AEC AA

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RANK 4 FRANCE
Somua SM PACK
uk_armored_car_mk_2_aa.png
GarageImage AEC AA.jpg
ArtImage AEC AA.png
AEC AA
AB RB SB
3.7 3.3 3.3
Class:
Research:9 200 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:16 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Armoured Car, AEC AA is a rank II British Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB) and 3.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.55 "Royal Armour" along with the rest of the British tree.

This is a low rank British AA car, which, while lacking armour, can pack quite the punch. It has two 20 mm autocannons on its turret, and good manoeuvrability and speed. Unlike the AA of many other countries at this rank, this is a closed top vehicle, and performs well in anti-tank roles.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull31 / 25 / 14
Turret51 / 51 / 51
Crew4 people
Visibility90 %

The AEC AA lacks armour, although it is protected from most smaller calibre machine guns at its battle rating. It is advisable to attempt to position yourself above an enemy, so that: A) they will have a lower ability to see you, and B) so that they will most likely end up shooting the lower part of the tank, which juts out. If they shoot here with an AP shell, it will most likely go straight through and merely take out your transmission.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Structural steel (Sand skirts)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 17 mm (62-78°) Front glacis
10 mm (42°) Lower glacis
17 mm (49°) + 31 mm Joint plate
25 mm (0-1°) 10 mm (58°) Top
14 mm (13°) Bottom
12 mm
10 mm Rear
Turret 50.8 mm (1-6°) Turret front
50.8 mm (13-60°) Gun mantlet
50.8 mm (7-9°) 50.8 mm (6-38°) 20 mm
  • Wheels are 2 mm thick, structural chassis is 5 mm thick.
  • A 14 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB73 / 10 km/h
RB and SB67 / 9 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
2 back
Weight12.7 t
Engine power
AB301 hp
RB and SB158 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB23.7 hp/t
RB and SB12.4 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 73 10 12.7 224 301 17.64 23.7
Realistic 67 9 140 158 11.02 12.44

The AEC AA is decently manoeuvrable and has high top speeds, especially on the road. Warning: do not attempt to drive this vehicle on the snow or sand, as it will go more slowly than most heavy tanks at its BR.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB653 → 846 Sl icon.png
RB532 → 690 Sl icon.png
SB816 → 1 058 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications8 410 Rp icon.png
9 400 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost640 Ge icon.png
Crew training4 500 Sl icon.png
Experts16 000 Sl icon.png
Aces160 Ge icon.png
Research Aces190 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
40 / 50 / 70 % Sl icon.png
118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new wheels.png
Tires
Research:
420 Rp icon.png
Cost:
470 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new car suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
420 Rp icon.png
Cost:
470 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
20mm_Oerlikon_HE_ammo_pack
Research:
420 Rp icon.png
Cost:
470 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
420 Rp icon.png
Cost:
470 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
20mm_Oerlikon_AP_ammo_pack
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods aa cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
380 Rp icon.png
Cost:
430 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition600 rounds
Belt capacity60 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
1.3 → 1.0 s
Fire rate450 shots/min
Vertical guidance-5° / 87°

The AEC AA sports dual-mount 20 mm autocannons, which excels at devastating planes and even light or medium tanks. The AP rounds provided will shred through almost anything, and it is always advisable to take these. Additionally, these allow you to down heavy bombers.

20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II (x2) Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 600 (60) 450 -5°/+87° ±180° N/A 35.22 48.75 59.20 65.47 69.65 7.80 6.90 6.36 6.00
Realistic 23.80 28.00 34.00 37.60 40.00

Ammunition

  • Default: AP-T · HEF-I · AP-T - This belts carries an equal mixture of HEF-I and AP-T.
  • HET: HEFI-T · HEF-I · HEF-I - This is the belt you want to research first, since its rounds are the best against aircraft.
  • APT: AP-T - These are purely AP belts that are not very useful with 42 mm of penetration. However, it is always a good idea to carry a few for self-defence- it can knockout lightly armoured vehicles.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
HEF-I 4 4 3 3 3 3
AP-T 38 35 23 14 9 5
HEFI-T 4 4 3 3 3 3
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
HEF-I 838 0.12 0 0.1 6 - - -
AP-T 830 0.14 - - - 47° 60° 65°
HEFI-T 838 0.12 0.1 0.1 5 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AEC AA
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
10 8 (+2) 6 (+4) 4 (+6) 2 (+8) Yes

