Concept 3

Concept 3

Concept 3

Description

The Concept 3, New Generation Armoured Car is a rank British light tank with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Red Skies". The Concept 3 is the prototype of the Rooikat (Family). The Concept 3 introduces players to the playstyle, tactics, and, cons and pros of the production model of all the Rooikats to come as it is, by itself, a Rooikat.

General info

Survivability and armour

Like the American M18 Hellcat, the Concept 3 only has 12.7 mm (0.5 in) of armour in most areas, with some areas being only 6.5 mm. As a result, anything at this BR can penetrate this vehicle's armour. Compounding issues, the Concept 3 has ammunition storage scattered all throughout its body. In other words: while incoming fire from the sides is somewhat prone to overpenetration, this cannot be depended upon. Try to avoid being shot at in the first place.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)
• Wheel (tires)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	12.7 mm (70°) Upper glacis 25.4 mm (31°) Lower glacis	12.7 mm (25°) Top 12.7 mm Bottom	12.7 mm Rear armour 5 mm Engine grille	12.7 mm
Turret	12.7 mm (19°) Turret front 25.4 mm (7-69°) Gun mantlet	12.7 mm (18-19°)	12.7 mm (21°)	12.7 mm (10°) Front 6.35 mm Rear
Cupola	25.4 mm	25.4 mm	25.4 mm	12.7 mm

Notes:

• Wheels and torsion bars are 10 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6.35 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				324			__.__
Realistic				185			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

The main gun's recoil is quite strong, coupled with the bouncy suspension, leads to significantly "rocking" after firing, especially from the sides. This makes firing from the move very difficult to the point of impossible. Thus, one should always wait until the gun has settled, or try one's luck.

77 mm OQF Mk.II					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	60	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	14.3	19.8	24.0	26.5	28.2	7.67	6.78	6.25	5.90
Realistic					8.9	10.5	12.8	14.1	15.0

Ammunition

While lacking the APDS rounds of the Comet I, the Concept 3's rounds are pretty impressive for its BR, capable of penetrating the thickest of armor, including the dreaded KV-1 (ZiS-5). The post penetration damage won't be as good as an APHE round, but it is quite acceptable.

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
Shot Mk.6	AP	137	134	123	111	100	91
Shell Mk.1	HE	9	9	9	9	9	9
Shot Mk.4	APC	137	134	123	111	100	91
Shot Mk.8	APCBC	152	149	137	124	112	101

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%
Shot Mk.6	AP	754	7.71	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
Shell Mk.1	HE	754	6.98	0	0.1	580	79°	80°	81°
Shot Mk.4	APC	754	7.71	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.8	APCBC	754	7.71	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Concept 3

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
60	41 (+19)	37 (+23)	33 (+27)	28 (+32)	21 (+39)	1 (+59)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• If you pack 21 (+39) shells, it will keep the turret empty of ammo.

Machine guns

7.62 mm Browning MG4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,500 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Concept 3 will be the first Rooikat that a player unlocks, and tactics learnt from the Concept 3 would be used again in the production models of the Rooikat. One should consider its large size. This vehicle is extremely large for a scout vehicle, beating the size of a T-34 and a Sherman to some extent. Thus, concealing the Concept 3 is not an option as it will be visible from a mile away (both figuratively and literally). Thus, a Concept 3 driver must rely on its mobility.

As with all Rooikats, the Concept 3 boasts an extremely good mobility. So, the main tactic for the Concept 3 is to zoom fast to a good position, fire until you are satisfied or is under fire, before relocating to another location as quickly as one could. Rooikats are simply good at running. One should prioritize positions that allows an easy escape, such as near a large stack of rocks or a gentle hill. This is also helped by the Concept 3's decent depression angle of -10°. Use it! Apart from that, try to find positions where one can fire at the flanks of an enemy.

This extreme mobility and size comes at a very large cost. The Concept 3 has next to none armour. It could only resist rifle calibre rounds. Everything else will penetrate it with ease. And an even worse news, some part of the Concept 3's armor is thick enough to activate an APHE's fuse. Thus, the Concept 3 should never ever under any circumstances be on an enemy's crosshairs even if they are a stock reserve tank. Just don't.

To sum it up. Be mobile and fast, and never ever on one place. Remember good sniping spots, but never stay in one place. If one were to find themselves being shot at, quickly relocate or hide. As the name suggests, one must hunt like Een Afrikaan Rooikat, an African Caracal. Play it smart, play it fast.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent gun for its tier, good penetration and decent reload
• Fast with good acceleration when spaded
• Reverse speed is as good as forward speed, allowing for quick getaways
• Above average muzzle velocity

Cons:

• Solid shot ammunition only, accurate fire is needed to disable vehicles
• Suspension is quite bouncy, making shots difficult
• Turning is slow when stock
• Suffers in soft terrain, sometimes speed will drop massively upon the slightest obstacle
• Negligible armour, vulnerable to artillery overpressure
• Sub-par accuracy at range when stock
• Lacks a smoke grenade launcher

History

The Concept 3 was based on the British FV603 Alvis Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier. It was designed to fulfil a new South African requirement for a "New Generation Armoured Car". The project started in 1976 and ended in 1979. 3 testbed vehicles were made, Concept 3 being one of them. The Concept 3 differed from the Alvis Saracen APCs - it had an 8-wheel configuration, giving it superior off-road characteristics and superior performance. The Concept 3 was fitted with a 77mm OQF Mk.II, identical to the one found on the A34 Comet I which, while underwhelming for the time was merely a placeholder and was later swapped for a 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 which was a licence built version of the same gun found on the British Centurion Mk 10. The L7 variant was known as the "Bismarck". The vehicle was built by South African company Sandock-Austral (later merged into BAE Systems), the same company credited with creating and producing the Ratel family (Ratel 20 / 90) and the Eland 90 Mk.7. Several tests were conducted over the years at Potchefstroom, South Africa. The Concept 3 series was nicknamed the "Cheetah" and the vehicle was officially designated "Concept 3, Class 2B" and was built to slightly different medium specifications, raising the original weight of the vehicle from a modest 17 tonnes to a rather considerable weight of up to 23 tonnes.

When all is said and done, the Concept series deviated from the original vision of the Armoured Personnel Carrier, morphing into a light Armoured Fighting Vehicle or reconnaissance car. The original intended role of Armoured Personnel Carrier was ultimately fulfilled by the excellent Ratel family which doubled as an effective Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Therefore the South African National Defence Force ultimately cancelled the order for the Concepts, and immediate further development of the Concept programme was promptly terminated.

However, the legacy of the Concept cannot be asserted enough: the basic design of the Concept and in particular its chassis would later become that of the Rooikat family (Rooikat 105 / MTTD / Mk.1D / ZA-35) which are still used to this day. The Concept, while often forgotten, disregarded and dishonoured is perhaps one of the most - if not the most - influential military vehicle design in South African history.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Concept 3 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #260 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the Concept 3.

See also

Related developement

• Rooikat Mk.1D
• Rooikat 105

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.