Bussard

Bussard

Bussard

Germany

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

Motor torpedo gun boat

Heavy boat

Boat

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The Albatros-class, Bussard (143) is a gift rank V German motor torpedo gun boat with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update "Red Skies" as a reward for the 2021 Summer Landing event.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull45 mm (wood)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section6

Displacement391 t

Crew40 people

The survivability of the Bussard is abysmal. Even with its crew count higher than PT boats', the vessel is completely unprotected by any kind of armour and any gunfire will make short work of her crew and internal compartments. The crew is large at 40 sailors, but they are quickly taken out by gunfire.

The turrets and ammunition magazine are relatively compact, so ammo detonations are possible but not extremely common. The secondary armament, four machine guns above the bridge, is very small and hard to hit. The bridge and the engine compartment are very large targets and are often the first things destroyed when taking fire.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB101 / 53 km/h

RB76 / 40 km/h

The ship is powered by four MTU 16V 956 TB91 diesels, each producing 17,700 shaft horsepower. This gives the Bussard a very good speed for its size, and provides quick manoeuvring at any speed. The vessel can reach a forward speed of slightly over 41 knots spaded, and has a very respectable 22 knot reverse speed. The ship isn't as good as other coastal craft at stopping from full speed, but it is enough to avoid constantly crashing into islands on heavily clustered maps. The rudder shifting is very responsive, taking around five seconds to go completely from one side to the other.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	101	53
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	76	40

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 269 → 5 272

RB5 296 → 6 540

Total cost of modifications208 400

333 000

Talisman cost2 000

Crew training200 000

Experts700 000

Aces1 500

Research Aces670 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 220 / 100 %

190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 290 Rudder Replacement Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 165 Propeller Replacement Research: 17 000 Cost: 27 000 350 Engine Maintenance Research: 34 000 Cost: 54 000 700	Damage Control Division Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 290 Fire Division Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 165 Smokescreen Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 165 New Pumps Research: 34 000 Cost: 54 000 700	.50 AP belt Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 290 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 165 76 mm HE-RF Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 165 .50 APIT belt Research: 7 900 Cost: 13 000 165 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 17 000 Cost: 27 000 350 Improved Rangefinder Research: 17 000 Cost: 27 000 350

Armament

Primary armament

2 х Turret76 mm/62 OTO-Melara Compact automatic gun

Ammunition400 rounds

Vertical guidance-15° / 85°

The two fast-firing 76 mm/62 OTO-Melara Compact (76 mm) guns are hard-hitting and have access to some excellent ammunition: a very effective HE shell and a HE-VT shell that easily shreds incoming aircraft.

The reload time of the weapons is fixed at 0.9 seconds with the installed autoloader, with a ready-use ammo supply of 85 rounds per gun. The ballistics are excellent at close to medium range, but at long range begins to suffer given the small calibre of the weapons.

Against enemy ships, the HE shell is the obvious choice. A very potent explosive mass will shred other coastal vessels and can start fires on larger ships.

Against enemy aircraft and to a lesser extent small vessels, the HE-VT shells are very effective. Enemy aircraft nearby will not last long against the quick-firing proximity shells, and smaller vessels are susceptible to them as they act like normal HE against surface targets.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		100 m	1,000 m	2,000 m	3,000 m	4,000 m	5,000 m
76 mm DM-251	HE	12	12	12	12	12	12
76 mm DM-261	HE-VT	10	10	10	10	10	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
76 mm DM-251	HE	914	6.3	0	0.1	864.6	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) (g)	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
76 mm DM-261	HE-VT	925	6.3	0	0.1	380	10	668.1	79°	80°	81°

Secondary armament

2 х Turret12.7 mm Browning AN-M2 machine gun

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Fire rate577 shots/min

2 х Turret7.62 MG-3 machine gun

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity100 rounds

Fire rate1200 shots/min

The secondary armament is very lacklustre, but is still capable of doing some damage. Two AN-M2 (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns and two MG3 (7.62 mm) light machine guns, one of each on the port and starboard sides of the bridge, provide limited defence against other coastal craft and nearby aircraft.

The .50 cal weapons come stock with a Universal belt, and you can unlock an AP and API-T belt with higher portions of Incendiary and Armour-Piercing rounds.

• Universal: API-T · AP · I · AP
• .50 AP belt: API-T · AP · AP · AP
• .50 APIT belt: API-T · API-T · API-T · I

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
AP	29	28	25	20	17	14
I	2	2	2	2	2	2
API-T	28	27	23	19	15	11

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
AP	856	0.05	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
I	944	0.04	0.02	0.3	1.2	47°	56°	65°
API-T	887	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°

Additional armament

Setup 12 x 533 mm Seal DM2A1 torpedo

The Bussard also has access to two 533 mm Seal DM2A1 torpedoes on the rear deck. The torpedoes launch backwards and quickly turn around before continuing on their course. The weapons have a very long range and good speed, and while the warhead is mediocre at 250 kg of explosive mass, it is still effective against light craft and destroyers.

Usage in battles

The Bussard is best used as a second-line ship, supporting faster or more manoeuvrable vessels with its powerful main armament. She relies on nearby allies since her hull is very weak and at the same time represents a large target. It can also be an effective anti-aircraft escort for friendly vessels with its fast-firing proximity rounds, air search radar, and air target tracking radar that can lock onto enemy aircraft and provide a lead indicator.

Everything in the game is a major threat to this ship, given its large size and easily damaged internal modules. Vessels such as the American PT boats with their large-calibre 20 mm and 40 mm cannons are top priority, with any coastal craft or destroyer it can face being a danger.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Large-calibre, fast-firing main guns.
• Effective ammunition choices.
• Very good speed and manoeuvrability for her size.
• Air search and tracking radar.

Cons:

• Large target and no armour, gets destroyed very easily.
• Only two primary weapons, one being destroyed, heavily impacts damage potential.
• Secondary/AA armament is extremely lacking.

History

Devblog

In 1972, the AEG-Telefunken company received an order for the construction of 10 boats in the Albatros project (Type 143), developed by the shipbuilding company Lürssen. These boats were supposed to replace the outdated ships of Projects 141 and 142. The main calibre of the boats were the Italian automatic 76 mm cannons manufactured by OTO Melara, in addition, there were two SEAL DM2A1 torpedoes on board. The last boat of the series was built in 1977, the lead ship, Albatros, like the rest of the boats, received "bird" names. The fourth boat of the series, Bussard (German for "buzzard") was in service with the German fleet until 2005, and in 2010 was sold to Ghana, where she was renamed to Yaa Asantewaa, in honour of the leader of the uprising and the nation's heroine.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Bussard from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

  Bussard with an escort

• 

  Bussard firing at the enemy

See also

Related development

• Albatros
• Albatos Klasse

Other boats of similar configuration and role

• USS Asheville
• SKR-1
• HMS Peacock
• Chikugo
• Saetta P-494

External links

• [Devblog] Summer marathon vehicles: Type 143 Bussard

Lürssen Werft
Schnellboot
Type S-38	S-38 · S-38b · MC 485*
Type S-100	S-100 · S-147 · S-204 Lang
Fast Attack Craft
Jaguar-class	Jaguar
Albatros-class	Albatros · Bussard
	*S-67 in post-war Italian Service