T30

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T30
us_t30.png
GarageImage T30.jpg
ArtImage T30.png
T30
AB RB SB
6.7 6.7 6.7
Show in game
MARKET

Description

The Heavy Tank T30 is a premium gift rank IV American heavy tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic" in the 2018 "Festive Quest" that took place between 21 December 2018 to 14 January 2019. It was obtainable via completing 10 Christmas Toys for tankers. It could also be purchased on the Gaijin market after the event was over.

The T30 was a World War II American tank project developed to counter new German tanks, such as Tiger I, Tiger II, and tank destroyers, such as the Jagdtiger, or Soviet heavy tanks, such as IS-1 or IS-2. The T30 was designed at the same time as the T29 Heavy Tank. However, it had a 155 mm gun mounted on the same hull and turret as the T29 and T34 heavy tanks.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull102 / 76 / 51
Turret203 / 158 / 102
Crew6 people
Visibility108 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, sides & rear - engine bay, hull bottom)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (hull front, sides & roof - fighting compartment, turret, gun mantlet, cupola)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 102 mm (55°) Front glacis
70.25 mm (61°) Lower glacis - centre
70.25 mm (40°) Lower glacis - sides
102.5 mm (5°) MG housing
88 mm (sphere) MG port
76.2 mm Front half
51 mm Rear half
51 mm (5°) Top
51 mm (60°) Bottom
38.1 mm (57°-81°) Front
38.1 mm Rear
Turret 203 mm Gun mantlet
158.7 mm Gun mantlet frame
158.7 mm 102 mm Vertical part
50 mm (71°) Turret ring area
38.1 mm (79°)
Cupola 152.45 mm (45°) 38.1 mm (79°)

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
  • Mudguards are 4 mm thick.
  • Frontally, the MG housing (around the MG port) as well as the lower glacis are weak spots on the T30.
  • The bottom of the hull is only 25.4 mm thick, making it vulnerable to powerful HE shells shot under the belly.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB38 / 15 km/h
RB and SB36 / 14 km/h
Number of gears5 forward
2 back
Weight65.8 t
Engine power
AB1 545 hp
RB and SB810 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB23.5 hp/t
RB and SB12.3 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 38 15 65.8 1,046 1,545 15.9 23.48
Realistic 36 14 716 810 10.88 12.31

The T30's mobility is good for the role it fulfils. Its acceleration and maximum speed are good for a heavy tank. While the reverse speed is average, it isn't a handicap. And the T30 can brake quickly in spite of its weight. Neutral steering allows you to turn your hull towards flanking enemies relatively quickly on the spot. The offroad mobility is good: the T30 can reach 15 km/h when climbing uphill from idling and 21 km/h when fording. Due to its weight, the tank's mobility is unhindered by obstacles.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB3 725 Sl icon.png
RB3 858 Sl icon.png
SB5 280 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts440 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 100 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 380 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 150 / 210 / 240 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 196 / 196 / 196 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement us.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods tank ammo.png
155mm_T7_Smoke_ammo_pack
Mods tank ammo.png
155mm_T7_APCBC_ammo_pack

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition34 rounds
First-order16 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
38.9 → 29.9 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 15°
Main article: T7 (155 mm)
155 mm T7 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 34 -10°/+15° ±180° N/A 14.6 20.2 24.5 27.1 28.8 38.9 34.4 31.7 29.9
Realistic 10.7 12.6 15.3 16.9 18.0

Ammunition

The available choice of ammunition focuses on heavily armoured targets:

  • M112B1: APBC; an armour-piercing ballistic capped shell with high explosive mass and good penetration power that will knock out any tank in one hit.
  • T29E1: APCBC; an armour-piercing capped shell with a ballistic cap offering an increased penetration compared to the M112B1.
  • M107: HE; a powerful high-explosive shell useful to destroy all enemy vehicles and even open and lightly armoured vehicles indirectly with the blast.
  • M110: Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

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
M112B1 APBC 179 177 168 158 148 139
M107 HE 61 61 61 61 61 61
T29E1 APCBC 199 197 187 175 165 155
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
M112B1 APBC 670 45.36 1.2 19 639.94 47° 60° 65°
M107 HE 717 43.1 0.3 0.1 9,120 79° 80° 81°
T29E1 APCBC 670 45.36 1.2 19 639.94 48° 63° 71°
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

Ammo racks of the T30
Full
ammo
Ammo
part
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
34 Projectiles
Propellants
30 (+4)
21 (+13)
(+26)
(+27)
(+31)
(+31)
(+33)
(+33)
No

Notes:

  • The T30 uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
  • Racks 3 and 4 are first stage ammo racks. They total 7 shells for projectiles and 6 shells for propellant bags.
  • These racks get filled first when loading up the tank and are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 4 - 3 - 1 - 2.

