M48A2 G A2

This page is about the German medium tank M48A2 G A2. For other versions, see M48 Patton (Family).

M48A2 G A2

M48A2 C

KPz-70

M48A2 G A2

M48A2 C

KPz-70

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.3	8.3	8.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:135 000

Purchase:380 000

Description

The M48A2 G A2 is a rank VI German medium tank with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries". It was born from the adaptation of the 105 mm L7A3 cannon on the already available M48A2 platform together with a new fire control system.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull110 / 76 / 35

Turret130 / 76 / 51

Crew4 people

Visibility117 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, hull rear - engine vents, turret roof, turret ring)
• Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	85-200 mm (59-74°) Front glacis 63-200 mm (13-60°) Lower glacis	76 mm (5-45°) Front 51 mm (0-44°) Rear	35 mm Top 25 mm (32-62°) Bottom	57 mm (0-58°) 30 mm Engine access panel 12.7 mm (76°) Engine vents
Turret	83.2-173 mm (0-48°) Turret front 152 (2-14°) Gun mantlet 250 mm Gun mount	55-100 mm (15-50°) 50.8 mm Gun mount	51-55 mm (2-71°) 25.4 mm (75-82°) Underpart of the turret	25-69 mm
Cupola	70 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
• Mudguards are 4 mm thick and (short) side skirts are 8 mm thick.
• The turret ring is 70 mm thick.

The lower front plate is a weak spot. The sides are decently armoured, but not thick enough to make angling the hull a valid tactic. Some thin vents on the top of the hull are vulnerable to strafing runs by enemy aircraft, which may cause engine fires. While the M48 hull has more armour than the Leopard 1, at this BR, this is largely irrelevant as most of your opponents will be carrying APFSDS. Sustained enemy fire will quickly result in your destruction. Despite this, the hull UFP is decent and can protect you from 100 mm APHE rounds. However, as mentioned above, this can not be relied upon and any bounces are the exception rather than the rule.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB54 / 10 km/h

RB and SB49 / 9 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight47.8 t

Engine power

AB1 574 hp

RB and SB825 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB32.9 hp/t

RB and SB17.3 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	54	10	47.8	1,279	1,574	26.76	32.93
Realistic	49	9		730	825	15.27	17.26

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 411 → 6 087

RB4 952 → 6 833

SB6 792 → 9 372

Total cost of modifications111 700

195 400

Talisman cost2 300

Crew training110 000

Experts380 000

Aces1 400

Research Aces830 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 200 / 250 %

208 / 208 / 208 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 210 Suspension Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 240 Brake System Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 240 Filters Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 Transmission Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 280 Engine Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 280	Improved Parts Research: 1 800 Cost: 9 600 210 Improved FPE Research: 2 000 Cost: 11 000 240 Crew Replenishment Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 Smoke grenade Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 280	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 210 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 6 000 Cost: 9 600 210 Adjustment of Fire Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 240 Elevation Mechanism Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 105mm_usa_M735_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 500 Cost: 12 000 270 Artillery Support Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 280 Rangefinder Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 280

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm L7A3 cannon

Ammunition46 rounds

First-order20 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 19°

105 mm L7A3					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	46	-9°/+19°	±180°	N/A	22.8	31.6	38.4	42.5	45.2	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					14.3	16.8	20.4	22.6	24.0

Ammunition

This tank has access to a stock APDS shell (DM13), a HESH shell (DM512) as tier 1 modification, a HEATFS shell (DM12) as tier 2 modification and a APFSDS shell as tier 4 modification (DM23).

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
DM13	APDS	350	347	333	317	302	287
DM512	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
DM12	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) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM13	APDS	1,478	4	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°
DM512	HESH	732	11.2	0.1	4	4.31	73°	77°	80°
DM12	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°
DM23	APFSDS	1,455	4.2	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M48A2 G A2

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
46	43 (+3)	29 (+17)	21 (+25)	6 (+40)	1 (+45)	No

Notes:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire/load both shells in the set.
• Racks 4 and 5 are first stage ammo racks. They total 20 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
• These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 5 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3.
• To go into battle with the frontal and turret ammo racks empty, pack 16 (+30) shells.
• Full reload speed will be realized as long as shells are available in the ready racks 4 and 5. If these racks are empty, a penalty to the reload time will occur.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-3 into rack 4 then 5. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 800 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.62 mm MG3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (200)	1,200	N/A	N/A
Pintle	2,000 (200)	1,200	-10°/+85°	±45°

Despite their high rate of fire, the small calibre of the MG3A1 machine guns makes them largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. They still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help.

