AMX-50 Surblinde

This page is about the French heavy tank AMX-50 Surblinde. For other versions, see AMX-50 (Family).

AMX-50 Surblindé

AMX-50 Surblindé

France

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	7.7	7.7

Class:

Heavy tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

At the end of WWII, France found itself dependant on foreign military aid, and rushed to develop its military with domestic aircraft, tanks, and other weaponry. One of these systems was a heavy tank comparable to existing tanks such as the Tiger II and IS-2, but with greater mobility and more reliability. The AMX-50 Surblindé was thus presented in 1955, a variant of the AMX-50 with increased armour. The project however was abandoned due to lack of funding and cooperation with the United States and West Germany, as well as the accelerated development of deadlier anti-tank weaponry.

It was introduced in Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy" as a reward for the World War Season 1: Recon under fire. As a member of the French AMX-50 family of tanks, it is very similar to the AMX-50 Surbaissé. Compared to the Surbaissé, it is lower, has a much better protected turret and hull, and a 20 mm MG 151 cannon on top, which is very efficient against aircraft and lightly armoured vehicles. It is also heavier and doesn't have smoke grenade launchers compared to the Surbaissé. The tank has an armour layout comparable to that of the IS-3, and features a very powerful cannon and decent mobility for a heavy tank, however it does not have access to APHE shells which are common in most tanks around its BR.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull110 / 60 / 60

Turret105 / 60 / 20

Crew4 people

Visibility214 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, suspended part of the turret, turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (turret base and front, gun mantlet, driver's hatch, cupola, exhaust pipe cover)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	110 mm (48°) Front glacis 50 mm (71°) Driver's hatch 100 mm (59°) Lower glacis 100 mm (40°) Front cheeks	75 mm (12°) Top 60 mm Bottom	60 mm (1°) Upper plate 60 mm (31°) Lower glacis	30 mm 5 mm Radiator vents
Turret	85 mm (47-52°) Turret front 100 mm (cylindrical) Turret base 300 mm Barrel base	100 mm (cylindrical) Turret base 85 mm (cylindrical) Barrel base 60 mm Turret pivot link 40 mm (cylindrical) Turret pivot underside 40 mm Suspended part 30 mm (72°) Suspended part underside	20 mm (1-34°) Suspended part 40 mm (cylindrical) Turret pivot underside 30 mm (78°) Suspended part underside	20 mm
Commander cupola	110 mm (cylindrical) Base 40 mm (spherical) Dome	40 mm (7-12°)		40 mm (11-20°) 40 mm (spherical) Dome
MG cupola	40 mm (58-61°)	40 mm (spherical)		40 mm (2-32°)

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick. Suspension wheels are interleaved and thus overlap in some areas.
• Hull undersides above tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB55 / 7 km/h

RB and SB52 / 6 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight70.0 t

Engine power

AB1 908 hp

RB and SB1 000 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB27.3 hp/t

RB and SB14.3 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	55	7	70	1,291	1,908	18.44	27.26
Realistic	52	6		884	1,000	12.63	14.29

The AMX-50 Surblinde has a very good speed (around 40 km/h on flat land when fully upgraded) for a super heavy tank, which allows a fast deployment on the battlefield aside medium and modern tanks. The manoeuvrability is also good and allows the player to drive easily in an urban environment.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB5 743 → 7 247

RB6 082 → 7 675

SB9 678 → 12 213

Total cost of modifications97 300

165 400

Talisman cost2 200

Crew training98 000

Experts340 000

Aces1 300

Research Aces780 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 210 / 250 %

202 / 202 / 202 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 210 Suspension Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 100 175 Brake System Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 100 175 Filters Research: 8 500 Cost: 14 000 260 Transmission Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 340 Engine Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 340	Improved Parts Research: 4 400 Cost: 11 000 210 Improved FPE Research: 3 700 Cost: 9 100 175 Crew Replenishment Research: 8 500 Cost: 14 000 260	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 210 Adjustment of Fire Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 100 175 Elevation Mechanism Research: 8 500 Cost: 14 000 260 Rangefinder Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 340

Armaments

Main armament

120 mm SA46 cannon

Autoloader

Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader

Ammunition50 rounds

First-order19 rounds

Reload6.0 s

Vertical guidance-6° / 10°

120 mm SA46					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Autoloader
Arcade	50	-6°/+10°	±180°	N/A	19.4	26.9	32.6	36.1	38.4	6.00
Realistic					14.3	16.8	20.4	22.6	24.0

