MBT-70
Contents
Description
The 152-mm Gun-Launcher Main Battle Tank 70 (shortened as MBT-70) is a rank VI American medium tank with a battle rating of 9.0 (AB) and 9.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.71 "New E.R.A.".
General info
Survivability and armour
Unlike the Soviet T-64A (its main rival), the MBT-70 does not utilise composite armour, but an air gap that forces munitions penetrating the initial layers to lose their mass by fragmenting apart before moving to the next layer of armour. This general design concept has been in use as far back as World War II and is even used to this day on modern fighting vehicles.
Spaced armour works wonderfully well against shaped charge munitions or any other munition with explosive filler provided it is of a stronger protection rating. Proceeding weapons and munitions development has seen this benefit decreased with either more powerful or tandem-charge warheads and can be seen in-game against weapons that proceeded different designs of spaced armour. As such, the MBT-70 will find itself against weapons that were designed to defeat spaced armour such as the HOT-K3S ATGM and BAE Swingfire system that will penetrate it. However, the spaced armour in the MBT-70 works exactly as it was designed to do against older anti-tank missiles, HEAT, HE, and HESH munitions.
The tank mounts no external spaced armour. The armour on the side and rear of the tank is not worth mentioning as it will only stop light machine gun fire and some cannon fire on the turret. Adversary sabot rounds will penetrate clear through the engine and into the crew compartment most likely destroying the MBT-70 if engaged from behind.
An unconventional feature at the time was that the MBT-70 was designed to house all the crew members in the turret. Because of the autoloading system, the need for a loader was eliminated and due to an attempt to further lower the tanks silhouette, the driver was located to the turret with the gunner and commander. This can have potentially devastating consequences on the battlefield as the crew can easily be injured or knocked out by penetrating munitions entering the crew compartment.
For defensive countermeasures, the tank is equipped with two quad barrel externally mounted smoke canister launchers on both sides of the turret, which can provide either a defensive screen for itself or friendly forces. These launchers can be fired in pairs of two. Keep in mind the smoke grenade launchers are operated by the gunner so should the gunner become incapacitated in a fight, the smoke will be unlaunchable until the gunner is replaced by another crew member or by the crew replenishment consumable.
Due to its low profile and effective array of camouflage options, the MBT-70 scores high marks in the concealability category. The addition of various foliage can further increase the ability to conceal the tank.
Armour type:
- Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
- Rolled homogeneous armour
- Cast homogeneous armour
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 34* mm (57°) Front glacis 76.2 mm (65°) Lower glacis |
23-34 mm (0-55°) Top 23-35 mm Bottom |
25.4 mm (12°) Top 25 mm (60°) Bottom 12.7 mm (29-45°) Engine exhaust |
20 mm Front 12.7 mm Engine deck |
| Turret | 50-200 mm (0-75°) | 12.7-38* mm (29-34°) | 12.7* mm (27-80°) | 20-50 mm Front 12.7 mm Rear turret |
| Cupola | 25 mm | 25 mm | 25 mm | 25 mm |
| Spaced armour* | Front | Sides | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 200 mm Kinetic 170 mm Chemical |
N/A | N/A |
| Turret | 320 mm Kinetic 280 mm Chemical |
38 mm sections: 320 mm Kinetic 280 mm Chemical 12.7 mm sections: 35 mm Kinetic 40 mm Chemical |
35 mm Kinetic 40 mm Chemical |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
- Belly armour is 16 mm thick.
- Gun mantlet ring around the gun barrel is 305 mm thick.
- A 16 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
- Hull spaced armour configuration is 34 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 46 mm RHA.
- Turret spaced armour configuration is 38 mm RHA + 127 mm air + 130-33 mm RHA.
- Turret rear spaced armour configuration is 13 mm RHA + 38 mm air + 19 mm RHA.
The MBT-70 is still an average medium tank with weak side armour. Thus, flanking is a good strategy to take for a shot at the weak spots. Go for the ammo, which is located in front of the engine, or in the protruding end of the turret. If in a head on engagement, shoot it directly below the gun, but above the upper glacis. This spot has 250 mm of armour with no composite armour. This shot, if successful, should knock out most of the crew, and maybe even the horizontal drive, allowing for a flank in a fast vehicle.
