T54E1

T54E1

T54E1

USA

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:8 560

Show in game

Description

The T54E1 is a premium rank V American medium tank with a battle rating of 8.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries".

At first glance this tank looks very similar to the M48 and M103, since it's built on an M48 hull, but with a rather different turret. The reason for this is because it is an oscillating turret, like the ones found on contemporary french tanks like the AMX-50. The main feature which sets this tank apart from other Rank V American tanks is the automatic loader. This tank features a drum-type automatic loader, similar to the ones found on french tanks like the AMX-50 and Lorraine 40t.

Thus, the T54E1 inherits the hull armour of the M48, but combines it with a powerful 105 mm gun, and an automatic loader.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Rear (low), Roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	85-200 mm (59-74°) Front glacis 63-200 mm (13-60°) Lower glacis	76 mm (8-43°) Front 51 mm (0-43°) Rear	35 mm (26-32°) Top 25 mm (61-62°) Bottom	25.4-57 mm
Turret	90 - 127 mm (0-65°) Turret front	64-127 mm (13-23°)	51 mm (0-80°)	25-100 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	64 mm	25 mm

Notes:

• Parts of the turret side armour are also protected by an additional layer of 64 mm
• The turret ring is 127 mm thick all-round
• The mantlet ring is 200 mm thick
• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm.
• Belly armour is 38 mm.

Mobility

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.

Mobility characteristics
Weight (tons)	Add-on armour weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
54.4	N/A	48 (AB)
		43 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	1,255	1,545
Realistic/Simulator	716	810
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	23.07	28.40
Realistic/Simulator	13.16	14.89

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm T140E2
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
36			-8°/+13°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	17.14	23.72	28.80	31.85	33.88
Realistic	10.71	12.6	15.3	16.92	18
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
5.00	5.00	5.00	5.00

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
T182E1	APBC	265	262	245	226	208	191
T279	APDS	318	317	310	290	269	264
T298E1	HEATFS	380	380	380	380	380	380

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Normalisation at 30° from horizontal	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
T182E1	APBC	1,067	15.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1.0°	47°	60°	65°
T279	APDS	1,554	6.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	75°	78°	80°
T298E1	HEATFS	1,128	10.2	N/A	0.1	1572	+0.0°	65°	72°	75°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T54E1

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
36	29 (+7)	19 (+17)	9 (+27)	1 (+35)	No

Optics

T54E1 Optics
	Default magnification	Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics	X6.0	X7.6
Comparable optics	???

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Commander cupola mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)	Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
600 (200)	576	-10°/+30°	±60°

7.62 mm M1919A4
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)	Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Since this tank is based on the hull of the M48, it inherits that tank's mediocre armour and top speed. But unlike the M48, this tank features a powerful 105 mm gun, meaning you'll have no problem penetrating the armour of enemy tanks. Unlike tanks with the 105 mm L7/M68 gun, this tank also has a powerful APBC round, which can be used to destroy opponents with weaker armour, like the Leopard I, or when shooting tanks from the side. This round, when it penetrates, is much more damaging than the HEAT-FS round because it creates much more spalling. For opponents with armour the APBC round can't pen, like the frontal armour on most Russian tanks, the HEAT-FS round is the most effective. Thanks to its very fast automatic loader this reloads almost twice as fast as most manually loaded tanks, meaning you'll be able to dish out serious damage in a very short time. It also means you're much better at recovering from a missed shot, since you'll be able to shoot again in just five seconds. You will have to make sure you won't empty the drum magazine of the automatic loader, since it takes more than 20 seconds to reload a single round from one of the other ammunition racks into the autoloader.

Knowing this, this tank is best played in a support role, destroying tanks for your teammates, but not actively participating in close-range brawls with enemy tanks. It can be used in a flanking role, but due to its mediocre top speed it's vulnerable to being flanked itself and isn't capable of reaching good ambush positions before the enemy does.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	T298E1	NVD
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	T279	Rangefinder

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very fast reload, thanks to its auto-loader this tank has a 5.0 second reload
• High-penetrating HEAT-FS plus a hard-hitting solid shot round
• Good acceleration
• The APDS round is slightly better than the ones found on the M60 and other 105 mm L7/M68 armed tanks
• Like most other American tanks, this tank is fitted with a 50 cal machine gun, which is effective against lightly armoured vehicles and planes

Cons:

• Once the first-stage ammunition stowage has been depleted, the reload time increases drastically. This can be avoided by reloading at a capture point, since rounds replenished on a capture point automatically go into the first stage ammunition rack
• Mediocre top speed, most contemporary tanks outpace it
• The armour doesn't really protect against HEAT-FS and APDS, both of which it'll commonly face
• No stabilizer, making aiming while on the move difficult

History

No sooner than the M48 Patton began being issued to armored units, American engineers already started working on potential improvements to its design. In particular, engineers focused on upgrading the vehicle's firepower. This in turn, lead to the creation of the T54, a new vehicle based on the M48’s chassis.

Initially, two versions of prototypes were planned, but a lighter and cheaper third one was proposed in 1952. All three versions of the T54 were armed with a modified version of the T5 105 mm gun, but featured different turrets and gun loading methods. The T54E1 was the second prototype, equipped with an oscillating turret similar to the ones found on contemporary French tanks, and a drum-fed autoloading mechanism with a capacity of 9 rounds.

By 1957, all three prototype versions had undergone comprehensive testing at Fort Knox and the Aberdeen proving grounds. However, as the interest of the Army shifted towards the more promising T95 project, the decision was made to cancel the T54 project in 1957. A total of less than a dozen T54s were constructed, of which two were T54E1s.

- From Devblog

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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] T54E1: The Gunslinger