PT-76 (Sweden)

This page is about the light tank PT-76 (Sweden). For other versions, see PT-76 (Family).

▄PT-76

▄Pz.IV

▄Comet I

▄PT-76

▄Pz.IV

▄Comet I

Sweden

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.3	5.3

Class:

Light tank

Research:33 000

Purchase:105 000

Description

The ▄PT-76 is a rank III Swedish light tank with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB) and 5.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Fire and Ice". It is identical to the PT-76B found in the Russian Tech Tree.

The PT-76B, as a light tank, has paper-thin armour but also has a powerful main gun that can engage most tanks at its battle rating. Its amphibious nature means that the tank can cover terrain and paths not normally travelled by land vehicles, allowing flexibilities on certain maps featuring water bodies.

General info

Survivability and armour

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull13 / 10 / 6

Turret15 / 15 / 15

Crew3 people

Visibility75 %

Pretty much every tank in the game will be able to destroy the PT-76B with relative ease due to the ultra-thin armour of it. Avoid tanks with access to heavy machine guns on their turrets such as most American tanks, the IS-2 (1944), etc.

Also, keep well clear of enemy SPAA. 12.7 mm guns and above will absolutely wreck this tank. In particular, the Wirbelwind is a big threat. It has good penetration at range and will literally saturate the vehicle with autocannon shells. Just a short burst from the quad 20 mm guns will finish the PT-76B off.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	10 mm (80°) Top 13 mm (44°) Bottom	13 mm Top 10 mm Bottom	6 mm (1°) Top 6 mm (46°) Bottom	6 mm
Turret	15 mm (32-35°) Turret front 15 mm (19-32°) Gun mantlet	15 mm (35°)	15 mm (35°)	6 mm
Cupola	10 mm	10 mm	10 mm	6 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick.
• Tracks are 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Amphibious

The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water

Speedforward / back

AB49 / 8 km/h

RB and SB44 / 7 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight14.0 t

Engine power

AB458 hp

RB and SB240 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB32.7 hp/t

RB and SB17.1 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	49	8	14	372	458	26.57	32.71
Realistic	44	7		212	240	15.14	17.14

The PT-76B has decent mobility on land thanks to its rather light weight. It can reach its maximum speed of 49 km/h (AB) / 44 km/h (RB) easily due to its decent acceleration. Controlling it at maximum speed is not hard since its top speed is nothing special for a light tank (the ubiquitous M41A1, for example, has a top speed of 72 km/h). The PT-76B is also decently agile, being able to turn quickly in response to any events up the path. However, the vehicle does not have any type of neutral steering capability, so it will be difficult to turn on the spot. These forward mobility traits of the PT-76B can be interrupted severely by moderate obstacles such as medium trees, wooden fences, concretes plots/barriers or stone walls; these will cause the vehicle to lose considerable amount of speed, or even be brought to a halt, especially in Realistic Battles

The maximum reverse speed is -7 km/h (AB) / -6 km/h (RB), which is too slow to allow overextend tactic (pop from behind cover, shoot, retreat behind cover), or for withdrawing from dangerous situation that the vehicle may have inadvertently driven itself into.

The amphibious feature of the PT-76B makes the vehicle more versatile, broadening the flanking/sneaking potential and options on some maps. But this should only be exploited across smaller bodies of water, since it reaches only 12 km/h (AB) / 9 km/h (RB) in water when moving forward, and the reverse speed in water is only -7 km/h (AB) / -5 km/h (RB). These slow speeds mean that once the PT-76B is on water, it will likely be a sitting duck if spotted. While firing from the water is an option due to the vehicle's stabilizer, the water waves and the recoil from firing may cause the vehicle to wobble, making it hard to get a good shot. On top of that when planning an amphibious trip, it is best to ensure the destination can be reached in a straight line as the vehicle turns poorly and slowly in the water and so any course corrections will take more time, which leaves the PT-76B exposed to being spotted and taken out.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB960 → 1 379

RB1 183 → 1 699

SB1 432 → 2 057

Total cost of modifications29 600

58 000

Talisman cost1 200

Crew training30 000

Experts105 000

Aces470

Research Aces360 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

70 / 110 / 160 %

148 / 148 / 148 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 900 130 Suspension Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 200 95 Brake System Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 200 95 Filters Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 900 220 Transmission Research: 1 900 Cost: 3 700 165 Engine Research: 1 900 Cost: 3 700 165	Improved Parts Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 900 130 Improved FPE Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 200 95 Crew Replenishment Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 900 220 ESS Research: 1 900 Cost: 3 700 165	Horizontal Drive Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 900 130 76mm_ussr_AP_53_ammo_pack Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 900 130 Adjustment of Fire Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 200 95 Airstrike Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 200 95 76mm_ussr_HEAT_53_ammo_pack Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 200 95 Elevation Mechanism Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 900 220 Artillery Support Research: 1 900 Cost: 3 700 165 Improved optics Research: 1 900 Cost: 3 700 165

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm D-56TS cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition40 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-4° / 30°

Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.