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 | 72 | 72 | 51.7 | 2,286 | 2,814 | 44.22 | 54.43 |
| Realistic | 65 | 65 | 1,305 | 1,475 | 25.24 | 28.53 | |
The MBT-70 handles like virtually no other vehicle (barring the KPz-70, its German twin) in the game in terms of its ability to pick up and maintain speed over various terrains. Its cross-country mobility is arguably the best currently available in the game, and is one of the many traits that makes the MBT-70 stand out.
The MBT-70 is equipped with a 1,470 horsepower air-cooled Continental V-12 diesel engine. This engine pack produces slightly less power compared to its German counterpart, but both vehicles handle essentially the same.
A highly advantageous feature is the hydropneumatic suspension system which not only provides great cross country mobility but allows the crew to position the vehicle in such a way to only expose the strongest armour at an enemy threat. The suspension can also be used to gain further gun depression by raising the rear of the tank and lowering the front, improving the tank's performance in hull-down scenarios.
The MBT-70 features the standard NATO track and rubber block design. The rubber track blocks provide great traction both off-road and on-road, and minimize sliding during a short halt or drifting.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Unlock order recommendations
Tier 1
The first modification you should research is Parts, as only one module is needed to unlock Tier 2, and the other Tier 1 modules aren't needed immediately.
Tier 2
The first Tier 2 modifications you should research are FPE and the XM578A1 APFSDS shell. The MBT-70 catches fire often when hit, and even though teammates can assist you in extingushing it, playing without FPE is still painful. The other important module is the XM578E1 APFSDS shell. While the stock HEAT round may have more penetration, the APFSDS is more consistent damage-wise and doesn't catch on bushes, trees, and fences.
Tier 3
Three modifications are required to unlock Tier 4, and none of the Tier 3 modules are super important, so the order in which you research them doesn't matter as much. The recommended modules are Crew Repenishment, Smoke Grenades, and Elevation Mechanism. Filters can be swapped in for Elevation Mechanism, but doesn't add much and can be researched later.
Tier 4
Tier 4 contains the last two essential modifications, the Laser Rangefinder and NVD, which should be researched in that order. The MBT-70 unfortunately does not get access to a thermal imager, making the NVD module less important but still useful. Artillery Support is also helpful but doesn't affect the tank's performance much, so don't go straight for it.
Finishing Up
The rest of the modifications can be researched in any order, as none of the remaining modules are particularly influential. The least helpful modules, XM410E1, Brake System and Suspension can be left for last.
Armaments
Main armament
| 152 mm XM150E5 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 48 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 34.3 | 47.4 | 57.6 | 63.7 | 67.8 | 7.50 | 7.50 | 7.50 | 7.50 |
| Realistic | 21.4 | 25.2 | 30.6 | 33.8 | 36.0 | ||||||||
One of the most important facets of a tank is its firepower. In this department, the MBT-70 is no slouch. The 152 mm gun launcher system is very similar to the one used on the M551 Sheridan, the main difference being a longer barrel. This change increases the MBT-70's accuracy at range and allows rounds to leave the barrel at higher velocities, thus improving their penetration and overall damage when compared to the Sheridan. The MBT-70 also has access to two experimental rounds unavailable to the Sheridan, which are an APFSDS round and a smoke round, as well as the M409A1 HEAT shell and MGM-51C Shillelagh ATGM shared with the Sheridan and M60A2 Starship. This wide range of munition choices gives the operator many options in pre-combat configuration which can either hinder or enhance the tanker's capability on the battlefield.
Additionally, the 152 mm gun launcher is auto-loaded, greatly reducing its time between followup shots on a target. For targeting, the option to equip a laser range finder is available. Additionally the 7.62 mm machine gun mounted in the turret can be used for range finding as well.
Because of the elevated engine deck, gun depression is significantly worse when firing or aiming the gun over the rear of the tank, but can be counteracted by raising the front of the tank using the hydropneumatic suspension.
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 | ||
| XM578E1 | APFSDS | 346 | 343 | 334 | 323 | 311 | 300 |
| M409A1 | HEAT | 380 | 380 | 380 | 380 | 380 | 380 |
| MGM-51C | ATGM | 431 | 431 | 431 | 431 | 431 | 431 |
| 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% | |||||||
| XM578E1 | APFSDS | 1,478 | 3.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 76° | 77° | 80° |
| M409A1 | HEAT | 754 | 18.9 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 3,730 | 62° | 69° | 73° |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| MGM-51C | ATGM | 286 | 3,200 | 27.8 | 0 | 0.1 | 3,600 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
| 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) |
| XM410E1 | 754 | 18.9 | 25 | 5 | 30 | 50 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 44 (+4) | 33 (+15) | 25 (+23) | 7 (+41) | 1 (+47) | No |
Notes:
- Hull empty: 25 (+23) shells.
