace it with something better. The program to develop new machine guns was abandoned and the Army looked to existing machine guns to fill the role. In the end the two final candidates were the [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|FN MAG 60-40]] and [[M60D (7.62 mm)|M60]], with the MAG winning due to better reliability.
 +
 
 +
The FN MAG was adopted as the U.S. Army's standard vehicle machine gun in 1977, replacing the M73 on vehicles. The M240 also proved popular with other section of the US armed forces and as an infantry gun. The M240 slowly replaced other American machine guns such as the [[M60D (7.62 mm)|M60]].
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
  
−
;Skins
+
;Images
−
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=cr_32_bis Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
+
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
 +
File:Weapon M240 7.62mm.jpg|<small>The M240 on the M1 Abrams</small>
 +
</gallery>
  
 
;Videos
 
;Videos
−
{{Youtube-gallery|iQs0VuHMaFA|'''The Shooting Range #45''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:08 discusses the CR.32.}}
+
{{Youtube-gallery|LbbeCOFkFC8|'''M240 Bravo: America Replaces the M60''' - ''By: Forgotten Weapons''}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
−
<!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+
<!-- ''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;''
+
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''-->
+
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.'' -->
−
;Other CR.32s:
+
* [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)]]
−
* [[CR.32]]
+
* [[M73 (7.62 mm)]]
−
* [[CR.32 quater]]
 
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
−
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''other literature.''-->
+
* ''other literature.'' -->
−
* [https://ww2db.com/aircraft_spec.php?aircraft_model_id=344 [<nowiki>World War 2 Database]</nowiki> CR.32] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20211023164145/https://ww2db.com/aircraft_spec.php?aircraft_model_id=344 Archive])
+
 
−
* [https://comandosupremo.com/fiat-cr32/ [<nowiki>Comando Supremo]</nowiki> Fiat CR.32 Biplane Fighter] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20211023164250/https://comandosupremo.com/fiat-cr32/ Archive])
+
* [[wikipedia:M240_machine_gun|[Wikipedia] M240 machine gun]]
−
* [http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_fiat_cr32.html [<nowiki>History of War]</nowiki> Fiat CR.32] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20211023164425/http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_fiat_cr32.html Archive])
+
 
 +
{{Tank machine guns}}
  
−
{{AirManufacturer Fiat}}
+
[[Category:Tank machine guns]]
−
{{Italy fighters}}
 
−
{{Italy premium aircraft}}
 

Latest revision as of 05:29, 26 June 2024

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The M240 on top of the M1 Abrams turret

Description

The M240 is an American 7.62 mm General Purpose Machine Gun. The M240 is the American designation for a version of the Belgian FN MAG GPMG, designed for use as a co-axial machine gun for tanks. In-game the M240 is predominantly found as a co-axial (and on some tanks roof-mounted) machine gun on high rank American tanks. Being only a 7.62 mm machine gun it is largely ineffective against all but the most weakly armoured, or open cabin, vehicles.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Vehicles equipped with this weapon
Light tanks  CCVL · AGS · HSTV-L · M3 Bradley · M3A3 Bradley · M1128 · XM8 · M41D · KF41 · Centauro RGO · Desert Warrior
Medium tanks 
CM11  CM11
M60  M60A1 RISE (P) · M60A3 TTS · ␗M60A3 TTS · M60 AMBT · 120S
M1 Abrams  XM1 (Chrysler) · XM1 (GM) · IPM1 · M1 Abrams · M1 KVT · M1A1 · M1A1 AIM · M1A1 Click-Bait · M1A1 HC · M1A2 Abrams · M1A2 SEP · M1A2 SEP V2

General info

Despite being a version of the FN MAG the M240 performs differently. The M240 has the highest rate of fire of any American (or British) 7.62 mm machine gun at 750 rounds per minute, and a decent belt capacity. The ballistic performance is the same as other 7.62 mm machine guns.

Available ammunition

The M240 can only be equipped with one ammo belt consisting of one Armour Piercing (AP) bullet, followed by one Tracer (T) bullet. Neither bullet has much penetration (maximum of 13 mm), however the AP bullet performs much better than the tracer bullet.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
AP 13 12 7 3 2 0
T 5 4 2 1 0 0
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
AP 853 0.01 - - - 47° 56° 65°
T 835 0.01 - - - 47° 56° 65°

Comparison with analogues

Compared to other 7.62 mm machine guns, the M240 has a very good rate of fire at 750 rounds per minute. This puts it ahead of all other American and British 7.62 mm machine guns by a minimum of 100 rounds per minute, and as much as 250 rounds per minute when compared to the M1919A4's 500 rounds per minute rate of fire (in other words the M240 has 50% more RPM than the M1919A4). Its belt capacity of 200 is less than the M1919A4, but more than guns like the M60D.

