OTOMATIC

OTOMATIC

OTOMATIC

Italy

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	11.3	11.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:350 000

Purchase:950 000

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Description

The OTO Main Anti-aircraft Tank for Intercept and Combat (shortened to OTOMATIC) is a rank VII Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a battle rating of 11.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

The OTOMATIC is a radar-equipped SPAAG that is capable of shooting proximity fused frag rounds and can destroy planes even in a single, well-aimed shot. Shooting down aircraft should be the primary use of this vehicle at least until APFSDS rounds are unlocked, so staying in a cap zone is recommended, as the unit doesn't carry a lot of ammo (90 shells for a cannon with a 0.5s reload). When APFSDS are available, the OTOMATIC may defend capture points against enemy tanks as well, while still dealing with aircraft, or it can switch to a more mobile, MBT-like playstyle, mostly thanks to the excellent penetration of the sabot rounds and the two-axis stabiliser.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull50 / 30 / 25

Turret25 / 25 / 25

Crew4 people

Visibility-207 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Structural steel (Radar equipment, Mudguards)
• Rubber-fabric screens

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	70 mm (59°), 35 mm (81°) Front glacis 50 mm (52°) Lower glacis 25 mm (81°), 50 mm (30-46°) Ammo stowage hatch	25-35 mm Top 30 mm Bottom	25 mm (1-40°)	30 mm (89°) Front 15 mm (89°) Rear 5 mm Engine grille
Turret	25 mm (25-45°) Turret front 25 mm (17-83°) Gun mantlet	25 mm (0-11°)	25 mm (1-10°)	15 mm

Mobility

Reverse gearbox

Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed

Speedforward / back

AB71 / 71 km/h

RB and SB66 / 66 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

8 back

Weight46.0 t

Engine power

AB2 099 hp

RB and SB1 100 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB45.6 hp/t

RB and SB23.9 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	71	71	46	1,179	2,099	25.63	45.63
Realistic	66	66		734	1,100	15.96	23.91

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 911 → 7 307

RB5 749 → 8 554

SB6 951 → 10 343

Total cost of modifications272 100

457 000

Talisman cost3 000

Crew training270 000

Experts950 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces1 210 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

160 / 210 / 210 %

244 / 244 / 244 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 430 Suspension Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 360 Brake System Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 360 Filters Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 320 Transmission Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 410 Engine Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 410	Improved Parts Research: 6 000 Cost: 31 000 430 Improved FPE Research: 5 100 Cost: 26 000 360 Crew Replenishment Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 320	Horizontal Drive Research: 20 000 Cost: 31 000 430 Adjustment of Fire Research: 17 000 Cost: 26 000 360 Elevation Mechanism Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 320 Smoke grenade Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 320 NVD Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 320 Artillery Support Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 410 Laser rangefinder Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 410 76mm_oto_APDSFS_ammo_pack Research: 19 000 Cost: 29 000 410

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

76 mm OTO Breda Cannone da 76/62 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Autoloader

Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader

Ammunition90 rounds

First-order29 rounds

Reload0.5 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 60°

The OTOMATIC is armed with the most famous naval autocannon, the OTO Breda Cannone da 76/62. This specific configuration is the Compact version, meaning the carousel is smaller for size reduction but with an increase is ROF. This particular gun, if already used in vessels, has one of the best tradeoff in accuarcy, stopping power and range. Different from other cannons, the 76mm is the biggest anti-air caliber yet the smallest caliber for modern vehicles. The version mounted on the OTOMATIC is set to super-rapid fire, speeding the ROF from 60 RPM to 120 RPM. This has its own pros and cons. From one side you have a tremendous stopping power which can deal with all threats in seconds, including ground. However, on the other side, you devore ammunition when doing continuous fire, getting from 90 shells to 60 in a matter of seconds.

76 mm OTO Breda Cannone da 76/62					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	90	-5°/+60°	±180°	Two-plane	61.6	85.3	103.6	114.6	121.9	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
Realistic					41.6	49.0	59.5	65.8	70.0

Ammunition

The OTOMATIC has access to both anti-air and anti-tank ammunitions capable of dealing with a high variety of threats, from lightly armored IFV's to heavily armored MBT's.