Machine guns

Ammunition1 200 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate575 shots/min
Ammunition1 000 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate575 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 50°
Horizontal guidance-120° / 120°
Main article: M2HB (12.7 mm)

These heavy machine guns can be extremely useful for gauging distance measurements (coaxial), engaging lightly armoured vehicles or shooting down enemy aircraft (pintle).

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 1,200 (200) 577 N/A N/A
Pintle 1,000 (200) 577 -10°/+50° ±120°

Usage in battles

Despite its labeling as a heavy tank, the T30 is better used as a tank destroyer and being more of a supportive role than a breakthrough role that most heavy tanks were designed to do. With its long reload for the 155 mm makes its gameplay a bit similar to the KV-2 than tanks like T29 or T34. The T30 can handle itself on its own if in a one on one encounter but will be at a disadvantage if it is facing more than one due to the long reload time. So to fully utilize that heavy gun, it might be best to be a supportive role tank for the medium tanks or the MBTs that have a faster reload but not the same destructive power as the T30's 155 mm has.

The T30 share similarities with the armour as the T29 and T34, having a thick heavily armoured turret has its advantages. Since its most heavily armoured part is the front turret it can be a key factor on how to make plans where to best utilize the tank, keep in mind even if having the turret only exposed it's not a 100% guaranteed safety from shells like APDS that will with ease be able to penetrate turret. But shells like HEATFS will mostly not do same amount of damage but can take out the gunner or in worst case scenario the gun's breech.

Contrary to most American heavy tanks in its series like the T29 and T34, The 155 mm APCBC shells the T30 uses have abysmal penetration for a heavy tank at its BR, and will often struggle to penetrate most foes. However these shells have extremely high post-penetration damage so using it isn't entirely off the table. Due to its 155mm cannon, the T30 gains access to the extremely powerful M107 HE shell also found on howitzers like the VIDAR, and M109. This shell compensates for the tank's abysmal penetration from its APCBC shell via an absurd amount of explosive filler and overpressure potential. Combined with the good armour-layout, this lets you attack more-armored tanks from the front with relative ease.

Enemy tanks to be aware of are mostly MBTs like Leopard 1, M60, Vickers MBT, T-54 (1951), STB-1, OF-40, Strv 101. But that is not the only threat there is also ATGM Vehicles and large calibre tanks that can have enough Power to disable the T30's turret when hull down and out flank the slow T30's position.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Great armour layout
  • The M107 HE shell is one of the most powerful high-explosive shells in the game. Great at taking out heavily armoured tanks if the explosion occurs on the turret cheeks, over the turret, or under the hull, thanks to the overpressure damage mechanic
  • Both of the APCBC shells have an amazing amount damage potential. Any shot that enters an enemy's crew compartment will almost certainly lead to a knock-out
  • Because of the slow shell velocity, this is one of the few tanks in the game that's really good at hitting targets behind cover
  • Despite the massive breech, the tank still retains 10 degrees of gun depression
  • Has a set of optics that give magnification levels of 4.0x - 8.0x. Excellent for both close and long range target acquisition
  • Has two .50 cal machine guns that can easily damage lightly armoured vehicles, tracks, and gun barrels
  • Fast reverse speed for a heavy tank at -14 km/h

Cons:

  • Very long reload time. Even an ace crew using the 6-rounds first stage ammo rack will take around 30 seconds to reload the gun
  • Despite the great armour, the gun's terrible reload rate renders you helpless if 2 or more enemy tanks attack you at the same time
  • Despite being armed with a 155 mm gun, even the top APCBC shell has abysmal penetration against angled armour like the Panther's front plate
  • The top APCBC shell only has 199 mm of penetration at point blank range
  • The advantage of having incredible optics is negated by the bad shell velocity and accuracy of the 155 mm shells. Hitting a moving target is difficult, and hitting anything past 1,000 m is basically impossible
  • Despite the 6-man crew, the sheer size of 155 mm shells and cases means that any enemy APHE shell that enters the T30's hull or turret will likely end in an ammo explosion
  • Carrying games is difficult due to the horrendous rate of fire, the T30 is heavily reliant and friendly vehicle support

History

In 1944, the Army requested 4 prototypes for heavy tanks, two armed with a 105 mm gun and two armed with a 155 mm gun. The intention was to create vehicles that could face enemy heavy tanks on even terms, or even advantageous terms. The vehicles armed with the 105 mm gun were designated T29, and the two armed with a 155 mm gun were designated T30.

