VK 3002 (M)

VK 3002 (M)

Pz.IV J

Panther D

VK 3002 (M)

Pz.IV J

Panther D

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.0	5.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:26 000

Purchase:76 000

Show in game

Description

The VK 3002 (M) is a rank III German medium tank with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".

The prototype model by Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN) for what would become the Panther tank, the VK 3002 (M) features all the basic characteristics the Panther would receive, with a steep sloping front armour, high-penetrating 75 mm gun, and great mobility. The VK 3002 (M) featured a 60 mm front plate and 50-80 mm turret front armour, which were the original armour plate thickness of the Panther prototype prior to its uparmoring into 80 mm and 100 mm respectively in the production vehicles.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull60 / 40 / 40

Turret80 / 45 / 45

Crew5 people

Visibility125 %

The armour layout is very similar to a standard Panther, though significantly weaker for the front plate (60 mm instead of 80 mm thick) and the turret (80 mm for the turret front and 50 mm for the mantlet instead of the 100 mm on the Panther A). It is adequate against low-velocity projectiles, but its armour should not be relied upon much, unless the distance between you and the target is large. Unlike the Panther A, angling on the VK 3002 is helpful, angling some 15-20 degrees will make the hull almost entirely immune to Soviet 85 mm cannons, which the tank will commonly face. The same procedure goes against most American cannons. Of course, if they aim at the turret, you'll end up penetrated, but the good thing is that this prototype shares the same good post-penetration survivability of a Panther, due to the driver and machine gunner being far from the turret, even the "fat" Soviet 85 mm APHE rounds will not usually knock it out from a turret penetration.

Armour type:

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:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB62 / 5 km/h

RB and SB55 / 5 km/h

Number of gears7 forward

1 back

Weight35.0 t

Engine power

AB1 240 hp

RB and SB650 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB35.4 hp/t

RB and SB18.6 hp/t

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	62	5	35	1,007	1,240	28.77	35.43
Realistic	55	5		575	650	16.43	18.57

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 054 → 1 426

RB1 239 → 1 676

SB1 570 → 2 124

Total cost of modifications24 800

44 800

Talisman cost1 100

Crew training22 000

Experts76 000

Aces400

Research Aces320 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

70 / 110 / 120 %

142 / 142 / 142 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 100 130 Suspension Research: 1 400 Cost: 2 500 105 Brake System Research: 1 400 Cost: 2 500 105 Filters Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 700 115 Transmission Research: 2 700 Cost: 4 900 200 Engine Research: 2 700 Cost: 4 900 200	Improved Parts Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 100 130 Improved FPE Research: 1 400 Cost: 2 500 105 Crew Replenishment Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 700 115	Horizontal Drive Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 100 130 Adjustment of Fire Research: 1 400 Cost: 2 500 105 Elevation Mechanism Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 700 115 Smoke grenade Research: 1 500 Cost: 2 700 115 Artillery Support Research: 2 700 Cost: 4 900 200

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK42 cannon

Ammunition79 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

9.6 → 7.4 s

Vertical guidance-8° / 20°

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: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. 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.

75 mm KwK42					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	79	-8°/+20°	±180°	N/A	__._	__._	__._	__._	__._	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
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
PzGr 39/42	APCBC	192	188	173	156	140	126
Sprgr. 42	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

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%
PzGr 39/42	APCBC	935	6.8	1.2	14	28.9	48°	63°	71°
Sprgr. 42	HE	700	5.74	0	0.1	725	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the VK 3002 (M)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty
79	72 (+7)	66 (+13)	60 (+19)	56 (+23)	52 (+27)	42 (+37)
7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
32 (+47)	22 (+57)	12 (+67)	5 (+74)	1 (+78)	No

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 700 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate900 shots/min

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,700 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

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).

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".