SAPOM:

The Semi Armor-Piercing High Explosive Incendiary rounds has a multipurpose capabilities with a little bit of everything. It has a nice tradeoff between anti-air and anti-tank capabilities due to the explosive mass and armor penetration. However, the SAPOM is not really suggested for anything rather than anti-tank roles as the HE-VT* is more than capable of dealing with enemy threats. It should be notted most of the targets faced can be killed from the sides if shot between the road wheels in the lower half of the chassis (in case for NATO tanks), engine deck (will only cause fire and damage to transmission), Gunner's Primary Sight (in case of M1 Abrams and XM-1's). When it comes to dealing with Russian targets (the most generally armored MBT's in the game), SAPOM should be fire almost at the ground hitting the lowest part of the chassis. It is recommended to destroy their tracks and barrels in order to let friendly units take them out for this reason. SAPOM is capable of destroying all lightly armored targets seen at the battle-rating (IFV's, SPAA's, etc).

APFSDS:

The dart ammunition has a full anti-tank role though it can be used for anti-air roles, however it is not recommended. It has decent penetration and stopping power as a dart and is more than capable with dealing enemy tanks. It is able to destroy enemy targets in one hit if it's a well placed shot. Ammunition should be targeted with the APFSDS as the low ammount of ammunition carrying can make it run out of APFSDS before destroying the enemy. Trapshots are suggested (driver's port, cupola, mantlets, etc).

HE-MOM:

The High Explosive Variable Time fuze proximity shell has a full anti-air role with zero anti-tank role. Thanks to the high caliber, the HE is able to carry a proximity fuze with a lethal explosive mass, making it capable of destroying all aerial threats with one or two hits. Trigger discipline is recommended as, due to the fast fire rate, the OTOMATIC can spend the whole ammunition reserve really fast. Thanks to being a big shell, most enemy helis and aircraft will not redirect course when being fired at until it's too late compared to the continious fire smaller caliber SPAA have (25mm, 30mm, 35mm, 40mm, etc). They do not trigger Missile Alert Warning, making them the ultimate helicopter killer.

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
76/62 SAPOM	SAPHEI	60	59	54	50	46	43
76/62 APFSDS	APFSDS	311	308	301	291	281	271
76/62 HE-MOM	HE-VT*	15	15	15	15	15	15

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%
76/62 SAPOM	SAPHEI	910	6.35	1.2	14	662.4	79°	80°	81°
76/62 APFSDS	APFSDS	1,580	2.18	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°
76/62 HE-MOM	HE-VT*	910	6.3	0	0.1	1,070	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the OTOMATIC

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
90	64 (+26)	55 (+35)	27(+63)	0 (+90)	No

Radars

The OTOMATIC is equipped with a SMA VPS-A05 search radar and a SMA VPG-A06 tracking radar; both radars are located on the top of the turret, with the SMA VPS-A05 being mounted on an arm at the rear, and the SMA VPG-A06 being mounted further forwards on the left hand side of the turret roof. The radar system is capable of tracking a target while scanning, but can only track targets within a 180° arc from the front of the turret. Both radar can be folded.

SMA VPS-A05 - Target Detection Radar
Maximum Detection Range	Minimum Detection Range	Max Azimuth Scan Angle	Max Elevation Scan Angle	Minimum relative speed
20,000 m	500 m	360°	-__°/+__°	10 m/s (36 km/h)
SMA VPG-A06 - Target Tracking Radar
Maximum Tracking Range	Minimum Tracking Range	Azimuth Tracking Angle	Elevation Tracking Angle	Minimum target speed
16,000 m	75 m	±90°	-15°/+87°	15 m/s (54 km/h)

Usage in battles

The OTOMATIC is the best tradeoff seen in SPAA, some may say the ADATS is due to the anti-air/anti-tank missiles. However, the OTOMATIC has everything you need without letting anyone know you have. You have the mobility, speed, armor and electronics to make you the best SPAA or anti-tank if someone wants. For this reason, the OTOMATIC is the most multi-purpose SPAA in game.

The OTOMATIC has a big ammo rack with 3 types of round for all types of players, for those who want to be deadly to only aircraft and make the skies yours as quickly as possible, and for those who want to carry out as much destruction as possible regardless if they want to go anti-air or anti-tank. The only drawback is that the OTOMATIC can only carry 12 APFSDS rounds. The recommended round load is 50 HE-VT, 20 SAPOM, 12 APFSDS for both anti-air and anti-tank capabilities. Enough HE-VT* to take out 50 aircraft if only one shot is used (1 round is more than enough to destroy any aircraft. However nailing that one shot always at the first time will require a lot of practice). If aimed correctly (depending on the target and where it is aimed), a single APFSDS round will be needed. SAPOM is an interesting round which will be discussed further.

