Begleitpanzer 57

Begleitpanzer 57

JaPz.K A2

Radkampfwagen 90

Begleitpanzer 57

JaPz.K A2

Radkampfwagen 90

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.7	9.3	9.3

Class:

Light tank

Research:190 000

Purchase:520 000

Description

The Begleitpanzer 57 is a Rank VI German light tank with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB) and 9.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".

At first glance, the Begleitpanzer 57 may be confused for a SPAA due to the light armoured chassis and a rapid-fire 57 mm auto cannon. On the turret's is also a TOW launcher that can be fired in a SACLOS manner, meaning it will automatically align itself with the cross hair in flight.

The Begleitpanzer 57 overall construction is similar to that of the T114 with light armour all around that even heavy machine gun ammunition can penetrate through the sides. The turret's nature with its exterior gun mount also has its similarities.

As a light tank, the Begleitpanzer 57 carries a great firepower punch for its mobility despite its lack of armour. A rapid firing 57 mm cannon carries enough penetration rivaling that of the ZSU-57-2, but the addition of a TOW launcher system makes this vehicle a dangerous opponent by being able to engage a variety of target at its leisure.

While the cannon shares the caliber with the Russian 57 mm gun, it is quite different in performance. The Russian SPAA has a slightly better combined fire rate and significantly more accuracy at range. You also start to lose the penetration advantage at 1 km compared to the APHE belt of the ZSU-57-2. All of this combined makes you very reliant on your ATGM, of which you only have 6. Upgrading to the better ATGM is highly encouraged, the APHE belt can be completely ignored as it can not reliably perforate Russian side armor.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	11 mm (76°), 32 mm (32°) Front glacis 32 mm (31-61°) Lower glacis	15 mm (30°) Top 15 mm	11 mm (24°) Top 11 mm (26°)	11 mm
Turret	25 mm (39°) Turret front 25 mm (0-9°) Gun mantlet	15 mm (12-16°) Left side 15 mm Right side	15 mm (39°)	11 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 11 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armour weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
28.5	N/A	78 (AB)
		70 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	930	1,145
Realistic/Simulator	531	600
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	32.63	40.18
Realistic/Simulator	18.63	21.05

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm Bofors L/70 Mk.I
Capacity (Belt capacity)		Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
96 (48)		200	-8°/+45°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	20.0	27.67	33.6	39.53
Realistic	12.5	14.7	17.22	20.87
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
15.00	15.00	15.00	15.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics 1.85 early
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
57x438 AP-T	APCBC	142	140	116	91	72	56
57x438 SAP-T	APHEBC	70	68	55	43	29	20
57x438 HE-T	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

Penetration statistics 1.85
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
57x438 AP-T	APCBC	124	122	107	90	77	65
57x438 SAP-T	APHEBC	94	83	80	68	58	49
57x438 HE-T	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

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%
57x438 AP-T	APCBC	950	2.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4°	48°	63°	71°
57x438 SAP-T	APHEBC	950	2.4	1.3	15	127.5	+4°	48°	63°	71°
57x438 HE-T	HE	1020	2.4	0.4	0.1	765	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
96	48	48	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Additional armament

BGM-71B TOW ATGM
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Flight speed (m/s)	Range (m)
6			-6°/+20°	299	3,000

OR

BGM-71C TOW ATGM
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Flight speed (m/s)	Range (m)
6			-6°/+20°	296	3,750

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
TOW	ATGM	430	430	430	430	430	430
I-TOW	ATGM	630	630	630	630	630	630

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%
TOW	ATGM	299	19	0.0	0.1	2,450	°	80°	82°	90°
I-TOW	ATGM	296	19	0.0	0.1	2,080	°	80°	82°	90°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
6'	XX (X+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG 3A1
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
5,000 (1,000)				1,200	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 57 mm useful against light armoured vehicles like light tanks and Leopards.
• Great for spotting / disabling tracks and cannon parts.
• Can take out aircraft from a 45 degree angle or lower.
• When flanking, can easily destroy tanks from the side.
• Armour can withstand 7.62mm (.30) bullets from the front, but higher caliber AP will penetrate.

Cons:

• Most high-caliber machine guns (higher than .50 cals) will go through any of its armor.
• Its 45 degree gun elevation makes it vulnerable to high angle attacks.
• Easy be hull broken.
• Cannot take on most tanks from the front.
• Fairly low ammunition count.
• Lack of a stabilizer
• Gun breech can be damaged from 7mm machine guns
• Must stop to use AGTMs

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

• [Devblog] Begleitpanzer 57: Bofors/Marder united at last!

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.