Usage in battles

The M48A2 G A2 is similar to the other M48 Pattons in the game except for the need to be more careful and aware of your enemies. It's a decent medium tank with well-sloped frontal armour and average mobility, but what makes M48A2 G A2 stand out is the upgraded engine giving it better mobility, and the upgraded 105 mm L7A3 cannon compared to the US standard 90 mm M41 giving it improved penetration and increased precision against distant targets, though this comes at the cost of higher battle rating. It can unlock DM23 rounds that have a great effect even against enemy vehicles at higher battle ratings when uptiered, and can penetrate their armour with well placed shots.

The armour of the M48 is rounded and well-sloped, decreasing the chance for certain shells to reliably punch through the armour, though the tank has some significant weak spots on the front. The lower glacis is the weakest part of the front, making it a desirable location for hostile tanks to fire at to knock out the M48A2 G A2 with ease. Keep in mind to protect the lower glacis as best as possible from enemy shells. The armour holds it ground against tanks with no APFSDS or APDS since these shells can penetrate its frontal hull and turret armour with ease. The armour all around is decent compared to tanks like Leopard 1, Vickers MBT and OF-40.

Playing the M48A2 G A2 is a great risk to be uptiered and face enemies like Radkampfwagen 90, Merkava, T-72A and OF-40 Mk.2A all having better mobility and speed than the old M48 Patton, they also have the advantage to be equipped with gun stabilizers that the M48A2 G A2 is not equipped with, making it an easy target for most tanks in an uptier. In those battles, it's wise to not advance blindly into the enemy and take a more careful approach, taking up a position where the M48A2 G A2 has the capability to get the first shot.

In lower rating battles the M48A2 G A2 can be used more aggressively, but it's still advised to not advance too fast, as certain vehicles also at that battle can be equipped with stabilizers and can get in a well placed shot on the move compared to the non-stabilizer tanks. These can have a big advantage over the M48A2 G A2 when it comes to brawling and engaging tanks while having the speed advantage and mobility to avoid incoming fire from a moving M48A2 G A2.

The M48A2 G A2 can be a tricky tank to use effectively in battle, lacking a stabilizer is a big disadvantage at its battle rating but it can still be an effective tank for defending captured points or taking up a "sniper" position where it can be relatively safe from enemies.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fairly good upper glacis armour
• Highly effective 105 mm gun is a noticeable upgrade from the 90 mm gun on the M48A2 C
• DM23 APFSDS shell makes it competitive against its peers, can frontally penetrate anything it encounters
• Has effective armour against air attacks
• Gun breech can protect turret crew from chemical munitions, although it will be damaged
• Access to smoke
• Acceptable reverse speed

Cons:

• Frontal turret armour is not very reliable
• Commander's cupola is still a large target
• Can't deal with enemy aircraft as effectively due to the deletion of the .50 cal
• Lack of gun stabilizer rarely allows it to make the first shot in a moving engagement
• Ineffective armour in uptiers
• Lacks thermals
• DM23 APFSDS shell is a tier 3 modification - long grind with APDS and HEAT-FS to unlock DM23

History

In 1958, West Germany received the M48A2 Patton III tank. Originally this tank included the 90 mm M41 cannon and a 750 HP engine. Later on the tank would receive an upgraded engine (from 750 HP to 825 HP) along with other changes and was designated the M48A2 C in German service. This tank served from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. West Germany realized that the 90 mm gun wasn't sufficient enough to deal with most of the top of the line Soviet MBTs, so in 1978 the tank received the German licensed built, 105 mm L7A3 gun found on the Leopard 1. Other changes included minor fire control system changes, a new commander hatch, passive night sights, and later on a laser rangefinder. This version was designated the M48A2 G A2 and remained in service till the 1990s.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M48A2 G A2 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Patton Family discusses the M48A2 G A2 at 6:57 - War Thunder Official Channel

M48A2 G A2 - Mr 2 Face - Napalmratte

See also

Related development

• M48 Patton (Family)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Chrysler Defense
MBTs
M48 Patton	M48A1
M60	M60 · M60A1 (AOS) · M60A2 · M60A1 RISE (P) · M60A3 TTS
M1	XM1 (Chrysler) · M1 Abrams
Export
M48	M48A2 C · M48A2 G A2 · ␗M48A1 · Magach 1 · Magach 2
M60	␗M60A3 TTS · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" ·
Note	Chrysler Defense was purchased by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) in 1982.