Skink
Contents
Description
The Skink, Tank, Anti-Aircraft, 20 mm, Quad is a rank IV British SPAA with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB) and 5.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".
A Canadian project for a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun to protect their armoured force, the Skink was a step above the Crusader AA options with four 20 mm autocannons in an enclosed mount. While the Skink never got a chance to shoot down an enemy aircraft during World War II, players would have the chance to light up the skies to shoot down enemy pilots.
General info
Survivability and armour
Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 50.8 mm (30-50°) Front Glacis 50.8 mm (0-34°) Transmission cover |
___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___-___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The Skink has mobility comparable to that of the M4 Sherman variants. It has average forward mobility, but a poor reverse gear.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 35 | 5 | 27.7 | 568 | 763 | 20.51 | 27.55 |
| Realistic | 33 | 5 | 354 | 400 | 12.78 | 14.44 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The 20 mm Polsten cannons have a decent rate of fire, as well as a good muzzle velocity.
| 20 mm Polsten (x4) | 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 | 1,920 (30) | 450 | -4°/+77° | ±180° | N/A | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: AP-T · HEF-I · AP-T
- HET: HEFI-T · HEF-I · HEF-I
- APT: AP-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 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 21 | 15 | 11 |
| HET | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| APT | 42 | 40 | 30 | 21 | 15 | 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% | |||||||
| 20 mm AP-T | AP-T | 830 | 0.14 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 47° | 60° | 65° |
| 20 mm HEFI-T | HEFI-T | 838 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 5 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| 20 mm HEF-I | HEF-I | 838 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 6 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 52 (+12) | 40 (+24) | 28 (+36) | 16 (+48) | No |
The Skink has 5 ammo racks, all stored in the hull. The 5th ammo rack cannot be empty, as the Skink must have at least 12 belts to enter the battle. Every ammo rack contains 12 belts, with and additional 4 belts already loaded when the game begins. Magazines deplete in sets of 4.
Machine guns
The Skink has a single hull-mounted L3A1 machine gun. Due to its low range of traverse, as well as its lackluster damage, it is useless for dealing damage to the enemy unless they are open-topped. It is best used to clear out obstacles which may block your line of sight.
| 7.62 mm L3A1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Hull | 2,000 (250) | 500 | +15°/-5° | -10°/+5° |
Usage in battles
The Skink's anti-air capability is very good, however, at its BR, it is inadequate for taking out most ground vehicles it faces, with the exception of light tanks and other SPAA. For shooting down enemy aircraft, be sure to let them come to you, and fire only when you are confident you can land a hit. If you spray them from too far away, most aircraft will likely avoid your general location so as to not get shot down. Make sure to not let the enemy aircraft know where you are, and surprise them with a devastating burst once they come in range.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 5 crew members, difficult to knock out in one pass
- M4A1 chassis and closed turret provide protection against autocannons, HMGs, and overpressure damage from bombs and rockets
- Excellent turret traverse and elevation speed
- 4 x 20 mm cannons do excellent damage against aircraft and lightly armoured vehicles
- Short reload time
- Plenty of ammo
Cons:
- Average mobility
- Short ammo belt
- Cannons overheat quickly with continuous fire
- Poor anti-tank capabilities, can only engage lightly-armoured targets
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).
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
| Britain anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Crusader AA | Crusader AA Mk I · Crusader AA Mk II |
| Wheeled | Staghound AA · AEC AA |
| Radar SPAAG | Chieftain Marksman |
| Missile SPAA | Stormer AD · Stormer HVM |
| Other | Light AA Mk I · Falcon |
| Canada | Skink · ADATS (M113) |
| South Africa | Ystervark · Bosvark · ZA-35 |
