FV4005
Contents
Description
The FV4005 Stage II is a rank IV British tank destroyer with a battle rating of 6.3 (AB/RB) and 6.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault".
The FV4005 holds the distinction of being the single largest cannon available in War Thunder Ground Forces at 183 mm, as well as having a very long single-shell reload with a stock time of 38.9 seconds. It can only fire HESH (High Explosive Squash Head) shells and has a limited turret rotation of ±45°.
General info
Survivability and armour
The FV4005 Stage II has essentially negligible armour, due to the gigantic turret providing only 14 mm of protection from any given angle. Due to this and the vehicle's crew being largely based in the turret, the FV4005 is extremely vulnerable to even .50 calibre machine guns, and any large calibre explosives can and will inflict overpressure damage on them, which is always fatal.
The only redeeming trait in regards to survivability is that the crew may survive some side-on attacks due to the sheer size of the gun breech. Regardless, an FV4005 player should not count on surviving anything bar the lightest of machine gun fire.
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
- Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
| Armour | Front | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 76.2 mm (61°) Front glacis 76.2 mm (44°) Lower glacis |
50.8 (12°) + 6 mm | 38 mm (6°) Top 38 mm (13°) Bottom |
38 mm 29 mm Engine deck |
| Turret | 14 mm (10°) Turret front 14 mm (12-61°) Gun mantlet |
14 mm (0-8°) | 14 mm (1°) | 14 mm |
Notes:
- Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
- Spaced armour plates are placed on the side of the Centurion chassis, giving an additional 6 mm of side armour.
- The rear has a steel rack providing an additional 15 mm of protection.
Crew:
- Commander
- Gunner
- Loader x2
- Driver
Total: 5 crew members
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 | 31 | 11 | 50 | 923 | 1,240 | 18.46 | 24.8 |
| Realistic | 28 | 10 | 575 | 650 | 11.5 | 13 | |
The FV4005 doesn't represent anything special in terms of mobility; the vehicle utilises a Centurion hull and retains most of the same characteristics, including the somewhat sub-par reverse speed. Hull traverse times are reasonable, but not exceptional, and maximum forwards speed is a limited 28 km/h in RB/SB.
Due to the vehicle's limited mobility, players should play conservatively, avoiding flanking routes and any areas where there is no immediate escape route available. The Tracks upgrade is particularly valuable on the FV4005, as due to its limited turret traverse distance the improved hull traverse will on occasion be a saving grace.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Main armament
The FV4005 Stage II sports the largest cannon available in War Thunder Ground Forces, the 183 mm QF L4A1, with the second longest single-shell base reload time of any vehicle, at 38.9 seconds. The L4A1 is restricted to the use of HESH only, due to the weapon originally being envisaged as an anti-emplacement howitzer.
HESH has slower fuse than HE and HEAT and won't detonate on most foliage, but it cannot penetrate more than one layer of armour, so it can be blocked by side skirts and, sometimes, even by chassis or machine guns. Despite problems with penetration of the countermeasures, HESH can be used to great effect against almost any possible target, provided shots are placed well - ideally on angled side armour, while ensuring the armour isn't angled enough to bounce and isn't protected by an additional layer.
HESH could also be placed straight on top of the target crew compartment, as long as it is strong enough to break through the armour (generally, angled frontal armour is only built with kinetic shells and HE in mind) and isn't blocked by internal modules. In the case of the L1 shell, which the FV4005 uses, even the frontal hull armour of the Maus is not enough to sustain a direct hit.
Despite the size and weight of the L1 round, it has reasonable ballistics at 716 m/s velocity. Due to a colossal explosive power, even if the shell misses it will sometimes destroy tanks with overpressure damage and create holes in the ground. Maximum penetration and effective range of the explosion effect are difficult to measure.
| 183 mm QF L4A1 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 12 | -7°/+15° | ±45° | N/A | 15.85 | 21.94 | 26.64 | 29.46 | 31.34 | 38.87 | 34.38 | 31.69 | 29.90 |
| Realistic | 10.71 | 12.60 | 15.30 | 16.92 | 18.00 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| Shell L1 | HESH | 228 | 228 | 228 | 228 | 228 | 228 |
Important note: HESH round performance improves, within reason, when targets are angled. This is due to the 'squash head' the rounds are tipped by - on larger angles the head will 'squash' further and result in more internal damage. However, the improvements with angling are limited once the rounds reach their ricochet angles - past 73° of angling the rounds have a chance to bounce. As such it's best to limit rounds to less than 70° where possible.
| 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% | |||||||
| Shell L1 | HESH | 716 | 72 | 0.1 | 4 | 21,760 | 73° | 77° | 80° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
Ammo type |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Projectiles Propellants |
7 (+5) 11 (+1) |
1 (+11) 9 (+3) |
N/A 7 (+5) |
N/A 5 (+7) |
N/A 3 (+9) |
N/A 1 (+11) |
No |
Notes:
- The FV4005 has extremely limited ammunition, with a maximum of 12 rounds. Despite this, it's no mean feat to run out of ammo due to the extended reload time.
- Projectiles and propellant bags are modeled individually and disappear as soon as they're loaded/fired.
- Projectiles racks empty from back to front.
Machine guns
The FV4005's coaxial machine gun is of limited value; it should be used to clear small obstacles or if possible crew members in open-top vehicles. It can be used as a ranging machine gun while keeping in mind that the main weapon's ballistics do not follow the machine gun's trajectory exactly as the MG has a slightly higher round velocity.
| 7.62 mm L3A1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 3,600 (250) | 500 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The main in-game use of this tank is the elimination of hull-down tanks (similar to T30), super-armoured heavy tanks in general (similar to IS-7), well-armoured SPG's (similar to Ho-Ri) and the likes of them. Meanwhile, you still can help your team by hiding around and eliminating reckless rushers in 1 hit, when they aren't looking.
