Difference between revisions of "VK 3002 (M)"
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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).'' --> | ||
| − | '' | + | The VK 3002 (M) servers as a proper and useful introduction to the Panther line. Its lackluster reload speed and poor turret traverse rate restrict it to a more passive playstyle, while the high shell velocity and low projectile mass allow it to excel at long-distance engagements. However, most maps will force the player to fight in tight, often urban environments. On those maps, the VK 3002 (M) works best when used as a support vehicle, owing to it's low versatility yet high frontal armor and a powerful cannon. Staying close to teammates allows the VK to fight without the fear of being flanked, which should be the player's main concern. Leading an assault or pushing deep behind enemy lines should generally be avoided, unless the match is close to being over and the player has to act fast in order to get any more kills. |
| + | |||
| + | Despite having thick armor, the VK 3002 (M) is not impenetrable. It has a very powerful upper frontal plate, yet an experienced player will rarely approach one from the front. Instead, they'll attempt to flank the vehicle, which is exceptionally easy when the VK is attacking alone. The tank's frontal armor, as powerful as it is, can still be penetrated at short distances by well-aimed shots from tanks commonly seen at it's BR, such as the {{Main|T-34-85}} or the {{Main|M18 Hellcat (Family)}}. However, it can deflect most rounds fired at it from afar, further improving the VK 3002 (M)'s long-distance combat capabilities. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When fighting a VK 3002 (M), the player should try to avoid frontal engagements and use the opponent's poor mobility to flank the vehicle and destroy it with what is usually a single shell to the 40mm-thick side armor, enough to detonate the ammunition magazine. When driving a Heavy Tank with limited mobility, the player should instead attempt to hit the VK's gun mantlet, which in most cases will immediately knock out all three crew members manning the turret, rendering the VK 3002 (M) defenseless. If that's impossible, a single shell to the commander's cupola will knock out two, and occasionally all three of the aforementioned turret crew. Heavy Tanks with powerful enough cannons, such as the {{Main|Tiger H1}} can usually penetrate the VK 3002 (M) directly from the front, knocking out most if not all of the tank's crew members with ease. In a Medium Tank, the player can generally allow themselves to attempt a flanking attack, which is significantly easier in RB, thanks to the player's invisibility on the minimap. In urban environments, most Medium tanks are at an advantage of speed and agility, which as a result lets the player get behind the VK, allowing it to take out it's turret crew with one shot, then follow it up with a round to the side armor, detonating the ammunition. In a Light Tank or SPAA, the player's high mobility allows it to easily flank the VK, provided they have the element of surprise, and attack its thin side armor to knock out the vehicle. If that's impossible, the player should destroy the VK 3002 (M)'s gun barrel with continuous fire, then it's track, after which they should either look for a way to attack the enemy from the side and rear, or run away. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Note that a frontal engagement against the VK 3002 (M) should be started with the element of surprise, as the VK's long 75mm can easily knock out most tanks at it's BR with only one shell to the front. Ensuring that the enemy player driving the VK 3002 (M) is not currently paying attention to your position, or is preferably fighting another ally, can solve this problem. | ||
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
Revision as of 18:58, 19 December 2022
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Contents
Description
The VK 3002 (M) is a rank III German medium tank with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".
The prototype model by Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN) for what would become the Panther tank, the VK 3002 (M) features all the basic characteristics the Panther would receive, with a steep sloping front armour, high-penetrating 75 mm gun, and good mobility but not in turns. The VK 3002 (M) featured a 60 mm front plate and 50-80 mm turret front armour, which were the original armour plate thickness of the Panther prototype prior to its uparmoring into 80 mm and 100 mm respectively in the production vehicles. The grind on this tank is somewhat painful until you obtain the engine and transmission upgrade. The turret traverse is slow even after the horizontal upgrade. Tank has poor turning ability in close quarters.
