Kugelblitz
Contents
Description
The Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz is a rank IV German Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft (SPAA) vehicle
with a battle rating of 7.3 (AB) and 7.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.43.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour types:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 80 mm | 30 mm | 20 mm | 10 mm |
| Turret | 30mm turret housing
20mm turret ball |
30mm turret housing
20mm turret ball |
30mm turret housing
20mm turret ball |
20 mm |
The Kugelblitz has high armour values compared to most SPAA, but the armour will not protect it against the main calibre guns of tanks at the battle rating. The survivability is quite good, the crew is well spaced and numerous, and the ammunition is unlikely to detonate. The Kugelblitz has excellent protection against strafing runs from enemy aircraft, although some aircraft cannons may penetrate the 10 mm hull armour and cause an engine fire.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 43 | 8 | 25 | 426 | 572 | 17.04 | 22.88 |
| Realistic | 39 | 8 | 265 | 300 | 10.6 | 12 | |
Armaments
Main armament
| 30 mm MK103/38 (x2) | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 1,200 (100) | 450 | -7°/+80° | ±180° | N/A | 22.02 | 30.47 | __.__ | __.__ | 43.53 | 13.00 | _.__ | _.__ | 10.00 |
| Realistic | 14.88 | 17.05 | __.__ | __.__ | 25.00 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: AP-I · HEI-T
- M.Gr.: HEI-T · HEI-T · HEI-T · AP-I
- Pz.Gr.: AP-I · AP-I · AP-I · HEI-T
- Pz.Gr. H: HVAP-T · HEI-T · HEI-T
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| Default | 58 | 55 | 47 | 38 | 30 | 24 | |
| M.Gr. | 58 | 55 | 47 | 38 | 30 | 24 | |
| Pz.Gr. | 58 | 55 | 47 | 38 | 30 | 24 | |
| Pz.Gr. H | 95 | 93 | 85 | 60 | 45 | 30 | |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Usage in battles
Overview:
The Kugelblitz is a dedicated AA, however the guns do have decent penetration and the Kugelblitz has some armour and survivability, so targeting enemy ground vehicles is a possibility. However, air targets should still be the main focus of the Kugelblitz. Due to the survivability and firepower, the Kugelblitz is best placed near the frontlines in case it needs to support a teammate against an enemy ground vehicle, but it should not be directly in view of enemy tanks.
Tips:
The Kugelblitz is best used as a second or third spawn, because aircraft will not spawn at the beginning of the match. Do not engage aircraft too early, as you will only expose yourself. Begin firing at no more than 1-1.5 km range for the best effect. Always watch out for multiple aircraft, as one may hit you with bombs or rockets while you are distracted. The fast firing 30 mm guns are extremely potent, and will quickly dispatch most air targets after a few hits, even against heavy fighters and bombers. It is a good idea to learn the weak spots of enemy ground vehicles you will commonly face near the Kugelblitz's BR, as knowing these will allow the Kugelblitz to deal maximum damage.
Modules
| Tier | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tracks | Parts | M.Gr. | Horizontal Drive | |
| II | Suspension | Brake System | FPE | Pz.Gr. | Adjustment of Fire |
| III | Filters | Crew Replenishment | Elevation Mechanism | ||
| IV | Transmission | Engine | Pz.Gr. H | Artillery Support | |
The Kugelblitz has a comparatively low gun traverse speed when not upgraded, so the Horizontal Drive and Elevation Mechanism modules are quite important. Another very useful modification is the M.Gr. ammo belt, which almost completely composed of high-explosive shells and helps to increase damage dealt to enemy aircraft. The two Pz.Gr. modules allow the vehicle to better engage enemy ground forces. These belts contain more high-penetration rounds than high-explosive ones, and increase the vehicle's effectiveness against armoured targets. Still, they will not be able to penetrate most tanks frontally at this tier, and are better suited for engaging lightly-armoured vehicles.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High rate of fire for a 30 mm cannon
- Fast turret rotation speed
- Very good at taking out other SPAA or lightly armoured vehicles
- Average movement speed
- Access to many unlockable ammo belts
- HVAP ammo belt can pen 95 mm, improving efficacy against other tanks
Cons:
- Although having thick armour for a SPAA, its still not enough to stop any kind of tank shell at its rank
- Long reload time
- HVAP belt still contains some HE rounds, reducing effectiveness
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
In-game description
A continuation of the line of German AA vehicles based on the Pz.IV tank. It was the first AA vehicle to have a fully enclosed turret. Only two were ever built, and they may not have been used in combat. Both of the AA vehicles that were released ended up in the anti-air artillery training battalion stationed at the Ordurf training ground in Thuringia.
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
| Germany anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | Sd.Kfz.222 |
| Half-track | Sd.Kfz.251/21 · Sd.Kfz. 6/2 |
| Flakpanzer IV | Wirbelwind · Ostwind · Ostwind II · Kugelblitz · Zerstörer 45 |
| Other Flakpanzers | Flakpanzer I · Flakpanzer 38 · Flakpanzer 341 |
| Wiesel AWC | Wiesel 1A4 · Ozelot |
| Radar SPAAG | Gepard · Gepard 1A2 |
| Missile SPAA | FlaRakPz 1 · FlaRakRad |