Optics

AEC AA Optics
Which ones Default magnification Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics x1.85 x3.5
Comparable optics So-Ki

Usage in battles

The AEC AA can be used as a support tank in most battles and excels at ambushes. It works well at holding down a capture point, or setting traps along roads. It is advisable to always stay near allies so that you can receive help if necessary. If you choose to play the original role of anti-aircraft, make sure to stay in an open (but safe) area, allowing you full range of fire. Sometimes it is advisable to "harass" planes by giving scattered fire to make them think you are a light tank, and then pretending you don't notice them turning to attack you. Aim down the scope until they are within firing range, and shred them to pieces before they have time to react.

Due to the heavy ammunition consumption as SPAA in AA fights, stay at an allied capture point to get ammunition to reload during battle.

When encountering an enemy that's armour can't be pierced, attempt to immobilise the vehicle by disabling the tracks. From here, multiple options are available for the AEC AA depending on the foe. If the enemy has known weak spots, the AEC AA could attempt to manoeuvre to a favourable position. If the enemy is known to be impervious to the AEC AA's armaments, simply keep them disabled (hit the gun barrel as well to increase the enemy's repair time), drop artillery, and withdraw to a safe position until a friendly with a bigger gun can handle the situation.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent rate of fire
  • Fast and mobile with good acceleration
  • Closed top, can't be strafed from the sky or hit by artillery shrapnel
  • Good turret armour
  • Fast turret rotation speed
  • Good gun velocity gives good anti-air capability
  • Can decimate lightly armoured tank destroyers

Cons:

  • Useless against heavily armoured tanks
  • Low ammo capacity can't allow for reckless firing
  • Poor hull armour
  • Taller than other vehicles, making it a large target (easier to hit)
  • Has wheels, therefore it can't turn on the spot
  • Terrible at driving off-road and on sand or mud
  • Turret ring is fairly large, therefore it may become jammed often if hit
  • Not enough gun depression (be careful when getting up hills)

History

Development

The basis of the armoured car comes from the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) of Southall, Middlesex. AEC was a manufacturer of truck and bus chassis and the Matador artillery tractor. The armoured car was privately developed in 1941 and was based on the Matador. The design was shown to British officials in the same year during the Horse Guards Parade and was received favourably by many, including Winston Churchill. Orders started filing in for the armoured car, and AEC tried to give it comparable firepower to current tanks at the time. Thus, the first version, Mk.I, came with a turret adapted from the Valentine tank equipped with the 2-pounder. The next version, Mk.II, had this upgraded with a heavier turret and a 6-pounder gun, then with the QF 75 mm gun on the Mk.III. An anti-aircraft version using the same turret from the Crusader AA Mk II and the twin Oerlikon guns were also developed for the armoured car. During its production life from 1942 to 1943, 629 Armoured cars in total were built.

Combat usage

The Armoured cars equipped with tank guns were used in North Africa in late 1942. Some on-field modifications include changing out the Valentine turret for a Crusader turret with the 6-pounder. The armoured cars continued to see fighting in various parts of Europe in combination with other armoured cars and remained in service until replaced by the Alvis Saladin in 1958.

Though the anti-aircraft version was made, it never entered production due to the growing Allied air superiority over the Axis forces, making the anti-aircraft version unnecessary to guard the advancing Allied units from air attacks.

Media

Skins

See also

Vehicles with the same chassis:

Vehicles with the same weapon system:

External links


Associated Equipment Company (AEC)
Armoured Cars  AEC Mk II
SPAAs  AEC AA

Britain anti-aircraft vehicles
Crusader AA  Crusader AA Mk I · Crusader AA Mk II
Wheeled  Staghound AA · AEC AA
Radar SPAAG  Chieftain Marksman
Missile SPAA  Stormer HVM
Other  Light AA Mk I · Falcon
Canada  Skink
South Africa  Ystervark · Bosvark · ZA-35