Alecto I

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Alecto I
uk_alecto_mk_1.png
GarageImage Alecto I.jpg
ArtImage Alecto I.jpg
Alecto I
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Description

The Alecto Mk.I was a British experimental light self-propelled gun, built on the basis of the Light Tank Mk.VIII "Harry Hopkins". Due to delays in development and testing of the Mk.VIII, the first chassis available for conversion into a self-propelled gun appeared only in August 1943. Testing and refinement of the Alecto itself, which began only in 1944, also dragged on considerably; as a result, a sample more or less ready for production only appeared by June 1945, when the need for such a machine had already disappeared, since there were more powerful and refined self-propelled guns available. A small batch of Alectos were produced, the exact number of which is unknown. They did not participate in combat operations, were used for training purposes and were scrapped by 1955.

Introduced during Update "Wind of Change" as a reward for the "Battle for Arachis" event, the Alecto represents a classic "glass cannon". Its 95 mm howitzer is a very powerful weapon, with powerful HE and HEAT shells at its disposal, but it reloads quite slowly and surviving the reloading process in the enemy's sight is unlikely, since it has virtually no armour. However, it has satisfactory mobility and a very small profile, which somewhat increases its chances of survival. Constant repositioning and long-range firing will be crucial, as this is where the Alecto can excel.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull10 / 10 / 10
Turret10 / 0 / 0
Crew4 people
Visibility104 %

The armour of the Alecto is quite poor. Rounds fired at you will penetrate, and the front is not even well sloped, so you can't bounce any shot. In addition, your ammo is stored entirely on the sides, so don't expect so do well if you get flanked. However, there is a benefit to poor armour: shots won't spall much (and often APHE won't detonate), so usually it will take multiple shots to take out your crew. But that does mean some rifle-calibre MG rounds can penetrate your armour frontally, so be careful of coaxial armament. Besides, don't forget though that you are open-topped, and are vulnerable to overpressure damage, besides being easy prey for enemy aviation.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 6 mm (36°) Front glacis
10 mm (7°) Lower glacis
5 mm Top - Front upper plate
6 mm (57°) Top - Front centre glacis
5 mm Top - Front lower plate
6 mm (33°) Top - Rear glacis
10 mm (37°) Bottom
10 mm Upper plate
6 mm (36°) Lower glacis
4 mm Engine compartment
Gun shield 10 mm (cylindrical) Turret front
10 mm Gun mantlet

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 20 mm thick, while tracks are 15 mm thick.
  • Belly armour is 6 mm thick.
  • There is a 6 mm thick plate separating the crew compartment from the engine compartment.
  • The driver seats in a compartment surrounded with 4 mm thick plates on the front and the sides.
  • Mudguards are 4 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB54 / 6 km/h
RB and SB50 / 6 km/h
Number of gears5 forward
1 back
Weight8.0 t
Engine power
AB315 hp
RB and SB165 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB39.4 hp/t
RB and SB20.6 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 6 8 234 315 29.25 39.38
Realistic 50 6 146 165 18.25 20.63

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB374 Sl icon.png
RB140 Sl icon.png
SB172 Sl icon.png
Crew training450 Sl icon.png
Experts3 000 Sl icon.png
Aces45 Ge icon.png
Research Aces220 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 20 / 20 / 30 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 100 / 100 / 100 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods tank ammo.png
95mm_howitzer_Smoke_ammo_pack

Armaments

Main armament

95 mm Howitzer, Tank No.1, Mk.I
Ammunition48 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
11.1 → 8.6 s
Vertical guidance-5° / 26°
Horizontal guidance-15° / 15°
95 mm Howitzer, Tank No.1, Mk.I Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 48 -5°/+25° ±15° N/A 8.8 12.2 14.8 16.4 17.4 11.18 9.89 9.12 8.60
Realistic 6.0 7.0 8.5 9.4 10.0

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
Shell H.E./A.T. HEAT 110 110 110 110 110 110
Shell Mk.Ia HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
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%
Shell H.E./A.T. HEAT 502 6.72 0 0.3 781.66 62° 69° 73°
Shell Mk.Ia HE 320 11.34 0 0.1 666 79° 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)
Shell SE Mk,I 320 11.34 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Alecto I
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
48 25 (+23) (+47) No

Notes:

  • Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

Usage in battles

The Alecto's usage in battle could be somewhat monotonously difficult if no situational awareness or thoughtful positioning is used, due to the relatively poor defensive qualities of the SPG. Fortunately, This can be easily overcome when considering the vehicle's main traits. Therefore, the sniper role is, by far, the go-to role if a player wants to enjoy and learn the best out of the Alecto.

The decent ballistics of the gun and the capable HEAT shell can stand for some serious long-range shooting. Considering that most British tanks at its rank are armed with the 2-pounder, the Alecto provides an upper hand in long-range engagements due to the chemical rounds. This explosive sniper game style should not be overlooked, as it allows for an often enjoyable learning experience for latter gameplays as the FV4005 or the G6 Rhino.

