Difference between revisions of "ST-A3"

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{{Specs-Card|code=jp_st_a3}}
 
{{Specs-Card|code=jp_st_a3}}
−
 
+
{{About
 +
| about = Japanese medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 +
| usage = other variants
 +
| link = Type 61 (Family)
 +
}}
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
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=== 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 helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the 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 helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the 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 helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
 
  
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
 
<!-- Example: * Rolled homogeneous armour (Front, Side, Rear, Hull roof)
 
<!-- Example: * Rolled homogeneous armour (Front, Side, Rear, Hull roof)
 
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area) -->
 
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area) -->
 +
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
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'''Notes:''' <!-- Any additional notes which the user needs to be aware of -->
 
'''Notes:''' <!-- Any additional notes which the user needs to be aware of -->
 
<!-- Example: * Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick. -->
 
<!-- Example: * Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick. -->
 +
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
  
 +
Due to its weak armour nearly every tank is a serious threat to the ST-A3, as well as a number of SPAA vehicles, however fast medium tanks such as the T-44, M46/M47 Patton or Panther II which can match its mobile are a painful to avoid, while anything with heavy armour (T29, T32, T34 and King Tigers) forces the reliance on the M431 shell HEAT-FS to punch through frontally, taking multiple shots to overcome.
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->{{tankMobility|abMinHp=883|rbMinHp=504}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->{{tankMobility|abMinHp=883|rbMinHp=504}}
Line 38: Line 46:
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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|Type 61 (90 mm)}}
 
{{main|Type 61 (90 mm)}}
−
''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.''
 
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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== Usage in 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 instead 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 instead 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 instead 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).''
+
As last built ST-A project (ST-A4 was completed earlier) before it resolved into the [[Type 61]], the ST-A3 wouldn't come to a surprise as how similar it is to its end-product. While the turret has a different commander cupola, a .50 gun shield and slightly weaker hull armor; the main surprise of this prototype lays in its auto-loader. While ramming shells into the breach at a 6 seconds reload, it achieves a faster reload rate compared to all its other brotherns in pursuit to become the [[Type 61]] and even overcome the [[Type 61]] as it would adopt from the ST-A4 which would have more ammo load and a less expensive tank to produce.
 +
 
 +
Because of this addition of an auto-loader, it still plays very similar to a [[Type 61]] with a constant reload rate of 6 seconds, regardless of crew status unless the auto-loader rack of 11 rounds is empty. The ST-A3 has excellent horizontal traverse and gun depression combined with a fairly mobile chassis, making it a good choice for progressing from turret down, to hull down and firing at the opposition before retreating back to turret down cover.
 +
 
 +
Its mobility is quite good at getting it to position, where it can ambush tanks early in the game or change position when required, particularly when disengaging when its position is discovered.
 +
 
 +
Its lack of armour and the decent but not overwhelmingly powerful gun means it is not a wonderful frontline tank to hold a defensive position when the opposition knows its position, as its armour is unlike to prevent any opposition rounds from penetrating and dealing damage, leaving the user to more often than not, rely on luck when engaging opposition frontally.
 +
 
 +
The biggest issue with the [[Type 61 (Family)]] is shot selection; Should one choose the M431 shell HEAT-FS which will punch through most opposition tanks, but do little damage? Or use the M318A1 AP round, M82 shot APHE rounds for more damage, but will struggle to penetrate opposition frontally at times?
  
 
=== Modules ===
 
=== Modules ===
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!-- ''Summarise 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 - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 
<!-- ''Summarise 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 - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
−
''Summarise 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 - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
 
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
−
*
+
* 6 second autoloader
 +
** Compared to the 7.5 second ace reload on any other [[Type 61 (Family)|ST-A]] or [[Type 61]].
 +
* Fast turret rotation
 +
* Excellent gun depression
 +
* Good forward speed and mobility
 +
* Good acceleration
 +
* Shell choice:
 +
** Great post-penetration damage on the M82 APCBC shell
 +
** High penetration M431 HEAT-FS shell for tougher targets
 +
* Smaller cupola profile in exchange for a slightly more noticeable .50 gunshield compared to the [[Type 61]] tank
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
*
+
* 90 mm Type 61 cannon can struggle to overcome certain opposing tanks frontally without relying on M431 HEAT-FS shell
 +
* Very thin overall armour, any tank gun will make short work of the ST-A3, and even certain SPAAs can give the tank trouble
 +
** Slightly less frontal armor compared to the [[Type 61]] tank
 +
* The reverse speed -8 kph can hinder the tank at times
 +
* Outer rear part of the engine deck prevent the gun from depressing
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 +
{{main|Type 61 (Family)|l1=History of the Type 61 MBT}}
 
