76 mm/62 OTO-Melara Compact (76 mm)

Description

Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Ground vehicles

• OTOMATIC

Naval vehicles

• Albatros
• Bussard
• HMS Peacock
• LÉ Orla
• Sparviero

General info

The 76 mm/62 OTO-Melara Compact is the Italian equivalent of the AK-176M. It has a fast aiming speed both vertically and horizontally, comparable to the AK-176M. This particular gun has one of the best tradeoff in accuracy, stopping power and range. While is not the first 76mm naval deck gun seen in game, it is by far one of the best, if not the best, multi-purpose weapon system available for both naval combat and ground combat. The compact version of the OTO Melara 76/62 has a smaller carousel to be fitted with more ease on many platforms.

Available ammunition

The OTO Melara 76/62 has access to various rounds that are specific for this weapon system: the 76/62 SAPOM, 76/62 HE-MOM and 76/62 APFSDS. However, this last one is only available in the OTOMATIC and is not seen in any naval vehicle. The proximity fuze on the HE-MOM will only trigger when on proximity with enemy airfract, and as such, it is recommended to use this ammunition as primary ammunition when in naval combat.

How to use the ammunition according to their characteristics:

SAPOM:

The Semi Armor-Piercing High Explosive Incendiary rounds has multipurpose capabilities with a little bit of everything. It has a nice tradeoff between anti-air, anti-tank and anti-ship capabilities due to the explosive mass and armor penetration. However, the SAPOM is not really suggested for anything rather than anti-armor roles as the HE-VT* is more than capable of dealing with enemy threats. It should be notted most of the targets faced can be killed from the sides if shot between the road wheels in the lower half of the chassis (in case for NATO tanks), engine deck (will only cause fire and damage to transmission), Gunner's Primary Sight (in case of M1 Abrams and XM-1's). When it comes to dealing with Russian targets (the most generally armored MBT's in the game), SAPOM should be fire almost at the ground hitting the lowest part of the chassis. It is recommended to destroy their tracks and barrels in order to let friendly units take them out for this reason. SAPOM is capable of destroying all lightly armored targets seen at the battle-rating (IFV's, SPAA's, etc).

It is particularly useful when facing medium armored destroyers and little armored cruisers. While it may not cause as much damage as any other naval wapon system, the high ROF can cripple enemy vessels in seconds. While it may not destroy them, it will surely cause significant damage, specially if the rounds are fired at the weapon turrets.

HE-MOM:

The High Explosive Variable Time fuze proximity shell has a full anti-air role with use for lightly armored targets, specially naval targets. Thanks to the high caliber, the HE is able to carry a proximity fuze with a lethal explosive mass, making it capable of destroying all aerial threats with one or two hits. Trigger discipline is recommended as, due to the fast fire rate, the whole ammunition reserve can be consumed really fast. Thanks to being a big shell, most enemy helis and aircraft will not redirect course when being fired at until it's too late compared to the continious fire smaller caliber SPAA have (25mm, 30mm, 35mm, 40mm, etc). They do not trigger Missile Alert Warning, making them the ultimate helicopter killer. However, the muzzle velocity of the HE-VT* is slower than most high caliber anti-aircraft systems, making it harder to hit targets at long ranges.

APFSDS:

The dart ammunition hs only available in OTOMATIC, it has a full anti-tank role though it can be used for anti-air roles, however it is not recommended. It has decent penetration and stopping power as a dart and is more than capable with dealing enemy tanks. It is able to destroy enemy targets in one hit if it's a well placed shot. Ammunition should be targeted with the APFSDS as the low ammount of ammunition carrying can make it run out of APFSDS before destroying the enemy. Trapshots are suggested (driver's port, cupola, mantlets, etc).

