AMX-30B2

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Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
This page is about the French medium tank AMX-30B2. For other versions, see AMX-30 (Family).
fr_amx_30_b2.png
GarageImage AMX-30B2.jpg
AMX-30B2
AB RB SB
8.7 8.7 8.7
Class:
Research:160 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:450 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The AMX-30B2 is the first upgraded subvariant of the AMX-30B, which is the second variant of the AMX-30 main battle tank family. Due to transmission reliability problems, the French Army began upgrading its tank fleet to AMX-30B2 standards in 1979, which included a new transmission, a new Hispano-Suiza HS-110-S2 diesel engine, and the introduction of the new OFL 105 F1 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) ammunition. A laser rangefinder and thermal imaging equipment are also included for the gunner. The AMX-30B2 entered service in 1982. A total of 700 units were upgraded to this standard.

Introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance", the AMX-30B2 offers slightly more protection than its predecessor, the AMX-30B. Nonetheless, due to the lack of a two-plane fully automatic stabilization system, players must play more cautiously than tanks from other nations at this rank. Firing on the go and/or after a short stop is risky in this tank in the event of a sudden encounter with an enemy vehicle. As a result, the French AMX-30B2 is best suited to roles such as support tank, long-range sniper, or flanker. You cannot expect to drive straight into battle and come out victorious in this tank. On most urban or city maps, it is preferable to avoid conflict hotspots. Since most tanks in other countries feature a two-plane stabilization system, you must play much more cautiously and attentively in these types of environments. Simply moving attentively and being aware of your surroundings will save your life in a scenario like this. You can also ambush your opponent by patiently waiting for someone to appear in front of you and then quickly repositioning yourself. On the other hand, the AMX-30B2 is the only tank at its rank that has access to thermal imaging equipment. Thermal imaging equipment allows players to easily identify adversaries in the infrared spectrum even when it is dark. Despite the fact that the thermal imaging equipment is of the first generation, detecting enemy tanks will be much easier.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull79 / 35 / 30
Turret80 / 41 / 30
Crew4 people
Visibility88 %

Armour type:

  • Cast homogeneous armour (front glacis, turret, cupola)
  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides, rear & roof)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50 mm (76-79°) Upper glacis - Top
79 mm (68°) Upper glacis - Bottom
79 mm (45°) Lower glacis - Top
30 mm (75°) Lower glacis - Bottom
57 mm (35°) Hull over the tracks
35 mm Top - Front
57 mm (35°) Top - Hull widening
35 mm Top - Centre & rear
30 mm Bottom
25 mm (70°) Belly
30 mm (10°) Upper plate
30 mm Hull over the tracks
30 mm Lower plate
25 mm (70°) Belly
79 mm (22°) Front glacis - Front
50 mm (11-14°) Front glacis - Rear
15 mm Rear
8 mm Radiator vents
Turret 30-150 mm (0-79°) Gun mantlet
30 mm (61-75°) Turret front top
41.5 mm (19-47°)
41.5 mm (8°) Cupola well
30 mm (1-64°)
20 mm (54-64°) Turret underside
30 mm (19°) Front
20 mm Centre
20 mm (20°) Rear
Cupola 60 mm (cylindrical) 60 mm Outer ring
20 mm Centre

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Reverse gearbox
Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed
Speedforward / back
AB73 / 73 km/h
RB and SB66 / 66 km/h
Number of gears10 forward
10 back
Weight37.0 t
Engine power
AB1 297 hp
RB and SB680 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB35.1 hp/t
RB and SB18.4 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 73 37 1,054 1,297 28.49 35.05
Realistic 66 66 601 680 16.24 18.38

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB4 156 → 6 184 Sl icon.png
RB4 522 → 6 728 Sl icon.png
SB5 779 → 8 599 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications132 100 Rp icon.png
225 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 400 Ge icon.png
Crew training130 000 Sl icon.png
Experts450 000 Sl icon.png
Aces2 000 Ge icon.png
Research Aces890 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
140 / 200 / 240 % Sl icon.png
214 / 214 / 214 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
7 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
6 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
6 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
9 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
9 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
2 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement fr.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
7 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
105mm_fr_CN105_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
7 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
6 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
105mm_fr_CN105_APDSFS_ammo_pack
Research:
6 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
10 000 Sl icon.png
300 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
9 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods tank laser rangefinder.png
Laser rangefinder
Research:
9 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png
Mods thermal sight.png
NVD
Research:
9 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
430 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Laser rangefinder
Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder
Night vision device
Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.
Thermal imager
Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

