XM8
Contents
Description
The 105 mm Armored Gun System XM8 is a gift rank VI American light tank with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB) and 9.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced during Update "Ixwa Strike" as a reward for the Future Technology event.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Aluminium alloy 5083 (Hull, turret)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 25.4 mm (76°) Upper glacis 38.1 mm (29°) Lower plate |
25.4 mm Top - Front 12.7 mm Top - Rear 25.4 mm Bottom |
25.4 mm | 25.4 mm |
| Turret | 25.4-38.1 mm Turret front 25.4 mm Gun mantlet |
25.4 mm | 25.4 mm | 25.4 mm |
| Cupola | 25.4 mm | 25.4 mm | 25.4 mm | 25.4 mm |
Notes:
- Tracks and wheels are 20 mm thick
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | AoA | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | |
| Arcade | 81 | 17 | 17.6 | 6 | 852 | 1,049 | 48.41 | 44.45 |
| Realistic | 73 | 15 | 486 | 550 | 27.61 | 23.31 | ||
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Unlock order recommendations
The order of modifications should be well thought out. Below is a guide of which modifications to unlock first, but it is just a recommendation and can be modified or adapted depending on the tank commander's preferences.
Tier 1
The highest priority modifications when beginning the stock grind are parts and the M735 APFSDS round. Both of these modifications should be unlocked before moving on to tier 2, but the order of unlocking these two is up to the discretion of the commander. Once these two modifications are unlocked, moving on to tier 2 is recommended.
Tier 2
Most tier 2 modifications are minor but three are required to move on to tier 3. The highest priority should be FPE to allow the putting out of fires, a potentially life saving ability. After that the modifications in this tier aren't essential and can be picked by the commander; adjustment of fire and airstrike are the likeliest candidates but airstrike can be replaced by another if the player does not have any aircraft in the lineup to benefit from it. Once three modifications are unlocked in this tier the player can move on to tier 3.
Tier 3
The first priority in tier 3 ought to be the NVD because it allows the use of the gunner's thermal sight. The thermal sight may be low quality but it makes spotting enemies much easier in battle. After this one more modification is needed to progress to tier 4, but the choice is up to the vehicle commander. Filters and crew replenishment are both good choices (improving mobility and survivability respectively) but elevation mechanism is also a decent choice.
Tier 4
In tier 4 there are some pressing modifications such as engine (which improves mobility) and laser rangefinder which allows for greater accuracy at long range. C76A1 and the level 3 armour package are also good choices but those depend on commander preference - for some players level 3 may never be used due to its lessening of the vehicle's mobility, while C76A1 does not have a huge advantage over M735 and could be put off for later if necessary.
Finishing up
Now that tier 4 has been unlocked and priority modifications are purchased, all that is left to do is go back through and unlock more minor modifications. Some of the more useful ones include tracks, transmission, horizontal drive, adjustment of fire, and either filters, crew replenishment, or elevation mechanism (whichever of the three wasn't previously unlocked). The less important modifications which should be saved for last are improved optics, suspension, brake system, M416, and M393A2.
Armaments
Main armament
| 105 mm XM35 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 30 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 40.0 | 55.3 | 67.2 | 74.3 | 79.1 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| Realistic | 25.0 | 29.4 | 35.7 | 39.5 | 42.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
The C76A1 APFSDS, while not having the best normal penetration, has better penetrating characteristics at an angle than the M735.
| 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 | ||
| M456A2 | HEATFS | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| M393A2 | HESH | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 |
| M774 | APFSDS | 372 | 370 | 365 | 358 | 351 | 343 |
| M735 | APFSDS | 292 | 291 | 284 | 275 | 266 | 257 |
| 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% | ||||||||||
| M456A2 | HEATFS | 1,174 | 10.5 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 1.27 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
| M393A2 | HESH | 732 | 11.2 | 0.1 | 4 | 4.31 | 73° | 77° | 80° | |||
| M774 | APFSDS | 1,509 | 3.4 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
| M735 | APFSDS | 1,501 | 3.72 | - | - | - | 78° | 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) |
| M416 | 732 | 11.6 | 16 | 5 | 25 | 50 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 28 (+2) | 22 (+8) | 1 (+29) | No |
Notes:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
- Rack 3 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 10 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
- This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 3 - 1 - 2.
- If you pack 22 (+8) shells or fewer, it will keep the front hull empty of ammo.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-2 into rack 3. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 600 (200) | 577 | -10°/+50° | ±120° |
| 7.62 mm M240 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 4,600 (200) | 941 | -2°/+10° | N/A |
Usage in battles
Play the XM8 like you play the M18, sneak around, lurk, and strike when they least expect it. One thing to note is, due to your armour, survivability, and mobility, you need to get out of there fast. Another tactic is sniping but it is not recommended due to its sub-par ammunition.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 5-second autoloader allows for quick follow-up shots
- Can equip one of two protection levels (add-on armour package), giving flexibility to the player
- Frontally immune, and well-protected on the sides against autocannons at or below 30 mm, with the level 3 armour package
- Good levels of zoom on gunner optics
- Has 16 smoke grenades, 8 launched at a time fully covering 180 degrees front
Cons:
- Sub-par ammunition compared to vehicles in the BR bracket
- Inadequate transmission results in poor acceleration
- Overall mobility is below average for a light tank despite an above-average power-to-weight ratio
- Only has low resolution gunner thermals, no CITV or high resolution thermals
- Two out of three crew members are lined up on the right side of the turret making a crew knockout easy
- Ammunition carousel making ammo detonation a common occurrence
- The tank is wobbly and hard to control at higher speed
- High silhouette
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
- Skins
See also
External links
| USA light tanks | |
|---|---|
| LVT | LVT(A)(1) · ○LVT(A)(1) · LVT(A)(4) |
| M2 | M2A2 · M2A4 · M2A4 (1st Arm.Div.) |
| M3/M5 Stuart | M3 Stuart · M3A1 Stuart · M3A1 (USMC) · M5A1 · M5A1 TD · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD) |
| M22 Locust | M22 |
| M24 Chaffee | M24 · M24 (TL) |
| M18 Hellcat | M18 GMC · M18 "Black Cat" · Super Hellcat |
| M41 Walker Bulldog | M41A1 |
| M551 Sheridan | M551 · M551(76) |
| M3 Bradley | M3 Bradley · M3A3 Bradley |
| Wheeled | M8 LAC · T18E2 · M1128 · M1128 Wolfpack |
| Other | M8A1 GMC · T92 · T114 · HSTV-L · CCVL · XM8 · XM800T · AGS |
