Skink
Contents
Description
The Skink, Tank, Anti-Aircraft, 20 mm, Quad is a rank IV British SPAA with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB) and 5.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".
A British and Canadian project for a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun to protect their armoured force, the Skink was a step above the Crusader AA options with four 20 mm autocannons in an enclosed mount. While the Skink never got a chance to shoot down an enemy aircraft during World War II, players would have the chance to light up the skies to shoot down enemy pilots.
General info
Survivability and armour
In overall, the Shink offer a protection similar to the Sherman. been based on the Sherman itself, only the turret offer a lower protection than the medium tank cousin. amounts of the SPAA of this rank, this tank will offer a much higher survivability due to the armour thickness close to a medium tank of this rank, and the fact that all the crew is completely protected inside the tank. the roof of the tank itself is still fairly thick and can resist 12.7 mm from above which make it a rather hard target for the aircraft. only heavy aircraft guns and direct hit of rockets or bomb can actually destroy it when fighting the aircraft.
against the ground targets, this tank will not be that well protected. as in this battle-rating most tanks have little difficulty to penetrate this level of armour even at some distance, it would not be the best choice to fight against the ground targets. the protection remain good enough against the HMG and most 20 mm guns. some lighter vehicles might also have difficulty to penetrate it and when meeting vehicles of a lower battle-rating, the front might be protected enough to take the hit of the 75 mm or 76.2 mm guns of the medium tanks once a while. the side is very flat and just offering a protection enough against WW2 auto-cannon. any tank guns, including those of rank 1 (save for the weakest), could easily penetrate it.
Armour type: Cast homogeneous armour (hull and turret)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 50.8 mm (30-50°) Front Glacis 50.8 mm (0-34°) Transmission cover |
50.8 mm front quater 38.1 mm all the rest |
38.1 mm (13°) lower part 38.1 mm upper part |
19.5 mm |
| Turret | 50.8 mm (round) gun's mantle 38 - 57 mm (variable thickness) front |
38.1 mm | 25 mm | 38 mm front half 24 mm rear half |
Notes:
- 19.5 mm neck guard protect the turret transverse
- 5 mm mudgard
- 20 mm track
- 20 mm track are attached on the side of the turret
Mobility
The Skink has mobility comparable to that of the M4 Sherman variants. It has average forward mobility, but a poor reverse gear.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 35 | 5 | 27.7 | 568 | 763 | 20.51 | 27.55 |
| Realistic | 33 | 5 | 354 | 400 | 12.78 | 14.44 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The 20 mm Polsten cannons have a decent rate of fire, as well as a good muzzle velocity.
| 20 mm Polsten (x4) | 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 | 1,920 (30) | 450 | -4°/+77° | ±180° | N/A | 55.5 | 76.8 | 93.2 | 103.1 | 109.7 | 5.20 | 4.60 | 4.24 | 4.00 |
| Realistic | 37.5 | 44.1 | 53.6 | 59.2 | 63.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: AP-T · HEF-I · AP-T
- HET: HEFI-T · HEF-I · HEF-I
- APT: AP-T
| 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 | 42 | 38 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| HET | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| APT | 42 | 38 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| 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 AP-T | AP-T | 830 | 0.14 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 47° | 60° | 65° |
| 20 mm HEFI-T | HEFI-T | 838 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 5 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| 20 mm HEF-I | HEF-I | 838 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 6 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 48 (+16) | 36 (+28) | 24 (+40) | 12 (+52) | 0 (+64) | No |
Notes:
- Ammunition is modeled as 4 clips of 30 rounds each.
- 64 clips of 30 rounds represent 1,920 rounds.
- The Skink has 5 ammo racks, all stored in the hull. Every rack contains 12 clips, with an additional 4 belts already loaded in the guns when the game begins. Magazines deplete by sets of 4.
