AMX-13

AMX-13

E.B.R. (1951)

AML-90

AMX-13

E.B.R. (1951)

AML-90

France

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.3	6.7	6.7

Class:

Light tank

Research:71 000

Purchase:210 000

This page is about the light tank AMX-13. For other uses, see AMX-13 (Family).

Description

The AMX-13 is a rank IV French light tank with a battle rating of 6.3 (AB) and 6.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". The AMX-13's chassis is the mainstay of France's light tank technology for the post-war period and this one is its most iconic iteration as it is mounted with the FL10 turret. This vehicle is one of the best light tanks at its battle rating, capable of fulfilling many roles on the battlefield.

The AMX-13 series has one of the most distinctive looks of all armoured warfare's history as it combines many unusual design choices. First, this tank does not feature a "classical" layout: engine deck is next to the driver and the turret ring is at the rear of the tank's hull. Speaking of turrets, this tank has an oscillating one, which means that both gun and turret armour are welded together and that the whole assembly has to rotate to elevate the gun. This way of mounting allows the placement of an autoloader mechanism in the long turret bulge. As for its size, it is very small.

General info

Survivability and armour

Even though this tank has unimpressive armour values, its sloped profile will protect it from autocannon fire (with some distance, even the Bofors can't go through this tank). Any dedicated antitank gun/missile/contraption will go right through this tank's armour. While this may sound a bit bad "getting easily pierced" also has its advantages: some APHE rounds will not detonate upon impact, which will minimise the damage done. If you happen to get shot at, the best way to survive is by showing your right front corner towards the enemy, this way, the engine deck may catch some shells. Don't ever rely on this tank's armour, take every shot you survive as a second chance.

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret base, Turret front)
• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 mm (67°) Front glacis 20-40 mm (5-50°) Lower glacis	20 mm	15 mm Top 15 mm (45°) Bottom	10 mm 5 mm Engine grille
Turret	40 mm (32-47°) Turret front 40 mm (12-41°) Turret base 40 mm (15-75°) Barrel shroud	20 mm (0-30°) Turret 20 mm (12-14°) Turret base	20 mm Turret bustle 20 mm (17-22°) Pivot ball 10 mm (77-90°) Turret underside	10 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	20 mm	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
• 8 mm Structural steel firewall separates the driver from the engine.
• The track and wheel on the front glacis offer about 15 mm structural steel thickness.

Mobility

This vehicle can carry you wherever you want as long as you do not give yourself up. With 28 HP/ton, this tank's engine allows for fast accelerations and good, sustained, top speed, it will never let you down. Run this vehicle around the battlefield as you wish, deserting points to find other ones to fire from.

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
14.7	N/A	67 (AB)
		60 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	418	515
Realistic/Simulator	239	270
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	28.43	35.03
Realistic/Simulator	16.26	18.37

Armaments

Main armament

Well-positioned, this gun can make your enemies cry: with the quick-firing rate it is "one-two, goodbye" for any foe caught from the sides/rear. In usual one-on-one engagements, foes usually exchange shots but, with the AMX-13, this is a lie: it can fire twice before its foe can reload, this can hurt very much. This high rate of fire makes it very efficient at long-distance sniping: it can adjust fire faster than its foes.

High gun placement and good gun depression angles make this tank very efficient at keeping low behind hills while showing very little of itself. Said shortly, this tank's armament is amazing.

75 mm SA50 L/57
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
36			-6°/+13°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	28.56	39.53	47.00	51.48	56.47
Realistic	17.85	21.00	25.50	28.20	30.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
POT-51A	APC	181	178	162	143	127	113
75mm HE	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
PCOT-51P	APCBC	202	198	180	159	141	125

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
POT-51A	APC	1,000	6.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	°	48°	63°	71°
75mm HE	HE	753	6.2	0.4	0.1	675	+0°	79°	80°	81°
PCOT-51P	APCBC	1,000	6.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo rack locations within the AMX-13 and the order in which the ordnance is consumed.

This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a crew member to reload the main gun. Twelve rounds in twin cylinders are stored in the back of the turret for rapid use. Once these racks are empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 20 seconds to perform for one round.

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
36	30 (+6)	24 (+12)	19 (+17)	15 (+21)	10 (+26)	5 (+31)	1 (+35)	no

Notes

• Ammo racks 1 and 2 are the auto-loader racks and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 7 through 3.
• If both auto-loader racks are empty, the main gun cannot fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader racks.
• Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 3-7 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 3-7. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

Machine guns

7.5 mm MAC 31
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
4,950 (150)				1,350	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The AMX-13 is a very competitive tank as it can reach tricky positions quite fast on the battlefield. Its low profile allows it to hide behind many obstacles, serving as armour for this light vehicle. Keeping hull-down, behind a hill on the border of the map is the best way to use this tank: frontal engagements are a no-go with such little armour. AMX-13 commanders will be surprised to be able to shoot 1 round every 5 seconds with such accuracy and power at this BR.

Long range sniper/flanker

• Stay low and scout targets for your team. When spotting a vulnerable enemy, shoot its engine/transmission/driver, don't get back into cover and finish it off 6 seconds later, only then, fade back into the shadows. Do not get out of cover too often as enemies too much aware of your position may destroy you easily. If spotted, stay as far as possible from enemy fire: this tank's small size can avoid a lot of shots since it takes some serious gunnery skills to hit such a fast and small target from a distance (1000+ m).

Brawler

• Even though this is not recommended usage, this can tank actually be taken in close-quarter combat. In this role, it behaves much like any SPAA in the same context: flanking and surprising its foes from the sides with a hailstorm of bullets. Use smoke launchers in order to secure roads and advance concealed towards unsuspecting foes.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Can reach its top speed quite fast
• Awesome reload rate: 1 shot every 5 seconds, comparable to most rank 1 reload times
• Gun performance is comparable to the British QF 17-pounder's solid shots.
• 12 round autoloader mechanism.
• Has smoke launchers (high ark of fire)
• Good gun depression value
• Fast turret rotation
• Thin armour will often not detonate APHE ammo
• Low profile
• High gun placement make hull-down positions very efficient
• Stock shell is quite good, although the upgraded shell is a strict improvement
• Frontally resistant to some SPAA fire (Ostwind and M19)
• Has scouting ability

Cons:

• Bad reverse speed for a light tank
• Gun penetration subpar in up-tiers: relies heavily on flanking manoeuvres
• Thin sides will get shredded by SPAAs and HMGs
• Poor gun elevation value
• Lacks defensive armament against aircraft
• Thin top armour: vulnerable to strafing planes (can be penetrated by .50 cals with ground target belts at typical strafing ranges)
• Bad at stop-and-shoot due to oscillating turret design
• Only 3 crew members

History

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Media

The Shooting Range #148 - Metal Beasts section at 02:58 discusses the AMX-13.

See also

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

External links

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• encyclopedia page on the tank;
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