M109 (Israel)

From War Thunder Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Rank VII | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
This page is about the tank destroyer M109 (Israel). For other versions, see M109 (Family).
M109
il_m109.png
GarageImage M109 (Israel).jpg
ArtImage M109 (Israel).png
M109
AB RB SB
6.0 6.0 6.0
Research:46 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:155 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

Israel first acquired the M109 at the end of the 1960s, and later fielded more modern versions of the M109 like the M109A1 and M109A2. The first combat seen by the vehicle was during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and while Israeli doctrine did not incentivise a predominant role for its artillery, the precision mobility of the M109 proved its effectiveness in striking enemy strategic points. In a similar way, the M109 was used during the 1982 Lebanon War. By the 2006 Lebanon War, the early M109s were all replaced with its longer range versions.

Introduced in Update "Kings of Battle", the M109 fields a very powerful HE shell in a somewhat capable cannon. The short barrel of this M109 is not the most capable at dealing with long ranges, but it is very easy to operate even for beginners. The M109 is better used as a support tank, flanking or staying behind cover and ambushing incoming enemies. Aiming for the top of the turret, the bottom of the hull, or the engine compartment are the best ideas, since the 155 mm HE shell fielded by this tank is not powerful enough to consistently penetrate tanks from the front, especially Cold War MBTs.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull32 / 32 / 32
Turret32 / 32 / 32
Crew6 people
Visibility96 %

The armour on the M109 is nearly non-existent, being surrounded by 32 mm thick aluminium alloy 5083, which effectively comes down to 13-20 mm RHA. This leaves the vehicle vulnerable to even light machine gun fire from any angle. The weakness of the armour turns into a strong-suit against AP shells that will pass straight through, unable to fuse or create enough spall to inflict major damage. Direct hits from HE and other chemical shells will most likely leave the M109 a burning wreck. The 6 crew members are pretty spaced apart in the turret, giving a plus to crew survivability.

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
AB62 / 13 km/h
RB and SB57 / 12 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
4 back
Weight24.1 t
Engine power
AB773 hp
RB and SB405 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB32.1 hp/t
RB and SB16.8 hp/t

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 62 13 24.1 575 773 23.86 32.07
Realistic 57 12 358 405 14.85 16.8

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 439 → 3 017 Sl icon.png
RB2 872 → 3 552 Sl icon.png
SB3 771 → 4 664 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications40 400 Rp icon.png
78 900 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 400 Ge icon.png
Crew training45 000 Sl icon.png
Experts155 000 Sl icon.png
Aces630 Ge icon.png
Research Aces440 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 160 / 220 % Sl icon.png
160 / 160 / 160 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
3 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 600 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
6 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
380 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
6 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
380 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement il.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
3 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 600 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
155mm_M110_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
155mm_M107_HE_PF_ammo_pack
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
3 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 600 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

155 mm M126 cannon
Ammunition28 rounds
First-order16 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
17.3 → 13.3 s
Vertical guidance-3° / 75°
Main article: M126 (155 mm)
155 mm M126 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 28 -3°/+75° ±180° - 9.7 13.4 16.3 18.0 19.1 17.29 15.30 14.10 13.30
Realistic 6.5 7.7 9.4 10.3 11.0

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
M107 HE 61 61 61 61 61 61
M107 (PF) HE-VT 61 61 61 61 61 61
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%
M107 HE 563 43.1 0.3 0.1 9.14 79° 80° 81°
Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Arming
distance (m)
Trigger
radius (m)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
M107 (PF) HE-VT 580 43.1 0 0 300 3 9.14 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)
M110 717 44.63 21 5 30 50

Ammo racks

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

Machine guns

Ammunition600 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate575 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 45°
Main article: M2HB (12.7 mm)

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 600 (200) 575 -10°/+50° ±180°

Usage in battles

The M109 should be played as a manually-aimed artillery unit that engages enemies while they are distracted. It is important to stick close to allies and avoid being flanked by faster tanks. The M109's mobility is decent enough to allow it to get to a position in time. Acknowledging the lengthy reload time of this TD, along with the short barrel with a heavy shell and high shell drop, it is recommended to stay at a medium to short range and engage targets with one hit angles. Should one be incapable of neutralizing the enemy at once (heavy armour, bad angle, etc.), it is recommended to leave them to be finished by teammates.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Powerful 155 mm howitzer that can deal significant damage to enemy vehicles
  • Can fire up to 30 km, allowing it to engage enemies from a safe distance
  • The M109's mobility is decent enough to allow it to get to a position in time
  • Effective against any tank
  • Good unit to support teammates

Cons:

  • Low rate of fire, which can make it difficult to engage multiple targets quickly
  • Poor armour: not well-protected and can be easily destroyed by enemy fire
  • Vulnerable to flanking by faster tanks
  • Slow turret traverse speed, which can make it difficult to hit moving targets
  • Limited ammunition count, which can make it difficult to sustain fire for extended periods of time

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


Israel tank destroyers
Artillery  M109 · Rochev · Sholef
ATGM  Zachlam Tager · Giraf