Difference between revisions of "Fox"

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{{Specs-Card
 
{{Specs-Card
 
|code=uk_fv721_fox
 
|code=uk_fv721_fox
−
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
+
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
−
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Alpha Strike"]].
+
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Alpha Strike"]]. This car is fullfilling the scout tank role, while bolstering a very powerful, but slow firing autocannon.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
Line 12: Line 12:
 
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
−
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
When it comes to armour protection, the Fox is severely lacking.
 +
 
 +
The armour in theory can deflect low rank 20 mm AP-I shells at 500 m range, but the car's hull must be angled, and there are spots on the hull that are always accessible, such as the driver's hatch on the front. The armour will not withstand autocannon ammunition of more modern Rank VI light tanks and SPAA, so those should be avoided.
 +
 
 +
The car can tank 12.7 mm calibre bullets head-on from the front, but the driver's hatch is a weak spot once again, especially against tall tanks or high ground. Therefore, angling at least 20 degrees and keeping at least some distance will keep the car from being immediately obliterated by auxillary weapons and aircraft.
 +
 
 +
Players will quickly find themselves obliterated if targeted by the enemy team's main weapons, so care should be taken to not be seen and to keep moving if seen to become a hard target to hit. The internals of the Fox will not provide much chance to survive either, as the 3 crew members are very tightly packed with not much empty space, so any shots that penetrate are likely to take out at least 2, if not all 3 crew members. Most of the space not taken up by crew is taken by either the engine, transmission or ammunition, so even if the crew does not die straight away, players will typically find themselves either exploding, or stuck in place while the enemy reloads. Firing smokes and leaving when situation seems to become overwhelming is advicable.
  
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
Line 22: Line 28:
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' <br> ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
| Hull || 33.5 mm (53°) Front Glacis
 +
33.5 mm (1-53°) Driver's Port
 +
| 41 mm (0-6°)  ''Top'' <br>5 mm (0°) ''Bottom'' || 38 mm (1°) || 5 mm (89°)
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' <br> ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
| Turret || 41 mm (47-60°) ''Turret front'' <br>41 mm (52-55°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 41 mm (0°) || 38 mm (36°) || 20 mm (89°)
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
+
| Cupola || 20 mm (60°) || 20 mm (60°)  || 20 mm (60°) || 20 mm (59-89°)
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
−
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''
+
Fox is a rather fast vehicle, behaving similarly to Eland 90. It has double (triple in AB) the horse power, so it is much faster. The chassis is rather small, so aggressive inclines will slow the car down and ruin the aim, but it is stable enough to generally not care about flipping itself.
 +
 
 +
In RB, it is begrudgingly driving at 40 to 60 km/h offroad in any direction, slowly accelerating towards 80 km/h. If not turning around and driving on flat ground, it will accelerate further at a negligible rate. On a road, the car will easily reach 80 km/h and speed up towards 100 km/h.
 +
 
 +
In AB, the car accelerates about 20 km/h per second offroad in any direction until 60 km/h. At this speed, the car can circle around its target indefinitely without much issues. Past that, acceleration drops to about 10 km/h per second and the car will start drifting and losing some of its speed upon turning. 110 km/h speed can be reached even offroad, but at this point car controls will seriously stiffen and only allow about 30 degree turns without losing all of the speed. On a road, the car will merely accelerate faster, so it doesn't really require them in AB unlike other wheeled cars, but the roads are generally flat and do not pose as much of a risk of flipping the car over a random rock.
 +
 
 +
A collision at 70 km/h and above can ruin the wheels, so when doing an emergency stop by crashing into objects, avoid ramming them with a corner of chassis. Hitting a random tree with the front bumper will merely stop the car, but hitting it with a wheel can potentially destroy the wheel and incur a 20 seconds repair, or put it into an unfixable "red" state, making the car vulnerable to machine gun interception.
  
