Difference between revisions of "ARL-44"

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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
{{break}}
 
{{break}}
−
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French tank destroyer {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. As a rank III turreted tank destroyer, it performs very well in its role. It is the final iteration of the [[ARL-44]]. With a very good gun and appreciable armour, this tank is deemed to be a long-range sniper on the battlefield. Its only downside lies with its mobility: it is slower than most tanks at this BR.
+
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. As a rank III turreted tank destroyer, it performs very well in its role. It is the final iteration of the [[ARL-44]]. With a very good gun and appreciable armour, this tank is deemed to be a long-range sniper on the battlefield. Its only downside lies with its mobility: it is slower than most tanks at this BR.
  
 
The ARL-44 bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its sloped frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. This final iteration of the series is comparable to the famous King Tiger (while being not as good).
 
The ARL-44 bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its sloped frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. This final iteration of the series is comparable to the famous King Tiger (while being not as good).
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Distance is your best ally as your armour has many big weak spots. Avoid showing sides and/or back to your enemies and you should be mostly fine. As armour on this tank has very large weak spots, it is better to keep as far as possible from the frontline, using its astonishing gun to knock down enemies.
 
Distance is your best ally as your armour has many big weak spots. Avoid showing sides and/or back to your enemies and you should be mostly fine. As armour on this tank has very large weak spots, it is better to keep as far as possible from the frontline, using its astonishing gun to knock down enemies.
  
−
The gun is clearly what this tank is all about: taking down anything from a good distance. Keep in mind that your reload rate is rather slow. Every penetrating shot carries a very large amount of shrapnels, hence, one shot kill are frequent even if this tanks only has solid shots.
+
The gun is clearly what this tank is all about: taking down anything from a good distance. Keep in mind that your reload rate is rather slow. Every penetrating shot carries a very large amount of shrapnel, hence, one shot kill are frequent even if this tanks only has solid shots.
  
 
Moving around is the greatest issue an ARL-44 will face: its track traction is very poor and won't allow to move as quickly as you would wish on most terrain. Since your mobility does not make you neither a good flanker nor brawler, keep behind friendly lines, breaking even the heaviest of your foes.
 
Moving around is the greatest issue an ARL-44 will face: its track traction is very poor and won't allow to move as quickly as you would wish on most terrain. Since your mobility does not make you neither a good flanker nor brawler, keep behind friendly lines, breaking even the heaviest of your foes.
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== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?''
  
 
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
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== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
−
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
+
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
 
{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}
 
{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}
  
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! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
|-
−
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
+
| ''Arcade'' || 13.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 
|-
 
|-
 
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
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! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 10.00 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
+
| 13.00 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
−
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
+
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
 
|-
 
|-
 
! 10m
 
! 10m
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! 2000m
 
! 2000m
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 193 || 191 || 180 || 168 || 156 || 145
+
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 214 || 212 || 200 || 187 || 175 || 163
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13  
+
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13  
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
|}
 
|}
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! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
−
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
+
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay''<br>''in m:
−
''in m:''
+
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity''<br>''in mm:
−
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
+
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):
−
''in mm:''
+
! rowspan="2" | Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:
−
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
+
! colspan="3" | Ricochet:
−
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
 
−
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
! 0%
 
! 0%
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! 100%
 
! 100%
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 1000 || 11 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
+
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 1,000 || 10.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 700 || 11 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 945 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
+
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 700 || 11.3 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 945 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
|}
 
|}
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|}
 
|}
  
−
== Usage in the 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 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 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).''-->
 
This tank is a dedicated sniper, using it in any other role is a bad idea as its characteristics does not suits it for anything else. Hull-down positions are mostly ineffective as its turret armour is bad. At best, try to hide its LFP behind solid cover. Angling is not very necessary in most cases it is better to face its enemies head-on and concentrate on the firing. If caught in close-quarter combat, make sure to angle its turret ~30 to the left between shots (thus protecting your ammo racks with gun breech).
 
This tank is a dedicated sniper, using it in any other role is a bad idea as its characteristics does not suits it for anything else. Hull-down positions are mostly ineffective as its turret armour is bad. At best, try to hide its LFP behind solid cover. Angling is not very necessary in most cases it is better to face its enemies head-on and concentrate on the firing. If caught in close-quarter combat, make sure to angle its turret ~30 to the left between shots (thus protecting your ammo racks with gun breech).
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
+
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
 
 
* '''What a gun !'''
 
