Bussard
Contents
Description
The Albatros-class, Bussard (143) is a gift rank V German motor torpedo gun boat with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update "Red Skies" as a reward for the 2021 Summer Landing event.
General info
Survivability and armour
The survivability of the Bussard is abysmal. Even with its higher crew count than PT boats, the vessel is completely unprotected by any kind of armor and any gunfire that makes contact with the Bussard will make short work of her crew and compartments. The crew is large at 40 personnel, but they are quickly taken out by incoming gunfire.
The turrets and ammo magazine are a relatively compact package and so ammo detonations are possible but not extremely common. The secondary armaments are very small and hard to hit, being only four machine guns above the bridge. The bridge and engines/transmissions are very large targets and are often the first things destroyed when taking fire.
Mobility
The ship is powered by four MTU 16V 956 TB91 diesels, each producing 17,700 shaft horsepower. This gives the Bussard a very good speed for its size, and provides quick maneuvering at any speed. The vessel can obtain a forward speed of slightly over 41 knots spaded, and has a very respectable 22 knot reverse speed. The ship isn't as good as other coastal craft at stopping from full speed, but it is enough to avoid constantly crashing into islands on heavily clustered maps. The rudder shifting is very responsive, taking around five seconds to go completely from one side to the other.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 101 | 53 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 76 | 40 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
The two 76 mm/62 OTO-Melara Compact (76 mm) guns are fast-firing, hard hitting, and have access to some excellent ammunition: a very effective HE shell and an HE-VT shell that easily shreds incoming aircraft.
The reload speed of the weapons is fixed at .9 seconds with the installed autoloader, with a ready-use ammo supply of 85 rounds per gun. The ballistics are excellent at close to medium range, but at long range begins to suffer given the small caliber of the weapons.
Against enemy ships, the High-Explosive shell is the obvious choice. A very potent explosive mass will shred other coastal vessels and can start fires on larger ships.
Against enemy aircraft and to a lesser extent small vessels, the HE-VT shells are very effective. Enemy aircraft nearby will not last long against the quick-firing proximity shells, and smaller vessels are susceptible to them as they act like normal HE against surface targets.
Secondary armament
The secondary armament is very lackluster, but is still capable of doing some damage. Two AN-M2 (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns and two MG3 (7.62 mm) light machine guns, one of each on the port and starboard sides of the bridge, provide limited defense against other coastal craft and nearby aircraft.
The .50 caliber weapons come stock with a Universal belt, and you can unlock an AP and APIT belt with higher portions of Incendiary and Armor-Piercing rounds.
Additional armament
The Bussard also has access to two Seal DM2A1 (533 mm) torpedoes on the rear deck. The torpedoes launch backwards and quickly turn around before continuing on their course. The weapons have a very long range and good speed, and while the warhead is mediocre at 250kg of explosive mass it is still effective against light craft and destroyers.
Usage in battles
This ship is best used as a second-line ship, supporting faster or more maneuverable vessels with its powerful main armament. She relies on nearby allies since her hull is very weak and at the same time presents a large target. It can also be an effective anti-aircraft escort for friendly vessels with its fast-firing proximity rounds, air search radar, and air target tracking radar that can lock onto enemy aircraft and provide a lead indicator.
Everything in the game is a major threat to this ship given its large size and easily damaged components. Vessels such as the American PT boats with their large-caliber 20mm and 40mm cannons are top priority, with any coastal craft or destroyer it can face being a danger.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Large-caliber, fast-firing main guns.
- Effective ammunition choices.
- Very good speed and maneuverability for her size.
- Air search and tracking radar.
Cons:
- Large target and no armor, gets destroyed very easily.
- Only two primary weapons, one being destroyed heavily impacts damage potential.
- Secondary/AA armament is extremely lacking.
History
The Type 143 Albatros class was a German class of missile bearing fast attack craft. Each vessel is named after a bird of prey including the albatross, condor and cormorant. Constructed by German shipbuilders Lürssen and Kröger, the vessels were intended to replace the Type 141 Seeadler class. The German Navy retired the class in 2005 and sold the boats off to Tunisia and Ghana.
S61—S65 were assigned to the 2nd Fast Attack Craft Squadron, and S66—S70 belonged to the 7th, both squadrons being based in Warnemünde.
In 2005, Tunisia purchased six of the craft from Germany. The Exocet launchers were removed before the transfer. In July of 2010, Ghana reportedly purchased two of the vessels from Germany.
https://warthunder.com/en/news/7261-development-summer-marathon-vehicles-type-143-bussard-en
Media
See also
External links
| Germany boats | |
|---|---|
| Motor torpedo boats | LS 3 · LS 4 Esau · KM-5 · VS-10 |
| S-38 · S-38b · S-100 · S-147 · S-204 Lang · S-701 | |
| R-301 | |
| V-990 | |
| Jaguar · Hugin · Pfeil | |
| Motor gun boats | R-41 · R-130 · Krischan der Große |
| Motor torpedo gun boats | Albatros · Bussard · MZ1 · Pr. 206 |
| Minelayers | VS-8 |
