M46 "Tiger"

M46 "Tiger"

M46 "Tiger"

USA

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.0	7.0	6.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:7 480

Show in game

This page is about the premium tank M46 "Tiger". For the regular version, see M46.

Description

The M46 "Tiger" (Medium Tank M46 Patton (73 Tank Batalion)) is a premium rank IV American medium tank with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB/RB) and 6.7 (SB). It is one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals". It is a premium variant of the M46 Patton, the differences being the paint job of a tiger cat on the front, drawn up by its crew during the Korean War, the lack of a HEAT-Cage around the turret and it being Rank IV instead of Rank V. It costs 6,090 Golden Eagles.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Front)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Side, Rear, Roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	101.6 mm (42-46°) Front Glacis 162.5 mm (25-60°) Upper front glacis 76.2 mm (26-53°) Lower Glacis	76.2 mm Front 50.8 mm (0-9°) Rear	50.8 mm Top 22.2 mm (65°) Bottom	22.2 mm
Turret	101.6 mm (1-55°) Turret front 114.3 mm (1-84°) Gun mantlet	76.2 mm (3-54°)	76.2 mm (0-79°)	25.4 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	76.2 mm	25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
43.8	N/A	53 (AB)
		47 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	1,255	1,545
Realistic/Simulator	716	810
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	28.65	35.27
Realistic/Simulator	16.35	18.49

Armaments

Main armament

90 mm M3A1
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
70			-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	15.17	20.9	25.4	28.1	29.9
Realistic	15.17	17.8	21.6	23.9	25.4
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
11.05	9.78	9.00	8.50

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M318 shot	AP	192	191	179	165	152	139
M71 shell	HE	13	13	13	13	13	13
M82 shot	APCBC	170	169	164	151	138	127
M304 shot	APCR	264	260	245	226	210	191
M332 shot	APCR	271	270	245	217	192	170
M348 shell	HEATFS	305	305	305	305	305	305

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
M318 shot	AP	853	11	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M71 shell	HE	823	11	0.1	0.5	925	+0°	79°	80°	81°
M82 shot	APCBC	853	11	1.2	20	137.2	+4°	48°	63°	71°
M304 shot	APCR	1021	7.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°
M332 shot	APCR	1178	5.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°
M348 shell	HEATFS	853	6.5	0.0	0.1	926.17	+0°	65°	72°	75°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
M313	821	11	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

File:Ammoracks M46Patton.png

Ammo racks of the M46 Patton.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
70	61 (+9)	1 (+69)	no

Turret empty: 61 (+9)

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,000 (200)				577	-10°/+50°	±120°

7.62 mm M1919A4
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
4,900 (250)				500	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

The tank plays almost like the M26 Pershing, it's relatively fast for its size yet has a very powerful gun. In comparison, the M46 Patton features improved manoeuvrability with increased acceleration, it also has a better gun to combat the foes it will face at its rank. Due to this, the M46 Patton can fit into multiple roles like the Pershing as an offensive or supporting unit. Attack and flank enemy units with the cooperation of allied units to get their more vulnerable sides.

The M46 "Tiger" Patton is very fast and manoeuvrable, allowing it to get to flank spots and wait for the enemy to expose their side armour, therefore allowing an effective killing blow. Alternatively, it can be played as a support tank to support heavies in their attack towards the objective.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Has exceptional speed/agility
• Rear-mounted transmission
• Neutral steering
• Low profile
• Excellent Gun Depression of -10°
• Powerful machine guns (12.7 Browning/.50BMG and 7.62 Browning/.30-06), which can penetrate certain weakly armoured vehicles without the usage of the main gun
• Earns more RP/Lions than its non-premium counterpart
• If using HEATFS, it's 90 mm cannon can penetrate nearly anything

Cons

• Turret ring is prone to breaking
• Armour can easily be pierced by other tanks at its rank
• Elevation gear is slow
• Struggles to penetrate many opponents from the front without HEATFS
• Agility and lack of a stabilizer make shooting on the move difficult

History

Development

The M46 Patton came about around the time of the Korean War. Before that, the US Army armoured units consisted of two tanks, the venerable M4 Shermans and the newer M26 Pershings. Of the two, the Pershing was originally classified as a heavy tank as it weighed 41.7 tons compared to Sherman's 30-ton weight, but a reorganization had the M26 Pershing classified a medium tank after World War II. It proved unsuitable for the role as its mobility was unsatisfactory for that role, using the same Sherman engine, plus an unreliable transmission, to propel a vehicle ten tons heavier.