Ammunition47 rounds
First-order19 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
8.7 → 6.7 s
Vertical guidance-8° / 20°
Main article: CN-105-F1 (105 mm)
105 mm CN-105-F1 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 47 -8°/+20° ±180° N/A 28.6 39.5 48.0 53.1 56.5 8.71 7.70 7.10 6.70
Realistic 17.9 21.0 25.5 28.2 30.0

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
OCC 105 F1 HEAT 400 400 400 400 400 400
OE 105 F1 Mle.60 HE 25 25 25 25 25 25
OFL 105 F1 APFSDS 361 358 350 341 332 322
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%
OCC 105 F1 HEAT 1,000 10.95 0.05 0.1 1.02 62° 69° 73°
OE 105 F1 Mle.60 HE 700 12.1 0 0.1 2 79° 80° 81°
OFL 105 F1 APFSDS 1,525 3.8 - - - 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)
OFPH 105 F1 700 11.4 20 5 25 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AMX-30B2
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
47 20 (+27) 19 (+28) (+38) (+46) No

Notes:

  • Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
  • Rack 2, 3 and 4 are first stage ammo racks. They total 19 shells.
  • These racks get filled first when loading up the tank and are also emptied first.
  • The depletion order at full capacity is: 2 - 3 - 4 - 1.
  • Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from rack 1 into rack 4 then 3, then 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.


Machine guns

Ammunition1 000 rounds
Belt capacity500 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
13.0 → 10.0 s
Fire rate740 shots/min
Vertical guidance0° / 20°
Ammunition2 100 rounds
Belt capacity100 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate900 shots/min

The 20 mm 20F2 coaxial autocannon is not just an anti-aircraft gun: with 57 mm penetration at flat angle, it will shred anything from armoured cars and SPAA to lightly armoured medium tanks' sides. In case a vehicle cannot be penetrated, use the autocannon to disable them before using your 105 mm cannon: target the gun barrel or the tracks. The 20 mm can also deal with low-flying aircraft with the extra 20 degrees of elevation. The only drawback is that the autocannon is coaxial, meaning the turret must rotate to track the targets.

20 mm 20F2
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 1,000 (500) 740 0°/+20° N/A

The small calibre of the A-A-F1N machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

7.62 mm A-A-F1N
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 2,100 (100) 900 -10°/+45° ±120°

Usage in battles

French AMX-30B2 needs to be played more carefully than its other NATO counterparts such as the M60A1 (A0S) or the Leopard A1A1 due to the lack of a stabilizer, hence making firing on the move and/or after short stop more risky than if you were playing a T-62 in the case of a sudden frontal encounter. As a result the French AMX-30B2 is the best played as a second line support tank, a long range sniper or a flanker. You cannot expect to drive straight into battle and come out victorious in this tank.

This tank is, above everything, a sniper tank. The lack of a stabilizer will restrict your playstyle on most city or clustered maps. In these kinds of environment, you will have to play much more slowly and carefully than the other tanks because most tanks amongst other nations come with a stabilizer such as the Chieftain, the T-62 or the T-10M. Just advance slowly and try to be as much aware of your surroundings as you can be because this will prove to be a real life saver in this kind of environment. You can also simply lay ambushes to your enemy by patiently waiting for someone to come in front of your gun, destroy this enemy and quickly relocate using the tank's good mobility.

On big maps however, this tank can unleash all of its potential as the lack of a stabilizer won't be a problem on big maps, find a good location with a clear line-of-sight of commonly used routes to the capture zones and use the binoculars, thermal imaging system as well as the laser rangefinder to snipe your enemies from long distance, they simply wont be able to return fire soon or well enough before a final blow (if it's not done already) achieved through a AMX-30B2's perfectly ranged and aimed shot.

To sum it short, this tank plays very differently than other MBTS from all nations. It's not as versatile or flexible as other vehicles, but is extremely good at what it does the best due to top notch gun and ammunition as well as range-finding device.

In terms of enemies: every stabilized tank can prove extremely dangerous to you in CQC. Also due to your lack of armour, any tank you can encounter in your BR bracket can and will penetrate you frontally if they lay their gun on you. The best method is often to avoid direct combat or, if you have to do it, make sure that you will do it where you'll have the advantage also known as range.

