Difference between revisions of "M48A2 G A2"
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* Ineffective armour in uptiers | * Ineffective armour in uptiers | ||
* Lacks thermals | * Lacks thermals | ||
− | * DM23 APFSDS shell is a tier | + | * DM23 APFSDS shell is a tier 3 modification - long grind with APDS and HEAT-FS to unlock DM23 |
== History == | == History == |
Latest revision as of 19:36, 28 July 2024
This page is about the German medium tank M48A2 G A2. For other versions, see M48 Patton (Family). |
Contents
Description
The M48A2 G A2 is a rank VI German medium tank with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries". It was born from the adaptation of the 105 mm L7A3 cannon on the already available M48A2 platform together with a new fire control system.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, hull rear - engine vents, turret roof, turret ring)
- Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)
Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hull | 85-200 mm (59-74°) Front glacis 63-200 mm (13-60°) Lower glacis |
76 mm (5-45°) Front 51 mm (0-44°) Rear |
35 mm Top 25 mm (32-62°) Bottom |
57 mm (0-58°) 30 mm Engine access panel 12.7 mm (76°) Engine vents |
Turret | 83.2-173 mm (0-48°) Turret front 152 (2-14°) Gun mantlet 250 mm Gun mount |
55-100 mm (15-50°) 50.8 mm Gun mount |
51-55 mm (2-71°) 25.4 mm (75-82°) Underpart of the turret |
25-69 mm |
Cupola | 70 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
- Mudguards are 4 mm thick and (short) side skirts are 8 mm thick.
- The turret ring is 70 mm thick.
The lower front plate is a weak spot. The sides are decently armoured, but not thick enough to make angling the hull a valid tactic. Some thin vents on the top of the hull are vulnerable to strafing runs by enemy aircraft, which may cause engine fires. While the M48 hull has more armour than the Leopard 1, at this BR, this is largely irrelevant as most of your opponents will be carrying APFSDS. Sustained enemy fire will quickly result in your destruction. Despite this, the hull UFP is decent and can protect you from 100 mm APHE rounds. However, as mentioned above, this can not be relied upon and any bounces are the exception rather than the rule.
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 | 54 | 10 | 47.8 | 1,279 | 1,574 | 26.76 | 32.93 |
Realistic | 49 | 9 | 730 | 825 | 15.27 | 17.26 |
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Main armament
105 mm L7A3 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
Arcade | 46 | -9°/+19° | ±180° | N/A | 22.8 | 31.6 | 38.4 | 42.5 | 45.2 | 8.71 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 6.70 |
Realistic | 14.3 | 16.8 | 20.4 | 22.6 | 24.0 |
Ammunition
This tank has access to a stock APDS shell (DM13), a HESH shell (DM512) as tier 1 modification, a HEATFS shell (DM12) as tier 2 modification and a APFSDS shell as tier 4 modification (DM23).
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 | APDS | 350 | 347 | 333 | 317 | 302 | 287 |
DM512 | HESH | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 |
DM12 | HEATFS | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
DM23 | APFSDS | 337 | 335 | 330 | 322 | 314 | 306 |
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 | APDS | 1,478 | 4 | - | - | - | 75° | 78° | 80° | |||
DM512 | HESH | 732 | 11.2 | 0.1 | 4 | 4.31 | 73° | 77° | 80° | |||
DM12 | HEATFS | 1,174 | 10.5 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 1.27 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
DM23 | APFSDS | 1,455 | 4.2 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
![](/images/thumb/c/c6/Ammoracks_M48A2_G_A2.png/279px-Ammoracks_M48A2_G_A2.png)
Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
46 | 43 (+3) | 29 (+17) | 21 (+25) | 6 (+40) | 1 (+45) | No |
Notes:
- As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire/load both shells in the set.
- Racks 4 and 5 are first stage ammo racks. They total 20 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
- These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 5 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3.
- To go into battle with the frontal and turret ammo racks empty, pack 16 (+30) shells.
- Full reload speed will be realized as long as shells are available in the ready racks 4 and 5. If these racks are empty, a penalty to the reload time will occur.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-3 into rack 4 then 5. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
Machine guns
7.62 mm MG3A1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Coaxial | 3,000 (200) | 1,200 | N/A | N/A |
Pintle | 2,000 (200) | 1,200 | -10°/+85° | ±45° |
Despite their high rate of fire, the small calibre of the MG3A1 machine guns makes them largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. They still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help.