−
{{tankMobility}}
+
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=302|rbMinHp=172}}
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
Line 50: Line 64:
 
{{main|L21A1 (30 mm)}}
 
{{main|L21A1 (30 mm)}}
  
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
The main weapon of this car is a fairly scary 30 mm autocannon, the same one as on the [[Warrior]]. Players should be aware of the low rate of fire for this weapons calibre, with 0.9 seconds between each shell. The clip size of 3 may look like a downside, but the reload time of the clip is fast enough to not make a difference to the fire rate, only giving a momentary pause between volleys.
 +
 
 +
While the car is reasonably stable, any ground incline can ruin the aim, so slowing down to at least 60 km/h is a good idea.
 +
 
 +
One redeeming factor of the gun is the ammunition, giving it impressive damage or penetration (for a 30 mm). However, it is still just a 30 mm and players should always be looking for the side or the back of their targets, unless those are very lightly armoured.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
 
|-
 
! ''Arcade''
 
! ''Arcade''
−
| rowspan="2" | 99 (3) || rowspan="2" | 80 || rowspan="2" | -14°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | - || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
+
| rowspan="2" | 99 (3) || rowspan="2" | 80 || rowspan="2" | -14°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | - || 57.1 || 79.1 || 96.0 || 106.2 || 113.0 || rowspan="2" | 1.04 || rowspan="2" | 0.92 || rowspan="2" | 0.85 || rowspan="2" | 0.80
 
|-
 
|-
 
! ''Realistic''
 
! ''Realistic''
−
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
+
| 35.7 || 42.0 || 51.0 || 56.4 || 60.0
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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==== Ammunition ====
 
==== Ammunition ====
 
{{:L21A1 (30 mm)/Ammunition|30x170 APHE-I, 30x170 HE-I-T, 30x170 APDS-T}}
 
{{:L21A1 (30 mm)/Ammunition|30x170 APHE-I, 30x170 HE-I-T, 30x170 APDS-T}}
 +
[[File:Fox attacks soviet tank weakspot.jpg|thumb|right|One good shot is all you need. For example, all soviet medium tanks have weak belly armour. Flank, aim, fire.]]
 +
The 30 mm APHE is difficult to use due to an abundance of heavily armoured vehicles in rank V, but they deal very high damage. APHE shells have no tracers and are invisible even on thermal camera, which makes it somewhat difficult for opponents to understand where their tank is being attacked from. Unfortunately, rangefinding is difficult for the same reason. In terms of the damage, if APHE manages to land in the middle of enemy tank crew compartment, the tank will undoubtedly explode due to a high shrapnel amount, but extensive knowledge of tank weakspots will be required.
 +
 +
The HE-I-T is an anti-air shell, which can tear a wing off the plane, assuming it hits. It isn't good for anything else, but could in theory be used as a rangefinder shell in combination with APHE belt until the APDS-T were unlocked.
 +
 +
APDS-T belt is capable of penetrating the front armour of most light vehicles and some medium tanks, and the sides of almost any tank. APDS will also overpenetrate engine decks of any tank, so those cannot block the damage anymore. The sub-par rate of fire and low post-penetration effects mean that gunners will need to pick out individual crew members or modules in each well-placed shot. These shells have tracers, so although it will be difficult to hit moving targets past about 1.5 km, it is still possible if those do not change movement pace after seeing the tracers. The post-penetration damage requires careful aiming to disable enemy vehicles and the Fox will not withstand return fire, so carefully aiming the first shot is rather important. Direct ammo rack hit may or may not be fatal depending on how much armour APDS had to penetrate.
  
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
 
! 3rd<br>rack empty
 
! 4th<br>rack empty
 
! 4th<br>rack empty
−
! 5th<br>rack empty
 
−
! 6th<br>rack empty
 
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''33''' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __
+
| '''33''' || 11&nbsp;''(+22)'' || 7&nbsp;''(+26)'' || 4&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+32)'' || No
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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{{main|L37A2 (7.62 mm)}}
 
{{main|L37A2 (7.62 mm)}}
  
−
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
The Fox's L37A2 coaxial machine gun can be used along with the 30 mm autocannon, to take down aircraft that could pose a threat to your vehicle. The machine gun can also be used to counter many open vehicles of the battle rating such as the M53/59 and the M56 Scorpion.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 
|-
 
|-
−
| || ___ (___) || ___ || __° || __°
+
| Coaxial || 2,600 (100) || 650 || - || -
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== 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).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
−
''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).''
+
In summary, the Fox plays in a similar fashion to vehicles like the Italian R3. Its mobility allows for players to scout and move to positions faster than the majority of other vehicles seen at the battle rating.
 +
 