* '''What a gun !'''
−
 
+
** Very good 90 mm gun with lots of penetration
−
:* Very good 90 mm gun with lots of penetration
+
** Average reload rate
−
:* Average reload rate
+
** Lots of shrapnels
−
:* Lots of shrapnels
+
** Fast round: easy to aim at distances
−
:* Fast round: easy to aim at distances
 
−
 
 
 
* An armour tailored for a sniper
 
* An armour tailored for a sniper
−
 
+
** Has 120 mm of sloped armour on the glacis plate.
−
:* Has 120 mm of sloped armour on the glacis plate.
+
** Better overall armour than the [[ARL-44 (ACL-1)]]
−
:* Better overall armour than the [[ARL-44 (ACL-1)]]
+
** Side armour is complex, negates occasional HEAT shells.  
−
:* Side armour is complex, negates occasional HEAT shells.  
+
** Can be played a little like a heavy tank when facing weaker enemies.
−
:* Can be played a little like a heavy tank when facing weaker enemies.
 
−
 
 
 
* Mobility is alright as long as you don't push it
 
* Mobility is alright as long as you don't push it
−
 
+
** Good acceleration at low speeds
−
:* Good acceleration at low speeds
+
** Good hull turning rate
−
:* Good hull turning rate
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
 
* Does not like getting shot at, especially up close
 
* Does not like getting shot at, especially up close
−
 
+
** Large silhouette
−
:* Large silhouette
+
** Vulnerable side profile. Big and flat.  
−
:* Vulnerable side profile. Big and flat.  
+
** Wall of ammo behind the upper glacis plate, penetrating it can result in an ammo rack
−
:* Wall of ammo behind the upper glacis plate, penetrating it can result in an ammo rack
+
** There is a shell staying next to breach that won't go away untill all ammo is spent. Shells penetrating the turret and hitting the breach have high chance of blowing it up.
−
:* There is a shell staying next to breach that won't go away untill all ammo is spent. Shells penetrating the turret and hitting the breach have high chance of blowing it up.
+
** Turret armour is underwhelming at 100mm-110mm of flat armour. German 75mm can penetrate at range.  
−
:* Turret armour is underwhelming at 100mm-110mm of flat armour. German 75mm can penetrate at range.  
+
** Extremely thin roof armour (10 mm on the turret and 5 mm on the engine deck). Strafing planes are deadly.
−
:* Extremely thin roof armour (10 mm on the turret and 5 mm on the engine deck). Strafing planes are deadly.
+
** Weak lower plate is only 50 mm, a major shot trap.
−
:* Weak lower plate is only 50 mm, a major shot trap.
+
** Weak gun mantlet is only 60 mm flat armour
−
:* Weak gun mantlet is only 60 mm flat armour
+
** Turret back is only 20 mm thick, vulnerable to HMG fire.
−
:* Turret back is only 20 mm thick, vulnerable to HMG fire.
 
−
 
 
 
* Moving can be unpleasant
 
* Moving can be unpleasant
 +
** Tracks have poor ground traction
 +
** Hill climbing is hard
 +
** Struggles reaching top speed
 +
* Others
 +
** Struggles when uptiered in matches.
  
−
:* Tracks have poor ground traction
+
== History ==
−
:* Hill climbing is hard
+
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''-->
−
:* Struggles reaching top speed
+
Development of the ARL-44 began shortly after the Liberation of France in 1944. The established provisional government was keen on restoring France’s influence and power to what it used to be before the war. This involved, among other things, the revival of all French military branches. The situation was looking particularly desperate for the army, as most indigenous equipment and tanks were manufactured in the 1930s and the most advanced in use at the time was equipment left behind by the Germans. The French Ministry of War decided to remedy this issue by starting the production of a so called “transitional tank”. This project was intended to bolster the number of indigenous tanks in use with the army, reuse existing tank parts and, most importantly, provide French engineers with a base on which they could “experiment” on to gain valuable experience for future tank development. Thus, in November 1944, the decision was made to design a heavy tank with relatively modest specifications. Staff from several design and manufacturing state companies were assigned to the project and work on what would become the ARL-44 began.
−
 