The HE and HEAT rounds come with the valuable bonus of overpressure damage, something often difficult to achieve on the 40 mm 2-Pounder gun due to the poor or lacking HE filler. At the rank, many lightly-armoured or exposed vehicles such as Panzerjäger I or Flakpanzer 38 can be found; these will often become easy targets for the Alecto.

The fixed gun limits the close-range engagements since most tanks encountered will be agile enough to manoeuvre easily around the Alecto. Therefore the sniper role will favour this fixed gun design. The Alecto got nothing to envy in the mobility department, so the commanders could take advantage of the nimble chassis and find good sniping positions or be ready to relocate when necessary.

Something important to note is the limited elevation of the howitzer. Often the most irregular terrains such as those on Tunisia, Ash River or Frozen Pass will be challenging for the Alecto. Not only on gun traversing but in practical firing positioning. Here is when knowledge of the map terrain will help players get the most out of the flexibility of Alecto's mobility.

Since no tank design is perfect, the Alecto will be no exception. The thin protection and the lack of any roof armour mean the tank can suffer from the lightest of the guns, namely 12.7 mm Browning machine guns and small calibre autocannons as those on the Anti-aircraft vehicles. Smart tankers should seek to never stay in the same position for too long, as enemy aircraft or revengeful players could find their way to you. The smoke shells can help in this regard. Whenever in trouble, a few smoke shells can obscure the enemy's sight enough for a retreat or a brave standoff up close and personal. Players should never forget to load some smoke rounds for the most desperate needs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Highly capable HEAT; excellent for Rank I armour
  • Excellent mobility for an SPG; fast acceleration and steering
  • Flexible shell arsenal: smoke, HE and HEAT shells
  • Sufficient ammo load for prolonged fighting

Cons:

  • Long reload time; no match for fast-firing guns at the rank
  • Thinly armoured and open-topped; easily destroyed
  • Shell drop can provide difficult long range shooting, practice is needed
  • Fixed gun design limits response time against faster tanks; poor elevation angles worsens this

History

The Alecto I is a British self propelled gun developed from the Tetrach light tank towards the end of the Second World War. Fitted with a newly developed 3.75 inch howitzer in an open top casemate configuration, the Alecto only completed trials after the war had ended, leading to it serving briefly with the British Army in Germany and the Middle East without seeing any combat.

Devblog

A further development of the Tetrarch light tank concept resulted in the Mk.VIII Harry Hopkins light cruiser tank, which Vickers-Armstrongs was creating to be an airborne tank. Since the mass of the vehicle by the beginning of the production exceeded the allowable for the project, and the design itself still required serious improvements, the company's engineering team decided to continue their work, turning the project into a light self-propelled unit with a 3.75" howitzer Q.F. 95mm. The chassis engine compartment was completely unified with the Harry Hopkins, while the combat compartment and the gun were completely new for the series. The SPG is called Alecto I (or Alecto Mk. I) went to the testing in 1944 and, after implementing new changes (again with an increase in the mass of the machine), the self-propelled guns were built in a small batch by June 1945. The war had already ended by that time, and all units built were used mainly for training purposes and were decommissioned in 1955.

Media

Skins
Images

See also

External links


Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Ships 
Tribal-class  HMS Eskimo · HMCS Haida
Invincible-class  HMS Invincible*
Kongō-class  IJN Kongo**
Tanks 
Light Tanks  VFM5*** · Vickers Mk.11***
Light Tank Mk VI  Light AA Mk I
Light Tank Mk VII  Tetrarch I
Light Tank Mk VIII  Alecto I
Tank, Infantry, Valentine  Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI · Archer
Vickers MBT  Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7***
Heavy Tanks  Independent****
Export  ▂МК-IX "Valentine" · Vickers Mk.E****
See also  Vickers-Armstrongs Aircraft Limited
  *Previously Armstrong Whitworth
  **Built for Japan
  ***Vickers Defence Systems
  ****Previously Vickers Limited

Britain tank destroyers
Infantry tank derivatives  Archer · Gun Carrier (3-in)
Light tank derivatives  Alecto I
M10 Achilles  Achilles · Achilles (65 Rg.)
Centurion derivatives  FV4005 · Conway
ATGM  Swingfire · Striker
Other  Tortoise · ▄M109A1
Canada  QF 3.7 Ram · ADATS (M113)
South Africa  G6 · ZT3A2

Britain premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II 1939 · AEC Mk II · Crusader "The Saint" · Rooikat 105
Medium tanks  A.C.I · Grant I · Cromwell V (RP-3) · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" · A.C.IV · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
  Centurion Mk.2 · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk.5/1 · ▄Sho't Kal Dalet · Centurion Action X
  Vijayanta · Khalid · Challenger DS · Challenger 2 OES
Heavy tanks  Independent · Matilda Hedgehog · Excelsior · TOG II · Churchill Crocodile · Black Prince
Tank destroyers  Alecto I · Achilles (65 Rg.) · QF 3.7 Ram