76 mm D-56TS					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	40	-4°/+30°	±180°	Two-plane	19.0	26.4	32.0	35.4	37.6	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
BR-354N	APCR	152	148	129	109	92	78
BR-354	APHE	99	97	89	80	72	65
BK-354M	HEATFS	200	200	200	200	200	200
OF-350M	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
BR-354N	APCR	950	3.3	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
BR-354	APHE	655	6.5	1.2	14	49.28	47°	60°	65°
BK-354M	HEATFS	700	7	0.05	0.1	550	65°	72°	77°
OF-350M	HE	680	6.2	0.05	0.1	621	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	39 (+1)	25 (+15)	1 (+39)	No

Note:

• Turret rack and rear ammo rack empty: 25 (+15) shells.

Machine guns

7.62 mm SGMT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

7.62 mm SGMT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,000 (250)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

As the PT-76B doesn't have much armour, avoid directly confronting enemy tanks. In order to defeat heavy/medium tanks, watch them and fire when they are not aiming or focusing on you. Use the light tank's manoeuvrability and fire rate to deliver pin-point hits onto the enemy's flanks, then retreat back in to cover before they can get a fix on the firing location. The PT-76B is also helpful in scouting enemy positions for its allies so they could bring in more firepower. As previously mentioned, this tank does not have the armour nor the crew to take on enemies head-on, so try to remain stealthy. It functions great as a scout tank.

If short to mid-range confrontation is inevitable, staying mobile makes you harder to hit while the impressive stabiliser will allow you to fire back almost unimpeded (while moving and shooting to the side, shots travel in the direction your vehicle is moving so when aiming at farther targets, remember to aim a little to one side to counteract this motion). While moving and shooting, always look where your vehicle is headed: a rock, cliff, enemy vehicle or similar obstacle could seriously ruin your PT-76B's day.

While the PT-76B has amphibious capabilities, it is not necessary to use them all the time. Keep in mind that the PT-76B can only go about 10 km/h in the water (and your large size makes you an easier target for shore-based snipers), so utilize the ability to travel on land as well. Instead, use the water to make an escape or take a shortcut. As an example, drive into the water if an enemy has spotted you, and take cover behind an off-shore rock. Driving through a river to flank the enemy is also possible if a bridge is not nearby. Take caution that reversing in the water is slow, if not nonexistent, which may get the PT-76B stuck if driven into an obstacle. Also make sure to check the map, as some maps like Eastern Europe have rivers with no way to get back onto land, or at least not many.

Otherwise, avoid directly confronting an enemy. Instead, take cover and scout. Another good tactic to use is watching the enemy - find a spot where they can't engage you and watch them. Wait for the right moment; when the enemy is reloading, aiming somewhere else, not noticing the PT-76, is attacking an ally, etc, quickly check to make sure no other enemy can target you and send a shell towards your enemy! Try to snipe at the enemy, but make sure to avoid all enemy fire, as all tanks can penetrate the PT-76's armour (even the GAZ-AAA (4M) technically has enough penetration to get through the tank's rear armour!).

The amphibious capabilities are a huge helper to the vehicle, allowing it to reach unusual sniper areas that vehicles without said capabilities could not reach (e.g. hiding behind the rocks near the jetty on Normandy). The incredible stabiliser also allows the PT-76B to simply sit in the water and blast away at enemies without them even realizing where the shots are from. Make sure to relocate after knocking out enemies or being spotted, however, as they will know the PT-76B's location and likely broadcast it to other players, most often resulting in the PT-76B being destroyed.

The HEATFS shell is powerful in terms of penetration, but the post-penetration damage is lacking compared to other Soviet shells. Oftentimes, 2 or more shots will be needed to destroy an enemy vehicle, particularly the more voluminous vehicles like the Tiger I and the Panther. It would be wise, therefore, to look up crew and module locations on enemy vehicles in order to make your shots as lethal as possible. Against open-topped and lightly-armoured vehicles, the explosive filler of the BK-354M will cause overpressure damage, resulting in a knock-out.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful HEAT can frontally penetrate even heavily armoured tanks like the Tiger II, Ferdinand, etc.
• Two-plane gun stabiliser is a huge advantage in sudden encounters and CQC
• Has night vision device, another advantage in night battles
• Is amphibious, allowing it to drive in bodies of water for surprise attacks
• Has a low profile

Cons:

• Extremely thin armour cannot protect it from any hit, especially SPAA (eg. ZSD63, Wirbelwind)
• HEAT shell has limited damage, increasing the chance of the target surviving a hit
• APHE has low penetration (100mm max), limiting target selection
• Low mobility for a light tank, other light vehicles (eg. M24, Concept 3, M18) all have superior speed
• -7 km/h reverse speed is poor, can put the player in a dangerous situation
• -4° gun depression severely affects its performance among hills

History

Finland ordered 12 PT-76 tanks from the Soviet Union which were delivered in 1964. They were withdrawn from service in 1994, with some being converted to driver training vehicles with the guns removed. The final PT-76 left Finnish service in 2001.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the PT-76 (Sweden) 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.