<!-- ''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: <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></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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: <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></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
−
=== [[wt:en/news/6979-development-st-a3-the-fastest-gunslinger-in-the-east-en|'''Devblog''']] ===
 
 
Following Japan’s remilitarization in the wake of the outbreak of the Korean War, Japanese engineers began working on the first domestic postwar tank designs. Taking on board the experience of working with American WWII tanks in service at the time, as well as incorporating some of the lessons learned from the Korean conflict, Japanese tank designers came up with a series of prototypes in the late 1950s.
 
Following Japan’s remilitarization in the wake of the outbreak of the Korean War, Japanese engineers began working on the first domestic postwar tank designs. Taking on board the experience of working with American WWII tanks in service at the time, as well as incorporating some of the lessons learned from the Korean conflict, Japanese tank designers came up with a series of prototypes in the late 1950s.
  
−
The ST-A3 was created as one of the later prototypes and was based on the previous design - the ST-A2. Featuring a 90 mm cannon coupled with an autoloading mechanism in the rear of the turret, the design was considered successful, but ultimately wasn’t ordered into production due to concerns over its cost. As a result, the ST-A3 was modified into the ST-A4 by having its autoloading mechanism removed and eventually entered production as the Type 61 medium tank in 1961. Only two ST-A3 prototypes were constructed and closely resembled the later production model Type 61 visually.
+
The ST-A3 was created as one of the later prototypes and was based on the previous design - the ST-A2. Featuring a 90 mm cannon coupled with an autoloading mechanism in the rear of the turret, the design was considered successful, but ultimately wasn’t ordered into production due to concerns over its cost. As a result, the ST-A3 was modified into the ST-A4 by having its autoloading mechanism removed and eventually entered production as the Type 61 medium tank in 1961.  
 +
 
 +
Only two ST-A3 prototypes were constructed and closely resembled the later production model Type 61 visually.
 +
 
 +
''- From [[wt:en/news/6979-development-st-a3-the-fastest-gunslinger-in-the-east-en|Devblog]]''
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->

Revision as of 00:21, 22 December 2020

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
ST-A3
jp_st_a3.png
ST-A3
Japan flag.png Japan
IV Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
6.7 6.7 6.7
Class:
Research:35 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:210 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the Japanese medium tank ST-A3. For other variants, see Type 61 (Family).

Description

GarageImage ST-A3.jpg


The ST-A3 is a rank IV Japanese medium tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Hot Tracks".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull ___ mm ___ mm Top
___ mm Bottom 		___ mm ___ - ___ mm
Turret ___ - ___ mm Turret front
___ mm Gun mantlet 		___ - ___ mm ___ - ___ mm ___ - ___ mm
Cupola ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

Due to its weak armour nearly every tank is a serious threat to the ST-A3, as well as a number of SPAA vehicles, however fast medium tanks such as the T-44, M46/M47 Patton or Panther II which can match its mobile are a painful to avoid, while anything with heavy armour (T29, T32, T34 and King Tigers) forces the reliance on the M431 shell HEAT-FS to punch through frontally, taking multiple shots to overcome.

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 51 9 35 883 1,240 25.23 35.43
Realistic 46 9 504 650 14.4 18.57

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Type 61 (90 mm)
90 mm Type 61 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 40 -10°/+13° ±180° N/A __._ __._ __._ __._ __._ 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00
Realistic __._ __._ __._ __._ __._

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
M318A1 shot AP 192 189 176 161 147 135
M82 shot APCBC 185 182 170 155 142 130
M431 shell HEATFS 320 320 320 320 320 320
M71 shell HE 13 13 13 13 13 13
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%
M318A1 shot AP 912 10.91 N/A N/A N/A 47° 60° 65°
M82 shot APCBC 853 10.94 1.20 14.0 137.20 48° 63° 71°
M431 shell HEATFS 1216 5.80 0.05 0.1 712.64 65° 72° 77°
M71 shell HE 823 10.55 0.00 0.1 925.00 79° 80° 81°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
Mass (kg) 		Screen radius
(m) 		Screen deploy time
(s) 		Screen hold time
(s) 		Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
M313 821 10.7 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

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

Machine guns

Main articles: M2HB (12.7 mm), M1919A4 (7.62 mm)
12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 660 (200) 577 -5°/+90° ±180°
7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 4500 (250) 500 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

As last built ST-A project (ST-A4 was completed earlier) before it resolved into the Type 61, the ST-A3 wouldn't come to a surprise as how similar it is to its end-product. While the turret has a different commander cupola, a .50 gun shield and slightly weaker hull armor; the main surprise of this prototype lays in its auto-loader. While ramming shells into the breach at a 6 seconds reload, it achieves a faster reload rate compared to all its other brotherns in pursuit to become the Type 61 and even overcome the Type 61 as it would adopt from the ST-A4 which would have more ammo load and a less expensive tank to produce.

