M185 (155 mm)

Description

The M185 is an 155mm howitzer used on the American M109 Paladin SPHs. The M185 was derived from the M126, a shorter barreled version with less muzzle velocity and effective range than the M185. The Paladin participated in many wars, varying from Vietnam to the modern Gulf War in 1991.

Ingame, the M185 is mounted on the M109A1 series of Paladins in USA, Britain, and Israel (Rochev).

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• M109A1
• ▄M109A1
• Rochev

General info

The M185 has a very high destructive potential. Having 61mm of penetration for the HE and HE-VT shells, direct hits to most tanks at 6.0-7.0 on spots near the roof will eliminate the crew. Light vehicles and open tops will be annihilated, and the HE-VT can destroy slow moving planes and helicopters with a near hit.

Available ammunition

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Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

The M185 works as a typical howitzer: aiming for and above roof sections as well as cupolas is a must. With a better muzzle velocity than the short-barreled M126, it is easier to aim the gun and projectiles reach the target faster. Most vehicles at the same BR as the M109A1 will be able to destroy the M109A1 in a single hit, so make the shots count, work with teammates, and make sure cover is nearby to ensure a safe reload.

When shooting, the rule of the thumb is to aim for surfaces directly above the roof, the roof itself, cupolas, or any armor thinner than 55-60mm.

Fighting German tanks:

• If fighting Panthers, shoot the lower section of the gun mantlet above the roof. Alternatively, aim for the cupola as early models of Panthers have a distinctive tall drum cupola that can easily be targeted. The Panther's sides can also be penetrated with HE, only being 40-50mm thick.
• For the Tiger H1s, shoot the lower section of the gun mantlet right above the roof. The H1 also has the drum cupola, so aiming there will also overpressure and destroy the Tiger. For Tiger Es, shoot the gun mantlet as the cupola is quite small from the front. From the sides, shoot the cupola or turret ring.
• Tiger IIs will be encountered quite commonly in an uptier. Aim for the cupola if possible or shoot right above the roof on the lower section of the mantlet.

Fighting Soviet (USSR) tanks:

• The T-34 series of tanks have weak armor and the HE can destroy the tank from the UFP, turret ring, or the cupola.
• IS-1/2s can be hard to deal with frontally, aim for the drum cupola.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent firepower, can deal with vehicles at 6.3-7.3 with ease if aimed properly.
• Gun is still useful with some skill until around 8.0 with the introduction of ERA/composite, more precise CAS, and better weapons.
• Easy to aim and relatively quick muzzle velocity make sniping easy.

Cons:

• HE will not be effective on surfaces thicker than 61mm, heavily armored tanks will be tricky to deal with.
• Long reload time, missing a shot can be unforgiving.
• Barrel has a very long size, can be detrimental in urban combat.

History

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Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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USA tank cannons
20 mm	M139
25 mm	LW25 · M242
37 mm	M3 · M5 · M6
57 mm	M1
75 mm	M2 · M2 Howitzer · M3 · M6 · M1897A4 · XM274
76 mm	M1 · M7 · M32 · T185E1
90 mm	M3 · M3A1 · M36 · M41 · M54 · T15E1 · T15E2 · T54 · T208E9
105 mm	M4 · M68 · M68A1 · M68A1E8 · T5E1 · T5E2 · T140E2 · T140E3 · XM35
106 mm	M40A1C
120 mm	M58 · M256 · T53
152 mm	M81 · M162 · XM150E5
155 mm	M185 · T7
165 mm	M135
	Foreign:
20 mm	Rh202 (Germany)
57 mm	6pdr OQF Mk.III (Britain) · ZIS-2 (USSR)
105 mm	Sharir (Israel)
120 mm	IMI MG251 (Israel)

Britain tank cannons
30 mm	L21A1
40 mm	QF 2-pounder
47 mm	Ordnance QF 3-pounder
57 mm	6pdr OQF Mk.III · 6pdr OQF Mk.V
75 mm	OQF Mk.V
76 mm	OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I · OQF 3in 20cwt · QF 17-pounder
77 mm	OQF Mk.II
84 mm	20pdr OQF Mk.I
94 mm	28pdr OQF · 32pdr OQF · OQF Mk.II
95 mm	Howitzer, Tank No.1, Mk.I
105 mm	LRF · Royal Ordnance L7A1
120 mm	Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 · Ordnance BL Tk. L11 · L11A5 · L30A1
165 mm	ORD BL 6.5in L9A1
183 mm	QF L4A1
	Foreign:
25 mm	M242 (USA)
37 mm	M5 (USA) · M6 (USA)
75 mm	M2 (USA) · M3 (USA)
84 mm	kan Strv 81 (Sweden)
105 mm	Sharir (Israel)
120 mm	Rh120 L/55 A1 (Germany)
125 mm	2A46M-5 (Russia)
155 mm	M185 (USA)
	South Africa
20 mm	GI-2
76 mm	GT-4
90 mm	GT-2
105 mm	GT-3 · GT-7 · GT-8
155 mm	G6 L/45