Sho't Kal Alef

This page is about the Israeli medium tank Sho't Kal Alef. For other versions, see Sho't (Family).

Sho't Kal Alef

Tiran 4S

Sho't Kal Gimel

Sho't Kal Alef

Tiran 4S

Sho't Kal Gimel

Israel

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:105 000

Purchase:300 000

Show in game

Description

The Sho't Kal Alef was the first serial modernisation of the Sho't. After the Six-Day War in 1967, it became clear that the basic version of the Sho't had become seriously outdated, as its 20-pounder gun, antiquated fire control system (FCS), and weak, fuel-hungry engine could not provide sufficient firepower, good mobility, and reliability for the vehicle. A decision was made in 1969 to upgrade all existing Sho't tanks to the Sho't Kal level - with a new American 105 mm M68 gun, a more powerful diesel engine and transmission, a new FCS, and a modified commander's cupola. As early as 1970, the first modernised prototypes entered service with the IDF (Israel Defence Forces). The tanks were first used during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, after which they underwent further modifications, primarily concerning armour protection.

The Sho't Kal Alef was introduced in Update "Wind of Change". Players familiar with the British Centurion Mk 10 or Swedish Strv 101 will immediately the similar improvement in mobility, made possible by the installation of a new Continental AVDS-1790-2A engine. Also, thanks to the installation of the American M68 gun, the Sho't Kal Alef has access to a new set of ammunition, including a more powerful HEATFS shell and previously unavailable HESH shell. However, as the hull is still inherited from the Centurion Mk.5, its overall protection is inferior to competitors - even APCR and solid-shot rounds can pose a significant threat to the vehicle.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull76 / 50 / 38

Turret152 / 89 / 89

Crew4 people

Visibility119 %

At longer ranges, the Alef looks exactly like a Centurion Mk 10 where its 105 mm gun gives it away; but upon closer inspection to the Alef, it is in fact a Centurion Mk 5 with additional headlights and no weld-on applique armour on its UFP, meaning the overall protection is exactly the same as the pre-Mk 10 series of Centurion tanks. Most shells at the battle rating are lethal to its survival as 76.2 mm of armour at 58° cannot really withstand Cold War or late WWII shells, and due to the fact that Centurions have a cramped interior space, penetrating shots are very likely to knock out most of the crew or in some cases detonate all ammunition on board.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	76.2 mm (58°) Front glacis 76.2 mm (47-48°) Lower glacis	50.8 (12°) + 6 mm	38 mm (8-12°)	29 mm 8-14 mm Engine deck
Turret	152 mm (6-27°) Turret front 152 mm Gun mantlet	89 mm (5-12°)	89 mm (1-18°)	50.8 mm Border of turret 29 mm Center of turret
Cupola	152 mm	90 mm		29 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB53 / 13 km/h

RB and SB48 / 12 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight51.8 t

Engine power

AB1 431 hp

RB and SB750 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB27.6 hp/t

RB and SB14.5 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	53	13	51.8	1,162	1,431	22.43	27.63
Realistic	48	12		663	750	12.8	14.48

The Sho't Kal has an upgraded powerplant to the Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine and Allison CD-850-6A transmission, giving it vastly improved mobility over previous Centurion models and pushing it up to 48 km/h. While the engine pack doesn't give the Alef a better power-weight ratio than foes like Leopard 1 or T-54s, it will allow the Sho't Kal to keep up with most of its NATO contemporaries.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 086 → 5 638

RB4 517 → 6 233

SB6 184 → 8 533

Total cost of modifications87 600

146 700

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training86 000

Experts300 000

Aces1 200

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 190 / 230 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 260 Suspension Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 175 Brake System Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 175 Filters Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 240 Transmission Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 250 Engine Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 250	Improved Parts Research: 4 000 Cost: 9 800 260 Improved FPE Research: 2 700 Cost: 6 600 175 Crew Replenishment Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 240	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 260 Adjustment of Fire Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 175 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 175 Elevation Mechanism Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 240 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 240 Artillery Support Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 250 105mm_usa_HEAT_FS_ammo_pack Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 250 NVD Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 250

