AS 42

AS 42

AS 42

Italy

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

Description

The Camionetta AS 42 Tipo II "Metropolitana" (shortened as just AS 42) is a rank I Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Structural steel (chassis, gun breech, gun mount)
• Wheel (tires & spares)
• Gun Steel (cannon barrel)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Chassis	3 mm
Gun mount	150 mm Gun Breech 20 mm Gunner's Seat 20 mm Elevation and Traverse Mechanisms			N/A

Notes:

• Tires are 10 mm thick. * There is a spare tire on the front and on the rear of the vehicle.
• Storage boxes, fuel containers and fenders are 3 mm thick.
• Storage Boxes and fuel Containers cover much of the flanks in addition to the chassis armour.
• The belly of the car is 3 mm thick.

The AS 42 lacks in armour and is very vulnerable to attacks from the air. While the sloped 3 mm of armour may be sufficient against standard machine guns, most heavy machine guns are able to shred this vehicle and as such it is not recommended to engage in slugging matches.

Though the armour itself is not sufficient against heavy machine guns, it is possible to use the rear engine compartment as armour to protect the crew from the heavy machine guns projectiles. The ammunition compartments at the sides of the vehicle may stop machine guns from penetrating all the way through to harm the crew, but these have dubious protection values in the long run. However, due to these extreme thin armour thickness, standard armour-piercing rounds tend to penetrate straight through with minimal damage.

The AS 42 has 2 crew with ammo located in the flanks of the car. In rare cases, the gun's armour can protect the gunner.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	92	24	6	156	210	26	35
Realistic	85	22		97	110	16.17	18.33

The tank has very high mobility with speeds exceeding 80 km/h on concrete and 35 km/h offroad.

Armaments

Main armament

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20 mm Breda Mod.35						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	1,200 (12)	501	-10°/+90°	±150°	N/A	30.8	42.7	51.8	57.3	60.9	3.9	3.4	3.2	3.0
Realistic						20.8	24.5	29.8	32.9	35.0

Ammunition

• Default: API-T · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* - The belt composition means that 75% of the shells (HEFI-T*) are useless against tanks. However, this belt is reliable against open-topped or lightly armoured targets like SPAA vehicles.

• Granata mod.35: HEFI-T* - This belt does little damage against armoured targets and should be used especially against aircraft or open-topped vehicles. The high-explosive filler is deadly to crew members.

• Perforante mod.35: API-T - This belt offers a good transition from the Default to the PzGr 40 belt. The round offers decent damage against lightly armoured tanks, especially at close range. Due to lack of high-explosive filler, however, it is better to focus on the PzGr 40 belt to maximize penetration power.

• PzGr 40: HVAP-T · API-T - Probably the belt with the best penetrating shell for the vehicle. While the damage effects post-penetration can be quite poor, the rapid fire from the autocannon can remedy this problem by following up quickly with another penetrating shot. In close combat, these shells should be used against modules and crew member to make the most of each shell. Against angled armour, however, the HVAP ammo may not be very effective.

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
Default	API-T/HEFI-T*	38	36	27	19	14	10
Granata mod.35	HEFI-T	2	2	2	2	2	2
Perforante mod.35	API-T	38	36	27	19	14	10
PzGr 40	HVAP-T/API-T	64	63	27	19	14	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%
Granata mod.35	HEFI-T	830	0.14	0.3	0.1	3	79°	80°	81°
Perforante mod.35	API-T	832	0.14	1.2	9	1.7	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	13th rack empty	14th rack empty	15th rack empty	16th rack empty	17th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
100	94 (+6)	88 (+12)	82 (+18)	76 (+24)	70 (+30)	64 (+36)	58 (+42)	52 (+48)	46 (+54)	40 (+60)	34 (+66)	28_ (+72)	22 (+78)	16 (+84)	10 (+90)	4 (+96)	0 (+100)	Yes

Ammo racks of the AS 42

Notes:

• The visual discrepancy is the rack 17. It contains 4 clips whereas only one is modeled.
• Racks 1 to 16 contain 6 clips each.
• Clips are modeled by sets of 2 and disappear from the rack after you've fired/loaded both clips in the set.

