Ru 251

Ru 251

Ru 251

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.0	7.3	7.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Light tank

Purchase:7 480

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Description

The Spähpanzer Ru 251 is a premium rank IV German light tank with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB) and 7.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault". A very mobile light tank developed for the Bundeswehr to replace their M41 Walker Bulldogs, the Ru 251 boasts great mobility and firepower for its users.

The Ru 251 has a relatively small profile for a tank, but for a light tank its profile is average. The Ru 251 utilizes a 90 mm BK-90, the same gun as on the Kanonenjagdpanzer. It is capable of firing HEAT-FS, a potent round, and has a reasonably quick reload. Best for medium range engagements, but can fulfil close range and long range applications as well. Similarly to the Leopards, it has a raised engine deck at the rear, which messes with the gun depression. While it has 9 degrees of gun depression for about 130 degrees of turret rotation to the left or right (gun pointing straight ahead), for the rear 100 degrees of angle, the gun depression is only a degree or two.

The bigger the map (provided it has cover), the more successful the Ru 251 will be. This is because it can use its speed to reach places early in battle that the enemy would not suspect an enemy tank already occupying.

The smaller the map (Even with cover), the less successful the Ru 251 will be. This is because it cannot make use of the single biggest advantage it has, speed. Essentially it will be forced into slugging matches, and the enemy will always have a pretty good idea of where the Ru 251 will be.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret hatches)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Driver's bulge)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 mm (60°) Frontal glacis 30 mm (38°), 12.7 mm (69°) Lower glacis	20 mm (35°) Top 20 mm Bottom	8 mm (45°) Top 8 mm (41°) Bottom	10 mm
Turret	20 mm (23-38°) Turret front 15 + 30 mm (12-37) Gun mantlet 30 mm (0-78°) Gun mantlet border	20 mm (30-35°)	20 mm (30-32°)	10 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, torsion bars, and tracks are 15 mm thick
• Lower part of gun mantlet have additional 20 mm underneath
• Belly armour is 9.5 mm thick.

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	90	90	25.5	1023	1,259	40.12	49.37
Realistic	81	81		854	660	33.49	25.88

Armaments

Main armament

90 mm BK90					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	61	-9°/+20°	±180°	N/A	22.8	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	9.75	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic					14.30	16.80	__.__	__.__	__.__

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
DM502	HESH	102	102	102	102	102	102
M431 shell	HEATFS	320	320	320	320	320	320
M71 shell	HE	13	13	13	13	13	13

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%
DM502	HESH	853	10.6	0.4	0.1	3,053	73°	77°	80°
M431 shell	HEATFS	1,216	5.8	N/A	0.1	712.6	65°	72°	77°
M71 shell	HE	823	10.55	0.1	0.5	925	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Last updated: 1.77.1.40

File:Ammoracks Ru251.png

Ammo racks of the Ru 251

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
61	57 (+4)	51 (+10)	41 (+20)	31 (+30)	21 (+40)	11 (+50)	1 (+60)	No

Turret empty: 51 (+10)

Machine guns

7.62 mm MG3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt capacity)	Rate of fire (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
Coaxial	2,500 (1,000)	1,200	N/A	N/A
Pintle	2,500 (1,000)	1,200	-10°/+25°	±60°

Usage in battles

The Ru 251 is a very quick light tank, but it is not always fast. While it is true that the tank has a very high road speed, it can only make use of it in certain situations, much like the M18 Hellcat. That being said, thanks to almost 26 horsepower per ton, it can manoeuvre much more quickly over smooth and rough terrain than most other tanks. An important thing to remember is that just because the Ru 251 has the capability of covering large distances quickly, doesn’t mean it is advisable. This tank, like many german post-war vehicles, has virtually no armour, and a huge ammo rack located in the front of the hull.

This tank is highly effective in ambushes, and sniping from cover and the sides of maps. As mentioned prior, this vehicle is not being played to its fullest extent when the enemy knows where it is, or in slugging matches.

Because the Ru 251 enjoys a gun similar to the M47 Patton and Jagdpanzer 4-5 that utilizes HEAT-FS, HESH, and HE, which are extremely potent at 6.7. There are virtually no enemies that can withstand the power of the HEAT-FS, even if it only penetrates 320mm of armour compared to later HEAT-FS that can penetrate 380 mm of armour or even more.

