Ystervark

Ystervark

Ystervark

Description

The Ystervark is a rank British SPAA with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Ground Breaking".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Structural steel (chassis)
• Rolled homogeneous armor (cabin, truckbed, hood)
• Bulletproof glass (windshield)
• Wheel (tires)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Chassis	2-5 mm (12-82°) Grille & Bumpers	4 mm Top 4 mm (60°) Bottom 5 mm Chassis	4 mm (19°)
Drivers cabin	4 mm (12°) Cabin 60 mm (12°) Windshield	4 mm (0-7°) Cabin 60 mm (0-7°) Windshield		2 mm (2°)

Notes:

• Wheels are 10 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick.
• Vents and mudguards are 2 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				176			__.__
Realistic				110			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

20 mm GAI C01						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	600 (75)	996	-7°/+83°	±180°	N/A	39.6	54.8	66.6	73.6	78.4	9.10	8.05	7.42	7.00
Realistic						26.8	31.5	38.3	42.3	45.0

Ammunition

• Default: HVAP-T · HEF-I
• M594: HEF-I · HEF-I · HVAP-T
• M601: HVAP-T · HVAP-T · HEF-I

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	57	52	37	24	15	10
M594	57	52	37	24	15	10
M601	57	52	37	24	15	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%
20 mm M601	HVAP-T	1,100	0.11	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	77°	72°
20 mm M594	HEF-I	1,054	0.12	0	0.1	27.2	N/A	N/A	N/A

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ystervark

Full ammo	Ammo type	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty
8 600	Magazines Rounds	7 (+1) 525 (+75)	6 (+2) 450 (+150)	5 (+3) 375 (+225)	4 (+4) 300 (+300)
5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
3 (+5) 225 (+375)	2 (+6) 150 (+450)	1 (+7) 75 (+525)	0 (+8) 0 (+600)	No

Note:

• Ammunition is divided into 8 magazines of 75 rounds.

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).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fast 900+ rounds/min firerate allows it easily score hits with a burst on an aircraft's flight path
• Small profile makes it very easy to conceal itself
• High top speed of 90 km/h means great agility
• Lack of armour means conventional cannons will struggle to one-shot it if poorly aimed
• 75-round belt allows it to confidentally engage targets without worrying too much about reloading

Cons:

• The driving compartment can obstruct the autocannon's gun depression which might be sometimes fatal
• No armour protection, making it highly vulnerable to MG bullets, shrapnel, and even ramming from tanks and aircraft
• Is wheeled, meaning its mobility will be significantly worsened on bad road conditions
• Reverse speed of -13 km/h can be inadequate, especially when comparing to its counterpart R3 T20
• Gunsight is position far above the gun, which can be awkward to aim in simulator
• Complex appearance can make it hard to place bushes, decorators, and decals

History

Up until the early 1980s, the SADF anti-air regiments were reliant on towed equipment. However, as the military doctrine shifted towards mobile warfare, the need for a self-propelled anti-air gun unit became clear. As a result, South African engineers began working on a respective design, which had to be rugged enough to withstand the harsh South African terrain and threat of landmines, yet light enough to ensure a high level of mobility.

Building on the basis of a previous mine-resistant vehicle project, the engineers came up with a light SPAAG design, built on top of the Bulldog APC chassis between 1983 and 1984. Entering service almost immediately, the Ystervark was used to accompany South African mechanized battalions and to protect strategic assets, such as air bases in the southwest African region. Ystervarks were first employed operationally during Operation Thunder Chariot in 1984 - a division -scale exercise in South Africa during which the Ystervarks were first tested.

However, the Ystervarks didn’t have to wait long for their first combat deployment. Taking part in several operations in the ongoing South African Border War from 1986, Ystervarks were used to great success as deterrents to low-flying Angolan attack aircraft and helicopters, even downing several Angolan MiGs in 1986 and 1987.  After the conclusion of the Border War in 1989, the Ystervark was gradually being phased out of service in 1991 and replaced by the SAMIL 100 Kwêvoël mine-protected SPAAG armoured truck called the Bosvark. Officially, the Ystervark was withdrawn from active service in 1997 after more than 70 units were produced.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

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

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] Ystervark:The Little Truck That Could

Britain anti-aircraft vehicles
Crusader AA	Crusader AA Mk I · Crusader AA Mk II
Wheeled	Staghound AA · AEC AA
Radar SPAAG	Chieftain Marksman
Missile SPAA	Stormer AD · Stormer HVM
Other	Light AA Mk I · Falcon
Canada	Skink · ADATS (M113)
South Africa	Ystervark · Bosvark · ZA-35