CM11
Contents
Description
The CM11 is a rank VI Chinese medium tank with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".
General info
Survivability and armour
The CM11 combines the hull of a M60 Patton with the turret of a M48 Patton, and as such the base turret and hull armour is more or less identical to these two tanks, respectively. The base armour is quite resistant to APHE rounds, which may be fired by the occasional Object 906, Object 685, and T-55AM-1, but the vast majority of opponents at its rank use HEAT-FS and APFSDS rounds that can cut through steel like butter. To counter the former, the CM11 is slathered with ERA, and can generally survive the first shot from most HEAT-FS rounds. However the ERA offers close to no protection against APFSDS rounds, which are the round of choice in top rank battles, and as a result the armour should not be trusted.
Post-penetration survivability is also questionable. It lacks blowout racks and ammunition tends to be scattered around the tank, so successful penetrations can reduce the CM11 to a fiery grave. It is a good idea to take no more ammunition than needed.
Mobility
The CM11's mobility is awful compared to its contemporaries. It weighs practically the same as the M1 Abrams while having less than half of the engine power. It is very slightly more mobile than the Chieftain Mk 10, but that is a very low bar, and unlike the Chieftain it does not have strong armour to make up for it. Expect to be among the last to arrive on the battlefield.
Armaments
Main armament
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. Advise about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.
Additional armament
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Machine guns
Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.
Usage in battles
Like most Chinese MBTs, the CM11 should be played in a laid back, cautious manner since its firepower is good but its speed is not nearly sufficient for flanking quickly and catching enemies by surprise. Unfortunately its poor armour and large profile make hull-down sniping difficult, though it does enjoy better gun depression than most PRC/Soviet tanks. It is best to stay close to cover and observe the environment. When the enemies are spotted, pop out, shoot first, and try to at least cripple them. The DM63 APFSDS has very good penetration for a 105 mm round and the fast reload time ensures rapid follow-up shots. If the teammates do a good job distracting the enemy team or the CM11 somehow manage to flank successfully, the CM11 can potentially knock out several targets in rapid succession. Make good use of the thermal optics, as not all tanks at its battle rating feature them and those optics can come as a great advantage.
As a whole, the CM11 is somewhat like a tank destroyer, having a powerful gun but not much else. In a meta favoring high speed and high protection, it is rather out of place, but it can still work decently in the hands of a skilled player.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Access to powerful DM63 APFSDS
- Fast reload, topping out at 5 seconds like the M1 Abrams
- Heavy ERA coverage grants decent resistance to chemical munitions
- Has a thermal sight
- Low-profile cupola, the infamous Patton cupola weakspot is less of an issue
- Stock M735 APFSDS
Cons:
- Large target
- Poor mobility
- ERA has negligible kinetic protection
- Base armour is no better than the original M60/M48, vulnerable to sabot rounds common at its rank
History
During the 1980s, armed forces in Taiwan were looking for more capable AFVs. However, as some existing agreements with the USA prevented the supply with more advanced US equipment, such as later versions of the M60 and the newer M1 Abrams tanks, military production was forced to develop an indigenous design.
While still retaining access to supplies of older US equipment and components, the decision was made to create a hybrid tank from the available components and outfit it with the latest electronics. As such, Taiwanese engineers took the hull and chassis of the M60A3 and combined it with the turret of the M48, while installing the M68A1 105mm cannon and the latest US fire control systems available.
The result of this undertaking was the CM11. In the late 1980s, two prototypes were sent to the US for comparative tests against the M60A3, where the CM11 outperformed its counterpart in gunnery trials. Shortly after these successful tests, the CM11 officially entered service in 1990.
However, as the protection was seen to be somewhat lacking, the decision was made to upgrade the CM11 with ERA packages obtained from GIAT in the early ‘90s. Due to substantial weight increases and associated upgrade costs however, this modernization effort was only applied to about a dozen vehicles. In total, 450 CM11s were built for the armed forces, still representing the spearhead of the country’s armored units today.
- From Devblog
Media
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See also
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- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
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- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the tank;
- other literature.
| China medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| ZTZ59 | Type 59 · ZTZ59A · ZTZ59D1 |
| ZTZ69 | Type 69 · Type 69-IIa |
| ZTZ88/96 | ZTZ88A · ZTZ88B |
| ZTZ96 · ZTZ96A · ZTZ96A (P) | |
| ZTZ99 | ZTZ99-II · ZTZ99-III |
| ZTZ99A | ZTZ99A · WZ1001(E) LCT |
| Export series | MBT-2000 · VT4A1 |
| ROC | CM11 |
| Other | Т-34-85 Gai · Object 122MT "MC" |
| Bangladesh | T-69 II G |
| Japan | ␗Chi-Ha · ␗Chi-Ha Kai |
| Pakistan | Al-Khalid-I |
| USA | ␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ␗M48A1 · ␗M60A3 TTS |
| USSR | ␗T-34 (1943) · ␗Т-34-85 (S-53) · T-34-85 No.215 · Т-62 №545 |
