Sho't Kal Dalet

This page is about the premium Israeli medium tank Sho't Kal Dalet. For other versions, see Sho't (Family).

Sho't Kal Dalet

Sho't Kal Dalet

Israel

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	9.0	9.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:8 730

Description

The Sho't Kal Dalet was the fourth and final production modification of the Sho't Kal series. The modification appeared in 1984 after the 1982 Lebanon War. Among the improvements was the installation of the more advanced "Barak Or" fire control system, and more efficient placement of the "Blazer" ERA packages. Tanks of this modification were in service with the IDF until 1992, when they were fully replaced by more modern Merkava tanks, and were also used for training armoured units until 2002.

Introduced in Update "Danger Zone", the Sho't Kal Dalet is quite similar to the tech-tree variant: the Sho't Kal Gimel. However, the Sho't Kal Dalet has a very good fire control system for its BR; with its thermal imaging system, it can acquire targets through bushes and other obstacles that allow light to pass through. Coupled with a 105 mm gun equipped with HEATFS and APFSDS ammunition, its firepower and gun handling are a force to be reckoned with. However, it has mediocre mobility, which will not allow it to accelerate quickly, and rather poor side armour protection, which will protect at most from heavy machine guns.

General info

Survivability and armour

ERA

Effective action against the cumulative ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull76 / 51 / 38

Turret152 / 89 / 89

Crew4 people

Visibility119 %

As a Centurion-based tank, the Sho't Kal Dalet comes under increasingly lethal enemy shells, APFSDS and HEAT-FS, that can easily penetrate the front of the tank. Some attempts can be seen to remedy this issue, with an extra 51 mm plate welded on top of the base 76.2 mm hull front armour, and ERA platings to help protect against HEAT-FS. Both of these can help resist against the glancing kinetic or chemical shells and hopefully provide extra breathing room for the Sho't Kal Dalet to continue manoeuvring on the battlefield.

Side armour, without any up-armouring effort, proves to be vulnerable against autocannon rounds from IFVs or SPAAs, so it is best to keep the tank's frontal array pointed towards the main threat. Any penetration on the tank, whether from the front or the sides, have a very high chance of hitting one of the crew, the ammunition, or the fuel. Combined with the relatively dubious reliability of the front armour, a Sho't Kal Dalet would benefit from a very safe playstyle reducing the number of chances the Sho't Kal Dalet can be hit in.

Front-launching smoke grenades are also available with the tank, allowing the players the option to quickly bring up concealment in order to withdraw the Sho't Kal Dalet to a safe place if under threat of enemy fire.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Roof, Turret roof, Cupola roof, Side skirts, Smoke launchers)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Gun mantlet, Cupola sides)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	127.2 mm (57°) Upper glacis 76.2 mm (46°) Lower glacis	50.8 mm (12°)	38 mm (8°) Top 20 mm (62°) Bottom	5 - 29 mm
Turret	89 mm Turret front 100 - 200 mm Gun mantlet	89 mm	89 mm	29 - 50.8 mm
Cupola	152 mm	90 - 152 mm	90 mm	29 mm

Notes:

• Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
• The steel boxes around the turret and the hull give a 4 mm additional protection, though this seems to be a negligible addition.
• Skirting are placed on the sides of the Centurion, giving an additional 6 mm of side protection and can act as spaced armour.
• An internal structural plate of 17 mm thickness separates the forward ammo rack from the driver as seen in X-ray mode.
• Another internal 17 mm structural plate with large openings separates the driving compartment from the fighting compartment.
• Each block Blazer ERA provides 260 mm worth of Chemical Energy protection

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB53 / 13 km/h

RB and SB48 / 12 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight54.0 t

Engine power

AB1 431 hp

RB and SB750 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB26.5 hp/t

RB and SB13.9 hp/t

Compared to the tech tree Sho't Kal Alef and Sho't Kal Gimel, the Sho't Kal Dalet has very similar mobility due to sharing the same engine upgrade into a 750 hp Continental diesel engine with 2,400 RPM. Forward speeds can reach up to 48 km/h (5 gears) in RB. Reverse speed, great already in the basic Centurion, is enhanced by this engine upgrade to reach up to -12 km/h (2 gears) to aid in the tank's withdrawal efforts.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	53	13	54	1,162	1,431	21.52	26.5
Realistic	48	12		663	750	12.28	13.89

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB3 017

RB3 113

SB3 970

Crew training10 000

Experts730 000

Aces2 000

Research Aces1 780 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 140 / 200 / 230 %

2 × 214 / 214 / 214 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment ESS	Horizontal Drive 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Adjustment of Fire Smoke grenade Elevation Mechanism 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack NVD Artillery Support Laser rangefinder 105mm_usa_M735_APDS_FS_ammo_pack

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

105 mm Sharir cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition72 rounds

First-order11 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 18°

The Sharir main gun is based on the Royal Ordnance L7 gun and so it can fire an assortment of APFSDS, HEAT-FS, HESH, and smoke rounds for a relatively versatile options of attacking. With a fast reload speed of down to 6.7 seconds, a Sho't Kal Dalet in a decent ambush site can make quick work of several enemies downrange.

