Giraf
Contents
Description
Shortly after the introduction of the M113, Israel became one of the largest users of this vehicle. With over 6,000 vehicles acquired over the years from the US, the M113 became one of the most common vehicles in IDF service, being capable of fulfilling multiple roles such as APC, IFV, ATGM carrier, and Short Range Air Defence vehicle. Giraf was the name given by the Israeli Defence Force to the M113A1 carrying a TOW missile launcher. Countries like the United States, Italy, and Taiwan were already experienced with this system and many M113 were modified to serve as tank destroyers using the TOW missile. The vehicle served with Israel until the introduction of the Spike anti-tank guided missile, which was also fitted to the M113 under the name "Hafiz".
The Giraf was introduced in Update "Air Superiority". The M113A1 TOW Giraf is very similar to other ATGM carriers in-game. It uses the BGM-71C I-TOW anti-tank guided missile as its main armament, with 10 rounds in total alongside a coaxial 12.7 mm MG. The Giraf has very good gun depression (-20°) and the missiles have a good speed of almost 300 m/s and a decent range of almost 4 kilometers. Like most M113s, the Giraf is not very mobile and struggles on inclines due to the lack of engine power, and its protection is nothing special, being very vulnerable to 20 mm or 14.5 mm autocannon shots and even 12.7 mm fire from the side. Thus, it should be played very passively, staying behind the cover of hills and teammates utilizing its gun depression to its advantage. The Giraf is a vehicle meant to be played on certain maps in certain situations, and is the definition of a niche vehicle - you won't see much use out of it on most maps, but in situations where it shines it can hold an area very effectively.
General info
Survivability and armour
Like other anti-tank guided missile carriers on the M113 platform, this vehicle is not very survivable, in fact it is vulnerable to even relatively weak projectiles from 14.5 mm and 20 mm guns. The crew compartment is very crammed and a single shot from a tank or missile is often enough to destroy the vehicle. But even with that into consideration, the launcher is separated from the hull of the vehicle and it can be used to hide the main body while launching from above obstacles and hills.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope Angle) | Sides (Slope Angle) | Rear (Slope Angle) | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 38 mm (40°) | 44 mm (0°) Top 32 mm (0°) Bottom |
38 mm (10°) | 10 - 38 mm |
| Cupola | 38 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The Giraf (and by extension the M113s as a whole) can be described as having mediocre mobility. While the hull can definitely make use of the somewhat high HP/ton on flat ground, on any slightly harsh slope you can quickly notice the vehicle's poor mobility in that regard. If the slope is particularly steep for the Giraf, it may be better to put the vehicle on Cruise Control (Default PC keybind "Q/E" without pressing W or S to toggle; tap E once in this case) BATTLE to improve torque and traction, sacrificing some speed for not slipping down the slope midway and wasting your time. Otherwise, the vehicle's mobility isn't anything to write home about and will generally carry you to where you need to be without much hassle.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 70 | 17 | 11.2 | 305 | 410 | 27.23 | 36.61 |
| Realistic | 65 | 15 | 190 | 215 | 16.96 | 19.2 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The Giraf's primary means of engaging enemies is its TOW missile launcher, which has two available missile types in the form of the BGM-71B TOW and BGM-71C I-TOW missiles respectively. The I-TOW can be equipped once you research the corresponding I-TOW modification in Tier 1, and supersedes the TOW completely once equipped. The I-TOW loses a whopping 3 m/s and around ~0.9kg of TNT equivalent in the warhead, but gains an additional ~200 mm more penetration, 750 meters of range and a longer guidance time of 25 seconds as opposed to the prior 17. As the I-TOW has more penetration it is generally the superior choice, and as you cannot switch missile types mid-battle or bring both it is preferred to have I-TOWs equipped. The warhead's explosive mass is still more than adequate to critically damage enemy tanks, and if necessary a follow-up shot is always an option.
It is to be noted that the I-TOW, unlike its later cousins in the TOW-2 family, does not come with IRCCM, and as a result can be jammed by IRCM-equipped vehicles such as the AMX-30B2 BRENUS, although these aren't common at the Giraf's own Battle Rating and are only seen in noticeable numbers starting from ~10.0 in the form of the ZTZ96A (P) or the PUMA. A more pressing problem might be composite armor and ERA, both of which start to become increasingly common at the Giraf's Battle Rating. As both missiles lack a tandem warhead, ERA will usually stop your ATGMs dead in their tracks and necessitate you waiting for them to show their exposed sides or giving up engaging that person altogether. As a missile carrier with no other way to deal with MBTs otherwise this is something to always keep in the back of your head.
When firing ATGMs it is encouraged to fire with at least some separation from the ground, as the missile has an early "dip" shortly after leaving the launcher and if insufficient distance is present may end up simply hitting the ground. Against moving targets, lead the missile like you would lead an AA vehicle against an enemy plane, although this takes practice to do if they are moving horizontally to you at a relatively high speed.