Work began in January 1948 to upgrade the Pershing's mobility with a new engine and transmission. The project was initially designated the M26E2, but as newer upgrades and more modifications are installed onto the tank, it began to feel more like a completely new design rather than a Pershing upgrade, so it was decided to give the model a completely new designation. The end result was the Pershing tank mounting the mentioned upgrades, plus a new power plant and gun with a bore evacuator to expunge propellant fumes. This model was designated the M46 Patton, named after General George S. Patton, the commander of the US Third Army and played a role in the establishment of American tank forces. The rebuilding of the tanks began in November 1949 and had 1,160 Pershings rebuilt into M46s, 800 to the standard variant and 360 to the M46A1, which had better brakes, a cooling and fire protection system, a new engine and transmission, and better electrical equipment.

Combat usage

The M46 saw combat only during the Korean War. The first batch arrived on August 8, 1950, to the 6th Tank Battalion and proved superior to the North Korean and Chinese T-34-85s. About 200 M46 Pattons arrive in Korea by the end of 1950, making up 15% of the American armoured strength, though the majority was still the M4 Shermans. By 1951, all M26 Pershings in Korea were withdrawn and replaced by the M46 Pattons, and eventually, the Shermans were also re-equipped with the newer tanks as well. The 73rd Tank Battalion, formed in 1949 as a heavy tank battallion, was equipped with the M46 Pattons and deployed in Korea during the conflict. They painted their tanks with a colourful picture of a tiger cat around February or March of 1951 in an act of psychological warfare. This was due to the superstitious the North Koreans and the Chinese have on the cats, as the Tigers were regarded as the king of mountains and forests, and it was believed that the image may scare off some of their highly superstitious soldiers. When the armistice was finally made, ending the conflict in the Korean Peninsula, the M46 Pattons were withdrawn back to the state.

By the later parts of the 1950s, the M46 Pattons in American service still were being replaced by the newer M47 Pattons and those still in the inventory were leased for no cost to Belgium, France, and Italy for training purposes, sending American instructors to train the European crews and maintenance personnel.

Legacy

The M46 Patton was the solution to the evident problem with the M26 Pershing that kept it out of most of World War II with its low mobility compared to the lighter M4 Shermans. A total redesign had to be made to the tank in order to finally be useful in the battlefield, even in the rough terrain of Korea. The design would continue to stay in service for a few more years as the M47 Patton, which gave the M46 Patton hull a new turret and featured newer tank technology for the evolving battlefield. The M47 Patton would see service with many other countries in and out of NATO in different conflicts around the world.

In-game description

"The M26, which appeared close to the end of World War II, was an excellent tank. However, power-to-weight ratio, maneuverability, and range were lacking. A special new 12-cylinder, air-cooled engine developed by Continental Motors to take care of the maneuverability issue reached 29,361 cm³, and at 2,800 rpm its 704 hp outstripped the M26's 500 hp. The 6.5-fold compression, which was large for the time, required 80 octane fuel, and the air-cooling system often overheated the engine. Giving the tank a new power plant required a replacement roof for the compartment housing the engine and transmission, resulting in the use of a single grating.

The new automatic CD-850 gearbox and steering mechanism were operated using a single lever that served both as a gearshift and steering wheel. The M46's running gear gained another small roller to keep constant tension on the tracks and prevent them from slipping between the leading wheels and rear road wheels. In addition, the front suspension points were given second shock absorbers. The tank was built for low temperatures and had water-crossing special equipment. As a result, it was heavier, though it did not suffer from reduced speed thanks to its upgraded power plant.

In 1948 the modernized tank was accepted as the M46 Patton and mass produced from 1949 through 1951. A total of 1,168 units spread across two modifications were built.

The M46 medium tank was used by US forces during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 and also served as part of the American forces in Europe."

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read 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.

ETC.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.