105 mm Sharir					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	72	-10°/+18°	±180°	Two-plane	22.8	31.6	38.4	42.5	45.2	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					14.3	16.8	20.4	22.6	24.0

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
M152	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
M156	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M111	APFSDS	337	335	330	322	314	306

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M152	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°
M156	HESH	731	11.4	0.1	4	3.17	73°	77°	80°
M111	APFSDS	1,455	4.2	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M416	732	11.6	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Sho't Kal Dalet

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
72	68 (+4)	63 (+9)	33 (+39)	25 (+47)	12 (+60)	5 (+67)	1 (+71)	No

Notes:

• Racks 6 and 7 are first stage ammo racks. They total 11 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
• These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 7 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
• To go into battle with the frontal ammo rack empty, pack 33 (+39) shells.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 200 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

2 x 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun

Ammunition3 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

Like its tech tree counterparts, the Sho't Kal Dalet comes with multiple machine guns. In total, there are 2 coaxial machine guns (FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm) & M2HB (12.7 mm)) and 2 roof-mounted machine guns (FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)). Though there is only one 12.7 mm machine gun, the four machine guns firing in unison can prove dangerous to any low-flying aircraft to cripple certain components or discourage the aircraft from staying low near a Sho't Kal Dalet.

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,000 (200)	577	N/A	N/A

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,200 (200)	600	N/A	N/A
Pintle (loader)	1,800 (200)	600	-10°/+5°	-120°/+80°
Pintle (commander)	1,800 (200)	600	-10°/+50°	-80°/+120°

Usage in battles

As mentioned in previous sections, the Sho't Kal Dalet is rather poorly protected against straight-on kinetic hits, but its cannon is quite lethal with the available ammunition and rate of fire. As such, the Sho't Kal Dalet should be used moreso as a "sniper", staying farther range and using the Sharir cannon and the M111 APFSDS round to engage enemies from afar.

This playstyle is benefited from the laser rangefinder available to the Sho't Kal Dalet, which can provide accurate, and compensated, ranges for the cannon to fire at the enemy quickly. When firing from so far, the only enemy threats would be tanks with similar fire control systems for long-range fighting or missile launchers. In the latter case, the presence of ERA plates on the Sho't Kal Dalet may prove key to its survival by protecting the tank against a single hit, which then allows Sho't Kal Dalet players to assess where the missile came from and either withdraw into cover or engage the missile launcher if it has been spotted.

Fighting in a hull-down position would also benefit the Sho't Kal Dalet to reduce its profile to the turret, which has a more complex armour design as well as more ERA coverage from the front.

While close-range fighting is not impossible with the Sho't Kal Dalet with its stabilized gun and mobility, the weak side armour and relatively slow turret and hull traverse makes the vehicle not ideal to that playstyle.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 105 mm Sharir cannon has impressive ammunition options
• Cannon is fully stabilized for fighting on-the-move
• Laser range finder allows for easier range acquisition to engage in long-range combat
• ERA can prove sufficient against incoming chemical warheads or ATGM
• Vehicle front profile is relatively small and has good ERA coverage

Cons:

• Vehicle is still slower than other contemporary medium tanks of the rank
• Armour against kinetic energy threats is rather weak
• Internals are full of vital components, a single penetration can easily cripple the tank's combat ability, if not outright destroy it

History

Devblog

In the late 1950s, Israel struck a deal with Great Britain to purchase a number of Centurion Mk.5 tanks as a response to Egypt's own rearmament efforts at the time. Deliveries continued well into the 1960s, with Israel fielding more than 300 Centurion tanks prior to the Six-Day War in 1967.

Although the Centurion, or Sho't as it was called by the Israelis, was the most modern tank in service with the IDF at the time, it wasn't very liked among Israeli tank crews due to its low reliability in desert conditions. Therefore, the decision was made to modernize the vehicles in May 1967 by replacing the petrol engine with a more powerful and reliable Continental diesel engine. Further upgrades included the fitting of a new transmission, larger fuel tanks and other minor improvements.

In the following Middle Eastern conflicts of the late '60s and early '70s, the Sho't had proven its effectiveness in combat. However, after the devastating tank losses of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli engineers realized the importance of crew protection and work on an indigenous tank design, that would become the Merkava, began.

In the meantime, the vehicles that were already in service had to be modernized in order to prevent a repeat of the high losses of the Yom Kippur War in potential future conflicts. This modernization effort primarily focused on the addition of the Blazer ERA package to the Sho't Kal and Magach tanks, which would reduce the effectiveness of chemical munitions fired at the vehicles.

The upgraded Sho't Kal Dalet, as it was known, proved the effectiveness of the upgrade during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, where it fared well against ATGMs and RPGs.

The Sho't Kal Dalet was the last mass-produced modification of the Israeli Centurion, before it was replaced by the more modern Merkava tank models. In total, Israel had purchased and used over 1,100 Centurion tanks, with some still being in limited service today as APCs, ARVs or CEVs.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Sho't Kal Dalet from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Sho't (Family)
• Centurion (Family)

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Sho't Kal Gimel
• Centurion Mk.5/1

External links

• [Devblog] Sho't Kal Dalet: Conquering the Desert
• [Wikipedia] Sho't Kal Dalet
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Sho't MBT