AS 42
Contents
Description
The Camionetta AS 42 Tipo II "Metropolitana" (shortened as just AS 42) is a rank I Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".
General info
Survivability and armour
The AS42 lacks in armour and is very vulnerable to attacks from the air. While the sloped 3 mm of armour may be sufficient against standard machine guns, most heavy machine guns are able to shred this tank and as such it is not recommended to engage in slugging matches.
Though the armour itself is not sufficient against heavy machine guns, it is possible to use the rear engine compartment as armour to protect the crew from the heavy machine guns projectiles. The ammunition compartments at the sides of the vehicle may stop machine guns from penetrating all the way through to harm the crew, but these have dubious protection values in the long run. However, due to these extreme thin armour thickness, standard armour-piercing rounds tend to penetrate straight through with minimal damage.
The AS42 has 2 crew with ammo to the turret placements sides. The gun's armour is thick enough to protect the gunner in rare circumstances.
Mobility
The tank has very high mobility with speeds exceeding 80 kilometres per hour on concrete and 35 offroad.
| Game Mode | Mobility characteristics | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (t) | AoA Weight | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | |
| Arcade | 92 | 6.0 | N/A | 156 | 192 | 26.00 | 33.00 |
| Realistic | 84 | 97 | 110 | 16.17 | 18.33 | ||
Armaments
Main armament
| 20 mm Breda Mod.35 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity (Belt capacity) | Fire rate (shots/minute) |
Vertical guidance |
Horizontal guidance |
Stabilizer | |
| 1,200 (12) | 501 | -10°/+90° | ±150° | N/A | |
| Turret rotation speed (°/s) | |||||
| Mode | Stock | Upgraded | Prior + Full crew | Prior + Expert qualif. | Prior + Ace qualif. |
| Arcade | 30.8 | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ |
| Realistic | 20.8 | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ |
| Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||
| Stock | Prior + Full crew | Prior + Expert qualif. | Prior + Ace qualif. | ||
| 3.9 | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | ||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration in mm @ 90° | |||||
| 10m | 100m | 500m | 1000m | 1500m | 2000m | ||
| Granata mod.35 | HEFI-T | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Perforante mod.35 | API-T | 40 | 38 | 29 | 20 | 14 | 10 |
| PzGr 40 | HVAP-T | 64 | 63 | 29 | 20 | 14 | 10 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity in m/s |
Projectile Mass in kg |
Fuse delay
in m: |
Fuse sensitivity
in mm: |
Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent): |
Normalization At 30° from horizontal: |
Ricochet: | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| Granata mod.35 | HEFI-T | 830 | 0.14 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3 | ° | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| Perforante mod.35 | API-T | 832 | 0.14 | 1.3 | 15 | 1 | ° | 47° | 60° | 65° |
| PzGr 40 | HVAP-T | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XX | XX (+XX) | XX (+XX) | XX (+XX) | XX (+XX) | XX (+XX) | XX (+XX) | No |
Usage in battles
With its high speed, the AS42 has the ability to flank and, with its autocannon, able to cause high amounts of damage fast. If unable to penetrate, you will be able to escape quite quickly and leave to fight another day. The tank loses most of its advantages of stealth and positioning when going into Arcade Battles.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High top speed
- Access to PzGr 40 rounds
Cons:
- Small magazine for SPAA
- Virtually no protection at all. Even rifle rounds will penetrate the armour
- Only has two crew members
- Crew is exposed
History
The AS (Autosahariana) 42 was derived from the AB 41 armoured car. It was, however, unarmored and did not have the rear driver position. Designed for long-range reconnaissance in North Africa, it had a cross country range of almost 500 miles (800 km). It was also known as the Camionetta Desertica (Desert Weapons Carrier) mod. 42, or "la Sahariana" (the Saharan). The main armament varied: 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons, 20 mm anti-tank rifles, and machine guns were common alternatives. About 200 were built and saw service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. After the armistice, some continued in use with Fascist Italian forces and Germany, including on the Eastern Front, and in the Ardennes in 1944-5.
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the tank;
- other literature.
| Italy anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| R3 Capraia | R3 T20 FA-HS |
| SIDAM 25 | SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral) |
| Wheeled | AS 42 · CM52 |
| Tracked | M42 Contraereo · Leopard 40/70 · OTOMATIC |
| Hungary | ◔ZSU-57-2 · ◔ZSU-23-4 |
