Comet I

This page is about the British medium tank Comet I. For other versions, see Comet (Family).

Comet I

Challenger

Centurion Mk 1

Comet I

Challenger

Centurion Mk 1

Britain

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.3	5.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:20 000

Purchase:135 000

Description

The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) is a rank III British medium tank with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB) and 5.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.55 "Royal Armour" along with the initial British ground tree. Armed with a 77 mm HV gun, essentially a 17-pounder with a lower muzzle velocity, it has one of the more powerful guns available for a medium tank at the rating.

The Comet is an excellent medium tank. It has great mobility and acceleration, able to reach 38 km/h very quickly and stay there in full throttle, but its reverse speed is pitiful like the Cromwell. Firepower is also a benefit of the vehicle, especially after the unlocking of the APDS shot, giving it the penetration needed to deal with any threat you might encounter. The drawback of the design is the sub-par armour that can be pretty easily penetrated at BR 5.3. One should take advantage of the Comet's low profile and mobility to hide and manoeuvre from the enemy to catch them at an advantageous angle. The Comet also has a benefit the previous tanks in its branch, the Sherman Firefly, didn't have in the great gun depression. This allows the Comet to more easily fire over hills in an hull-down position to destroy the enemy with a terrain benefit for protection.

The Comet has an olive drab colour like all other British tanks. It is also quite low in stature. The Comet has a unique turret design and has a nice long barrel. The barrel has a muzzle brake at the end of it. The machine gun beside the driver doesn't work.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull76 / 43 / 32

Turret102 / 64 / 57

Crew5 people

Visibility99 %

The turret is an unreliable area to target: its armour is thicker and bouncy, and can withstand a few hits from low-power guns in this BR range. The Comet has an extremely small silhouette if hull down, making long-range engagement very advantageous because the enemy will struggle to hit the turret from a long distance. With a total of 5 crew members, the Comet I has an increased survivability.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret front, Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	76.2 mm (1°) Front plate 32 mm (72°) Front glacis 63.5 mm (19°) Joint plate 25.4 mm (69°) Lower glacis	32 mm Top front half 25 mm Top back half 29 + 14 mm Bottom	32 + 25.4 mm (1°) Top half 32 mm (32°) Lower half	14 mm
Turret	102 mm (3-57°) Turret front 102 mm (1-34°) Gun mantlet	63.5 mm	57.1 + 5 mm (1°)	25.4 mm Front half 20 mm Rear half
Cupola	44 mm	44 mm	44 mm	25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and the tracks are 20 mm thick.
• There are tracks attached on the turret that provide an extra 20 mm armour where they are attached.
• Steel boxes on the left and right side of the hull by the turret gives 4 mm extra armour at their location.
• The bustle rack on the back of the turret gives an armour rating of 5 mm

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB58 / 4 km/h

RB and SB52 / 4 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight33.5 t

Engine power

AB1 145 hp

RB and SB600 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB34.2 hp/t

RB and SB17.9 hp/t

This tank has a respectable top speed and can get into strategic positions faster than common enemies like the Tiger I and Panther. It also has neutral steering, which allows for easy turning in tight and narrow streets. When compared to the Challenger and the A.C.IV, the handling of the Comet I is slightly worse. The poor reverse speed is insufficient to return to cover if the enemy spots you: always plan ahead.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	58	4	33.5	930	1,145	27.76	34.18
Realistic	52	4		531	600	15.85	17.91

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 506 → 2 037

RB1 806 → 2 443

SB2 365 → 3 199

Total cost of modifications34 800

67 900

Talisman cost1 300

Crew training39 000

Experts135 000

Aces550

Research Aces390 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

80 / 130 / 160 %

154 / 154 / 154 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 130 Suspension Research: 1 600 Cost: 3 100 120 Brake System Research: 1 600 Cost: 3 100 120 Filters Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 300 165 Transmission Research: 2 800 Cost: 5 500 210 Engine Research: 2 800 Cost: 5 500 210	Improved Parts Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 130 Improved FPE Research: 1 600 Cost: 3 100 120 Crew Replenishment Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 300 165	76mm_britain_17pdr_APC_ammo_pack Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 130 Horizontal Drive Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 130 76mm_britain_17pdr_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 1 600 Cost: 3 100 120 Adjustment of Fire Research: 1 600 Cost: 3 100 120 76mm_britain_17pdr_APDS_ammo_pack Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 300 165 Elevation Mechanism Research: 2 200 Cost: 4 300 165 Artillery Support Research: 2 800 Cost: 5 500 210 Smoke grenade Research: 2 800 Cost: 5 500 210

