T18E2

T18E2

T18E2

USA

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.0	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Light tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

MARKET

Description

The T18E2 "Boarhound" is a gift rank II American light tank with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm" in the 2018 "Chronicles of World War II" that took place between the 14th of April till the 10th of May of the same year. It was obtainable by earning 6 "Chronicle awards" in ground vehicles.

The T18E2 is an American heavy armoured car built on an 8 x 8 suspension and features a 57 mm M1 cannon.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull50 / 31 / 25

Turret38 / 38 / 38

Crew5 people

Visibility84 %

The T18E2 is a heavy armoured car that favours protection over the high mobility common to the class. The T18E2's hull is solidly protected from heavy machine guns and artillery shrapnel, but most opponents at this battle rating can penetrate it without trouble. Despite sufficient armour to protect the crew, the transmission located under the floor armour is very susceptible to damage from artillery.

The vehicle carries a full complement of 5 crew members. A driver and MG gunner sit together in the forward driving compartment, while the Gunner, Loader, and Commander sit in close proximity in the rather small turret in the fighting compartment. Altogether, a well placed APHE round can be enough to knock out all of the crew members in the vehicle but may survive multiple solid shots of AP or APCR rounds, especially from the side. However, the crew is positioned deceptively high off the ground above an armoured floor, and so shots to the very lower glacis frequently only damage the transmission.

Armor type:

• Cast Homogeneous armour (turret, hull front and sides)
• Rolled Homogeneous armour (hull rear and hull roof)
• Structural Steel (fender, various boxes along the hull, and vents on engine compartment)
• Wheels

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	51 mm (0-40°) Lower glacis & upper hull 32 mm + 51 mm (0-61°) Machine Gun Port 38 mm (10-16°) Driver's Port 32 mm (49-81°) Upper Glacis 25 mm (72-75°) Small hatch on upper glacis	32 mm (0°) Side 25 mm (0°) Hatches	25 mm (0-16°) Main 13 mm (16-58°) Upper & Lower	19 mm Driving compartment 13 mm (83-90°) Fighting/engine compartment 5 mm (84°) Vents
Turret	51 mm + 38 mm (0-49°) Gun Mantlet 38 mm (4-30°) Turret front	38 mm (0-39°)	38 mm (0-33°) Rear 25 mm (10°) Hatch	19 mm Roof 13 mm Hatches

Notes:

• Floor armour is only 10 mm thick, though the suspension mounting found between each pair of wheels is reinforced with 13 mm of armour underneath the vehicle.
• Turret ring armour is 25 mm thick.
• Structural steel boxes and drums of 5 mm thick dot the exterior of the car, which can add some precious little armour thickness.
• Wheels are 10 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB89 / 37 km/h

RB and SB80 / 33 km/h

Number of gears7 forward

2 back

Weight24.0 t

Engine power

AB477 hp

RB and SB250 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB19.9 hp/t

RB and SB10.4 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	89	37	24	387	477	16.13	19.88
Realistic	80	33		221	250	9.21	10.42

In RB/SB mode, the T18E2 is a very sluggish vehicle, especially compared to other armoured cars. Despite its listed top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), most drivers will only see up to 65 km/h (40 mph) on paved roads and 39 km/h (24 mph) cross country depending on terrain. Even so, with its low power to weight ratio of 10.41 hp/ton (in comparison to 14.44 hp/ton of the M3 Lee), it takes driving relatively straight for a long while for it to reach these speeds. Best stick to paved roads when you can if you need to be somewhere quick and avoid muddy terrain altogether like that found at White Rock Fortress, where mud can drag your speed down to as low as 8 km/h (5 mph), leaving you vulnerable if trying to cross potential fire zones quickly.

The T18E2 also possesses a very high top reverse speed of -36 km/h (-20 mph), though again because of its low acceleration, will take some time to possibly reach this. However, in comparison to other tanks, the reverse acceleration and eventual speed is still acceptable for quick retreats. This can even mitigate the disadvantage that the vehicle requires a large turn radius to turn around.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB800

RB458

SB1 317

Crew training4 800

Experts32 000

Aces210

Research Aces440 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 50 / 60 / 80 %

2 × 124 / 124 / 124 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tires Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire Airstrike 57mm_us_APCBC_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism Smoke grenade Artillery Support Improved optics