 +
As the Fox's battle rating is home to the majority of Cold War heavy tanks, most of the teams are usually a combination of heavy tanks and main battle tanks, putting the Fox in a unique position to capture zones before the teams even engage each other. After that, the car can use its high speed and relatively low profile to sneak lethal shots into enemy sides and backs, or to straight up bully tanks with slow turret rotation speed.
 +
 
 +
The cannon ammunition is also leagues above shells used by competition like the [[BTR-80A]], occasionally allowing to punch through heavy and medium brawler tanks, or to blow up some random light tanks in one or two shots. The 30 mm cannon has a terrible fire rate, so it requires at least some sort of pre-planning for most targets, but can also knock out most things in a single well aimed shot. On the occasion where a Fox is unable to destroy a tank in a fair fight, tracks and cannon barrels will be destroyed by the 30 mm rounds, until opponent is unable to move and their engine deck can be accessed by the overpenetrating APDS shot.
 +
 
 +
Since APHE belt is invisible, rangefinding for it can be a bit of a pain in RB. HE-I belt has the same ballistics as APHE and has tracers, so you can use it to figure out how to aim. Actually memorizing APHE ballistics might allow for stealthier and faster takedowns against poorly armoured light tanks, even when APDS is available.
 +
 
 +
12.7 mm machine gun rounds and higher can penetrate the Fox's armour at a flat angle, so caution should be exercised if the enemy's machine guns are still functional. Try to remain at least somewhat angled to avoid taking unnecessary damage. Avoid directly fighting tanks armed with autocannons and avoid 20 mm SPAA if they are any closer than 500 m - such engagement will not end well for you, even theoretically.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
−
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
 
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Great mobility and acceleration in any direction
 +
* Effective cannon with ammunition that can penetrate almost all vehicles from the sides and back
 +
* Small profile, allowing for "rat" gameplay and access to a lot of hiding places
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Terrible fire rate, requires actual aiming
 +
* Can be penetrated by 12.7 mm unless angled, has frontal weakspot which is always exposed
 +
* Severely outgunned in a full uptier
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
+
Beginning development in 1965 by the Daimler company of Coventry, the FV721 Fox was a 4x4 armoured car as a replacement for the Ferret scout car and Saladin armoured car. The first of 15 prototypes was completed in November 1967 with user trials beginning the following year. Following successful trials, the first announcement about the Fox was made in October 1969, with a production order placed with Royal Ordnance Leeds the following year. Production began in 1972 and ran to May 1973, building a total of 325.
 +
 
 +
200 vehicles saw service with the United Kingdom, with most being used by the Royal Yeomanry and the Queen's Own Yeomanry, part of the British Army of the Rhine. Small numbers were also attached to air mobile, armoured and mechanized infantry battalions to form a reconnaissance platoon. The Fox was retired from British service by 1994.
 +
 
 +
The remaining vehicles were exported to Malawi and Nigeria, with some remaining in service to this day.
 +
 
 +
=== [[wt:en/news/8789-development-fv721-fox-an-opportunistic-predator-en|Devblog]] ===
 +
In the 1960s, the British Army was looking to replace their outdated Ferret and Saladin armored cars with a more capable vehicle that featured the 30 mm L21A1 RARDEN cannon. Development of the FV721 Fox started in 1965 by Daimler with the first prototype ready and shown to the British Army in 1967. After successful trials, full-scale production of the Fox was given the go ahead and was completed by 1973. Over 300 were built, where most were operated by Britain which are now out of service, and some by Malawi and Nigeria that are still in service today in very limited numbers.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
−
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
+
 
 +
;Videos
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|L0RHBstrvEk|'''The Shooting Range #400''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:52 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
Line 133: Line 177:
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
''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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
Line 140: Line 185:
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
 
−
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
+
* [[wt:en/news/8789-development-fv721-fox-an-opportunistic-predator-en|[Devblog]  FV721 Fox: An Opportunistic Predator]]
−
* ''other literature.''
 