German cannon CAS is also the bane of this tank due to its very thin roof armour. If a player decides to hop into their Me 262 A1/U4 for a payback, it'd be very wise to find a hard cover or a very dense forest in the next 30 seconds because 30 and/or 30 mm cannons loaded with AP shells will be on their way with the AMX-30B2 as a priority target.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Very powerful 105 mm APFSDS.
  • Thermal Imaging System for the gunner
  • Fast turret traverse system.
  • Big ready rack allowing a good sustained RoF of 9 shots per minute
  • Coaxial 20 mm autocannon with 40° of elevation to deal with thinly armoured vehicles and CAS aircrafts.
  • Good survivability when being hit in the turret front as the massive 105 breech and the 20 mm breech will absorb a lot of damages.
  • Smoke shells and grenades are available.
  • Average -8 degree gun depression.
  • Laser rangefinder being a great help to snipe over long distances accurately.

Cons:

  • No stabilizers, which restricts the play style of the vehicle.
  • Inadequate hull armour against other Rank VI vehicles.
  • 15-20 mm roof armour can be exploited by aerial attacks.
  • high cupola that can be exploited by enemies when behind a cover.

History

The AMX-30B2 is the second and most noticeable version of the AMX-30. Most of the improvements found in these vehicles had first been successfully tested on the AMX-32 export MBT which found no buyers most important changes were:

  • Improved firepower with the introduction of the OFL 105 F1 APFSDS
  • Improved firing control system with the COTAC digital firing control system
  • Improved mobility by replacing the original transmission by a semi-automatic gearbox incorporating a torque converter as well as the installation of reinforced torsion bars and shock absorbers
  • Improved night fighting capabilities with the installation of a second generation light intensification device
  • A new hydrostatic steering mechanism.

The first vehicles were delivered to the "Armée de terre" in 1981. In 1985, the light intensification device got replaced by a CASTOR thermal camera, the vehicle depicted in the game is therefore an AMX-30B2 as it came out of the factory in 1985. The AMX-30B2 was also meant to receive either a stabilized electro-hydraulic turret and weaponry drive unit designed by the SAMM (Société d'Application des Machines Motrices) or a stabilized commander periscopic panoramic sight interlocked with the turret drive unit through the priority controls of the commander over the turret (This system is what got used on the AMX-32 and AMX-40 to ensure a firing-on-the-move capability). Neither of these two solutions were chosen due to the cost of such systems, coupled to cuts in the defense budget. Therefore, the AMX-30B2 remained one of the rare 1980s MBT that was not able to fire on the move. Despite this, all the improvements incorporated into the design made the AMX-30B2 a formidable 2nd-generation MBT in the early '80s.

AMX-30B2 had the opportunity to fire in anger during the first Gulf War in 1991 where they outperformed Iraqis modified and modernized T-55 and T-62 as well as BMP's. However, at that point in time, even though it performed admirably well, the AMX-30B2 was simply obsolete and was about to be replaced with the AMX Leclerc and even if the latter began to rapidly replace the AMX-30B2 in every cavalry regiments, it's not until the early 2000s that the AMX-30B2 stopped being in active service and fully decommissioned. Most of them were destroyed, but some were still used until very recently by the FORAD whose the point is to simulate enemy tanks during exercises. In 2018, after more than 50 years of service, the AMX-30B2 used by the FORAD got definitely scrapped.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX)
Light tanks 
AMX-13  AMX-13-M24 · AMX-13 (FL11) · AMX-13 · AMX-13 (SS.11) · AMX-13-90 · AMX-13 (HOT)
Armoured cars  AMX-10RC
Medium tanks  AMX M4 · AMX-50 (TOA100)
MBTs 
AMX-30  AMX-30 · AMX-30 ACRA · AMX-30 (1972) · AMX-30B2 · AMX-30B2 BRENUS · AMX-30 Super
AMX-32/40  AMX-32 (105) · AMX-32 · AMX-40
Heavy tanks  AMX-50 Surbaissé · AMX-50 Surblindé
Tank destroyers  ELC bis · AMX-50 Foch
SPAAGs  AMX-13 DCA 40 · AMX-30 DCA
Export  AMX-13

France medium tanks
M4 Derivatives  M4A1 (FL10) · M4A4 (SA50)
AMX-50  AMX M4 · AMX-50 (TOA100) · AMX-50 (TO90/930)
AMX-30  AMX-30 · AMX-30 (1972) · AMX-30B2 · AMX-30B2 BRENUS · AMX-30 ACRA · AMX-30 Super
AMX-32/40  AMX-32 · AMX-32 (105) · AMX-40
Leclerc  Leclerc · Leclerc S2 · Leclerc SXXI · Leclerc AZUR
Other  D2 · S.35 · Lorraine 40t
Germany  Panther "Dauphiné"
USA  ▄M4A1 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▄M4A4 · ▄M26