Armaments

Main armament

77 mm OQF Mk.II cannon

Ammunition61 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

9.6 → 7.4 s

Vertical guidance-12° / 20°

The OQF Mk.II is a good gun with a wide range of ammunition options for various situations. The Comet I has a very good gun depression of -12 degrees. In general, the turret transverse speed is poor: brawling in narrow streets is not recommended unless absolutely necessary. The reload speed is rather slow.

77 mm OQF Mk.II					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	61	-12°/+20°	±180°	-	20.0	27.7	33.6	37.2	39.5	9.62	8.51	7.84	7.40
Realistic					12.5	14.7	17.8	19.7	21.0

Ammunition

The high-penetrating APDS round should be the primary shell in long range and open maps. However, the APDS round has very poor post-penetration damage, necessitating multiple shots to destroy enemy tanks.

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
Shot Mk.6	AP	137	134	123	111	100	91
Shell Mk.1	HE	16	16	14	13	12	11
Shot Mk.4	APC	137	134	123	111	100	91
Shot Mk.8	APCBC	152	149	137	124	112	101
Shot SV Mk.1	APDS	216	213	199	182	167	153

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%
Shot Mk.6	AP	754	7.71	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
Shell Mk.1	HE	754	6.98	0	0.1	580	79°	80°	81°
Shot Mk.4	APC	754	7.71	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.8	APCBC	754	7.71	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
Shot SV Mk.1	APDS	1,035	2.48	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Comet I

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty
61	56 (+5)	50 (+11)	43 (+18)	38 (+23)	30 (+31)
6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
25 (+36)	20 (+41)	12 (+49)	7 (+54)	1 (+60)	No

Notes:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
• Right side empty: 25 (+36) shells.

Optics

Comet I Optics
	Default magnification	Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics	X3.0	X6.0
Comparable optics	VFW

Second tank in Medium tank British tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.

At rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outrange German SPGs as they have similar or better optics.

With newfound APDS ammunition, you might want to take tank on a test drive to get used to APDS ballistic markings. As usually, each mark represents 200 m, but they skip over the 8 number on the scope, leaving inexperienced user guessing where is the 800 m mark. It is the second big line on your scope - try to remember it well.

Machine guns

7.92 mm BESA machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition5 175 rounds

Belt capacity225 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.92 mm BESA
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	5,175 (225)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Fighting a tank of the same weight classification is relatively easy, but difficult against the more armoured Panther A and T-34 tanks. Until the APDS shot has been unlocked, more decisive shots will have to be made to take care of these tanks, the Mk.6 and Mk.8 shot are the preferred ammunition to use. In mid and long range, the APDS shell will struggle to penetrate Panther upper front armour on the hull. The Panthers should be targeted on the gun mantlet in the front and should be aimed at the gunner to immobilize their firepower and cause crew damage. The T-34-85 is a bit of a hit-or-miss due to the more heavy sloping nature of the armour and the turret. Penetrating through the front hull armour when it is facing directly at you is the best course of action against the T-34-85. Heavy tanks get even more tricky, but easier once the APDS round is unlocked for use. A Tiger I is admittedly an easy tank to deal with due to the vertical slope of the armour. Problems arise with the IS-2 tanks that may show up, due to their heavy armour and their tendency to absolutely wreck vehicles with their 122 mm gun. Distance is not your friend against this tank, the closer the better for your gun to penetrate the weak spots on its frontal armour. A tough situation, but a survivable one.

For every Comet player that does not have the APDS shells, do not engage in long distance gun fights. You are almost certainly going to lose. So use it first as its intention is, a cruiser tank. Cap point and retreat. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, get as close to the enemy as possible and fire at its side. Conduct the battle in this manner until the APDS is unlocked

The best tactic is flanking and "shoot and scoot". Your armour won't stand against T-34s and Tigers you'll meet so don't pick a sniping position and keep firing - sooner or later you will be pinned down. You need to locate a good spot for attack, fire a few shots (the Comet has great fire rate: use it) and relocate. Don't mind the damage you made: keep moving!