It should be noted that thanks to the transmission in the Ru 251, it can travel as fast forward as it can backwards. As many German tanks have poor reversing speed, this is a welcome change. Another wonderful feature of the transmission is the neutral steer. Unlike other tanks that are sluggish in their neutral-steering abilities, the Ru 251 will turn quickly when the input is made (Unlike the M41, which feels sluggish when neutral-turning, and at times feels hesitant).

Tactics

Even though the Ru 251 is a light tank, it utilizes advanced HEAT-FS that allows it to penetrate even the most challenging of opponents, such as the Maus. Upon contact with ammo racks and fuel tanks, serious damage will be done, if it does not outright destroy the opponent.

Before all, avoid colourful or bright decals. Camouflage is an essential part of defence. The characteristics for good performance in battle are: be "invisible", fast and effective. The Ru 251 speed is its best ally. This speed has to be used for flanking manoeuvres and relocate. Not for trying to cross open field. That`s a poor tactic.

Relocate: The Ru 251 will have to do this movement again and again. Choose a good spot wisely, if trees needed to be cleared for visibility, use the machine gun in short bursts. Remember, tracers can easily reveal anyone's position. When in a shooting spot, use the gun depression and keep the hull down until a target is found. Once a target is acquired, aim at critical components by firing into the fuel tanks or the ammo storage. If the shot misses, but are sure the enemy hasn't discovered where it came from, try another shot. Keep in mind, even if the target is oblivious, other members of the enemy team may have seen the firing location, so be careful. If detected, hide immediately! Relocation after being spotted is always advisable, but if relocation is not possible, wait until the enemy has become preoccupied with other team members.

Flanking: Flanking is the most dangerous manoeuvre of all because at times the Ru 251 has to expose itself to get to the enemy's rear but it’s very effective when orchestrated properly. Early on in the battle, often enemy units are preoccupied with trying to get to their positions that they might not notice someone flanking, depending on the map and route taken. If a flank is attempted later on, be sure that all enemy vehicles are focused away from, or cannot see the path that is used to flank. When flanking, attacking lone targets will yield the best results. If firing carelessly into a group of tanks, they will locate the flank position and likely highlight the Ru 251 for the entire team to see. On the other hand, if targeting a lone tank, they typically do not tell their teams where they were shot from, and this gives some degree of protection. If they happen to spawn again, be sure to watch likely avenues of approach from the closest spawn and listen for aircraft, as they likely are trying to get vengeance.

Due to your quick speed, you may find yourself outnumbered by enemies. If this is the case, try to remain concealed and use the spotting feature to mark the tanks for your allies. Not only does this help you better keep track of the tanks, but it also helps your team know where the enemies are to give you a better chance of coming out a nasty situation alive.

Avoid flat terrain: Flat terrain means that the Ru 251 will become an easy target for virtually any vehicle by exposure, especially when not moving or when moving in a straight line. Open plains are the bane of the Ru 251. Whenever possible, one should try to stay amongst hills or within buildings.

Engaging: Unlike most German tanks, the Ru 251 does not possess APHE to reliably one shot its opponents. Thus, prioritize ammo locations of tanks before and learn their internal crew layout. Its HEAT-FS round will likely penetrate all vehicles at its battle rating reliably, thus, learning internal crew layout is more important than analysing the armour. If you are unsure where to shoot the enemy, going of the breach is the safest bet. Not only will this prevent the enemy from firing back, it will also force them to relocate and repair.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Airstrike	M431 shell
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	Improved optics

• As a premium vehicle, the Ru 251's modifications are automatically unlocked upon purchase of the vehicle.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• As with all premium vehicles, the Ru 251 is fully upgraded, and comes with a Talisman
• Is very, very quick, and has great manoeuvrability
• Utilizes a very similar gun to the one found on the M47, however is at BR 6.7, not 7.3
• Has (likely) the fastest reverse speed in the game
• Reload (with full crew + Expert training) is very quick for the calibre and potency of gun
• Little armour (advantageous for BR 7.0+ battles, where mobility is favoured)

Cons:

• While acceleration is quick, it is not necessarily fast
• Huge ammo rack that sits at the front of the hull
• Little armour (disadvantageous for BR 6.3- battles, where more armour can lead to bouncing)
• Has very poor top armour, extremely vulnerable to artillery
• Has the least lions reward of all the other Rank IV German Premiums (390% vs 420%)
• Differential steering without initial momentum does not traverse the tank quickly

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

• [Devblog] Spähpanzer Ru 251: The Fastest on land