HE-VT*

This round makes nailing aircraft such an easy task and, as always, it has its pros and cons compared to missiles. From one side, you carry less explosive power, you cannot guide it mid-air and is not as fast. However, from the other side, you will not trigger MAW of any aircraft, tracer will be the only thing seen and can be hard to spot sometimes compared to the white smoke trail SAM make, can explode ordnance mid-air without being afraid of spending one of the few missiles you carry instead of 40+ rounds that can be fired twice a second.

This is the main reason why the OTOMATIC is the most reliable SPAA at top tier. Helicopters will always get into cover when MAW is activated my an SAM which is 90% of all the top tier SPAA in game. Most of the time, SAM require radar to function correctly when engaging SPAA. However, OTOMATIC has access to thermals and laser rangefinder. Using the LRF will trigger LWR for couple of seconds but will not be seen as a same threat level as MAW. This is particulary helpful as one can take a hovering helicopter without them knowing you are engaging them as radar will not be needed.

THIS ONLY PARAGRAPH APPLIES TO HOVERING AIRCRAFT INCLUDING VTOL

SAPOM

This round is an interesting one. It is not APCBC but it's not HE either, it is more HE than APCBC but not quite. This round has various uses when it comes for general purpose. Can take both aircraft and tanks with some struggles. It is not recommended to fire this at aircraft as the HE-VT* makes this task easier in all ways, however it is up to commander's discretion. When it comes to ground targets, this may be the most painful experience prior unlocking APFSDS. However, it only requires practice and paitence when using this for anti-tank purposes.

SAPOM is particullary useful when engaging enemy SPAA and lightly armored targets

NATO allegiance MBT's (Leopard, Abrams, Leclerc, etc):

• When in a 60° frontal arc:
  • Should be aimed for main gun always, after that, tracks. If tracks are the only part exposed, destroy them and let a partner destroy the vehicle.

• When in a 60+° arc:
  • Aim at medium lower section of a tank's hull sides, in between the road wheels
  • If the arc between you and the enemy is in a range of 120°-180°, aim exclusively at turret bustle ammo rack. No tank has enough armor to withstand multiple hits to the ammo rack. Aiming at engine deck is worthless if gun is not disabled.

CSTO allegiance MBT's (T-80, T-90, ZTZ-99, etc)

• When in a 60° frontal arc:
  • Should be aimed for main gun always, after that, tracks. If tracks are the only part exposed, destroy them and let a partner destroy the vehicle.

• When in a 60+° arc:
  • Do not even bother trying to destroy a Russian or Chinese tank from the sides with SAPOM, it will only result in your death.
  • If the arc between you and the enemy is in a range of 120°-180°, aim exclusively at the engine deck, that is the only place you can penetrate but will only damage the engine.

When engaging CSTO MBT's, do not bother even firing at them with SAPOM unless it is to inutilize, it will result in almost immediate death.

APFSDS

This is probably the most used round by the OTOMATIC when it is doing anti-tank purposes. This is the same round the Rooikat uses, meaning it is a reliable round with good capabilities but does require trigger discipline and situational awareness as well as tank "anatomy" to make every single round count as there are only 12 round carried. It is nowhere near from penetrating any MBT frontal armor. However, it can penetrate tanks from a frontal arc if it's not completely parallel. Meaning the APFSDS is able to penetrate any tank if it is slightly angled and rounds are fired through the track towards the weak side armor.

NATO allegiance MBT's (Leopard, Abrams, Leclerc, etc):

• When in a 60° frontal arc:
  • As explained above, utilize all bad hull positions at your advantage. However, a frontal encounter is highly discouraged

• When in a 60+° arc:
  • Aim at hull ammo racks
    • Leopard/Leclerc/Type 90: Next to driver
    • Abrams: Almost at engine deck, a small wall ammo rack
  • If the arc between you and the enemy is in a range of 120°-180°, aim exclusively at turret bustle ammo rack. APFSDS will over-penetrate and make the blast shields useless.