  
 
{{Britain light tanks}}
 
{{Britain light tanks}}
 
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]
 
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

Latest revision as of 15:36, 14 June 2024

Rank VII | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
Fox
uk_fv721_fox.png
GarageImage Fox.jpg
ArtImage Fox.png
Fox
Britain flag.png Britain
V Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
7.3 7.7 7.7
Class:
Research:95 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:270 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The FV721 Fox is a rank V British light tank with a battle rating of 7.3 (AB) and 7.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Alpha Strike". This car is fullfilling the scout tank role, while bolstering a very powerful, but slow firing autocannon.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull33 / 41 / 38
Turret41 / 38 / 38
Crew3 people
Visibility84 %

When it comes to armour protection, the Fox is severely lacking.

The armour in theory can deflect low rank 20 mm AP-I shells at 500 m range, but the car's hull must be angled, and there are spots on the hull that are always accessible, such as the driver's hatch on the front. The armour will not withstand autocannon ammunition of more modern Rank VI light tanks and SPAA, so those should be avoided.

The car can tank 12.7 mm calibre bullets head-on from the front, but the driver's hatch is a weak spot once again, especially against tall tanks or high ground. Therefore, angling at least 20 degrees and keeping at least some distance will keep the car from being immediately obliterated by auxillary weapons and aircraft.

Players will quickly find themselves obliterated if targeted by the enemy team's main weapons, so care should be taken to not be seen and to keep moving if seen to become a hard target to hit. The internals of the Fox will not provide much chance to survive either, as the 3 crew members are very tightly packed with not much empty space, so any shots that penetrate are likely to take out at least 2, if not all 3 crew members. Most of the space not taken up by crew is taken by either the engine, transmission or ammunition, so even if the crew does not die straight away, players will typically find themselves either exploding, or stuck in place while the enemy reloads. Firing smokes and leaving when situation seems to become overwhelming is advicable.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 33.5 mm (53°) Front Glacis

33.5 mm (1-53°) Driver's Port

41 mm (0-6°) Top
5 mm (0°) Bottom 		38 mm (1°) 5 mm (89°)
Turret 41 mm (47-60°) Turret front
41 mm (52-55°) Gun mantlet 		41 mm (0°) 38 mm (36°) 20 mm (89°)
Cupola 20 mm (60°) 20 mm (60°) 20 mm (60°) 20 mm (59-89°)

Notes:

Mobility

Reverse gearbox
Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed
Speedforward / back
AB110 / 110 km/h
RB and SB99 / 99 km/h
Number of gears5 forward
5 back
Weight6.1 t
Engine power
AB372 hp
RB and SB195 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB61.0 hp/t
RB and SB32.0 hp/t

Fox is a rather fast vehicle, behaving similarly to Eland 90. It has double (triple in AB) the horse power, so it is much faster. The chassis is rather small, so aggressive inclines will slow the car down and ruin the aim, but it is stable enough to generally not care about flipping itself.

In RB, it is begrudgingly driving at 40 to 60 km/h offroad in any direction, slowly accelerating towards 80 km/h. If not turning around and driving on flat ground, it will accelerate further at a negligible rate. On a road, the car will easily reach 80 km/h and speed up towards 100 km/h.

In AB, the car accelerates about 20 km/h per second offroad in any direction until 60 km/h. At this speed, the car can circle around its target indefinitely without much issues. Past that, acceleration drops to about 10 km/h per second and the car will start drifting and losing some of its speed upon turning. 110 km/h speed can be reached even offroad, but at this point car controls will seriously stiffen and only allow about 30 degree turns without losing all of the speed. On a road, the car will merely accelerate faster, so it doesn't really require them in AB unlike other wheeled cars, but the roads are generally flat and do not pose as much of a risk of flipping the car over a random rock.

A collision at 70 km/h and above can ruin the wheels, so when doing an emergency stop by crashing into objects, avoid ramming them with a corner of chassis. Hitting a random tree with the front bumper will merely stop the car, but hitting it with a wheel can potentially destroy the wheel and incur a 20 seconds repair, or put it into an unfixable "red" state, making the car vulnerable to machine gun interception.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 110 110 6.1 302 372 49.51 60.98
Realistic 99 99 172 195 28.2 31.97

