Imp.Chaparral (Israel)

From War Thunder Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
This page is about the SPAA Imp.Chaparral (Israel). For the other version, see Imp.Chaparral.
Imp.Chaparral
il_mim_72_chaparral.png
GarageImage Imp.Chaparral (Israel).jpg
Imp.Chaparral
AB RB SB
10.3 10.3 10.3
Class:
Research:300 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:830 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

One of the first foreign customers of the American MIM-72 Chaparral was the IDF, which ordered the first batch of SAMs in 1973, immediately after the Yom Kippur War. The first batteries were delivered to Israel at the end of 1973 under the name Drakon. In total, several dozen Chaparral launch systems entered service with the IDF, and were actively used in the 1970s and '80s to protect Israeli airspace from potential attacks by Syrian aviation. In 1996, Israel concluded a deal with the United States to acquire 36 more modern MIM-72C Improved Chaparral complexes. They differed from previous versions in an improved guidance system, a Doppler proximity fuze, and a HE fragmentation warhead for the missile. Subsequently, these SAMs also received more advanced missiles, such as the MIM-72E with a smokeless engine and MIM-72G which integrated the seeker head from the FIM-92 Stinger, increasing their resistance to countermeasures. In 2003, all Chaparral units were retired and withdrawn from service by the IDF.

Introduced in Update "Sons of Attila", the Israeli Chaparral is equipped with much better missiles than the American version; the MIM-72G features IRCCM and improved engines, allowing it to combat aircraft with countermeasures and compete with SPAAs with advanced radar. The missile uses the same seeker as the one present in the FIM-92 Stinger missile, making it quite hard to dodge, and the improved engine makes it even more lethal. However, the Israeli Chaparral still suffers from a lack of radar and a gun for very close-range engagements, as even the improved missile is not capable of hitting if the locked target is just a few metres away, which is especially dangerous against enemy helicopters.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull0 / 0 / 0
Turret0 / 0 / 0
Crew5 people
Visibility107 %

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull ___ mm ___ mm Top
___ mm Bottom
___ mm ___ - ___ mm
Turret ___ - ___ mm Turret front
___ mm Gun mantlet
___ - ___ mm ___ - ___ mm ___ - ___ mm
Cupola ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB67 / 16 km/h
RB and SB62 / 15 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
2 back
Weight13.7 t
Engine power
AB525 hp
RB and SB275 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB38.3 hp/t
RB and SB20.1 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 67 16 13.7 206 525 15.04 38.32
Realistic 62 15 128 275 9.34 20.07

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB4 788 → 6 870 Sl icon.png
RB4 739 → 6 800 Sl icon.png
SB5 428 → 7 789 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications240 900 Rp icon.png
410 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 900 Ge icon.png
Crew training240 000 Sl icon.png
Experts830 000 Sl icon.png
Aces2 100 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 140 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
160 / 200 / 240 % Sl icon.png
238 / 238 / 238 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
18 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
28 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
22 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
34 000 Sl icon.png
500 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
5 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
28 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
4 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement il.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
22 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
34 000 Sl icon.png
500 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
18 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
28 000 Sl icon.png
410 Ge icon.png
Mods airstrike.png
Airstrike
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
22 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
34 000 Sl icon.png
500 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods scouting.png
Improved optics
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
127mm_MIM72G_aam_ammo_pack
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods thermal sight.png
NVD
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png

Armaments

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

AAM MIM-72
Ammunition12 rounds
Belt capacity4 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
19.5 → 15.0 s
Fire rate60 shots/min
Vertical guidance-9° / 90°
Main article: MIM-72
MIM-72 missile Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 12 (4) -9°/+90° ±180° - 79.3 109.7 133.2 147.3 156.7 19.50 17.25 15.90 15.00
Realistic 53.6 63.0 76.5 84.6 90.0

Ammunition

Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Range
(m)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Arming
distance (m)
Trigger
radius (m)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
MIM-72E SAM 720 6,000 86.3 1 0.3 0 5 4.31 79° 80° 81°
MIM-72G SAM 720 6,000 86.3 1 0.3 0 5 4.31 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
3 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Smokeless motor missile makes enemy aircraft unable to detect incoming launch

Cons:

  • 4 exposed crew with only one protected crew inside the turret, susceptible to even 7.62 mm machine gun fire which can lead to a crew knockout
  • Open top vehicle, very vulnerable to overpressure from HE shells, rockets, artillery strikes, and bombs

History

The United States Army developed the M48 Chaparral in the 1960s as a short-range surface-to-air missile system which would complement the M163 Vulcan. The system used the MIM-72 Chaparral missile - a unique adaptation of the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile which had been entering service in the US Air Force at the time. The Chaparral launch vehicle carried four such missiles on a rotating turret on top of an M113 hull, with an enlarged "cabin" at the front containing the fire control system. The unique turret was designed for fast 360-degree rotation as well as a maximum elevation of 90 degrees, allowing the system to engage enemy aircraft quickly and easily.

In 1973, Egypt and Syria performed a surprise attack on Israel (known as the Yom Kippur War) using masses of advanced Soviet weaponry supplied to them in the years since the 1967 Six-Day War. Aerial attacks by MiGs and Soviet helicopters in particular proved very difficult to stop with Israel's small air force and aging short-range AA weaponry. Richard Nixon's administration, fearing a demonstration of Soviet superiority in the Middle East, decided to supply Israel with an aerial train full of American-made weapons, combat vehicles and munitions. As part of one such shipment, Israel received its first two M48 Chaparrals as well as urgent training for a handful of crews.

The two vehicles arrived almost at the very end of the war. Reports indicate that they were made ready just in time to be deployed in the Sinai peninsula, assisting an MIM-23 Hawk battery in hunting for Egyptian helicopters on the eastern side of the Suez Canal in the days immediately following the war. Though the Hawks shot down many enemy helicopters, no Chaparral kills were reported during that particular operation. A much larger number of Chaparrals were purchased, with the first battery becoming operational only a few weeks after the Yom Kippur War. The Chaparral made its first and only kill in world history in 1974, when an Israeli operator shot down a low-flying Syrian MiG-17 attacking Israeli ground forces in the Golan Heights.

In the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), the Chaparral received the codename Drakon (Dragon), though they kept the purchase a secret for several years after its introduction. The Israeli Air Defense Array was apparently impressed by the vehicle's performance, as it continued to purchase various M48 Chaparral models for the next 25 years, in large quantities. The last purchase was completed in 1999, when Israel received at least several dozen M48 "Improved Chaparral" vehicles from US Army surplus. Reportedly, these systems all came from "block 6" of production, likely equipped with MIM-72G missiles. Though the launch vehicles were essentially identical to the original M113s used in early M48s, the Improved Chaparral's missiles featured several advancements to match the developing lethality of the Sidewinder over the years: all-aspect targeting, a heavier fragmentation-type warhead, a better guidance and tracking system, and an improved ability to ignore enemy countermeasures.

These new Chaparral vehicles would only serve in the IDF for another 4 years after their introduction, after which the entire Chaparral array was finally retired from service in 2003. Today, The IDF relies exclusively on Stinger MANPADS (infantry-operated) for short-range surface-to-air interception.

Media

Skins

See also

Related development

External links


Israel anti-aircraft vehicles
Half-track  TCM-20
M163 derivatives  Hovet · Machbet · Imp.Chaparral
Captured  ZSU-57-2 · ZSU-23-4