- Racks 4 and 5 deplete top row together first before emptying in the second row.
- The MBT-70 can carry only 6 missiles.
Machine guns
The Rheinmetall Rh 202 20 mm auto cannon is highly effective at dealing with light armoured battlefield threats and on some tanks exposed sides or rears. In some situations, it may be more beneficial to utilise the 20 mm as it will allow the tank to deal damage rapidly while conserving the main cannon ammunition. The cannon is also highly effective at shooting down low flying attackers. Note that if the commander is knocked out, the 20 mm will be unable to be used.
| 20 mm Rh202 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 750 (750) | 900 | -9°/+65° | ±180° |
| 7.62 mm M73 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 6,000 (250) | 500 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The tank plays very much like the M41A1 Walker Bulldog. Players familiar with the hit and run play style will easily adapt to the MBT-70. Its fast speed, especially with full upgrades and aced crew, allows it to manoeuvre into spots not typically accessible by less mobile tanks. Utilize this to an advantage to set up ambushes as this is how the MBT-70 will get most victories. It's important to recognize when an engagement is not beneficial to the tank so that it can re-position itself or escape from the threat.
Despite the initial appearance of strong frontal armour, it's important to remember when compared to its counterparts at its rank, it is not nearly enough to defeat threats head on such as the T-64A. Even ATGM from missile vehicles such as the Raketenjagdpanzer 2 HOT will penetrate the turret and upper glacis plate. Even other Rank V tanks can and will penetrate from the front. Because of the rather condensed placement of crew and ammunition, the MBT-70 will most likely be destroyed with one shot. Because of this, it is critical to get the first shot off in an engagement and ensure it is either an eliminating shot or one that cripples the threat to such a capacity that they either cannot engage, will instinctively panic and try to run to repair or determine the engagement location and direction.
The gun is especially versatile and powerful with a wide range of ammunition selection, but the cannon-launched ATGM's and sabot rounds will generally be able to get the job done in most situations. The 20 mm turret roof mounted cannon is great for taking out lightly armoured targets (to include some tanks, ATGM vehicles, etc), anti-air, and aircraft.
Essentially if this tanks is treated like a light tank or fast medium tank, the survivability will increase dramatically. The hydropneumatic suspension allows for positioning the tank in such ways that it can engage from non-conventional spots while exposing only the strongest armour at the threat. The low silhouette makes the tank especially difficult to hit at longer ranges and this can be further enhanced by the adjustable suspension depending on the situation. Because of the accurate cannon, the MBT-70 will also find it to be easy to engage at longer ranges, which will maximize the strengths while reducing the targets.
In summary, the MBT-70 is a great addition to any end game lineup as it provides great flexibility in almost all engagements and is well worth the time and investment to acquire.
Tactics
Ambushing is the MBT-70's strength. As covered previously, utilize the speed to get into firing positions quickly and cause chaos and confusion among the enemy. In arcade battles, an MBT-70 can usually reach key positions quicker than even some 10.0 BR main battle tanks. This is only provided if it consistently drives in a linear format.
The MBT-70 can also quickly capture objective points and when used properly, it can hold these positions so long as it does not stay in them for too long.
Scoot and shoot tactics will benefit the MBT-70, as well as terrain masking techniques.
Should the MBT-70 have to fight in closer engagement ranges or in close quarters, it is critical to always remember that the armour will not protect the tank reliably; however, the speed, fast rotating turret, and manoeuvrability will. Provided the player utilise these traits to its advantage, the MBT-70 will be able to control the fight. Recognise when the MBT-70 is being baited into an ambush and avoid them as the MBT-70 doesn't stand a great chance of conducting a counter ambush due to the weak armour, which will allow the MBT-70 to be destroyed easily at close range.
If the MBT-70 finds itself a victim of an ambush from an opponent, launch a smokescreen, escape, and reassess for a counter ambush.
The MBT-70 benefits greatly from squad play. A skilled lone MBT-70 is most certainly a threat on the battlefield, but two or even three MBT-70's working in conjunction with each other in a squad is an extreme danger to the opposing team as the use of squad tactics in combination with the great strengths of the tank can almost completely control the momentum of the conflict.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Composite armour greatly enhances its survivability on the battlefield
- Stock ammunition consists of the good MGM-51C "Shillelagh" guided missile, means no ammo costs for using it, plus a decent but inferior HEAT shell.