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm M1 cannon

Vertical stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving

Ammunition64 rounds

First-order24 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

5.2 → 4.0 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

57 mm M1
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
64			-10°/+20°	±180°	Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	23.01	23.72	28.80	31.85	33.88
Realistic	10.71	12.60	15.30	16.92	18.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M70	AP	117	114	97	80	65	54
M86	APCBC	103	99	84	68	56	45

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%
M70	AP	900	2.85	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M86	APCBC	822	2.71	1.2	20	41.16	+4°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T18E2 "Boarhound"

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
64	52 (12+)	40 (24+)	24 (+40)	12 (+52)	1 (+63)	No

Notes:

• Recommended load is 24 (+40) to keep the hull empty of ammo.
• 1st and 2nd ammo racks are ready racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills 5, 4, then 3.
• Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in either ready rack. If both ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 3-5 into 2 then 1, as long as there is ammo in racks 3-5. Firing will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

Machine guns

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm M1919A4
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,000 (250)				500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Though this is an armoured car, this is best played as a tank destroyer, as the gun is arguably the best feature on this tank. Even with your sluggish speeds, you should be able to keep up with most medium tanks and provide support to them, letting them soak up damage while you dish out it back with your great gun.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Quick firing 57 mm cannon that can fire as quick as 4 seconds with a highly trained crew
• High penetration APHE shell can make short work of foes it can face
• Large ready-rack of 24 shells
• Can scout targets in AB/RB
• Good speeds can be reached on paved roads
• Armor will protect it from heavy machine guns from nearly any angle
• Carries a bomb launcher, able to shoot up to 14 smoke grenades
• Possesses a vertical gun stabilizer to increase accuracy at low speeds
• Turret rotation speed is adequate but could be better

Cons:

• Transmission is easily knocked out by artillery shrapnel
• Slows down substantially when crossing muddy terrain or deep snow
• Very sluggish acceleration, will take a while to reach high speeds
• Large turning radius, can be problematic in narrow streets or environments
• Any calibre bigger than 14.5 mm will likely tear through the car at close range
• Requires a wide radius to turn around
• Only possess AP and APHE, no HE available

History

T18

Development

The US Army Ordnance Corps released a requirement in 1941 for a medium armored car and a heavy armored car to be exported to Britain. Ford built the T17 Deerhound and T17E1 Staghound for the medium requirement. Development for the heavy armored car was headed by the Yellow Coach Company. 

The prototype for the heavy armored car was displayed in 1942, and the design became the T18. It was being designed for the British Army, who wanted them for the war in North Africa, where the mobility of armored cars would be beneficial at the time.

Design

The T18 used an 8x8 wheeled chassis with four total axles, the front two paired together and the rear two paired together. The vehicle had a length of 20.4 feet, a width of 10 feet, and a height of 8.5 feet. It weighed around 30 tons, and was operated by a crew of five, with the driver and co-driver/machine gunner in the hull front and the commander, gunner, and loader in the turret.

The three-man turret was located on the center of the hull. The main armament consisted of a 37 mm M6 anti-tank gun. A coaxial 7.62 mm M1919A4 was mounted in the turret, and a second M1919 machine gun was ball-mounted in the hull front for use by the co-driver/machine gunner.

Armor protection of the T18 was from 9.5 mm to 50.8 mm.

The T18 was powered by two GMC 6-cylinder engines, each producing 125 horsepower, for a total of 250 horsepower. The T18 could reach speeds of 50 miles per hour and had a range of 250 miles.

T18E2 Boarhound

Development

Before the T18 had been delivered to the British Army, it was seen in the North African theater that the 37 mm had become insufficient against the latest German panzers. As such, it was decided to replace the 37 mm M6 gun with a 57 mm M1 anti-tank gun (a license-produced version of the QF 6-pounder. Sixty 57 mm projectiles were carried, and 2,500 rounds of machine gun ammunition were carried as well. The vehicle with the 57 mm gun was designated as the T18E2.

Production and Service

The T18E2 was designed by the British Army as the Boarhound, and 2,500 Boarhounds were planned to be acquired. By the time deliveries began, the war in North Africa was coming to a close, and the Boarhound also had poor off-road mobility. These factors, in addition to a high unit cost, caused the British Army to cut the order short at just 30 units. Very few Boarhounds saw combat, and none saw heavy combat. They were mostly used for convoy escort, base defense, or reconnaissance.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the T18E2 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #96 - Metal Beasts section at 04:52 discusses the T18E2.

Best experimental vehicles discusses the T18E2 at 5:08 - War Thunder Official Channel

Best armored cars discusses the T18E2 at 2:55 - War Thunder Official Channel

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;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.