Armaments

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Main armament

105 mm M68 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition72 rounds

First-order11 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

105 mm M68					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	72	-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	19.0	26.4	32.0	35.4	37.6	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

Ammunition

The stock M728 APDS is more than enough to gun down late war tanks and early Cold War medium tanks. However, when facing late German or Soviet heavy tanks, the penetration of the M728 is in fact lower than British/German L28A1/DM13, so either hit the enemy from the sides or aim for weak spots to make sure they don't have the chance to send a shot at you.

The M393A2 HESH is identical to other 105 mm HESH rounds, having high explosive content to knock out vehicles right away with overpressure while the overall performance of the shell is mixed, not to mention its slow and high-arcing ballistics; so either take this shell for detonating lighter vehicles or sniping stationary targets that expose their vulnerable spots. A solid hit is very likely to send enemies straight back to the hanger.

The M456 HEATFS, while mostly sufficient to penetrate even heavy tanks of the era with relative ease, will have a hard time penetrating tanks with composite armour like T-55AMD-1 or ERA like T-69 II G. It is still sufficient to knock out lighter vehicles with overpressure damage.

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
M728	APDS	265	263	252	240	228	216
M393A2	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M456	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400

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%
M728	APDS	1,426	4.53	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°
M393A2	HESH	732	11.2	0.1	4	4.31	73°	77°	80°
M456	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°

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)
M416	732	11.6	16	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Sho't Kal Dalet (identical)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
72	68 (+4)	63 (+9)	33 (+39)	25 (+47)	12 (+60)	5 (+67)	1 (+71)	No

Since the Sho't Kal can carry more shells than the original Sho't, this will further increase the risk of ammunition cook-off; so it is advised to only bring at most 25 shells to clear out most of the ammo racks.

Machine guns

7.62 mm L3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm L3A1 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm L3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	2,000 (250)	500	-10°/+50°	±180°
Coaxial	3,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

This upgrade for the fleet of Centurions only changed the machine guns into the ones in NATO service, so only 2 L3A1 (M1919A3) are available which is harmless to armoured vehicles but not to exposed crews; they can also be used as last-ditch options to gun down strafing aircraft but the odds of success are minimal.

Usage in battles

Sho't Kal Alef feels like a Centurion Mk 10 or its Swedish cousin Strv 101 with its 105 mm gun; for the players who are already familiar to previous Centurions, they will find themselves at home very quickly as the handling of the Alef is very similar, if not better thanks to the new powerplants during the upgrade, making it feel like a hybrid of Magach 1 and Sho't. The overall playstyle is similar to other Centurions as well: providing volleys of fire with its accurate gun and sufficient speed to keep up with allies which might not have stabilizers. If players do not feel confident in its protection, staying behind heavy tanks and providing supporting fire is also viable as the enemies will likely be concentrated on the "breakthrough tank" instead of its supporting vehicles.

Players do have to keep in mind that, despite the upgraded gun, the armour itself is identical to earlier Centurions with only 3 inches (or 76.2 mm) of RHA protecting the vehicle. This means that players should be extra careful on where to go and try not to expose the hull to enemies, as it can be penetrated with ease with kinetic shells or HEATFS of the era. It also only has an L3A1 as its anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the commander side of the turret, so be extra careful of aircraft as this machine gun poses little threat to them.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Higher mobility to Sho't thanks to the new powerplant
• Powerful 105 mm gun
• Night-battle capable thanks to NVD
• Fully-stabilized gun

Cons:

• Retains the same protection of Sho't (or pre-Mk 9 Centurion tanks)
• Cramped interior space and ammunition placement
• Relatively slow in terms of a medium tank
• No HMGs for gunning down light vehicles or aircraft

History

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Media

Images

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Sho't Kal Alef from live.warthunder.com.

See also

• Sho't (Family)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.