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 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 calibre 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 armour.

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

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	84	84	28.5	930	1,145	32.63	40.18
Realistic	76	76		531	600	18.63	21.05

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm Bofors L/70 Mk.I
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 + Full crew	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
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
57х438 AP-T	APCBC	125	122	107	91	77	66
57х438 HE-T	HE	8	8	8	8	8	8
57х438 HE-VT	HE	8	8	8	8	8	8
57х438 SAP-T	APHEBC	94	92	81	69	58	50

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Normalisation at 30° from horizontal	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
57х438 AP-T	APCBC	950	2.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4.0°	48°	63°	71°
57х438 HE-T	HE	1,020	2.4	0.4	0.1	450	+0.0°	79°	80°	81°
57х438 HE-VT	HE	1,020	2.4	0.4	0.1	450	+0.0°	79°	80°	81°
57х438 SAP-T	APHEBC	950	2.4	1.2	9.0	75	+4.0°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
96	72 (+24)	48 (+48)	24 (+72)	0 (+96)	No

Optics

Begleitpanzer 57 Optics
	Default magnification	Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics	X4.0	X12.1
Comparable optics	???

Additional armament

BGM-71B TOW ATGM
Capacity	Vertical guidance	Flight speed (m/s)	Range (m)
6	-6°/+20°	299	3,000
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 @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
TOW	ATGM	430	430	430	430	430	430
I-TOW	ATGM	630	630	630	630	630	630

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Normalisation at 30° from horizontal	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
TOW	ATGM	299	18.8	N/A	0.1	2,450	+0.0°	80°	82°	90°
I-TOW	ATGM	296	19	N/A	0.1	2,080	+0.0°	80°	82°	90°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
6	4 (+2)	0 (+6)	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 battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	57x438 SAP-T
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Airstrike	I-TOW
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	57x438 HE-VT	NVD
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	Improved optics	Laser rangefinder

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 57 mm useful against lightly 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 7.62 mm (.30) bullets from the front, but higher calibre AP will penetrate.
• Has access to thermal vision for gunners sight.
• Has access to fused HE shells which are very deadly against aircrafts and helicopters.
• Has access to laser rangefinder (very useful for shooting down helicopters and planes from very long ranges since it doesn't have tracking system like SPAAs).

Cons:

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

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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] Begleitpanzer 57: Bofors/Marder united at last!