Ratel 20

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This page is about the British light tank Ratel 20. For other versions, see Ratel (Family).
Ratel 20
uk_ratel_20.png
GarageImage Ratel 20.jpg
ArtImage Ratel 20.jpg
Ratel 20
AB RB SB
6.7 6.7 6.7
Class:
Research:27 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:185 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Ratel 20 is a rank IV British light tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike".

The Ratel 20 is the original variant of the versatile Ratel IFV built by South Africa in 1976, to meet their tactics on mobile warfare. It is granted the title of the first wheeled IFV to enter service worldwide.

While the mobile and indirect playstyle of the previous Ratel 90 continues, the variation in weaponry sets ups for a somewhat more defensive and supporting approach during armoured engagements. The fast-firing 20 mm GI-2 automatic cannon and the powerful Milan ATGM are alternative armaments that will require some practice due to their situational unreliability when compared to a classical high-calibre cannon layout.

Aside from the alternative weaponry, the pros and cons of the Ratel chassis remain essentially unchanged, therefore the Ratel 20 still relies on his firepower and mobility; both are effective tools when in the hands of skilled players.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull20 / 10 / 10
Turret12 / 10 / 10
Crew3 people
Visibility84 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet)
  • Wheel (tires, suspension rods)
  • Bulletproof glass (driver windows)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 15 mm (30°) Front plate
10 mm (75°) Upper Glacis
20 mm (30°) Lower plate
8 mm (26°) Top
10 mm (2-27°) Bottom
10 mm (0-43°) 6 mm
Turret 12 mm (30°) Turret front
12 mm (8°) Gun mantlet
10 mm (17-21°) 10 mm (16°) 10 mm (16°) Front part
10 mm Rear part
8 mm Gunner hatch
Cupola 8-10 mm (spherical) 8 mm (46-85°) Hatch

Notes:

  • Wheels and suspension are 10 mm thick.
  • Belly is 8 mm thick.
  • Unlike Ratel 90, the radiator's armour is 10 mm instead of 5 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB117 / 20 km/h
RB and SB106 / 18 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
2 back
Weight18.9 t
Engine power
AB538 hp
RB and SB282 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB28.5 hp/t
RB and SB14.9 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 117 20 18.9 437 538 23.12 28.47
Realistic 106 18 249 282 13.17 14.92

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 114 → 3 069 Sl icon.png
RB2 594 → 3 766 Sl icon.png
SB3 459 → 5 022 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications47 600 Rp icon.png
86 700 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 500 Ge icon.png
Crew training52 000 Sl icon.png
Experts185 000 Sl icon.png
Aces710 Ge icon.png
Research Aces480 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 140 / 170 % Sl icon.png
166 / 166 / 166 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new wheels.png
Tires
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 400 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mods new car suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
3 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 100 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 400 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
3 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 100 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
20mm_Oerlikon_HE_ammo_pack
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 400 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 400 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
20mm_Oerlikon_AP_ammo_pack
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods airstrike.png
Airstrike
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
3 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 100 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods scouting.png
Improved optics
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition1 200 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate750 shots/min
Vertical guidance-8° / 38°
Main article: GI-2 (20 mm)
20 mm GI-2 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 1,200 (150) 750 -8°/+38° ±180° N/A 22.7 31.4 38.1 42.1 44.8 10.40 9.20 8.48 8.00
Realistic 14.2 16.7 20.2 22.4 23.8

Ammunition

  • Default: HVAP-T · HEFI-T
  • M594: HEFI-T · HEFI-T · HVAP-T
  • M601: HVAP-T · HVAP-T · HEFI-T

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
HVAP-T 57 52 37 24 15 10
HEFI-T 6 6 4 3 2 2
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
HVAP-T 1,100 0.11 - - - 66° 70° 72°
HEFI-T 1,054 0.12 0.1 0.1 27.2 - - -

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ratel 20
Full
ammo
Ammo
type
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
7th
rack empty
8th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
10
1,200
Clips
Rounds
(+1)
1,080
(+2)
960
(+3)
840
(+4)
620
(+6)
480
(+7)
360
(+8)
240
(+9)
120
Yes

Notes:

  • Ammunition is modelled as 10 clips of 120 rounds.
  • The visual discrepancy concerns the number of clips: 10 clips can be fired but only 8 are modeled.

Additional armament

Ammunition7 rounds
Vertical guidance-5° / 15°
Horizontal guidance-30° / 30°
Flight speed200 m/s
Range2 000 m
Fire on the moveup to 5 km/h
Main article: MILAN
MILAN missile
Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer
7 ±5° N/A N/A

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
MILAN ATGM 530 530 530 530 530 530
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%
MILAN ATGM 200 2,000 6.7 0.05 0.1 1.83 80° 82° 90°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ratel 20
Full
ammo
Visual
discrepancy
7 No

Notes:

  • Missiles are modeled individually and disappear after having been launched.
  • It is not possible to select how many missiles to bring into battle.
  • The missiles deplete from 1 to 7.