Pros:

• High speed on flat terrain and satisfactory agility
• Deadly cannon with 192 mm maximum penetration, can frontally penetrate any tank it can face (e.g. IS-2, M4A3E2, Churchill VII, etc)
• 75 mm cannon has flat trajectory and high shell velocity, beginner-friendly for long range engagements
• Frontal armour is immune against some weak tanks like T-34-76, 75 mm M4, M24, etc.
• Has smoke grenades, helpful to conceal the tank

Cons:

• Has big and tall silhouette of the Panther family, very easy to get hit
• Frontal armour can still get penetrated by most common foes (e.g. T-34-85, Avenger, M36, M18, etc)
• Poor -4 km/h reverse speed can prevent the player from retreating into cover
• Side & rear armour are flat and thin (~40 mm), easily penetrable by SPAAs and light vehicles (e.g. ZSD63, M24, etc)

History

Development

When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, they expected to be facing an inferior opponent. The T-34, with its sloped armor, and the heavily armored KV-1 caught the Wehrmacht off guard. Up until Operation Barbarossa, the Germans had been satisfied with the performance of their early Panzers, even after high losses during the Polish and French campaign, against the French Char B1 heavy tank. Ignoring these incidents, and an incident in spring 1941, when Hitler gave the order for a Soviet military commission to be allowed to see the latest in German tank design. The Soviet delegation refused to believe that they had been shown the latest model of the Panzer IV. Afterwards, because of their insistence, the German Ordnance Office came to the conclusion the Soviets were in possession of better and heavier tanks.

In October 1941, in the aftermath of the 4th Panzer Division's heavy losses of Panzer IVs on the road to Mtsensk, Generaloberst Heinz Guderian called for an investigation into the matter of tank warfare on the Eastern Front. In November German engineers, manufacturers and military procurement officials, including the Waffenamt (Army Weapons Department), were able to inspect and study captured T-34 tanks in order to understand what future German tank development would be needed in the next generation of German tanks. It was initially suggested by Guderian that the quickest way to counter the T-34 would be a direct copy. This was turned down by the Army Weapons Department however, because of the difficulties in producing sufficient numbers of diesel engines and steel alloy.

Initially four companies, Henschel (H), Porsche (P), Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN), and Daimler Benz (DB), were requested to build prototypes with the requirements for a fast heavy medium tank able to defeat the Soviet T-34 tank on the Eastern front. Henschel's design, the VK 30.01(H), was considered outdated, with only a 7.5 cm (3.0 in) Kwk 37 L/24 short howitzer-like gun and resembling an enlarged Panzer IV, but with the overlapping and interleaved Schachtellaufwerk roadwheel system coming from their half-track designs. The Porsche entry, the VK 30.01(P), developed at the same time as the heavy VK 45.01 (P), was withdrawn when the Henschel's Tiger I went into production. This only left MAN and DB as contenders and so they were ordered to construct improved models, VK 30.02 (M) and VK 30.01 (D).

The VK 30.02 (DB) adopted several features of the T-34 over and above those specified by the army (sloped armour, large roadwheels, and overhanging gun) by using a diesel engine with rear transmission and jettisonable external fuel tanks. The design used leaf springs rather than more expensive torsion bar suspension.

The VK30.02 (DB) was ordered into production with an initial target of 200 vehicles partly due to Hitler favouring the design. Hitler also requested the longer L70 gun rather than the 40-calibre long 75mm. The Waffenprufamt 6 committee however favoured the more conventional - in terms of German design and engineering - VK 30.02 (M) and ordered prototypes of it in May 1942 then quietly rescinded the DB order.

While the VK 30.01(D) could have been cheaper and easier to produce, the German government preferred the roomier turret and more modern suspension of the MAN prototype, which went on to be the production Panther. The VK 30.02(MAN) also shared the same engine as the Tiger, which would help with production and maintenance, it also had larger tracks, which would help with its ground pressure on soft ground. While the Panther was similar to the T-34 in shape, the VK30.01 (DB)'s sloped front was similar, but overall, it was closer to earlier German tanks. Some sources say that one prototype was produced, others say that Daimler Benz produced three slightly different versions.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the VK 3002 (M) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• Panzer V Panther (Family)

External links

• [Devblog] VK 30.02 (M): The Cub Roars

Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg Aktiengesellschaft (MAN AG)
Medium tanks
Panther	VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Ersatz M10 · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Panther II
Export/captured
USSR	▂T-V
France	Panther "Dauphiné"