The armament of the T30, a 155 mm T7 L/40 gun, was one of the largest guns ever fitted to an armoured fighting vehicle made in the United States. The gun was carried in a tall, long turret with rounded edges. The height of the turret was quite necessary, as the size of the gun and its ammunition required a standing loader. The hull of the T30 was the same as the T29. It was a lengthened version of the T26E3 chassis. The armour of the T30 was quite thick, and the hull was also well angled, as one of the requirements for the design was protection from the German long 88 mm anti-tank gun. The T30 carried a crew of six men. These were the driver, commander, bow machine gunner, gunner, and two loaders. One loader moved the crane that placed the shell, and the other used the rammer that put the shell into the breech. The gun could only be loaded at certain angles. The T30 saw an upgrade, called the T30E1, which added an automatic loading system, which moved the gun to the correct position, loaded the shell, and moved the gun back to the firing position. A hatch was added to the rear of the turret to allow the ejection of shell casings after firing.

World War 2 ended before the heavy tank designs (T28, T29, T30, T32, T34) could enter service, and the development of these vehicles ended, but the development of these heavy tank designs provided experience that proved useful when designing the M103 heavy tank during the Cold War.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Other tanks sharing the same design

External links


USA heavy tanks
M4 Jumbo  M4A3E2 · Cobra King · M4A3E2 (76) W
M6  T1E1 · M6A1 · M6A2E1
T26  T26E1-1 · T26E5
T29/30/34  T29 · T30 · T34
T32  T32 · T32E1
M103  M103
Others  T14

USA premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  LVT(A)(4) · M2A4 (1st Arm.Div.) · M3A1 (USMC) · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD) · M8 LAC · M8A1 GMC
  M18 "Black Cat" · Super Hellcat · T18E2 · M551(76) · T114 · M1128 Wolfpack
Medium tanks  ▃Grant I · M4A5 · Calliope · T20 · M26 T99 · M26E1 · M46 "Tiger" · T54E1 · T54E2 · ▃Magach 3 (ERA) · M728 CEV
  XM1 (GM) · XM1 (Chrysler) · M1 KVT
Heavy tanks  T14 · Cobra King · M6A2E1 · T29 · T30
Tank destroyers  T28 · T55E1

Winter events
2022  Winter Quest
Pilot stars  Late 298D · ◄Tornado IDS MFG
Tanker stars  T-80UM2
Sailor stars  USS Newport News
2021  Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars  C. 202D · ◊MiG-23MF
Tanker stars  A.C.I · AGS
Sailor stars  IJN Hayanami · MPK Pr.201K
2020  Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars  Ro.57 Quadriarma · MiG-21PFM
Tanker stars  E.B.R. (1954) · Class 3 (P)
Sailor stars  Type K-8 No.13 · USS Baltimore
2019  Operation F.R.O.S.T.
Pilot stars  TIS MA · J6K1
Tanker stars  QF 3.7 Ram · ▃Merkava Mk.2B
Sailor stars  PT-811 · Jaguar
2018  Festive Quest
Pilot stars  M.B.152C1 · Fw 190 C
Tanker stars  SU-85A · T30
Christmas Lights  P-43A-1 · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
2017  Festive Quest
Pilot christmas toys  P-40C · NC.900
Tanker christmas toys  AEC Mk II · Ersatz M10
Christmas Lights  Fw 189 A-1 · KV-2 (1940)
2016  Winter Holiday
Pilot stages  Ki-21-I hei · Me 262 A-2a
Tanker stages  ▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2) · ▂Type 62
2015  War Thunder Fulfills Your Wishes!
Pilot reward  ▂P-63C-5
Tanker reward  VK 45.01 (P)
2014  Holiday War Thunder Marathon!
Pilot reward  I-301
Tanker reward  M8A1 GMC