Because of this addition of an auto-loader, it still plays very similar to a Type 61 with a constant reload rate of 6 seconds, regardless of crew status unless the auto-loader rack of 11 rounds is empty. The ST-A3 has excellent horizontal traverse and gun depression combined with a fairly mobile chassis, making it a good choice for progressing from turret down, to hull down and firing at the opposition before retreating back to turret down cover.

Its mobility is quite good at getting it to position, where it can ambush tanks early in the game or change position when required, particularly when disengaging when its position is discovered.

Its lack of armour and the decent but not overwhelmingly powerful gun means it is not a wonderful frontline tank to hold a defensive position when the opposition knows its position, as its armour is unlike to prevent any opposition rounds from penetrating and dealing damage, leaving the user to more often than not, rely on luck when engaging opposition frontally.

The biggest issue with the Type 61 (Family) is shot selection; Should one choose the M431 shell HEAT-FS which will punch through most opposition tanks, but do little damage? Or use the M318A1 AP round, M82 shot APHE rounds for more damage, but will struggle to penetrate opposition frontally at times?

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive M82 shot
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire M431 shell
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism Rangefinder
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support M313

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 6 second autoloader
    • Compared to the 7.5 second ace reload on any other ST-A or Type 61.
  • Fast turret rotation
  • Excellent gun depression
  • Good forward speed and mobility
  • Good acceleration
  • Shell choice:
    • Great post-penetration damage on the M82 APCBC shell
    • High penetration M431 HEAT-FS shell for tougher targets
  • Smaller cupola profile in exchange for a slightly more noticeable .50 gunshield compared to the Type 61 tank

Cons:

  • 90 mm Type 61 cannon can struggle to overcome certain opposing tanks frontally without relying on M431 HEAT-FS shell
  • Very thin overall armour, any tank gun will make short work of the ST-A3, and even certain SPAAs can give the tank trouble
    • Slightly less frontal armor compared to the Type 61 tank
  • The reverse speed -8 kph can hinder the tank at times
  • Outer rear part of the engine deck prevent the gun from depressing

History

Main article: History of the Type 61 MBT

Following Japan’s remilitarization in the wake of the outbreak of the Korean War, Japanese engineers began working on the first domestic postwar tank designs. Taking on board the experience of working with American WWII tanks in service at the time, as well as incorporating some of the lessons learned from the Korean conflict, Japanese tank designers came up with a series of prototypes in the late 1950s.

The ST-A3 was created as one of the later prototypes and was based on the previous design - the ST-A2. Featuring a 90 mm cannon coupled with an autoloading mechanism in the rear of the turret, the design was considered successful, but ultimately wasn’t ordered into production due to concerns over its cost. As a result, the ST-A3 was modified into the ST-A4 by having its autoloading mechanism removed and eventually entered production as the Type 61 medium tank in 1961.

Only two ST-A3 prototypes were constructed and closely resembled the later production model Type 61 visually.

- From Devblog

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


Japan medium tanks
Type 97  Chi-Ha · Chi-Ha Kai · Chi-Ha Kai TD · Chi-Ha Short Gun
Type 1  Chi-He · Chi-He (5th Regiment) · Ho-I
Type 3  Chi-Nu · Chi-Nu II
Type 4  Chi-To · Chi-To Late
Type 5  Chi-Ri II
Type 61 MBT  ST-A1* · ST-A2* · ST-A3* · Type 61
Type 74 MBT  ST-B2* · Type 74 (C) · Type 74 (E) · Type 74 (F) · Type 74 (G)
Type 90 MBT  Type 90 · Type 90 (B) · Type 90 (B) "Fuji"
Type 10 MBT  TKX (P)* · TKX* · Type 10
Other  Ka-Chi
USA  ▅M4A3 (76) W · ▅M47
  *Prototype

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