M50

M50

M56

T95

M50

M56

T95

USA

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.7	6.7	6.7

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:63 000

Purchase:200 000

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Description

The Rifle, Multiple, 106-mm, Self-Propelled, M50, also known by the nickname Ontos, is a rank IV American tank destroyer with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.71 "New E.R.A".

The M50 "Ontos" is pretty much a bulky carrier of recoilless rifles, carrying a payload of six shells of devastating HEAT and HESH shells. With six launchers pointing forwards, a well-emplaced M50 can point itself downrange and once a target comes into its sights, unleash all shells until the target is annihilated.

A stealthy and pouncing game style is needed to make the most of the hard-hitting guns and the thin armour of the Ontos.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	10-13 (70°) Front glacis 13 mm (45-66°) Lower glacis	13 mm (43°) Top 13 mm Bottom	13 mm (36°) Top 13 mm Bottom	13 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	13 mm	13 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 20 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armour weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
8.6	N/A	52 (AB)
		48 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	206	___
Realistic/Simulator	128	___
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	23.95	__.__
Realistic/Simulator	14.88	__.__

Armaments

Main armament

106 mm M40A1C
Capacity (Belt capacity)			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
18 (6)			-10°/+20°	±40°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	10.7	12.6	15.3	16.9	18.0
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
16.90	14.95	13.78	13.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M344A1	HEAT	381	381	381	381	381	381
M361A1	HESH	152	152	152	152	152	152

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
M344A1	HEAT	502	10	0.0	0.1	1,650	+0°	62°	69°	73°
M361A1	HESH	498	10	0.4	0.1	5,040	+0°	73°	77°	80°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M50.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
18	10 (+8)	0 (+18)	No

Six shells are loaded per reload.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M8C
Coaxial mount (x4)
Capacity (Belt capacity each)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
480 (4)				300	N/A	N/A

7.62 mm M1919A4
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,000 (250)				500	-5°/+50°	±70°

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Six recoilless 106mm rifles
• The guns can be fired within 0.5 seconds of each other, allowing rapid fire on one helpless target
• Stock shells of HEAT and HESH
• The HEAT shell is really effective , literally point and shoot.
• 33 mph/53 kph nice speed, can get to ambush or sniping positions early game or rush cap

Cons:

• No armour whatsoever (can be easily destroyed by heavy MG rounds or via air strafing)
• Only 18 rounds - can't miss and be wasteful
• Only 2 crew members - One shot is most likely to put you out of action
• Coaxial machine guns attached to the recoilless rifles are fired only while firing recoilless rifles...which is useless.
• Pintle mounted machine gun is useless as well.

History

Ontos, officially the Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50, was a U.S. light armored tracked anti-tank vehicle developed in the 1950s.

It mounted six 106 mm manually loaded M40 recoilless rifles as its main armament, which could be fired in rapid succession against single targets to guarantee a kill. Although the actual caliber of the main guns was 105 mm it was designated 106 mm to prevent confusion with the ammunition for the 105 mm M27 recoilless rifle, which the M40 replaced.

It was produced in limited numbers for the U.S. Marines after the U.S. Army cancelled the project. The Marines consistently reported excellent results when they used the Ontos for direct fire support against infantry in numerous battles and operations during the Vietnam War. The American stock of Ontos was largely expended towards the end of the conflict and the Ontos was removed from service in 1969.

SERVICE

While the M50 was designed as a tank destroyer, during the Vietnam War most M50s did not engage enemy armor as the North Vietnamese Army deployed few tanks. The Ontos was therefore more widely used by the US Marines for direct fire support for the infantry in combat, a role that was never emphasized in training or doctrine. Its light armor was effective against small arms but vulnerable to mines and rocket-propelled grenades. Consequently, many Ontos were deployed in static defense positions.

The relatively light weight of the M50 made it exceptionally mobile for the amount of firepower it carried. In one operation, the Ontos was the only tracked vehicle light enough to cross a pontoon bridge. In the Battle of Hue, Colonel Stanley S. Hughes felt the Ontos was the most effective of all Marine supporting arms. At ranges of 300 to 500 yards (270 to 460 m), its recoilless rifles could knock holes in or completely knock down walls. The appearance of an Ontos was sometimes enough to make the enemy break and run, and anecdotal accounts describe the enemy fleeing occupied buildings when an Ontos's spotting round entered a window. In Operation Desoto, the introduction of the large CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter made possible moving a platoon 25 miles (40 km) south of Quan Ngai City carrying Ontos in slings underneath the aircraft.

The Ontos units were deactivated in May 1969, and some of the vehicles were handed over to an Army light infantry brigade. They used them until they ran out of spare parts, and then removed the turrets and used them as fixed fortifications. Both these and the rest of the vehicles returned from Vietnam in 1970 and were cut up for scrap, with some of the chassis being sold off to be converted into construction vehicles. Some of the Ontos that were sold to construction companies were later acquired by collectors for restoration.

The Ontos did see use as an anti-tank weapon during the American involvement in the Dominican Civil War: on 29 April 1965 an M50 Ontos and an M48 Patton of the 6th MEU engaged and destroyed two rebel L/60L light tanks, each destroying one. In another instance, an Ontos destroyed an AMX-13.

VARIANTS

Several variants were also studied. The Utility Vehicle, Tracked, Infantry, T55 was a light Armored personnel carrier (APC), but only two versions of the prototype were built. It proved impractical due to the limited room inside, carrying only five infantry and forcing the driver to lie prone. A "stretched" version known as the Utility Vehicle, Tracked, Infantry, T56 was also built, and while it held a complete eight-man team, their equipment had to be carried on the outside. Neither was considered very useful.

In 1960 there was a brief study made to replace the Ontos's 106 mm rifles with a new 105 mm design that included a revolver-style autoloader. This project was not accepted.

Another proposed upgrade was replacing the GMC engine with a newer Chrysler 361 cu in V8 engine. This upgrade was implemented and the variant was named Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50A1. However of the 297 vehicles initially accepted by the Marines, only 176 were converted between 1963 and 1965 to this standard.

File:M50 Ontos .jpg

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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] M50 Ontos - Something Out of The Ordinary

USA tank destroyers
M10	M10 GMC
M36	M36 GMC · M36B2
T95	T28 · T95
M109	M109A1
ATGM	LOSAT · M901
Wheeled	M3 GMC · T55E1
Other	M8 HMC · M50 · M56
China	▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2)