General info
Survivability and armour
The armour layout is very similar to a standard Panther, though significantly weaker for the front plate (60 mm instead of 80 mm thick) and the turret (80 mm for the turret front and 50 mm for the mantlet instead of the 100 mm on the Panther A). It is adequate against low-velocity projectiles, but its armour should not be relied upon much, unless the distance between you and the target is large. Unlike the Panther A, angling on the VK 3002 is helpful, angling some 15-20 degrees will make the hull almost entirely immune to Soviet 85 mm cannons, which the tank will commonly face. The same procedure goes against most American cannons. Of course, if they aim at the turret, you'll end up penetrated, but the good thing is that this prototype shares the same good post-penetration survivability of a Panther, due to the driver and machine gunner being far from the turret, even the "fat" Soviet 85 mm APHE rounds will not usually knock it out from a turret penetration.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 60mm, 55°. | 40mm, 40° 40mm, 0° |
40mm, 30° | 10 - 16 mm |
| Turret | 80mm, 12° 99-158mm, 7-56° |
45mm, 21° | 45mm, 25° | 16mm, 85° |
| Cupola | 110mm, 0° | 110mm, 0° | 110mm, 0° | 16mm, 90° |
Notes: The cupola's armor is composed of Cast homogeneous armor, while the rest of the vehicle is protected by Rolled homogeneous armor.
Mobility
In a straight or nearly straight line the tank has decent mobility. However, the tank slows appreciably in turns and close quarter turning is painfully slow. Reverse speed is slow as well. Because close quarter mobility is not a strong point with this tank you should try to keep your distance from the enemy; otherwise enemy medium tanks and light tanks will flank you easily.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 62 | 5 | 35 | 1,007 | 1,240 | 28.77 | 35.43 |
| Realistic | 55 | 5 | 575 | 650 | 16.43 | 18.57 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
The VK 3002 (M)'s 75mm cannon grants the vehicle an edge over most other vehicles seen at it's BR, especially at longer ranges thanks to it's high shell velocity and low projectile mass. The aforementioned characteristics of this gun, paired with its relatively long reload and the VK 3002 (M)'s poor turret rotation speed, render the vehicle a powerful opponent on longer ranges, but a lackluster tank in close combat due to its lack of flexibility most other mediums at it's BR have. The reload speed of 9.4s and turret rotation speed of 3.8 m/s allows the VK 3002 (M) to be easily flanked by more agile opponents, and destroyed due to it's thin side armor. The player's ammunition load should be composed of mostly the stock APCBC shells, with a few HE rounds in case one meets a vehicle vulnerable to them.
| 75 mm KwK42 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 79 | -8°/+20° | ±180° | N/A | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||||||||
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 | ||
| PzGr 39/42 | APCBC | 192 | 188 | 173 | 156 | 140 | 126 |
| Sprgr. 42 | HE | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| 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% | |||||||
| PzGr 39/42 | APCBC | 935 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 14 | 28.9 | 48° | 63° | 71° |
| Sprgr. 42 | HE | 700 | 5.74 | 0 | 0.1 | 725 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
.jpg)
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 72 (+7) | 66 (+13) | 60 (+19) | 56 (+23) | 52 (+27) | 42 (+37) |
| 7th rack empty |
8th rack empty |
9th rack empty |
10th rack empty |
11th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|
| 32 (+47) | 22 (+57) | 12 (+67) | 5 (+74) | 1 (+78) | No |
Machine guns
| 7.92 mm MG34 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 2,700 (150) | 900 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The VK 3002 (M) servers as a proper and useful introduction to the Panther line. Its lackluster reload speed and poor turret traverse rate restrict it to a more passive playstyle, while the high shell velocity and low projectile mass allow it to excel at long-distance engagements. However, most maps will force the player to fight in tight, often urban environments. On those maps, the VK 3002 (M) works best when used as a support vehicle, owing to it's low versatility yet high frontal armor and a powerful cannon. Staying close to teammates allows the VK to fight without the fear of being flanked, which should be the player's main concern. Leading an assault or pushing deep behind enemy lines should generally be avoided, unless the match is close to being over and the player has to act fast in order to get any more kills.