- Has access to APFSDS shells with great close-range penetrating power.
- Has a top mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon installed which can also be used to defeat lightly armoured vehicles reliably with its 44 mm of penetration.
- Has access to hydropneumatic suspension, useful for hull down engagements.
- Extremely fast in both forwards and reverse.
- Fast acceleration.
- Autoloader means a consistent load rate of 7.5 seconds.
Cons:
- Mediocre reload rate of 7.5 seconds, lower than that of the equal-tiered KPz-70.
- Generally less protection from composite armour, relative to other Rank 6 tanks.
- Weak side armour and LFP.
- 20 mm AA gun overheats rather quickly with sustained firing.
- Ammo racks are easy targets and are not entirely covered by its composite armour.
- Vulnerable to the rear due to raised engine deck, it can be solved if hydropneumatic suspension are used.
- Cramped interior, loss of more than one crew member more likely when penetrated.
History
In the early 1960s, West Germany and the United States began work on a joint project to create a standardized new MBT design that would meet specific requirements set by both nations. The cause for this, was the introduction of the powerful Soviet 115mm smoothbore cannon, mounted on the T-62. The new cannon presented a serious issue for the respective primary fighting vehicles of the two nations - the Leopard 1 and M60. Thus, work on the joint project, designated MBT-70 in the US and KPz-70 in West Germany, began in 1964. Right from the start, development was plagued by disagreements between the numerous design team members, due to the differing engineering practices of the two sides. By the time the disagreements were settled, the project has already suffered from several delays, which in addition to other things, inflated the project's budget early on in its development life.
Nevertheless, the result of the combined effort of engineers from both sides was first put to the test in the mid '60s, after the first prototypes were manufactured. The KPz-70 MBT received an innovative design like no other tank before it, in addition to being equipped with some of the latest military equipment of the time, such as hydropneumatic suspension, an autoloading system and laser rangefinding, just to name a few.
However, whilst the MBT/KPz-70 did come equipped with some of the most high-tech equipment of its time, the vehicle did also come with its own set of unique problems. Considered to be way ahead of its time, the designers often faced challenges that neither the German or American side of the team was able to effectively address, making the vehicle quickly exceed both weight limitations as well as budget restrictions. Spiraling development costs and design disagreements eventually lead to the Germans backing out of the project in 1969 to continue work on one of their own designs, before the Americans also abandoned the project a couple years later in 1971, leaving a total of 14 prototypes built.
- From Devblog
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- KPz-70 - German counterpart of the same vehicle.
- XM-803 - An American "budget" version of the vehicle.
External links
| General Motors Company (GM) | |
|---|---|
| MBTs | |
| MBT-70 | MBT-70* · XM803 |
| XM-1 | XM1 (GM) |
| *Designed in collaboration with the Deutsche Entwicklungsgesellschaft. | |
| Tank Destroyers | T114 |
| Export | |
| GMC CCKW | CCKW 353 (M45) · CCKW 353 AA |
| Note | General Motors has several divisions, including Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet. |
| USA medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| M2 | M2 |
| M3 | M3 Lee · ▃Grant I |
| M4 | M4 · Calliope · M4A1 · M4A1 (76) W · M4A2 · M4A2 (76) W · M4A3 (105) · M4A3 (76) W · M4/T26 |
| M26 Pershing | T20 · T25 · M26 · M26 T99 · M26E1 |
| M46/47/48 Patton | M46 · M46 "Tiger" · M47 · M48A1 · T54E1 · T54E2 |
| M60 | M60 · M60A1 (AOS) · M60A1 RISE (P) · M60A2 · M60A3 TTS · M728 CEV · 120S |
| MBT-70 | MBT-70 · XM803 |
| M1 Abrams | XM1 (Chrysler) · XM1 (GM) |
| M1 Abrams · M1 KVT · IPM1 | |
| M1A1 · M1A1 HC · M1A1 Click-Bait | |
| M1A2 Abrams · M1A2 SEP · M1A2 SEP V2 | |
| Other | T95E1 |
| Australia | M1A1 AIM |
| Canada | M4A5 |
| Israel | ▃Magach 3 (ERA) · ▃Merkava Mk.1 · ▃Merkava Mk.2B · ▃Merkava Mk.3D |
| Turkey | M60 AMBT |