Against enemies that do not fit the criteria above of having IRCM, ERA or advanced composites, your ATGMs will easily go through their armor so long as you avoid tracks and spaced armor. The missile has enough explosive mass to overpressure light vehicles on impact, and depending on where you hit on a MBT may also yield favorable results. Aiming for center mass will usually work, but as the missile fires a HEAT jet that mostly flies in a straight line, try and aim the missile so that it hits as many crew members on impact.
| BGM-71B TOW/BGM-71C I-TOW missile | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 10 | -20°/+25° | ±45° | - | 26.4 | 36.5 | 44.4 | 49.1 | 52.2 | 13.00 | 11.50 | 10.60 | 10.00 |
| 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 | ||
| TOW | ATGM | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 |
| Missile details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | ||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| TOW | ATGM | 299 | 3,000 | 18.82 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 3.75 | 80° | 82° | 90° | ||
| 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 | ||
| I-TOW | ATGM | 630 | 630 | 630 | 630 | 630 | 630 |
| Missile details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | ||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| I-TOW | ATGM | 296 | 3,750 | 19.05 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 2.88 | 80° | 82° | 90° | ||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|
| 10 | No |
Machine guns
The Giraf comes equipped with the standard M2HB 12.7 mm HMG. The gun can elevate to a respectable 50 degrees and depress to an also respectable -10 degrees, and can be used to ward off both lightly armored enemy vehicles and enemy aviation should they choose to simply fly at you straight on. You can also use it to track enemy vehicles should your missile hit be non-fatal, although it is advised to retreat if this happens rather than exposing yourself for the sake of a critical hit. It is also to note that the M2HB blocks off the front left side of the vehicle for the main launcher to depress downwards, so positioning the vehicle with the right side pointing towards the enemy can be beneficial for positioning.
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 1,000 (200) | 575 | -10°/+50° | ±120° |
Usage in battles
The Giraf is the definition of a utility vehicle; it performs extremely well if the situation presents itself (usually somewhat open but hilly maps), but in a fair fight on flat terrain it very much is not competitive due to the lack of any form of protection. Your primary objective should be to only take out this vehicle on maps where your other vehicles perform much worse due to the hilly terrain - and turn it into an advantage of your own instead, using the vehicle's -20° gun depression to its fullest potential.
When positioning the Giraf, it is advised to point the front right side towards the enemy and is also preferred to hold a point with the enemy's position to your right. This is due to the M2HB 12.7 mm HMG on your front left hull, which prevents the missile launcher from depressing to its fullest potential. This may cost you your vehicle if not taken into consideration, so always keep this in mind and check that your launcher can fire should an enemy appear in front of you. Other positioning tips include positioning your vehicle next to cover so that only the missile tube sticks out, and avoiding sticking too close to your team as your vehicle is very much open-topped and is vulnerable to artillery fire.
One enemy to keep in note in this vehicle is the T-55AMD-1. This vehicle has composite armor under its front plate (as does its premium cousin the T-55AM-1), which can sometimes heavily reduce the amount of spall your missile does to the point of it not even killing a single crew member, and in the case of the 55AM the turret also comes equipped with composite screens as well. Especially when stock, your TOW missile may even fail to penetrate said upper front plate if you hit the wrong spot. However, the real threat of the 55AMD comes in the form of its APS (Active Protection System), as it is a Hard-Kill system. In layman's terms, the tank has equipment that can shoot a projectile at your missile, prematurely detonating it before it impacts the tank - in essence meaning so long as his turret is pointing towards you, you physically can't hit him with missiles unless he is out of APS charges. This can be an extremely frustrating engagement, and if you see text suggesting your missile has been shot down by the APS you should simply either wait for him to look elsewhere or go find a different target.
Otherwise, you can generally handle any vehicle at your BR bracket from almost any angle, including vehicles such as the T-72A through the upper plate with little resistance. Aiming slightly to the right (when facing one) to hit the driver and crew behind it instead of hitting the fuel tank in the left may marginally assist in your kill counts, but overall the Giraf will reward you handsomely if you park it in a good spot, get 2-3 kills, and reposition constantly to avoid being strafed as you have little armor and only one 12.7 mm MG to fend off planes.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful ATGM, can penetrate most tanks it sees without issue
- ATGM can overpressure lightly armoured tanks and open-tops
- ATGM can be manually guided to destroy helicopters
- -20° gun depression allows it to use unexpected spots
- 12.7 mm MG can elevate a fair bit, which can be used to snipe pilots on cocky planes
Cons:
- Very weak armour and is an open-top vehicle; vulnerable to any form of enemy fire
- ATGM cannot go through fences and other obstacles due to its HEAT warhead
- Lack of IRCCM and tandem warheads on the I-TOW are sorely felt against ERA / APS equipped vehicles
- Poor hull performance on slopes
- Prone to sliding down hills mid-climb after losing traction, despite having a near 20 HP/t P/W ratio
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Israel tank destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Artillery | M109 · Rochev · Sholef |
| ATGM | Zachlam Tager · Giraf |