Machine guns
The Skink has a single hull-mounted L3A1 machine gun. Due to its low range of traverse, as well as its lackluster damage, it is useless for dealing damage to the enemy unless they are open-topped. It is best used to clear out obstacles which may block your line of sight.
| 7.62 mm L3A1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Hull | 2,000 (250) | 500 | +15°/-5° | -10°/+5° |
Usage in battles
The Skink's anti-air capability is very good, however, at its BR, it is inadequate for taking out most ground vehicles it faces, with the exception of light tanks and other SPAA. For shooting down enemy aircraft, be sure to let them come to you, and fire only when you are confident you can land a hit. If you spray them from too far away, most aircraft will likely avoid your general location so as to not get shot down. Make sure to not let the enemy aircraft know where you are, and surprise them with a devastating burst once they come in range.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 5 crew members, difficult to knock out in one pass
- M4A1 chassis and closed turret provide protection against autocannons, HMGs, and overpressure damage from bombs and rockets
- Excellent turret traverse and elevation speed
- 4 x 20 mm cannons do excellent damage against aircraft and lightly armoured vehicles
- Short reload time
- Plenty of ammo
Cons:
- Average mobility
- Short ammo belt
- Cannons overheat quickly with continuous fire
- Poor anti-tank capabilities, can only engage lightly-armoured targets
History
The Skink AA tank was a series of experimental anti-aircraft tank founded and developed by the British war office but built in Canada. ordered in 1944, the first 2 prototype was ready in late 1944. one was keep in Canada and the 2nd was shipped to United kingdom for further test.the chassis been a Canadian built M4a1, the development was done in partnership between Canada and United kingdom. an additional prototype was built in 1945 with Hispano-suiza 20 mm gun instant of Polsten like the first 2 prototype. 8 additional Skink turrets were built but never mounted on the chassis. the 3rd prototype and 4th prototype who was almost ready to be assembled was intended for United kingdom and was waiting in the cargo port to be embarked on ship by 1945.
the development of the Skink was based on the mental perception that the Luftwaffe left to the British army. fallowing the battle of France and the Battle of Britain, the German aviation had left a fearsome image of efficiency and accuracy. based on this perception that was still very present in 1944, the British army used a large number of SPAA of which many was truck based with 20 mm Polsten or Oerlikon (single or up to 4 guns) and 40 mm Bofors to provide the ground units with close air defence against the eventual German close air-support that might had been massively used during the late period of WW2. for this reason, a initial planed order of 130 Skink was made. but as history show us, this fear was by 1945, unfounded as the German aviation was the mare shadow of what it was a few years before and was now unable to effectively support the units on the ground. the end of WW2 and the fact that the German was no more having the aviation it once had put an end the the Skink project. only the 2nd Skink built ever reached United kingdom, while all other remained in Canada. fallowing the end of WW2 who happen shortly after the cancellation of the Skink, Canada and United kingdom who co-owned all Skink agreed to separate the tank with a sole ownership. the one who was waiting in Canadian dock to be shipped to united kingdom but still in Canada, would be given to Canada entirely. the one who made his way to united kingdom would be given to united kingdom. this share of ownership while been uneven was much simpler for both nation.
the 2nd prototype of the Skink arrived in Lulworth where it was tested in the British armoured school. the trial went on and serial minor modification was made to polish the design. such as the replacement of the Canadian gun's sight who was either damage or considered as insufficient, by the naval holographic sight. serial modification was made such as the guns needed to be belt feed instant of using magazines and the standardization of the British 21st army who requested that the guns needed to be either 20 mm Oerlikon or Polsten instant of the Hispano-Suiza as the Canadian wanted. the Polsten and Oerlikon been weaker than the Hispano-Suiza was using the same ammo and was making it easier to supply while the Hispano-Suiza was using a different ammunition who wasn't standard in the army. this delayed the production of serial month and the situation having changed in Europe, the order of 130 tanks was cancelled officially in august 1945.
Media
- Skins
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] Skink: The Bird-eating Lizard
- https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/560390-tank-aa-20-mm-quad-skink-polsten-tk-1001/
| 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 |
