OF-40 (MTCA)

OF-40 (MTCA)

OF-40 (MTCA)

Description

The Carro Armato OTO Melara OF-40 (MTCA) is a premium gift rank Italian medium tank with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy".

General info

Survivability and armour

The OF-40 (MTCA) has very little in the way of armour - effectively identical to both OF-40 models in the tech tree - with just enough to protect its crew from most frontal attacks from light autocannons - however even then the turret ring and some other small weak spots are reasonably vulnerable. Despite this, the OF-40's steep constructional angles may on occasion bounce even APFSDS rounds, while the (minimalist) spaced armour in the turret may absorb some less-powerful chemical rounds. Regardless, the safest approach is to avoid enemy fire whenever possible.

The OF-40's survivability is comparable to the Leopard A1A1 (L/44), as most of the vehicle's ammunition is stored in the hull adjacent to the driver, with a small portion of the ammunition being placed in primary stowage below the loader. The unfortunate result is that almost any hull penetration in the front half of the vehicle is liable to destroy ammunition with a high chance of detonation. Additionally, the turret crew are very poorly spaced and a well-placed round can easily knock out the entire crew simultaneously.

The result of the lack of survivability and armour is that the OF-40 (MTCA) is not viable as a front-line MBT, but rather should be played in flanking or sniping roles.

Armour type:

• Rolled Homogeneous Armour - Hull and Turret
• High Hardness Rolled Armour - Turret
• Rubber-Fabric Screens - Sideskirts

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	70 mm (68°) Upper Glacis 50 mm (50°) Lower Glacis	35 mm Upper Crew Compartment 25 mm Upper Engine Compartment 30 mm Lower	25 mm	15 - 30 mm
Turret	30 - 68 mm (Various Angles) Turret front 30 mm (~58°) + 45 mm (Curved) Gun mantlet	Spaced: 30 mm + 80 mm air + 35 mm Forward Spaced: 12 mm + 120 mm + 35 mm Rearward	30 mm	20 - 40 mm

Notes:

• The turret sides use spaced armour, and are therefore stronger than they appear in the armour viewer.
• Beneath the angled outer portion of the gun mantlet is a curved 45 mm plate.
• There are 10 mm rubber-fabric screens protecting the upper suspension.
• The rear of the turret has 5 mm of structural steel in addition to the base armour.

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				1,550			__.__
Realistic				884			__.__

The OF-40 (MTCA) has an improved engine over its tech tree predecessors, offering its driver a notably improved power-to-weight ratio of 23.26 hp/ton (RB, spaded), relative to the Mk.2A's 19.3. This is a significant improvement that is easily noticeable, and the MTCA comfortably displays better mobility characteristics than most of its contemporaries.

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm OTO Melara 105/52					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	61	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

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
M392A2	APDS	303	302	296	277	257	252
M393A2	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M456	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
DM23	APFSDS	337	335	330	322	314	306

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%
M392A2	APDS	1,478	4	N/A	N/A	N/A	75°	78°	80°
M393A2	HESH	732	14.85	0.05	0.1	4,310	73°	77°	80°
M456	HEATFS	1,173	10.5	0.05	0.1	1,270	65°	72°	77°
DM23	APFSDS	1,455	3.79	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	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)
M416	730	11.4	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

• 

  Ammoracks 1-9

• 

  Ammoracks 10-12

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
61	55 (+6)	54 (+7)	47 (+14)	46 (+15)	39 (+22)	38 (+23)	31 (+30)	30 (+31)	23 (+38)	20 (+41)	16 (+45)	1 (+60)	No

Notes:

• Racks 11 and 12 are first stage ammo racks, meaning they will deplete when shots are fired but will then replenish from the other racks in the order from 1-9. Rack 11 depletes before rack 12, which is the last rack to deplete.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	1,080 (200)	576	-8°/+20°	±120°

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,000 (200)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

With an upgraded 1000hp engine, even though not as good as what XM-1 has, OF-40 MTCA is still much maneuverable than the rest of the Leopard 1 family. If you have experienced in XM-1, TAM or any other third generation main battle tanks, OF-40 MTCA should feel familiar to you. OF-40 MTCA will get you to a better position than the rest of the tanks if not in an uptier situation.

The main weaponry on this tank is same as the Leopard family. Since it's a premium vehicle, you should have it fully unlocked once purchased. DM23 APFSDS shells are recommended for all purposes while you should also carry several M456 HEATFS and M416 smoke shells just in case.

The armor is not upgraded from the rest of OF-40 family. Although the OF-40 family have spaced armor all around the turret, you as the commander will not want to use this feature. While it is significantly more effective than the Leopard 1s, but all main battle tanks can still penetrate you from all angles with ease using kinetic energy shells. Also the hull of the tank is as fragile as other Leopards, which is another reason why you don't want to take a shot.

Although OF-40 MTCA have night vision devices, but it lacks thermal sights for both gunner and commander. Commander of this vehicle will require a better vision seeking enemies. You might want to get in covers such as bushes and buildings first before open fire. Avoid sitting in the opening at all time, always get in cover after shooting.

In summary, OF-40 MTCA is a mixture of OF-40 MK. 2 the main battle tank and TAM the light tank. It is a great tank in mobility and fire power, and it is great to farm the Italian tech tree. However, lacking armor and thermal camera limit its usage on certain maps around opening areas.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• One of the most mobile and speedy main battle tanks of its rank; notably more mobile than the Leopard A1A1 and L/44.
• Great gun handling - vertical and horizontal turret/gun speeds are some of the best
• Laser rangefinder and excellent optics permit easy sniping and long-range shots
• Plentiful selection of ammo; APDS, APFSDS, HESH, HEATFS, and smoke shells, handy for marking enemies or blocking their line of sight
• Spaced turret armour can save you from some autocannon fire, the front and sides are immune to HESH, and AP shot can bounce if angled
• 12.7 mm (.50 cal) commander's roof gun with 1,080 round ammo count is great for disabling light vehicles and fending off harassing planes and helicopters

Cons:

• Rather large profile; the turret is quite large while peeking over a hilltop or ridgeline (although it can bounce shots; see above)
• Low ready rack capacity (19+1); if carrying more than 20 shells, the spare rounds are placed next to the driver in the lightly armoured hull
• Not having thermals at 9.0 limits its potential in night battles as most of the opposition has access to thermals

History

The United Arab Emirates was the only operator of the OF-40, receiving 18 OF-40 Mk.1 tanks and later 18 more OF-40 Mk.2 tanks; the original 18 Mk.1 vehicles were also upgraded to the OF-40 Mk.2 standard. The UAE was unhappy with the mobility characteristics of their OF-40s, so Fiat offered them two options. They could have the engine replaced with a Fiat MTCA V-12 1,000 hp engine, or they could have the existing engine uprated to 950 hp. It would seem that neither option was ever retrofitted onto the UAE's OF-40 Mk.2 tanks.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the OF-40 MTCA from live.warthunder.com

See also

• OF-40
• OF-40 Mk.2A
• OF-40 Family
• Leopard 1 Family

External links

• [Shop] OF-40 Mk.2 MTCA pre-order