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB3 025 → 4 392 Sl icon.png
RB3 664 → 5 320 Sl icon.png
SB4 919 → 7 142 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications76 700 Rp icon.png
129 200 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 000 Ge icon.png
Crew training78 000 Sl icon.png
Experts270 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 100 Ge icon.png
Research Aces670 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
110 / 160 / 200 % Sl icon.png
190 / 190 / 190 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new wheels.png
Tires
Research:
5 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 600 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods new car suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
5 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 400 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
5 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 400 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
3 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 600 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
5 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 400 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
5 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 600 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods airstrike.png
Airstrike
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 800 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
30mm_hs_831_APDS_ammo_pack
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
5 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 400 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods scouting.png
Improved optics
Research:
5 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 400 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

30 mm L21A1 automatic cannon
Ammunition99 rounds
Belt capacity3 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
1.0 → 0.8 s
Fire rate81 shots/min
Vertical guidance-14° / 40°
Main article: L21A1 (30 mm)

The main weapon of this car is a fairly scary 30 mm autocannon, the same one as on the Warrior. Players should be aware of the low rate of fire for this weapons calibre, with 0.9 seconds between each shell. The clip size of 3 may look like a downside, but the reload time of the clip is fast enough to not make a difference to the fire rate, only giving a momentary pause between volleys.

While the car is reasonably stable, any ground incline can ruin the aim, so slowing down to at least 60 km/h is a good idea.

One redeeming factor of the gun is the ammunition, giving it impressive damage or penetration (for a 30 mm). However, it is still just a 30 mm and players should always be looking for the side or the back of their targets, unless those are very lightly armoured.

30 mm L21A1 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 99 (3) 80 -14°/+40° ±180° - 57.1 79.1 96.0 106.2 113.0 1.04 0.92 0.85 0.80
Realistic 35.7 42.0 51.0 56.4 60.0

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
30x170 APHE-I SAP-I 53 50 39 29 21 16
30x170 HE-I-T HEI-T* 9 8 7 5 4 4
30x170 APDS-T APDS 110 101 95 69 52 41
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%
30x170 APHE-I SAP-I 1,080 0.36 1.2 9 30.6 47° 56° 65°
30x170 HE-I-T HEI-T* 1,080 0.36 0.1 0.1 85 79° 80° 81°
30x170 APDS-T APDS 1,175 0.3 - - - 75° 78° 80°
One good shot is all you need. For example, all soviet medium tanks have weak belly armour. Flank, aim, fire.

The 30 mm APHE is difficult to use due to an abundance of heavily armoured vehicles in rank V, but they deal very high damage. APHE shells have no tracers and are invisible even on thermal camera, which makes it somewhat difficult for opponents to understand where their tank is being attacked from. Unfortunately, rangefinding is difficult for the same reason. In terms of the damage, if APHE manages to land in the middle of enemy tank crew compartment, the tank will undoubtedly explode due to a high shrapnel amount, but extensive knowledge of tank weakspots will be required.

The HE-I-T is an anti-air shell, which can tear a wing off the plane, assuming it hits. It isn't good for anything else, but could in theory be used as a rangefinder shell in combination with APHE belt until the APDS-T were unlocked.

APDS-T belt is capable of penetrating the front armour of most light vehicles and some medium tanks, and the sides of almost any tank. APDS will also overpenetrate engine decks of any tank, so those cannot block the damage anymore. The sub-par rate of fire and low post-penetration effects mean that gunners will need to pick out individual crew members or modules in each well-placed shot. These shells have tracers, so although it will be difficult to hit moving targets past about 1.5 km, it is still possible if those do not change movement pace after seeing the tracers. The post-penetration damage requires careful aiming to disable enemy vehicles and the Fox will not withstand return fire, so carefully aiming the first shot is rather important. Direct ammo rack hit may or may not be fatal depending on how much armour APDS had to penetrate.

Ammo racks

Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
33 11 (+22) 7 (+26) 4 (+29) 1 (+32) No

Machine guns

7.62 mm L37A2 machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition2 600 rounds
Belt capacity100 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate650 shots/min
Main article: L37A2 (7.62 mm)

The Fox's L37A2 coaxial machine gun can be used along with the 30 mm autocannon, to take down aircraft that could pose a threat to your vehicle. The machine gun can also be used to counter many open vehicles of the battle rating such as the M53/59 and the M56 Scorpion.