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
120 mm Obus de rupture	APBC	301	298	286	272	258	245
120 mm Obus explosif	HE	39	39	39	39	39	39

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%
120 mm Obus de rupture	APBC	1,067	23.1	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
120 mm Obus explosif	HE	762	22.84	0	0.1	4.65	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AMX-50 Surblinde

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
50	47 (+3)	43 (+7)	39 (+11)	34 (+16)	29 (+21)	23 (+27)	19 (+31)	1 (+49)	Yes

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• The visual discrepancy concerns the crossed out shell: it is modeled but can't be fired.
• Rack 8 (autoloader magazine) is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 18 shells.
  • This rack gets filled first when loading up the tank and is also emptied first.
  • As the AMX-50 Surblinde is equipped with an autoloader, manual reloading of the gun is not possible.
  • Once the autoloader magazines have been depleted, you can't shoot until the loader has restocked the autoloader. The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun. Take this into account when playing.
  • Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 7 into rack 8. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
  • The depletion order at full capacity is: 8 - 1 - 2 up to 7.

Machine guns

20 mm MG151/20 cannon

Ammunition500 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reload10.0 s

Fire rate701 shots/min

Vertical guidance-17° / 63°

7.5 mm MAC 31 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reload5.0 s

Fire rate551 shots/min

20 mm MG 151
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	500 (250)	700	-5°/+80°	±180°

7.5 mm MAC 31
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (150)	551	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful 120 mm gun, a shot can penetrate a target protected by 300 mm of armour
• Loading time is short and steady, thanks to the autoloader
• Very mobile for a super-heavy tank, being able to reach to 51 km/h on flat terrain
• 20 mm cannon to ward off low-flying aircraft

Cons:

• One shot in the turret can make the tank explode: up to 18 shells are stored at the back of the turret
• No smoke grenades
• Shells lack explosive filler, one-hit knock-outs from the side are rare

History

Start of the project

In July 1945, in the aftermath of liberation, the general staff of the French armed forces expressed the need for a heavy tank of national design. In view of the rise of tensions with the USSR and with the balance sheets drawn from the last world conflict, the French Army presented a precise specification of what was to be the future main tank of the army. The tank was to be comparable on several points to already existing machines. Indeed, it was requested armament of a minimum power equivalent to the gun of 88 mm German Tiger II. It was also asked for a shield equivalent to that of the Panther and mobility close to that of the T-34.

The AMX-50 Surblindé

In 1955, an AMX 50 Surblindé (over-armoured) is produced, able to measure itself against the most powerful machines then in service. A variant of the AMX-50 Surbaissé with a reinforced armour, the front armour shape is inspired by Soviet tanks IS-3 or T10. The weight of this prototype reached about 60 tons.

Abandonment of the project

The tests carried out indicated a tank superior to its American and Soviet counterparts that were M26 Pershing and IS-3 respectively. But the Americans did not want to finance a project that would not be adopted. It was, therefore, necessary that the two countries, France and West Germany, adopt the tank so that its development continues. If France seemed ready to accept the project, it was not the case of West Germany which was inspired by the doctrines of the former general Heinz Guderian, a supporter of lighter and faster tanks. In addition, the development of new technologies and capabilities in the field of missiles and hollow-shell shells would render the massive tank armour obsolete and unsuitable for future large-scale conflict.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AMX-50 Surblinde from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• AMX-50 (Family)

External links

• [Devblog] AMX-50 Surblindé: French Powerlifter

Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX)
Light tanks
AMX-13	AMX-13-M24 · AMX-13 (FL11) · AMX-13 · AMX-13 (SS.11) · AMX-13-90 · AMX-13 (HOT)
Armoured cars	AMX-10RC
Medium tanks	AMX M4 · AMX-50 (TOA100)
MBTs
AMX-30	AMX-30 · AMX-30 ACRA · AMX-30 (1972) · AMX-30B2 · AMX-30B2 BRENUS · AMX-30 Super
AMX-32/40	AMX-32 (105) · AMX-32 · AMX-40
Heavy tanks	AMX-50 Surbaissé · AMX-50 Surblindé
Tank destroyers	ELC bis · AMX-50 Foch
SPAAGs	AMX-13 DCA 40 · AMX-30 S DCA
Export	AMX-13

France heavy tanks
B1	B1 bis · B1 ter
2C	2C · 2C bis
ARL-44	ARL-44 (ACL-1)
AMX-50	Somua SM · AMX-50 Surbaissé · AMX-50 Surblindé
USA	▄M4A3E2