GAZ-AAA (DShK)

GAZ-AAA (DShK)

GAZ-AAA (4M)

GAZ-AAA (DShK)

GAZ-AAA (4M)

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

SPAA

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

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This page is about the Soviet SPAA vehicle GAZ-AAA (DShK). For the version equipped with 7.62 mm Maxim's, see GAZ-AAA (4M).

Description

The GAZ-AAA (DShK) ( a 12.7mm DShK gun mounted on a GAZ-AAA truck) is a rank I Soviet SPAA with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters".

The big brother to the GAZ-AAA (4M), it presents a crude set-up of a 12.7mm DShK mount to a 6x4 GAZ-AAA truck chassis. This soviet improvisation continues with the Soviet SPAA trend of attaching anti-aircraft weaponry to trucks, half-tracks, and cars in the game.

Although the GAZ-AAA (DShK) continues to use the same unarmored but nimble platform that it's predecessor, the change in armament allows it to do more damage per shot against aircraft opponents as well as having a change at killing lightly armored vehicles that are common at such BR. However the change in armament also represents a decrease volume of fire as well as an increase in reload and a smaller magazine, all of which makes it all the harder to hit enemy planes as well as requiring more rigorous aiming when it comes to attacking lightly armored vehicles. While the GAZ-AAA (DShK) can penetrate targets, it still is not recommended to rush into battles due to the lack of protection of the vehicle and the mediocre penetration. The vehicle is better suited for ambushing unexpected targets and hit and run tactics. One must note however that unlike the GAZ-AAA (4M), the GAZ-AAA (DShK) cannot fully traverse its gun due to the ammo box located next to the driver's cabin.

General info

Survivability and armour

This vehicle lacks almost any form of armor. Any light machine gun can penetrate and kill the gunner (which is completely exposed), driver, or commander easily. Artillery and rockets can cause critical damage even if they land far away from the vehicle. And bombs that detonate nearby will almost surely destroy it outright.

The only benefit of being so light is that enemies using APHE rounds will often overpenetrate and not detonate. However, it is possible to hullbreak this vehicle (although at this tier, not many guns are capable of this).

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	71	10	3	81	95	27	31.67
Realistic	65	9		50	50	16.67	16.67

Armaments

Main armament

12.7 mm DShK					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	1000	-4°/+45°	±110°	N/A	30.82	42.66	51.80	57.28	60.94	10.40	9.20	8.48	8.00
Realistic					20.83	24.50	29.75	32.90	35.0

Belt types

Ammunition	Belt	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Default	AP-I,T,IAI	21	20	15	9	6	5
API	AP-I(c),API-T,AP-I(c),API-T	29	27	25	20	11	8
AP	AP-I(c),AP-I(c),API-T	29	27	25	20	11	8
API-T	API-T, API-T, AP-I(c)	29	27	25	20	11	8

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the GAZ-AAA (DShK)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
20	1 (+19)	No

Usage in battles

Potentially the most challenging SPAA to use in the game, due to the machine gun's low rate of fire making it relatively ineffective against aircraft, however, it can work in part as a basic tank destroyer and support vehicle.

The key will be to stick to your team and take out the crew of an enemy tank and then let the dedicated tanks finish them off with their harder-hitting rounds. Just remember this only works on all but the most lightly armoured targets, such as other SPAA, early Russian tanks and the side of some American tanks, this works best when your vehicle is down-tiered and not the other way around.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tires		Parts	API	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	AP	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	API-T	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Weapon has increased penetration compared to the preceding GAZ-AAA (4M)

Cons:

• Limited magazine of 50 means the armament has to frequently reload
• Russian 12.7 AP is still notably inferior to the American equivalent
• Vehicle armament consists of only a single 600 RPM machine gun
• No armour, can easily be destroyed by .30 cal machine guns
• Gunner can't swivel around 360 degrees horizontally
• Limited vertical traverse
• Will struggle to eliminate passing aircraft due to a low volume of fire
• Arguably worse as an SPAA than the GAZ-AAA (4M)

History

Around the late 1920s, the Soviet Union was undergoing a mechanization revolution and realized that no purpose-built motor vehicles were available for them to help move cargo and materiel back and forth. The result was the GAZ-AAA truck, which was a truck based on the Ford Model AAA 6 x 4 truck. These trucks entered production in 1932 and were used in multiple roles in the civilian world and in the military.

In the military, the GAZ trucks were used as tractors for gun systems, fuel tankers, radio systems, and even armoured cars. By 1931, an anti-aircraft version was created as well, in order to give the Soviet Union a mobile anti-aircraft system to work with. The design had one DShK heavy machine gun installed on a mount on the truck. This configuration was called the DShK GAZ-AAA and served as a low-altitude air defence system.

Old and reliable .50 cal proved to be good at harassing low flying planes, infantry, and German APCs, but it became apparent that a more powerful gun was needed.

DShK proved its worthiness on many occasions, but a new anti-aircraft system had to be devised for the role of a mobile anti-aircraft system. This led to the development of the GAZ-MM (72-K), which while still truck-mounted weaponry, had a noticeable increase in firepower with a 25 mm autocannon.

Media

GAZ-AAA (DShK) in winter camouflage

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.

USSR anti-aircraft vehicles
GAZ-AAA	GAZ-AAA (4M) · GAZ-AAA (DShK)
BTR-152	BTR-152A · BTR-152D
Wheeled/Half-tracked	GAZ-MM (72-K) · ZiS-12 (94-KM) · ZiS-43
Radar SPAAG	ZSU-23-4 · ZSU-37-2
SAM	ZSU-23-4M4 · Strela-10M2 · 2S6 · Pantsir-S1
Other	ZSU-23-4M2 · ZUT-37 · ZSU-37 · BTR-ZD · ZSU-57-2
Czechoslovakia	M53/59
North Vietnam	▂Phòng không T-34