Machine guns

Ammunition3 000 rounds
Belt capacity250 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate500 shots/min
Ammunition3 000 rounds
Belt capacity250 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate500 shots/min
7.62 mm Browning MG4
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 3,000 (250) 500 N/A N/A
Pintle 3,000 (250) 500 -10°/+3° ±120°

Usage in battles

Use your excellent mobility on roads to flank the enemy and use your autocannon to hit side and rear armour. If you ever come face to face with a heavily armoured vehicle, use your ATGM. On rough terrain, support your teammates and use your ATGMs to pick off targets passing by. You can also help repair teammates and destroy lightly-armoured targets with your autocannon. Since your 20 mm isn't very useful against most tanks from the front, use it to take out tracks and gun barrels. The ratel is very long and hard to hide so always be careful that you are not exposing sections of your vehicle that the enemy can see.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • MILAN ATGM has good penetration values and overpressure capabilities
  • Ratel chassis is decently mobile once fully upgraded; also great reverse speed of 17 km/h
  • 20 mm GI-2 gun has a high rate of fire and a useful elevation of +38°; perfect against low flying aircraft

Cons:

  • Large size; difficult to conceal and manoeuvre on urban maps
  • No stabilizer; the vehicle must stop to use the GI-2 cannon effectively
  • Low engine power; the wheels also struggles on snow, sand or mud
  • GI-2 cannon has poor performance against sloped thin armour as those on BMP-1 (Family), R3 T106 FA or AUBL/74
  • Armour is unreliable and poor; only 3 crew members and a large ATGMs rack

History

Development

A UN Ratel-20 IFV in the Royal Tank Museum, Jordan.
A UN Ratel-20 IFV in the Royal Tank Museum, Jordan.

Named after the tenacious honey badger[1], the Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicle's development began in 1970 when the South African Defence Force required armoured vehicles which could cover the vast distances of the African plains. These requirements prioritised strong firepower and good protection to enable mechanised infantry to play their role within a highly mobile warfare doctrine. The SADF were already using British APCs, but these aligned with the British doctrine of mobilised infantry dismounting for engagements which was counter-intuitive to the direction of the diverging South African structure[2]. The SADF also used South African-designed armoured vehicles, yet these were liable to breakdowns and weapon failures which peaked during the South African Border War, exposing the weaknesses of older and cheaper IFV models and exposing the necessity for complete replacement to the more durable and reliable Ratel models. The South African derivative of the AML, the Eland was successful as a reconnaissance vehicle with remarkable self-defence, and this would inspire the design of the Ratel which shares visual similarity[2].

Combat usage

The Ratel would enter production in 1975 and see immediate success in the Angolan War from 1978. Despite a design based around flat terrain and infantry combat, the Ratel found itself excelling in challenging mountainous terrain and rainforests, fulfilling additional combat and support roles. In later produced modular variants, the Ratel utilised the cannon turret of the Eland, ATGMs, and also support platforms such as observation and logistics[3].

The Ratel-20 would see combat in Operation Reindeer, 1978, Operation Sceptic, 1980, Operation Askari, 1983, and Operation Excite, 1988 for the SADF in Angola[2]. It still serves several African nations in the present day, including South Africa which maintains over one thousand Ratel IFVs in total comprising a significant percentage of the SADF's land fighting capability, and Ratel-20s have been used extensively by countries participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions[4].

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Other vehicles based on the Ratel chassis:

Vehicles of similar design and role:

External links

Bibliography
  1. Scheepers, M., Pretorius, F. (2021) 'Loss of military equipment by the SADF at the Battle at Indungo during the Border War, 31 October 1987', Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 49, Nr 2, pp. 58-9.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harmse, K., Dunstan, S. (2017) South African Armour of the Border War 1975–89. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, pp. 18-47.
  3. O'Malley, T.J. (1996) Fighting Vehicles: Armoured Personnel Carriers and Infantry Fighting Vehicles. London: Merlin Publications, pp. 98-9.
  4. Wezeman, P. (2011). 'South African Arms Supplies to Sub-Saharan Africa', Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.


Sandock-Austral
Ratel  Ratel 90 · Ratel 20 · ZT3A2
Eland  Eland 90 Mk.7

Britain light tanks
A13  A13 Mk I · A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II · A13 Mk II 1939
A15  Crusader II · Crusader "The Saint" · Crusader III
A17  Tetrarch I
IFV  Warrior
Wheeled  Daimler Mk II · AEC Mk II · Fox · Vickers Mk.11
Other  VFM5
South Africa 
SARC  SARC MkIVa · SARC MkVI (2pdr) · SARC MkVI (6pdr)
Ratel  Ratel 90 · Ratel 20
Rooikat  Rooikat Mk.1D · Rooikat 105 · Rooikat MTTD
Other  Concept 3 · Eland 90 Mk.7
USA  Stuart I · Stuart III