Despite having thick armor, the VK 3002 (M) is not impenetrable. It has a very powerful upper frontal plate, yet an experienced player will rarely approach one from the front. Instead, they'll attempt to flank the vehicle, which is exceptionally easy when the VK is attacking alone. The tank's frontal armor, as powerful as it is, can still be penetrated at short distances by well-aimed shots from tanks commonly seen at it's BR, such as the or the . However, it can deflect most rounds fired at it from afar, further improving the VK 3002 (M)'s long-distance combat capabilities. When fighting a VK 3002 (M), the player should try to avoid frontal engagements and use the opponent's poor mobility to flank the vehicle and destroy it with what is usually a single shell to the 40mm-thick side armor, enough to detonate the ammunition magazine. When driving a Heavy Tank with limited mobility, the player should instead attempt to hit the VK's gun mantlet, which in most cases will immediately knock out all three crew members manning the turret, rendering the VK 3002 (M) defenseless. If that's impossible, a single shell to the commander's cupola will knock out two, and occasionally all three of the aforementioned turret crew. Heavy Tanks with powerful enough cannons, such as the can usually penetrate the VK 3002 (M) directly from the front, knocking out most if not all of the tank's crew members with ease. In a Medium Tank, the player can generally allow themselves to attempt a flanking attack, which is significantly easier in RB, thanks to the player's invisibility on the minimap. In urban environments, most Medium tanks are at an advantage of speed and agility, which as a result lets the player get behind the VK, allowing it to take out it's turret crew with one shot, then follow it up with a round to the side armor, detonating the ammunition. In a Light Tank or SPAA, the player's high mobility allows it to easily flank the VK, provided they have the element of surprise, and attack its thin side armor to knock out the vehicle. If that's impossible, the player should destroy the VK 3002 (M)'s gun barrel with continuous fire, then it's track, after which they should either look for a way to attack the enemy from the side and rear, or run away.Note that a frontal engagement against the VK 3002 (M) should be started with the element of surprise, as the VK's long 75mm can easily knock out most tanks at it's BR with only one shell to the front. Ensuring that the enemy player driving the VK 3002 (M) is not currently paying attention to your position, or is preferably fighting another ally, can solve this problem.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High speed on flat terrain and satisfactory agility
- Deadly cannon with 192 mm maximum penetration, can frontally penetrate any tank it can face (e.g. IS-2, M4A3E2, Churchill VII, etc)
- 75 mm cannon has flat trajectory and high shell velocity, beginner-friendly for long range engagements
- Frontal armour is immune against some lower-tier tanks like T-34-76, 75 mm M4, M24, etc.
- Has smoke grenades, helpful to conceal the tank
Cons:
- Has big and tall silhouette of the Panther family, very easy to get hit
- Frontal armour can still get penetrated by most common foes (e.g. T-34-85, Avenger, M36, M18, etc)
- Poor -4 km/h reverse speed can prevent the player from retreating into cover
- Side & rear armour are flat and thin (~40 mm), easily penetrable by SPAAs and light vehicles (e.g. ZSD63, M24, etc)
- Slow turning ability
- Slow turret traverse
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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
| Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg Aktiengesellschaft (MAN AG) | |
|---|---|
| Medium tanks | |
| Panther | VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Ersatz M10 · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Panther II |
| Export/captured | |
| USSR | ▂T-V |
| France | Panther "Dauphiné" |
| Germany medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| Pz.III | Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N |
| Pz.IV | Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J |
| Pz.V | VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II |
| M48 upgrades | M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super |
| Leopard 1 | Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III |
| Leopard 2 | PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV |
| Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V | |
| Trophies | ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r) |
| Other | Nb.Fz. · KPz-70 |
| USA | mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C |
| USSR | ◊T-72M1 |
