Christian II

This page is about the main battle tank Christian II. For other versions, see Leopard 2 (Family).

Christian II

Christian II

Sweden

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.7	10.7	10.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The Stridsvagn 121B Christian II was an upgrade package for the Strv 121 to meet the standards of the Strv 122. However, due to the Defence Act 2004, most Strv 121s were already in storage since the 2000s due to the widespread adoption of the Strv 122, which rendered the upgrade package obsolete. The upgrade project was abandoned with only one prototype made to this standard. The Christian II's upgrade was mostly notable in receiving the Galix smoke launcher system, improved electrical components to the turret enhancing overall performance, a reversing camera, and improvements to the maintenance of the vehicle which streamlined vehicle upkeep.

Introduced in Update "Alpha Strike", the Stridsvagn 121B Christian II bolsters the Swedish line with a good all-around vehicle for players to grind with. Due to its similarity to the Strv 121 and other Leopard 2s, experienced players find it familiar to use, but newer players may struggle to adapt to the gameplay dynamic of the higher tiers. The Christian II is an excellent all-round vehicle, with the mobility to get to desired locations on the map with ease. The 120 mm cannon has excellent firepower to deal with most other MBTs, but still needs to take care in aiming for the weaker parts of armour, as the penetration can be a bit lacking for more well-protected targets. The Christian II is best used in positions where its hull is not exposed to hostile fire; the strongest part of the vehicle is its turret which can survive being hit better than the hull, so using surrounding terrain to its advantage to peek and fire then get back into cover will improve the gameplay of the vehicle. However, even if there is no sufficient cover for the vehicle, it can still put up an fight and do well.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull35 / 25 / 20

Turret25 / 25 / 15

Crew4 people

Visibility95 %

The strv 121's kinetic protection is reasonable, with the turret cheeks near-invulnerable to all but the most powerful rounds and the upper front plate capable of protecting against less powerful rounds - however besides these sections the remainder of the vehicle is largely vulnerable to high-powered kinetic rounds; of note are the weak lower front plate and the gun mantlet, both of which are reasonably visible targets, as well as the gunner's optics.

The vehicle sports significantly better all-round chemical protection, with an upper hull and turret essentially immune to all but the most powerful ATGMs frontally, with upwards of 800mm worth of equivalent protection in places. Despite this, it's advisable to be wary of incoming ATGMs as a well-placed round may sneak past the heavily protected areas - and some missiles such as those of the ADATS will slice straight through even the turret cheeks.

As with most other MBTs, the strv is particularly vulnerable from the sides and back.

The strv 121b is reasonably survivable, with some degree of crew spacing. However, from certain angles, the crew are placed in a straight line and successful penetration may impact three of the four crew members, resulting in a crew knock-out. In addition, well-placed side shots may impact all three turret crew members.

Ammunition is stored in the primary ammunition storage in the rear of the turret, or in the secondary storage next to the driver. The primary rack provides crew protection through the use of blow-out panels, however only has space for 15 rounds. When more than 16 rounds are taken to battle, ammunition will be stored in the significantly more vulnerable hull rack, which is positioned in the front of the hull where most people generally aim.

The 121's protection proves acceptable for long-range combat, although it's ill-advised to remain in one location for any extended period of time to avoid opposing vehicles being able to hone their shots onto your weak spots. The 121's protection should not be relied upon in urban or other close-range environments.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides, rear, and roof, turret sides, rear, and roof)
• High hardness rolled armour (hull front, turret front, gun mantlet)
• Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet frame)
• Composite screen (front side skirts)
• Structural steel (rear side skirts)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35 mm (53-82°) Upper glacis 40 mm (51°) Lower glacis 30 mm (82°) Driver's hatch	10 mm (5°) Upper hull 35 mm Lower forward hull 20 mm Lower rear hull 5 mm Side Skirts 100 mm Composite screening	20 mm (11°) Upper plate 20 mm (17°) Lower plate 20 mm (50°) Lower glacis	35 mm (8°) Front glacis 20 mm (0-8°) Hull sides and engine deck 5 mm Engine vents
Turret	35 mm (32-44°) Cheeks incl. Gunner optics 120+16 mm Mantlet	35 mm Forward 15 mm Rear	10+25 mm (10°) Basket 20 mm (70°) Turret underside	40 mm (82-85°) Forward centre 14 mm (72-77°) Forward sides 20 mm Rear incl. cupolas

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB76 / 35 km/h

RB and SB69 / 31 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight55.2 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB51.8 hp/t

RB and SB27.2 hp/t

The Christian II is powered by an MTU MB 873 Ka-501 engine which produces a whopping 1,500 hp (1,100 KW), resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of slightly over 27 hp per tonne, compared to the ratio of the early Abrams and identical to the T-80U. As such, the Christian II is quite mobile despite weighing over 55 tonnes, comfortably able to reach 72 km/h on-road and well capable of keeping up with its competitors. This allows for an active, aggressive playstyle, using the tank's high speed and good acceleration characteristics to get into an early flanking position or take early cap points - though it is important to keep in mind that opposition forces might attempt the same.