Your main goal in between your hunts is to survive and stay hidden, as you only have enough armour to stop 7.62 mm machine guns, and your reloading time is exceptionally long, especially if you lose either of the loaders. Contrary to popular belief, if you aim poorly with FV4005 it does not knock anything out of existence with a single shot anyway. You should first get out of your cover (or wait for the enemy to get into your firing lines), then take aim at the enemy, and only then fire. HESH shell will do the rest for you if your aim and weak spot suggestion was correct.
Weak spots depend on the mode you play in. As an example, for most Soviet tanks, the frontal weak spot is the left side of the hull (for you - right side). It's also possible to target the back of their turrets in Realistic battle. However, if you fire at back of the turret of IS-2 in arcade mode, it may still survive with just 1 crew member (driver with very high "vitality" level), go into "last stand" mode, turn it's turret and fire back at you. As such, try to aim at places, from which spalling can definitely hit every last crew member.
Likewise, in Arcade mode, it's not enough to just eliminate crew in your turret, and your driver is hidden in the decently armoured hull. However, if your FV4005 is attacked by explosives from 105+ mm gun, it will likely be overpressurized and destroyed. If the gun breech is hit and damaged, there is also a chance that the shell inside will also be destroyed, and you won't be able to avenge yourself even if you manage to repair before a follow up shot.
HESH shells have a slow fuse, which does not react to literally every obstacle it hits, unlike with the HEAT or HE, sometimes allowing FV4005 to fire through some foliage, flimsy fences and the likes. While it does not look very useful at first, it can be especially beneficial in Arcade mode or in some specific sniper setup, as AB players are often extremely uncomfortable with firing without aim assist confirmation, which is easily prevented by obstacles such as a weak metal fence built around a capture point, while you can learn the gun ballistics and train yourself to fire by using distance indicators and tank profile (use "select" hotkey, which is by default set to mouse wheel, to see hostile tank overall size and position) instead, to surprise them and thus avoid return fire.
Going into sniper duels without preparations, like rangefinding and adjusting the gun beforehand, with this tank is ill-advised, as any sniper tank needs significantly less time to aim at you, due to the fact that your turret cannot turn freely, your enormous profile, and faster flying ammunition types. They also can destroy you in 1 hit as well, by hitting your ammo, or even by causing the turret to explode without engaging it directly, particularly noticeable with ATGM tanks like Type 60 ATM.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Armed with the gigantic 183 mm cannon. This is the biggest gun mounted on any tank in the game
- 183 mm HESH will cause the spalling of enemy armour that is 228 mm thick or less. Devastating to even the most heavily armoured tanks
- Large gun breech can potentially protect some of the turret crew from incoming fire and shrapnel.
- The co-axial machine gun has a very similar trajectory to the 183 mm gun, making it ideal for ranging.
- Has the hull of a centurion, it will block or deflect shots and explosions which missed the turret with modest efficiency
- L1 shell can damage the ground, but the tank reloads so slowly, that there has to be multiple of FV4005, or the match has to be stalled for quite long for them to do any strategically significant damage
Cons:
- Huge turret with only 14 mm of armour all around. Can be shredded by .50 cal machine guns and auto cannons, vulnerable even to HEAT overpressure damage if hit
- Lots of ammo lining the entire turret which can be detonated with little effort
- 4 of the 5 crew members are in turret. An APHE penetration or overpressure will likely knock out the tank
- HESH is inherently unreliable, a hit to a wrong spot on certain enemy tank chassis or armour may do no damage at all despite shell's potential, while a close miss might annihilate enemy tank regardless
- Carries only 12 shells
- Due to the thin turret armour and sheer size of the tank, is a prime target for AA guns and all aircraft at the BR
- Turret cannot traverse a full 360 degrees, you'll need to traverse the entire tank left or right to engage enemies on your flanks or rear
- Incredibly long reload time, a knocked out or injured loader can easily push the reload time over 1 minute
History
Work started on a 180 mm self-propelled gun in 1950 by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. Designated the FV215B, the plan was to mount the gun onto the Conqueror hull.[1] It was intended for the three trial vehicles to be built from the span of 1951-1955. The project was cancelled in early 1957 with no prototypes produced.[2]
During the development phase of the FV215B, another project was done on the Centurion.[2] Labeled the FV4005, it was an attempt to mount the 180 mm on the Centurion hull. The design phase is distinctive in two parts, Stage I and II. Stage I had the gun mounted on an open-topped hull. The gun had a concentric recoil system and an auto-loader. Stage II had the gun encased in a lightly armoured, splinter-proof turret with a conventional recoil system and manual loading.[3][4]
In December 1952, the 180 mm gun was increased into a 183 mm gun mounting. Though a single prototype was made for testing, the project never passed basic feasibility. In August 1957, the project was abandoned as well.[3][4] The lone prototype is currently stationed outside at Bovington Tank Museum.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Conway - A vehicle built under a similar principle of a large gun on a Centurion chassis.
External links
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Ware Pat. Images of War: British Tanks: 1945 to the Present Day Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2012a
- Ware Pat. Images of War Special: The Centurion Tank Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2012b
| Britain tank destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Infantry tank derivatives | Archer · Gun Carrier (3-in) |
| Light tank derivatives | Alecto I |
| M10 Achilles | Achilles · Achilles (65 Rg.) |
| Centurion derivatives | FV4005 · Conway |
| ATGM | Swingfire · Striker |
| Other | Tortoise · ▄M109A1 |
| Canada | QF 3.7 Ram |
| South Africa | G6 · ZT3A2 |