CSTO allegiance MBT's (T-80, T-90, ZTZ-99, etc)

• When in a 60° frontal arc:
  • As explained above, utilize all bad hull positions at your advantage. However, a frontal encounter is highly discouraged

• When in a 60+° arc:
  • Aim at hull ammo racks
    • T-64's/T-80's: any hit to the side. Ammo rack is in an "L" shape, making ammo rack hits easy
    • T-72's/T-90: aim as if you would for a T-80 but closer to the ground due to ammo rack closer to the ground as it is in a "=" shape
  • If the arc between you and the enemy is in a range of 120°-180°, aim exclusively at anywhere is possible to hit. Preferably turret back

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Radar guidance system
• Equipped by default with HE-VT fuse shells capable of annihilating aircraft within 1-3 indirect hits. Direct hits usually destroy the aircraft in one blow
• Excellent scoped zoom for an SPAA (8.0x to 16.1x)
• Immense fire rate for the gun calibre; 120 RPM for a 76 mm gun
• Two axis stabiliser
• APFSDS can penetrate up to 311 mm, enough to destroy any top-rank MBT with a well-placed shot
• Equipped with SAPHEI shells, capable of dealing with many light tanks and the XM-1
• Capable of taking out long-range helicopters with ammunition which does not explode until approximately 4.6 km away, allowing for shots well past the radar tracking range
• The OF-40 chassis provides reasonable protection and mobility (especially compared to the M163 and ZSU-23-4)
• Hits to the chassis will not hull break the tank
• Fantastic turret rotation and elevation speed
• Generation 1 thermals for the gunner - makes spotting enemy aircraft, helicopters and tanks a much easier task
• Fear factor - Enemy pilots who know there is an OTOMATIC around will fall back in a far more cautious playstyle and are less likely to attack friendly ground vehicles in the open
• Large cannon breech - can soak up shrapnel, thereby protecting the turret crew

Cons:

• Turret has immensely thin armour, can be penetrated by other SPAA as well as secondary cannons from the MBT-70 or AMX-40
• Can be hull broken by hits to the turret
• Several turret-mounted ammo racks that are almost impossible not to hit
• APFSDS rounds are a tier IV modification
• APFSDS capacity limited to 12 rounds
• APFSDS has limited accuracy at range
• Massive profile, straightforward to spot and shoot
• This vehicle's reputation precedes it, enemies will prioritise its destruction
• SAPHEI's penetration is abysmal, and 62 mm consistently fails to penetrate the sides of Abrams or T-64s/T-72s/T-80s
• First-stage ammo stowage capacity of 29 rounds. The gun's high rate of fire will empty this quickly
• There must be at least one shell in the first-stage stowage to fire the gun
• Each round must be loaded into the first-stage stowage individually. This massively increases reload times if the stowage is empty
• The gun can only elevate 60 degrees. This is below average for an SPAA vehicle of this tier.
• Rate of fire decreases when your loader is knocked out
• A hit to the turret, even if it doesn't kill the crew, will always result in a destroyed breech due to the sheer amount of space the breech takes up in the turret

History

Development of the OTOMATIC SPAAG began during the mid 1980s as a private venture of the OTO Melara company. The basic concept behind the OTOMATIC was to take the successful 76 mm Super Rapido utility cannon used on naval vessels and fit it to a suitable mobile platform in order to create a long-range SPAA vehicle that would outmatch similar designs such as the German Gepard or British Marksman system. Although a challenging feat, Italian engineers eventually succeeded in this endeavour, creating a vehicle that wasn't only up to the latest technological standards but also perfectly suited, and even exceeded, various NATO requirements of the time. The first prototype of the OTOMATIC was ready for testing in the late 1980s. Intended to be compatible with a large number of NATO vehicles of the time, the OTOMATIC, similarly to the British Marksman system, was tested on several hulls and it was planned to be capable of fitting any NATO tank, including the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams. However, as the Cold War ended and general interest for SPAAG vehicles began declining in favour of more modern missile systems, the OTOMATIC project never received any interest from potential users. For the Italian army, the project was initially accepted, but later abandoned due to budget cuts.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the OTOMATIC from live.warthunder.com.

Images

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Videos

Should You Grind The OTOMATIC? - Sako Sniper

The Shooting Range #131 - Metal Beasts section at 00:32 discusses the OTOMATIC.

OTOMATIC - Top Tier Balance - The Gaijin Way - Napalmratte

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• OF-40 (Family)

Ships equipped with the same gun

• Albatros-Klasse (143)
• HMS Peacock
• Sparviero

External links

• [Devblog] OTOMATIC SPAAG: Belated Perfection
• [Wikipedia] Otomatic
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] OTOMATIC
• [Forum] Official Forum Thread for the OTOMATIC.

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