 
−
* Others
 
  
−
:* Struggles when uptiered in matches.
+
Initially, the new tank was required, apart from using existing tank parts, to have a weight of 30 tonnes, a top armour thickness of 60mm and a primary gun of the 75mm caliber. As the engineers were limited to using existing parts for their new machine, it very quickly became apparent that the amount of innovation that was possible for the new machine was equally limited. Thus, the ARL-44 soon took on the resemblance of a Char B1, with the exception of the turret and gun. The end of the war in 1945 didn’t stop development however, quite the opposite in fact. The design went through several changes, from increasing the armour thickness to the installation of a new engine and the new 90mm French cannon, despite the fact that there was no longer a for such a vehicle. At that point, the further development and subsequent limited production run of the ARL-44 was only used for “propaganda” purposes, with the aim of increasing the morale of the French people in the post-war period. In the end, only 60 ARL-44s were constructed and no sooner than they were introduced into service, they were also decommissioned due to, unsurprisingly, unsatisfactory performance, at the beginning of the 1950s. Despite this, the project did fulfill one of its major goals - generate experience for a new generation of French tank designers. Thanks to experiences gained from projects like the ARL-44, France would build its first true modern MBT only a decade later, serving as proof that the ARL-44 was not in vain after all.
  
−
== History ==
+
''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5205-development-arl-44-a-battleship-in-disguise-en Devblog]''
−
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''-->
 
−
Sixty ARL-44 were built between 1951 and 1953. However in 1953, they were phased out in favour of the [[M47|M47 Patton]].
 
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
 
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
  
−
==References==
+
== See also ==
−
<references />
+
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
−
 
 
−
== 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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
  
−
''ETC.''
+
== External links ==
−
 
+
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
−
== Sources ==
 
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
−
 
 
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''other literature.''
+
* ''encyclopedia page on tank;''
 +
* ''other literature.''-->
 +
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5205-development-arl-44-a-battleship-in-disguise-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> ARL-44 - A Battleship in Disguise]
  
 
{{France tank destroyers}}
 
{{France tank destroyers}}

Revision as of 00:34, 10 March 2019

Rank 7 USA
F-5C Pack
ARL-44
fr_arl_44.png
ARL-44
France flag.png France
III Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
5.3 5.3 5.3
Class:
Research:33 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:105 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage ARL-44.jpg


The ARL-44 is a Rank III French tank destroyer with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". As a rank III turreted tank destroyer, it performs very well in its role. It is the final iteration of the ARL-44. With a very good gun and appreciable armour, this tank is deemed to be a long-range sniper on the battlefield. Its only downside lies with its mobility: it is slower than most tanks at this BR.

The ARL-44 bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the Panther series or the Tiger II, from which it takes its sloped frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. This final iteration of the series is comparable to the famous King Tiger (while being not as good).

Distance is your best ally as your armour has many big weak spots. Avoid showing sides and/or back to your enemies and you should be mostly fine. As armour on this tank has very large weak spots, it is better to keep as far as possible from the frontline, using its astonishing gun to knock down enemies.

The gun is clearly what this tank is all about: taking down anything from a good distance. Keep in mind that your reload rate is rather slow. Every penetrating shot carries a very large amount of shrapnel, hence, one shot kill are frequent even if this tanks only has solid shots.

Moving around is the greatest issue an ARL-44 will face: its track traction is very poor and won't allow to move as quickly as you would wish on most terrain. Since your mobility does not make you neither a good flanker nor brawler, keep behind friendly lines, breaking even the heaviest of your foes.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
  • Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 120 mm (48°) Front glacis
75 mm (63°) Lower glacis
100 mm (1-80°) Machine gun port 		50 + (25-50) + 50 mm 20 mm (72°) Top
35 mm (32°) Bottom 		20 mm
Turret 110 mm (0-70°) Turret front
100 mm (0-75°) Gun mantlet 		60 mm (13-14°) 30 mm (8°) 10 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 60 mm 60 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheel are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • 25 mm RHA plate separate the engine from the crew compartment.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armour
weight (tons) 		Max speed (km/h)
50.0 N/A 41 (AB)
37 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 852 ___
Realistic/Simulator 531 600
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 17.04 __.__
Realistic/Simulator 10.62 12.00

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: SA45 (90 mm)
90 mm SA45
Capacity Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance 		Stabilizer
43 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 13.2 __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__
Realistic 8.9 __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
13.00 __.__ __.__ __.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
90 mm Obus de rupture APC 214 212 200 187 175 163
90 mm Obus explosif HE 13 13 13 13 13 13
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%
90 mm Obus de rupture APC 1,000 10.6 N/A N/A N/A ° 48° 63° 71°
90 mm Obus explosif HE 700 11.3 0.1 0.5 945 +0° 79° 80° 81°
Ammo racks
Ammo racks on the ARL-44.
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
43 31 (+12) 25 (+18) 13 (+30) 1 (+42) no

Turret empty: 25 (+18)

Machine guns

Main article: MAC 31 (7.5 mm)
7.5 mm MAC 31
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
5,000 (150) 1,350 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

This tank is a dedicated sniper, using it in any other role is a bad idea as its characteristics does not suits it for anything else. Hull-down positions are mostly ineffective as its turret armour is bad. At best, try to hide its LFP behind solid cover. Angling is not very necessary in most cases it is better to face its enemies head-on and concentrate on the firing. If caught in close-quarter combat, make sure to angle its turret ~30 to the left between shots (thus protecting your ammo racks with gun breech).