Usage in battles
The M48A2 G A2 is similar to the other M48 Pattons in the game except for the need to be more careful and aware of your enemies. It's a decent medium tank with well-sloped frontal armour and average mobility, but what makes M48A2 G A2 stand out is the upgraded engine giving it better mobility, and the upgraded 105 mm L7A3 cannon compared to the US standard 90 mm M41 giving it improved penetration and increased precision against distant targets, though this comes at the cost of higher battle rating. It can unlock DM23 rounds that have a great effect even against enemy vehicles at higher battle ratings when uptiered, and can penetrate their armour with well placed shots.
The armour of the M48 is rounded and well-sloped, decreasing the chance for certain shells to reliably punch through the armour, though the tank has some significant weak spots on the front. The lower glacis is the weakest part of the front, making it a desirable location for hostile tanks to fire at to knock out the M48A2 G A2 with ease. Keep in mind to protect the lower glacis as best as possible from enemy shells. The armour holds it ground against tanks with no APFSDS or APDS since these shells can penetrate its frontal hull and turret armour with ease. The armour all around is decent compared to tanks like Leopard 1, Vickers MBT and OF-40.
Playing the M48A2 G A2 is a great risk to be uptiered and face enemies like Radkampfwagen 90, Merkava, T-72A and OF-40 Mk.2A all having better mobility and speed than the old M48 Patton, they also have the advantage to be equipped with gun stabilizers that the M48A2 G A2 is not equipped with, making it an easy target for most tanks in an uptier. In those battles, it's wise to not advance blindly into the enemy and take a more careful approach, taking up a position where the M48A2 G A2 has the capability to get the first shot.
In lower rating battles the M48A2 G A2 can be used more aggressively, but it's still advised to not advance too fast, as certain vehicles also at that battle can be equipped with stabilizers and can get in a well placed shot on the move compared to the non-stabilizer tanks. These can have a big advantage over the M48A2 G A2 when it comes to brawling and engaging tanks while having the speed advantage and mobility to avoid incoming fire from a moving M48A2 G A2.
The M48A2 G A2 can be a tricky tank to use effectively in battle, lacking a stabilizer is a big disadvantage at its battle rating but it can still be an effective tank for defending captured points or taking up a "sniper" position where it can be relatively safe from enemies.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Fairly good upper glacis armour
- Highly effective 105 mm gun is a noticeable upgrade from the 90 mm gun on the M48A2 C
- DM23 APFSDS shell makes it competitive against its peers, can frontally penetrate anything it encounters
- Has effective armour against air attacks
- Gun breech can protect turret crew from chemical munitions, although it will be damaged
- Access to smoke
- Acceptable reverse speed
Cons:
- Frontal turret armour is not very reliable
- Commander's cupola is still a large target
- Can't deal with enemy aircraft as effectively due to the deletion of the .50 cal
- Lack of gun stabilizer rarely allows it to make the first shot in a moving engagement
- Ineffective armour in uptiers
- Lacks thermals
- DM23 APFSDS shell is a tier 3 modification - long grind with APDS and HEAT-FS to unlock DM23
History
In 1958, West Germany received the M48A2 Patton III tank. Originally this tank included the 90 mm M41 cannon and a 750 HP engine. Later on the tank would receive an upgraded engine (from 750 HP to 825 HP) along with other changes and was designated the M48A2 C in German service. This tank served from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. West Germany realized that the 90 mm gun wasn't sufficient enough to deal with most of the top of the line Soviet MBTs, so in 1978 the tank received the German licensed built, 105 mm L7A3 gun found on the Leopard 1. Other changes included minor fire control system changes, a new commander hatch, passive night sights, and later on a laser rangefinder. This version was designated the M48A2 G A2 and remained in service till the 1990s.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
Chrysler Defense | |
---|---|
MBTs | |
M48 Patton | M48A1 |
M60 | M60 · M60A1 (AOS) · M60A2 · M60A1 RISE (P) · M60A3 TTS |
M1 | XM1 (Chrysler) · M1 Abrams |
Export | |
M48 | M48A2 C · M48A2 G A2 · ␗M48A1 · Magach 1 · Magach 2 |
M60 | ␗M60A3 TTS · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" · |
Note | Chrysler Defense was purchased by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) in 1982. |
Germany medium tanks | |
---|---|
Pz.III | Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N |
Pz.IV | Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J |
Pz.V | VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II |
M48 upgrades | M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super |
Leopard 1 | Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III |
Leopard 2 | PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV |
Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V | |
Trophies | ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r) |
Other | Nb.Fz. · KPz-70 |
USA | mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C |
USSR | ◊T-72M1 |