Rochev
Contents
Description
The Rochev was the name given by the IDF to the M109 self-propelled howitzer gun. They received the M109 before the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and the nickname was associated with the variants from M109 to M109A2. Most of differences between all of these variants were internal and especially regarding the shell loading system. While the early M109 was used during the Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War of 1982, by the 2006 Lebanon War, only the longer barrel M109s with the new M185 cannon were still in service, with some field modifications to improve quality of life and or survivability of the crew, like extra machine guns or outside storage compartments.
Introduced in Update "Air Superiority", the M109A1 Rochev is very similar to the normal M109 in the Israeli tech tree. It features a new cannon specifically the M185 cannon that is of the same 155 millimetre calibre of the regular gun of the M109. This means that the penetration is not improved but the shows have actually a longer range and the higher speed so aiming is much easier with this vehicle. The addition of more machine guns increase the ability of this vehicle to deal with close air support and light attack planes like the P-51 and BF 109 that can be relatively easily destroyed with a precise shot of heavy machine gun. Still the tank has relatively poor survivability and the reload time is quite large, however the high explosive shell is powerful enough to deal with most MBTs if aimed properly. No need to mention that like tanks like the AML-90 and the AMX-13 stand very little chance against your high explosive shells since their lack of armor make them extremely vulnerable to this kind of projectiles.
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 | 32 mm (74°) Upper glacis 32 mm (19°) Transmission |
32 mm | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Turret | 32 mm (24°) Turret front 32 mm (4°-11°) Gun mantlet |
32 mm | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Cupola | 32 mm (0°) Cylindrical | 32 mm | 32 mm | 32 mm |
Notes:
Mobility
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 | 13 | 24.1 | _,___ | 773 | __.__ | 32.07 |
| Realistic | 57 | 12 | _,___ | 405 | __.__ | 16.8 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
The 155 mm M185 is a decently competent weapon for its BR, compared to other artillery guns, it has the standard 155mm cannon. It lacks access to a proper HEAT shell, but the HE shell is powerful enough to deal with most threats. The cannon is not stabilized and thus it takes time to aim after a full stop.
| 155 mm M185 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 28 | -3°/+75° | ±180° | - | 9.7 | 13.4 | 16.3 | 18.0 | 19.1 | 17.29 | 15.30 | 14.10 | 13.30 |
| Realistic | 6.5 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 10.3 | 11.0 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| M107 | HE | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
| M107 (PF) | HE-VT | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M107 | HE | 684 | 43.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 9.14 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M107 (PF) | HE-VT | 684 | 43.1 | 0 | 0 | 300 | 3 | 9.14 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |
| Smoke shell characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Screen radius (m) |
Screen deploy time (s) |
Screen hold time (s) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
| M110 | 684 | 44.63 | 21 | 5 | 30 | 50 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
The machine guns in the Rochev consist of a 12.7mm M2HB and a 7.62mm M1919A4, this guns are not powerful enough to deal with ground targets and don't have enough power to deal with most aircrafts. However they can be used to some extent to destroy the tracks or tires of enemy vehicles.
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| ___ (___) | ___ | __° | __° | |
| 7.62 mm M1919A4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| ___ (___) | ___ | __° | __° | |
Usage in battles
The Rochev should be played like the regular M109. This means that, since it lacks the precision and the agility to be used as a frontline vehicle it works best in the back of your team and flanking under the cover of conventional main battle tanks.
The HE shell in the Rochev is powerful enough to deal with most enemies, however this comes at the cost of precision. You dont have a laser rangefinder or a stabilizer in your cannon. Thus if you want to attack enemy positions, be aware of your surroundings and try to hear the engine sounds coming from enemy tanks. Getting to a good position at the middle of the map or in the sides that allows you to have a good field of view is an excellent tactic with this vehicle, alternatively you can also defend a certain capture point, helping your team while they deal with the main enemy force.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful 155mm HE shell, capable of dealing with most tanks
- Decent mobility for an SPG
- Access to smoke shells and a long range, useful to create smoke screens in the middle of the map
- More machine guns compared to the previous M109
- Longer range and thus easier aim, compared to the smaller barrel M109s
Cons:
- Very little armour against anything higher than 20 mm shots
- Crammed crew compartment, which translates to poor survivability
- Low fire rate at less than 4 rounds per minute
- No access to a stabilizer or dedicated anti tank shells
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Israel tank destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Artillery | M109 · Rochev · Sholef |
| ATGM | Zachlam Tager · Giraf |