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
76/62 SAPOM	SAPHEI	60	59	54	50	46	43
76/62 APFSDS	APFSDS	311	308	301	291	281	271
76/62 HE-MOM	HE-VT*	15	15	15	15	15	15

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%
76/62 SAPOM	SAPHEI	910	6.35	1.2	14	662.4	79°	80°	81°
76/62 APFSDS	APFSDS	1,580	2.18	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°
76/62 HE-MOM	HE-VT*	910	6.3	0	0.1	1,070	79°	80°	81°

Comparison with analogues

Compared to AK-176M

Both systems are extremely similar except that the OTO Melara has access to armour-piercing ammunition. It carries less ammunition than the AK-176M (115 vs 152) but can put more rounds in the air due to the higher ROF.

When talking about just the HE and HE-VT shells, the OTO Melara 72/62 has a much higher explosive payload (nearly double) but has a significant speed loss (925 m/s vs 980 m/s). Both systems do the same purpose with different approaches, one uses a faster round with less payload and the other viceversa.

Usage in battles

The OTO Melara 76/62 is a quick firing multi-purpose gun capable of destroying surface targets and annihilating airborne targets. The gun has two different engagement modes which will be described further:

Long Range Engagements:

The low dispersion and high muzzle velocity, meaning it has a high accuracy, makes it very good at long range engagements. However, sometimes the player may go "happy trigger" and fire salvo after salvo of countless rounds to engage a target. That is exactly what you should not do in long range engagements. Instead, fire in salvos of 2-3 rounds to ensure accuracy and reduce ammo waste. Make sure to not engage with targets past 10 km. Past that range the gun loses tremendous accuracy, it can reach ranges up to 15 km but the optimal is smaller than 10 km.

Airborne engagements:

It is pretty straight forward, detect-designate-track-engage. However, again try to avoid trigger happiness. Reduce ammo waste by firing 2-35 round salvos. Hitting airborne targets is harder than surface targets despite the use of proximity fuze. Make sure you leave a firing gap between your first and second salvo. Example: first salvo of 3 rounds, wait for them to reach the target, confirm if there has been any hit or manoeuvring instead, correct aiming if needed, second salvo of 4 rounds, etc etc etc. The use of tracking radar makes plane hunting easier, but it should be noted that sometimes tracking radars tend to display a somewhat awkward lead indicator. Use it as a guide but do not solely rely on it.

Close Range Engagements:

The story somewhat changes in this matter. The "happy trigger" here is not as backfiring as when in long range, instead, it is actually needed and required in some cases, specially when it comes to point blank defense or inside ranges closer than 1.5 km. Salvos here are not exactly needed or there is a recommended salvo count. Fire at discretion. Be aware! If the gun keeps firing for long, it will overheat!

One crucial thing to note is the ammunition count in first stage ammo rack. While this is not a big of a deal when in naval vehicles, it sure is while playing the OTOMATIC. You will take more time to refill the first stage ammo rack than to fire the entirety of your ammunition!

Airborne engagements:

This is easier but trickier than long range, this is why: when it comes to close range air defense (0-5 km), there is only so much time you have to engage the target before it is too late, make sure you engage them ASAP. The main downside of close range engagements is the fact you have a much smaller correction window as the aircraft is able to fly above you, forcing you to elevate the gun completely and/or rotating to be able to keep him on sights, something that tends to create issues and reduced combat performance as you have your gun out of combat. While it does not take much time to aim once again, it sometimes can be the difference between life and death.

One of the main advantages of using the HE-MOM round is the fact you can destroy air launched munitions such as missiles and bombs. However, this requires a lot of practice .

Pros and cons

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Pros:

Cons:

History

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
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External links

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Italy anti-aircraft guns
20 mm	Breda Mod.35 · Scotti-IF 20/70 mod.41
40 mm	Bofors DA 40/70
76 mm	OTO-Breda 76/62
	Foreign:
12.7 mm	M2HB (USA)
20 mm	Oerlikon KAD (Swiss)
25 mm	Oerlikon KBA (Swiss)
	Hungary
	Foreign:
23 mm	AZP-23 (USSR)
57 mm	S-68 (USSR)