The Christian II has a maximum reverse speed of 31 km/h which it reaches easily, allowing for a quick retreat in sub-optimal situations.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	76	35	55.2	_,___	2,862	__.__	51.85
Realistic	69	31		_,___	1,500	__.__	27.17

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB3 422

RB3 323

SB3 873

Crew training10 000

Experts1 350 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces2 280 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 150 / 200 / 250 %

2 × 238 / 238 / 238 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment Camouflage net	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire 120mm_DM_HE_FS_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism Smoke grenade NVD Artillery Support 120mm_DM_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Laser rangefinder

As a premium vehicle, all modifications are unlocked upon purchase.

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

120 mm kan Strv 121

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition42 rounds

First-order15 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

7.8 → 6.0 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 20°

The famous Rheinmetall L/44 120 mm cannon is mounted as the primary armament on the strv 121, offering a balance of firepower, accuracy and sustained rate of fire. The 121 has three rounds available to it: slsgr m/95 , DM13 and DM23 a tier 4 modification. The L/44 is reasonably accurate at long range with any ammunition, however minor round deviation may be evident at extreme ranges (over 2,000 m).

It's advisable to primarily rely on the best available APFSDS round for engaging other MBTs, however, retaining a couple of slsgr m/95 rounds can prove valuable against lighter vehicles such as the ADATS.

120 mm kan Strv 121					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	42	-9°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

Ammunition

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
DM13	APFSDS	393	390	384	376	367	359
slsgr m/95	HE	36	36	36	36	36	36
DM23	APFSDS	410	408	401	393	384	376

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DM13	APFSDS	1,650	4.44	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
slsgr m/95	HE	736	17.5	0	0.1	3.54	79°	80°	81°
DM23	APFSDS	1,640	4.3	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Christian II

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
42	16 (+26)	1 (+41)	no

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

The 121 is equipped with one pintle-mounted machine gun and one coaxial machine gun. These can be used as an anti-air deterrent or for clearing out light obstacles and crew from open vehicles.

7.62 mm MG3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,600 (200)	1,200	-	-
Pintle	2,000 (200)	1,200	-10°/+75°	±180°

Usage in battles

The strv 121B can be used comfortably in both urban and rural environments, providing the vehicle's weaknesses are kept in mind (the sides and hull). While it is capable in most forms of engagement, it does lack the precision of the British Challenger MBTs or the extreme round velocities of the Soviet T-64/T-80 series. The 121B also has a particularly large and blocky profile, making for a particularly visible target in many situations.

Considering the above, a strv 121B player should utilise its great mobility and competitive gun to get into early positions to pick off unsuspecting targets, rather than attempting to engage opposing forces head-on.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful engine, high top speed and acceleration
• Good neutral steering system
• Good gunner sight magnification for long-range engagements
• Reasonably high-velocity kinetic rounds
• Competent DM23 APFSDS
• Turret armour is mostly effective for hull-down engagements
• Primary ammunition is contained within a storage unit with blow-out panels
• Generation 1 thermals in the gunner sight

Cons:

• Hull armour is mediocre, particularly against kinetic rounds
• The gunner's optics are a weak spot, enemies who know how to aim can cripple your gun and kill your crew
• The gun mantlet is relatively weak while being quite prominent, penetration can disable the gun or knock turret crew out
• The turret cheeks can be penetrated by most APFSDS rounds when hit at the right angle
• Secondary ammunition storage is extremely vulnerable, although this is avoidable by carrying no more than 16 rounds
• Both machine guns are relatively light calibre, suffer from mediocre gun elevation and will not prove to be much more an annoyance to aircraft, particularly helicopters
• Blowout panels are unreliable and have a low capacity

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, 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

• Pre-Order: Centauro RGO and Strv 121B Christian II [Devblog]