Also, another "never" to do with this tank, never go in reverse. You are almost certainly going to get yourself destroyed in the process as you have an awful reverse speed. If you want to reverse, turn the whole tank around instead using neutral steer or just charge at the enemy, circle him or her once and disappear the other way. You must do this as quickly as you appeared. You can use smoke grenades, but still, don't reverse, charge at the enemy. To not to get in the situation in the first place, choose where you are going to go carefully. You must study the situation quickly and cautiously to not to get yourself blown up in the process. The key is to run, run and run.

Overall, you must dedicate quite a bit of time to master the tank in all. Even when you have the APDS shells.

Game mode specifics

Arcade battles

In arcade domination mode where the cap points are arranged perpendicular to the cap points (ex. Poland, Ash River, Berlin, Korea, Karelia, Kuban, etc.), go for the flanks (A or C). If the cap points are diagonal (ex. Stalingrad), go for the closest cap point. And if the cap points are parallel to cap points (ex. Ardennes, Eastern Europe, etc.) go for the middle point as fast as you can. If you feel that you cant make it, help cap the point closest to spawn. You can also decide if you want to defend the point after capturing it. It is suggested to defend the cap point that has a lot of cover and an easy escape if overwhelmed (Suggested points to defend: A or C in Poland, C in Stalingrad, C in Ardennes).

Realistic/Simulator battles

In realistic and simulator, the Comet can become sluggish and isn't as fast as in arcade. A suggestion would be to capture the closest cap point, cap it, and then go into hiding. When you go into hiding, take every well placed shot you can and immediately run away from an encounter. You will mainly be facing Tiger IIs, Tiger Is, and Panthers, T-34-85s, rarely Chi-Tos and Chi-Ris. If you encounter them on a one v. one, always be on the move. Move around the other tank and try to hit it from the side (Panthers, Tiger Is, Chi-Tos, and Chi-Ris). If you encounter a Tiger II, slap it across the cheek with a APDS shell and take shoot it through the side. T-34-85 would be easier. You can easily penetrate the frontal armour of the T-34-85. It is just a matter of reaction time.

Specific enemies worth noting

Many heavy tanks will be an issue to deal with using stock AP shells, but with the APDS unlocked, it becomes a lot easier. As it has been mention before, when engaging a Tiger II, slap an APDS shell on the right turret cheek to knock out the gunner and finish it off from the side. The hardest tanks to counter are the following:

• Tiger I
• Panther
• Tiger II
• T-34-85
• IS-1/IS-2

Although your gun can counter anything within the Comet's BR range, you should constantly be aware that one hit from pretty much any gun to the front of the hull will knock out the Comet. In particular, the Soviet 85 mm and German 75 and 88 mm guns should be taken very seriously. They have plenty of explosive filler. The Comet's turret has the chance to bounce even the mighty 88 mm gun found on the Tiger I, but only a chance. Your hull won't even protect you from the majority of rank 2 guns, so rank 3 and 4 guns will slice through the Comet's armour like butter. Because of this, almost any enemy is dangerous. Even SPAA can be a frontal threat to you. In particular, the Wirbelwind or the Ostwind can cause serious damage at close to medium range. Be particularly cautious late in a match when SPAA are more common.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great turret armour
• Access to APDS shot
• Great gun depression
• 5 crew members, for a better crew survivability
• Excellent manoeuvrability and speed
• Has access to neutral steering which allows quick repositioning of the tank
• Good climbing ability, can get to sniping positions that other tanks cannot
• Good gun, precise and with good penetration values (vertical armour)
• APDS is great at taking out Tigers at long range. Knock-outs are common if you know where the ammo racks are
• APDS makes the tank very easy to use in RB and SB. The round drops very little over distance and retains a lot of penetration

Cons:

• Bad penetration values against sloped armour
• Mediocre gun damage due to lack of explosive fillers, aim at the enemy gunner to increase your fighting chance
• The 77 mm HV does not have as much penetration as the true 17-pounder and other Rank III guns
• Overall bad armour for its rank, only the turret front has some good chance to bounce some hits
• Awful reverse speed
• APDS causes less post-penetration damage than the other AP rounds
• Painful to use when stock due to disappointing performance in terms of acceleration and frustratingly bouncy stock rounds
• Slow reload for the gun calibre, every shot must count

History

Development

The British experience against the Germans during World War II showed that there were severe deficiencies with their cruiser tanks. The main cruiser tank in the British inventory was the Crusader tank but it suffered from a gradually inefficient armament and thin armour. A request was submitted in 1941 to the Nuffield Organization and Leyland Motors Ltd for a heavier cruiser tank that could take on the gradually stronger German tanks, the design was also to use components from the Crusader tanks for economic reasons. This became the A24 Cruiser Tank Mk VII Cavalier tank and the A27L Cruiser tank Mk VII Centaur tank, which are both superseded by the A27M Cruiser Tank Mk VII Cromwell tank. The Cromwell ended up as a decent cruiser tank for the British Army, giving great mobility, reliability, and a decent OQF 75 mm gun (or a 6-pounder gun). However, it still had problems, such as being under-gunned against the more armoured German tanks and suspension problems.

It was determined that the British Army needed a tank that mounted the large 17-pounder gun, which would allow the tank to stand its ground against the German panzers. The first attempt was an upgraded Cromwell in the form of the A30 Challenger, but development and production were slow and the first mass-produced tank with the 17-pounder was the modified Sherman Firefly. While the Firefly was adequate, it was a logistical burden when the Firefly is attached to Cromwell troops, which would require the troop to have maintenance requirements for a Cromwell and a Sherman tank. A more standard tank is needed to fix this, and development started on this with the General Staff specification A34.

The developing tank now called the A34 Comet I, was meant to fix the issues from the Cromwell such as the suspension and the track shedding, plus also increase the firepower and speed. The gun mounted on the tank was the "77 mm HV", a specifically built gun for the Comet I. Though using the same projectiles as the 17-pounder, the 77 mm HV gun uses cartridges with different casings thus the rounds between the two guns are different and the 77 mm HV produces a lower muzzle velocity for the round, but this allowed for easier stowage in the gun due to the more compact size. The Comet I also had greater armour protection, a welded armour construction, cast gun mantlet, stronger suspension, a return roller established in the suspension, an electrically traversed turret, and ammo stowage inside armoured bins. The Comet I, though having the power to go faster than the Cromwell, is restricted with an engine governor to preserve the suspension, engine, and tracks. The Comet I entered the prototype stage in February 1944, but delays caused production to start only in September 1944 and were put into service in Europe in December 1944. By the end of the war, about 1,186 Comet I tanks were made for the British Army.

Combat usage

The first unit to receive the Comet I tank was the British 11th Armoured Division, which was delivered in December 1944, and was the only division to be refitted with Comets by the end of the war. The Comet did not perform significantly on the battlefield due to its late arrival, but it was involved in the crossing of the Rhine and the Berlin Victory parade in July 1945. In Europe, the maximum speed of 51 km/h allowed the Comet I to exploit the German highways to travel throughout the entire countryside.

The Comet I saw service after World War II during the Korean War when it started, serving alongside its to-be successor Centurion tank. Though the Centurion was adopted in 1949, the Comet I continued to see service in the British Army until 1958, when it was then decommissioned and sold to foreign countries, which included South Africa, Finland, Ireland, Cuba, and Myanmar. Notable records with the Comet I sales were 41 tanks to Finland, which used them until 1970 and kept them in storage for much longer. In 1959, 4 were sent to Ireland and another 4 the following year, the Irish kept them until 1973 before being withdrawn.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Comet I from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Comet A34 British Cruiser Tank - MilitArmy

Tank Chats #115 - Tank Museum

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

• [Devblog] A34 Comet I and A30 Challenger
• [Wikipedia] Comet (tank)
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Comet, Cruiser Tank, A34

Leyland Motors Limited
Cruiser Tanks
Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34)	Comet I · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
MBTs
Centurion	FV4202
Cheiftain	Chieftain Mk 3 · Chieftain Mk 5 · Chieftain Mk 10