7.62 mm L37A2
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 2,600 (100) 650 - -

Usage in battles

In summary, the Fox plays in a similar fashion to vehicles like the Italian R3. Its mobility allows for players to scout and move to positions faster than the majority of other vehicles seen at the battle rating.

As the Fox's battle rating is home to the majority of Cold War heavy tanks, most of the teams are usually a combination of heavy tanks and main battle tanks, putting the Fox in a unique position to capture zones before the teams even engage each other. After that, the car can use its high speed and relatively low profile to sneak lethal shots into enemy sides and backs, or to straight up bully tanks with slow turret rotation speed.

The cannon ammunition is also leagues above shells used by competition like the BTR-80A, occasionally allowing to punch through heavy and medium brawler tanks, or to blow up some random light tanks in one or two shots. The 30 mm cannon has a terrible fire rate, so it requires at least some sort of pre-planning for most targets, but can also knock out most things in a single well aimed shot. On the occasion where a Fox is unable to destroy a tank in a fair fight, tracks and cannon barrels will be destroyed by the 30 mm rounds, until opponent is unable to move and their engine deck can be accessed by the overpenetrating APDS shot.

Since APHE belt is invisible, rangefinding for it can be a bit of a pain in RB. HE-I belt has the same ballistics as APHE and has tracers, so you can use it to figure out how to aim. Actually memorizing APHE ballistics might allow for stealthier and faster takedowns against poorly armoured light tanks, even when APDS is available.

12.7 mm machine gun rounds and higher can penetrate the Fox's armour at a flat angle, so caution should be exercised if the enemy's machine guns are still functional. Try to remain at least somewhat angled to avoid taking unnecessary damage. Avoid directly fighting tanks armed with autocannons and avoid 20 mm SPAA if they are any closer than 500 m - such engagement will not end well for you, even theoretically.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Great mobility and acceleration in any direction
  • Effective cannon with ammunition that can penetrate almost all vehicles from the sides and back
  • Small profile, allowing for "rat" gameplay and access to a lot of hiding places

Cons:

  • Terrible fire rate, requires actual aiming
  • Can be penetrated by 12.7 mm unless angled, has frontal weakspot which is always exposed
  • Severely outgunned in a full uptier

History

Beginning development in 1965 by the Daimler company of Coventry, the FV721 Fox was a 4x4 armoured car as a replacement for the Ferret scout car and Saladin armoured car. The first of 15 prototypes was completed in November 1967 with user trials beginning the following year. Following successful trials, the first announcement about the Fox was made in October 1969, with a production order placed with Royal Ordnance Leeds the following year. Production began in 1972 and ran to May 1973, building a total of 325.

200 vehicles saw service with the United Kingdom, with most being used by the Royal Yeomanry and the Queen's Own Yeomanry, part of the British Army of the Rhine. Small numbers were also attached to air mobile, armoured and mechanized infantry battalions to form a reconnaissance platoon. The Fox was retired from British service by 1994.

The remaining vehicles were exported to Malawi and Nigeria, with some remaining in service to this day.

Devblog

In the 1960s, the British Army was looking to replace their outdated Ferret and Saladin armored cars with a more capable vehicle that featured the 30 mm L21A1 RARDEN cannon. Development of the FV721 Fox started in 1965 by Daimler with the first prototype ready and shown to the British Army in 1967. After successful trials, full-scale production of the Fox was given the go ahead and was completed by 1973. Over 300 were built, where most were operated by Britain which are now out of service, and some by Malawi and Nigeria that are still in service today in very limited numbers.

Media

Videos
The Shooting Range #400 - Metal Beasts section at 00:52 discusses the Fox.

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


Britain light tanks
A13  A13 Mk I · A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II · A13 Mk II 1939
A15  Crusader II · Crusader "The Saint" · Crusader III
A17  Tetrarch I
IFV  Warrior · Desert Warrior (Kuwait)
Wheeled  Daimler Mk II · AEC Mk II · Fox · Vickers Mk.11
Other  VFM5
South Africa 
SARC  SARC MkIVa · SARC MkVI (2pdr) · SARC MkVI (6pdr)
Ratel  Ratel 90 · Ratel 20
Rooikat  Rooikat Mk.1D · Rooikat 105 · Rooikat MTTD
Other  Concept 3 · Eland 90 Mk.7
USA  Stuart I · Stuart III

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