AS 42

AS 42

AS 42

Italy

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

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Description

The Camionetta AS 42 Tipo II "Metropolitana" (shortened as just AS 42) is a rank I Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

The AS42 lacks in armour and is very vulnerable to attacks from the air. While the sloped 3 mm of armour may be sufficient against standard machine guns, most heavy machine guns are able to shred this tank and as such it is not recommended to engage in slugging matches.

Though the armour itself is not sufficient against heavy machine guns, it is possible to use the rear engine compartment as armour to protect the crew from the heavy machine guns projectiles. The ammunition compartments at the sides of the vehicle may stop machine guns from penetrating all the way through to harm the crew, but these have dubious protection values in the long run. However, due to these extreme thin armour thickness, standard armour-piercing rounds tend to penetrate straight through with minimal damage.

The AS42 has 2 crew with ammo to the turret placements sides. The gun's armour is thick enough to protect the gunner in rare circumstances.

Armor Composition:

• Structural Steel - Main
• Gun Steel - Cannon Barrel
• Wheel - Tires

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	3 mm	3 mm	3 mm	N/A
Turret	10 mm Gun Barrel 150 mm Gun Breech 20 mm Gunner's Seat 20 mm Elevation and Traverse Mechanisms

Notes:

• Tires - 10 mm
• There is a spare tire on the front and on the rear of the vehicle
• Storage Boxes and Fuel Containers - 3 mm
• Storage Boxes and Fuel Containers cover much of the exterior in addition to the base armor
• Fenders - 3 mm

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	92	24	6	156	210	26	35
Realistic	85	22		97	110	16.17	18.33

The tank has very high mobility with speeds exceeding 80 km/h on concrete and 35 km/h offroad.

Armaments

Main armament

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20 mm Breda Mod.35						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	1,200 (12)	501	-10°/+90°	±150°	N/A	30.8	42.7	51.8	57.3	60.9	3.9	3.4	3.2	3.0
Realistic						20.8	24.5	29.8	32.9	35.0

Ammunition

• Default: API-T · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* - The belt composition means that 75% of the shells (HEFI-T*) are useless against tanks. However, this belt is reliable against open-topped or lightly armoured targets like SPAA vehicles.

• Granata mod.35: HEFI-T* - This belt does little damage against armoured targets and should be used especially against aircraft or open-topped vehicles. The high-explosive filler is deadly to crew members.

• Perforante mod.35: API-T - This belt offers a good transition from the Default to the PzGr 40 belt. The round offers decent damage against lightly armoured tanks, especially at close range. Due to lack of high-explosive filler, however, it is better to focus on the PzGr 40 belt to maximize penetration power.

• PzGr 40: HVAP-T · API-T - Probably the belt with the best penetrating shell for the vehicle. While the damage effects post-penetration can be quite poor, the rapid fire from the autocannon can remedy this problem by following up quickly with another penetrating shot. In close combat, these shells should be used against modules and crew member to make the most of each shell. Against angled armour, however, the HVAP ammo may not be very effective.

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
Default	API-T/HEFI-T*	38	36	27	19	14	10
Granata mod.35	HEFI-T	2	2	2	2	2	2
Perforante mod.35	API-T	38	36	27	19	14	10
PzGr 40	HVAP-T/API-T	64	63	27	19	14	10

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%
Granata mod.35	HEFI-T	830	0.14	0.3	0.1	3	79°	80°	81°
Perforante mod.35	API-T	832	0.14	1.2	9	1.7	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
__	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Usage in battles

With its high speed, the AS42 has the ability to flank and, with its autocannon, able to cause high amounts of damage fast. If unable to penetrate, you will be able to escape quite quickly and leave to fight another day. The tank loses most of its advantages of stealth and positioning when going into Arcade Battles.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tires		Parts	Horizontal Drive	Granata mod.35
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Perforante mod.35
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	PzGr 40

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High top speed
• Access to PzGr 40 rounds
• Sloped frontal armor, may deflect some rounds
• High penetration for the 20mm cannon

Cons:

• Small magazine for SPAA
• Virtually no protection at all. Even rifle rounds will penetrate the armour
• Only has two crew members
• Crew is exposed

History

The AS (Autosahariana) 42 was derived from the AB 41 armoured car. It was, however, unarmored and did not have the rear driver position. Designed for long-range reconnaissance in North Africa, it had a cross country range of almost 500 miles (800 km). It was also known as the Camionetta Desertica (Desert Weapons Carrier) mod. 42, or "la Sahariana" (the Saharan). The main armament varied: 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons, 20 mm anti-tank rifles, and machine guns were common alternatives. About 200 were built and saw service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. After the armistice, some continued in use with Fascist Italian forces and Germany, including on the Eastern Front, and in the Ardennes in 1944-5.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AS 42 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

AS 42 Review: Great with the CR42 as backup! Not so much at taking hits... - Joseph 2000

Camionetta SPA-Viberti AS42 Light Italian Truck - The Italian Desert Raider - Tanks Encyclopedia

See also

Tanks of comparable role, configuration and era

• Type 94
• Flakpanzer I
• T17E2
• GAZ-AAA (DShK)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.

Italy anti-aircraft vehicles
R3 Capraia	R3 T20 FA-HS
SIDAM 25	SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral)
Wheeled	AS 42 · CM52
Tracked	M42 Contraereo · Leopard 40/70 · OTOMATIC
Hungary	◔ZSU-57-2 · ◔ZSU-23-4