M109A1 (Great Britain)

This page is about the tank destroyer M109A1 (Great Britain). For other versions, see M109 (Family).

▄M109A1

▄M109A1

Description

The ▄M109A1 is a rank British tank destroyer with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Kings of Battle". It has similar characteristics to the Soviet 2S3M and can deliver powerful 155 mm shells over long distances and relocate swiftly to evade enemy fire. The M109A1 has an average rate of fire and large ammo capacity, and its mobility is complemented by a good top speed and acceleration. However, its armour is not very thick, so it's recommended to use the M109A1's speed to avoid direct confrontations when possible. Moreover, it is essential to keep in mind that the M109A1 has low gun depression and cannot depend on firing from elevated positions.

General info

Survivability and armour

The armour on the M109 is nearly non-existent, being surrounded by 32 mm thick aluminium alloy 5083, which effectively comes down to 13-20 mm RHA. This leaves the vehicle vulnerable to even light machine gun fire from any angle. The weakness of the armour turns into a strong-suit against AP shells that will pass straight through, unable to fuse or create enough spall to inflict major damage. Direct hits from HE and other chemical shells will most likely leave the M109 a burning wreck. The 6 crew members are pretty spaced apart in the turret, giving a plus to crew survivability.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	32 mm	32 mm Top 32 mm Bottom	32 mm	10 - 34 mm
Turret	37 mm Turret front 3 3 mm Gun mantlet	32 mm	32 mm	7 - 33 mm
Cupola	33 mm	33 mm	33 mm	33 mm

Notes:

Mobility

After Firing, the tank can relocate swiftly to evade enemy fire. Its mobility is complimented by its good top speed and acceleration.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade				575			__.__
Realistic				358			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

The M109A1 has a derp gun, and it is best used as such. Its low projectile speed makes it harder to aim than the American variant. Its high explosive round is very effective against German tanks, not so much against Russian ones. Remember to pre-turn your turret, as your rotation speed is abysmal.

155 mm M185					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	28	-3°/+75°	±180°	-	9.7	13.4	16.3	18.0	19.1	17.29	15.30	14.10	13.30
Realistic					6.5	7.7	9.4	10.3	11.0

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
M107	HE	61	61	61	61	61	61
M107 (PF)	HE-VT	61	61	61	61	61	61

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M107	HE	684	43.1	0.3	0.1	9.14	79°	80°	81°

Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Arming distance (m)	Trigger radius (m)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
M107 (PF)	HE-VT	684	43.1	0	0	300	3	9.14	79°	80°	81°

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)
M110	684	44.63	21	5	30	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
28	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	600 (200)	575	-10°/+50°	±180°

Usage in battles

The 155 mm cannon is surprisingly adept at destroying any tank, even up to heavies of the same or slightly higher BRs. It is important to remember that accuracy is low with this gun, but destructive capability is spectacular. Thus, it is best to put yourself in a well defended position and rely on ambush tactics, at least in Realistic mode. The M109 makes an exceptionally good target for planes with its large profile and thin armour, so plane strafing is something you'll have to be careful of.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Access to HE and HE-VT shells with more than 9 kg of TNT
• Top speed of 56 km/h that it can easily reach
• Can be surprisingly survivable, usually not taken out in a single shot
• Impressive 75° elevation limit
• Top mounted .50 cal for taking out softer targets

Cons:

• Hindered by a limited gun depression of -3 degrees
• The gunner optics have a low zoom level (4X)
• Thin armour, will only stop small arms fire
• Long reload (17.1 seconds stock)

History

Development of the M109 began in the early 1950s under a U.S. program to develop a common chassis for a number of different SPH designs. Upon entering service, the M109 was immediately deployed to the Vietnam War. However, its operational service during the conflict was cut short due to serious mechanical malfunctions which rendered the fleet inoperable. Nonetheless, after being addressed and receiving its first upgrade to the A1 standard, the M109 would continue service with U.S. forces for decades to come, taking part in virtually all military conflicts where U.S. forces were deployed in. Once its design eventually matured, the M109 successfully resisted replacement on multiple occasions and continuously received upgrades until the present day. Great Britain had recieved M109A2/A3/A3Bs with 140+ entered service in 1965, upgraded to -A1 and -A2 standards, and 83 sold to Austria in 1994 (51 M109A2, 32 M109A3)

See also

Related development

• M109 (Family)

External links

• [Devblog] M109: The King of Battle

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