Usage in battles

Combat tactics

The main role of the AS 42 is as an anti-air asset. Position the vehicle in an open space to be able to detect aircraft from a distance, usually near your spawn point. You can move forward and stay close to your teammates to offer the best AA support but you'll then become target to enemy tanks (especially with artillery strikes and MG fire). Engage approaching aircraft only under 1,000 m to increase your chances of hitting (ideal distance is 500-700 m) and avoid being detected too early. Your fire rate is poor for a AA gun so you have to shoot precisely and make every shot count. Your vehicle's protection is inexistent: plan to have an obstacle nearby you can use as cover (building, rock formation, etc.)

You can also play as a scout car on some maps: use your speed to flank enemy forces and ambush them. Retreat and relocate after destroying an enemy. Avoid frontal engagement at every cost as your vehicle and your crew are fully unprotected. Keep in mind that you have a good mobility on hard terrain (solid ground, roads, etc.) but not on soft terrain (mud, sand, snow) because of your tires. The big turn radius of the AS 42 also prevents it from sneaking through narrow passages in urban maps. Drive precisely: any obstacle will immobilize you very quickly if you don't pay attention and your mobility is key to your survival in this role.

Notable enemies

Pretty much any enemy can destroy the AS 42 in seconds. The most lethal enemies are:

• Strafing planes. The biggest threat is enemy aircraft, as even a 7.62 mm MG can kill your SPAA in one burst.
• Vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns. They will destroy you from 1 km distance in a heartbeat.
• Tanks firing HEAT or HE shells. The blast effect is deadly to your already limited and unprotected crew.
• Heavily armoured tanks that are immune to your gun, even if you catch them by surprise.

How to defeat a AS 42

Being a vehicle without any armour, it remains a vehicle easy to destroy: the 2 quickest ways to deal with the AS 42 are MG/autocannons and HEAT/HE projectiles. But any shell with explosive filler will do. Avoid close quarters and engage from long distance to increase your armour advantage while decreasing the AS 42's firepower. You can also force your opponent to play on a terrain hindering its mobility (mud, snow, sand) to negate its main advantage. Aim for the driver or the engine to immobilize it, meaning almost certain death for a barely protected vehicle.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tires		Parts	Horizontal Drive	Granata mod.35
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Perforante mod.35
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	PzGr 40

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High top speed
• Access to PzGr 40 rounds
• Sloped frontal armor, may deflect some rounds
• High penetration for the 20mm cannon

Cons:

• Small magazine for SPAA
• Virtually no protection at all. Even rifle rounds will penetrate the armour
• Only has two crew members
• Crew is exposed

History

The AS (Autosahariana) 42 was derived from the AB 41 armoured car. It was, however, unarmored and did not have the rear driver position. Designed for long-range reconnaissance in North Africa, it had a cross country range of almost 500 miles (800 km). It was also known as the Camionetta Desertica (Desert Weapons Carrier) mod. 42, or "la Sahariana" (the Saharan). The main armament varied: 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons, 20 mm anti-tank rifles, and machine guns were common alternatives. About 200 were built and saw service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. After the armistice, some continued in use with Fascist Italian forces and Germany, including on the Eastern Front, and in the Ardennes in 1944-5.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AS 42 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

AS 42 Review: Great with the CR42 as backup! Not so much at taking hits... - Joseph 2000

Camionetta SPA-Viberti AS42 Light Italian Truck - The Italian Desert Raider - Tanks Encyclopedia

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same gun

• AB 41
• L6/40

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Type 94
• Flakpanzer I
• Pvlvv fm/42

External links

• [Wikipedia] SPA-Viberti AS.42
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Camionetta SPA-Viberti AS42

Italy anti-aircraft vehicles
R3 Capraia	R3 T20 FA-HS
SIDAM 25	SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral)
Wheeled	AS 42 · CM52
Tracked	M42 Contraereo · Leopard 40/70 · OTOMATIC
Hungary	◔ZSU-57-2 · ◔ZSU-23-4