At this BR, you are not the only good sniper on the battlefield, watch out for SPGs as they can take you out from a very good distance. Still, these are not your biggest fear, armoured SPGs and heavy tanks are.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • What a gun !
    • Very good 90 mm gun with lots of penetration
    • Average reload rate
    • Lots of shrapnels
    • Fast round: easy to aim at distances
  • An armour tailored for a sniper
    • Has 120 mm of sloped armour on the glacis plate.
    • Better overall armour than the ARL-44 (ACL-1)
    • Side armour is complex, negates occasional HEAT shells.
    • Can be played a little like a heavy tank when facing weaker enemies.
  • Mobility is alright as long as you don't push it
    • Good acceleration at low speeds
    • Good hull turning rate

Cons:

  • Does not like getting shot at, especially up close
    • Large silhouette
    • Vulnerable side profile. Big and flat.
    • Wall of ammo behind the upper glacis plate, penetrating it can result in an ammo rack
    • There is a shell staying next to breach that won't go away untill all ammo is spent. Shells penetrating the turret and hitting the breach have high chance of blowing it up.
    • Turret armour is underwhelming at 100mm-110mm of flat armour. German 75mm can penetrate at range.
    • Extremely thin roof armour (10 mm on the turret and 5 mm on the engine deck). Strafing planes are deadly.
    • Weak lower plate is only 50 mm, a major shot trap.
    • Weak gun mantlet is only 60 mm flat armour
    • Turret back is only 20 mm thick, vulnerable to HMG fire.
  • Moving can be unpleasant
    • Tracks have poor ground traction
    • Hill climbing is hard
    • Struggles reaching top speed
  • Others
    • Struggles when uptiered in matches.

History

Development of the ARL-44 began shortly after the Liberation of France in 1944. The established provisional government was keen on restoring France’s influence and power to what it used to be before the war. This involved, among other things, the revival of all French military branches. The situation was looking particularly desperate for the army, as most indigenous equipment and tanks were manufactured in the 1930s and the most advanced in use at the time was equipment left behind by the Germans. The French Ministry of War decided to remedy this issue by starting the production of a so called “transitional tank”. This project was intended to bolster the number of indigenous tanks in use with the army, reuse existing tank parts and, most importantly, provide French engineers with a base on which they could “experiment” on to gain valuable experience for future tank development. Thus, in November 1944, the decision was made to design a heavy tank with relatively modest specifications. Staff from several design and manufacturing state companies were assigned to the project and work on what would become the ARL-44 began.

Initially, the new tank was required, apart from using existing tank parts, to have a weight of 30 tonnes, a top armour thickness of 60mm and a primary gun of the 75mm caliber. As the engineers were limited to using existing parts for their new machine, it very quickly became apparent that the amount of innovation that was possible for the new machine was equally limited. Thus, the ARL-44 soon took on the resemblance of a Char B1, with the exception of the turret and gun. The end of the war in 1945 didn’t stop development however, quite the opposite in fact. The design went through several changes, from increasing the armour thickness to the installation of a new engine and the new 90mm French cannon, despite the fact that there was no longer a for such a vehicle. At that point, the further development and subsequent limited production run of the ARL-44 was only used for “propaganda” purposes, with the aim of increasing the morale of the French people in the post-war period. In the end, only 60 ARL-44s were constructed and no sooner than they were introduced into service, they were also decommissioned due to, unsurprisingly, unsatisfactory performance, at the beginning of the 1950s. Despite this, the project did fulfill one of its major goals - generate experience for a new generation of French tank designers. Thanks to experiences gained from projects like the ARL-44, France would build its first true modern MBT only a decade later, serving as proof that the ARL-44 was not in vain after all.

- From Devblog

Media

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

See 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.

External links


France tank destroyers
Lorraine 40t derivatives  CA Lorraine · Lorraine 155 Mle.50
ATGM  MEPHISTO · AMX-10M
Other  AMR.35 ZT3 · Lorraine 37L · SAu 40 · ARL-44 · ELC bis · AMX-50 Foch · AuF1
USA  ▄M10 GMC · ▄M36B2

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