Rochev
Contents
Description
The Rochev was the name given by the IDF to the M109 self-propelled howitzer. They received the M109 before the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and the nickname was associated with the variants from M109 to M109A2. Most of the differences between all of these variants were internal, especially regarding the shell loading system. While the early M109 was used during the Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War of 1982, by the 2006 Lebanon War, only the longer barrel M109 with the new M185 cannon was still in service, with some field modifications to improve quality of life and or survivability of the crew, like extra machine guns or outside storage compartments.
Introduced in Update "Air Superiority", the M109A1 Rochev is very similar to the normal M109 in the Israeli tech tree, acting as a direct, if slight, upgrade. It features a new M185 cannon of the same 155 mm calibre as the regular M109 with the same shells. This means that while penetration is not improved, muzzle velocity is, making aiming and long range shots easier with this vehicle. An additional barrel-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun helps in mowing down obstacles and some unarmoured vehicles and can be used as a rangefinding help. The lack of significant armour and long reload time leads to poor survivability, however the high explosive shell is powerful enough to deal with most MBTs if aimed properly and lighter vehicles stand very little chance.
General info
Survivability and armour
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 | 32 mm (74°) Upper glacis 32 mm (19°) Transmission |
32 mm | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Turret | 32 mm (24°) Turret front 32 mm (4°-11°) Gun mantlet |
32 mm | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Cupola | 32 mm (0°) Cylindrical | 32 mm | 32 mm | 32 mm |
Notes:
Mobility
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
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The 155 mm M185 is a decently competent weapon for its BR, compared to other artillery guns, it has the standard 155mm cannon. It lacks access to a proper HEAT shell, but the HE shell is powerful enough to deal with most threats. The cannon is not stabilized and thus it takes time to aim after a full stop.
| 155 mm M185 | 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 | 684 | 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 | 684 | 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 | 684 | 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
The machine guns in the Rochev consist of a 12.7 mm M2HB and a 7.62 mm M1919A4. These guns are not powerful enough to deal with ground targets and don't have enough power to deal with most aircraft; however, they can be used to some extent to destroy the tracks or tires of enemy vehicles.
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 1,000 (200) | 575 | - | - |
| 7.62 mm M1919A4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 1,000 (250) | 500 | -10°/+30° | ±180° |
Usage in battles
The Rochev should be played like the regular M109. This means that, since it lacks the precision and the agility to be used as a frontline vehicle, it works best in the back of your team and flanking under the cover of conventional main battle tanks.
The HE shell in the Rochev is powerful enough to deal with most enemies, however this comes at the cost of precision. You don't have a laser rangefinder or a stabilizer in your cannon. Thus, if you want to attack enemy positions, be aware of your surroundings and try to hear the engine sounds coming from enemy tanks. Getting to a good position at the middle of the map or in the sides that allows you to have a good field of view is an excellent tactic with this vehicle, alternatively you can also defend a certain capture point, helping your team while they deal with the main enemy force.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful 155mm HE shell, capable of dealing with most tanks
- Decent mobility for an SPG
- Access to smoke shells and a long range, useful to create smoke screens in the middle of the map
- More machine guns compared to the previous M109
- Longer range and thus easier aim, compared to the smaller barrel M109s
Cons:
- Very little armour against anything higher than 20 mm shots
- Crammed crew compartment, which translates to poor survivability
- Low fire rate at less than 4 rounds per minute
- No access to a stabilizer or dedicated anti-tank shells
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 |