Usage in battles

Due to the very low penetration this weapon is largely ineffective against enemy armour (although you may be able to penetrate some vehicles with extremely thin armour). The gun is primarily useful for incapacitating exposed crew members in open topped vehicles (although there are few such vehicles at the battle ratings this gun is found at). The gun can also be used for ranging on some vehicles, as well as marking enemy vehicles and obscuring the view of enemy players (by shooting at their gun sight). You can use the gun against aircraft however it does minimal damage, and being co-axially mounted on most tanks can often not be brought / kept on target against aircraft.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Best rate of fire of any British or American 7.62 mm machine gun
  • Good rate of fire compared to most other 7.62 mm machine guns
  • Decent belt capacity

Cons:

  • Slightly worse ammo belt other than FN MAG 60-40 derivatives (1/2 AP instead of 2/3 AP)
  • Low penetration makes it ineffective against armour
  • Low damage

History

Main articles: FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm), M73 (7.62 mm)
A M240 coaxial machine gun to the left of the gunner position in an M1A1 Abrams.

The M240 is an American 7.62 mm General Purpose Machine Gun, chambering the 7.62×51mm NATO round, it is an American built copy of the Belgian FN MAG GPMG. The history of the M240 began with the failure of the M73 (7.62 mm) co-axial machine gun being used on American tanks in the 1960s and early 1970s. The despite being designed from the ground up as a tank co-axial machine gun the M73 proved to be very poor at the role due to an extremely high failure and jamming rate. Despite attempts to fix the M73 the issues remained and in 1971 the US Army looked to replace it. A competition was launched to develop a replacement, however this was cut short in 1973 by the Yom Kippur War. The Israelis had used the M73 on their Magach (M60) tanks during the war and its performance had been so dire that they deemed it unfit for purpose and demanded the Americans replace it with something better. The program to develop new machine guns was abandoned and the Army looked to existing machine guns to fill the role. In the end the two final candidates were the FN MAG 60-40 and M60, with the MAG winning due to better reliability.

The FN MAG was adopted as the U.S. Army's standard vehicle machine gun in 1977, replacing the M73 on vehicles. The M240 also proved popular with other section of the US armed forces and as an infantry gun. The M240 slowly replaced other American machine guns such as the M60.

Media

Images

  • The M240 on the M1 Abrams

Videos
M240 Bravo: America Replaces the M60 - By: Forgotten Weapons

See also

External links


Tank machine guns
USA 
7.62 mm  M37 · M60D · M73 · M240 · M1919A4 · Mk.52
12.7 mm  FN M3P · M2HB · M80 · M85
Germany 
5.56 mm  MG4
7.62 mm  C6 · MG3A1
7.92 mm  MG13 Dreyse · MG34 · MG37(t) · MG42
12.7 mm  S.MG.50
USSR 
7.62 mm  DT · PKMB · PKT · PKTM · RP-46 · SGMT
12.7 mm  DK · DShK · 6P49 · NSVT
14.5 mm  KPVT
Britain 
7.62 mm  Browning MG4 · L3A1 · L8A1 · L8A2 · L37A1 · L37A2 · L94A1
7.7 mm  Vickers
7.92 mm  BESA
12.7 mm  L21A1
Japan 
6.5 mm  Type 91
7.62 mm  Type 74
7.7 mm  Type 97
12.7 mm  Type 60 (B)
China 
5.8 mm  QJT
7.62 mm  Type 55 · Type 59 · Type 86
12.7 mm  QJC88A · Type 54
14.5 mm  QJG02
Italy 
7.62 mm  Beretta MG42/59 · FN MAG 60-40
8 mm  34/40M · Breda Mod. 38
13.2 mm  Breda Model 31
France 
7.5 mm  AAT-52 · MAC 31
7.62 mm  A-A-F1N
8 mm  Hotchkiss Mle 1914
Sweden 
6.5 mm  ksp m/14-29
7.62 mm  ksp 39 C · ksp 58 · ksp 94
8 mm  ksp m/36 · ksp m/39B
12.7 mm  ksp 88

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