Conqueror

Conqueror

Caernarvon

Centurion Mk 10

Conqueror

Caernarvon

Centurion Mk 10

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	7.7	7.7

Class:

Heavy tank

Research:48 000

Purchase:270 000

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Description

The Tank Heavy Gun Conqueror Mk 2 is a rank V British heavy tank with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was released along with the initial British tree line in Update 1.55 "Royal Armour". Designed to combat the Soviet IS-3, the Conqueror gives the British line a much-needed vehicle with an emphasis on armour and firepower, with a 120 mm L1A2 cannon capable of defeating all of the Rank V competition it will face.

The Conqueror was the tank the Caernarvon hull was designed for - the Caernarvon itself only being a stop-gap measure, with most models being upgraded to Conquerors once the type was approved for production. The Conqueror augments this hull with a significantly upgraded turret design housing the L1A2 120mm cannon.

The Conqueror deviates from most earlier British designs, favouring firepower and armour. This, combined with its somewhat limited mobility, results in the Conqueror proving to be one of, if not the single most effective sniper and support tank at its rank. Despite this, it can be put to good use in close-range engagements.

General info

Survivability and armour

The Conqueror utilises the same hull as the Caernarvon does, with respectable frontal armour capable of shrugging off rounds from many adversaries. Unfortunately, this hull suffers from similarly weak side and rear armour - and as such angling, the vehicle can prove extremely dangerous if it exposes the side too much. The Conqueror replaces the Caernarvon's Centurion-based turret with a fresh design, providing much better crew spacing and protection. The turret is not without its weaknesses, however; the commander's cupola protrudes quite significantly and APHE or HESH shells may disable internal turret components or crew members. There is also a weak section directly behind the mantlet at the top of the turret, penetration of which will disable crew or the breech/horizontal turret drive.

An example of what happens when heavy tank hit the turret with HE from low ground. Considering the gun depression on Conqueror isn't the greatest, it is possible to slowly destroy it like this.

Trap shots are possible, it is likely to get shot with a high calibre HE, capable of damaging the tank by hitting the base of the turret and exploding into the driver and/or ammo rack just below it. Unlike with similar tank M103 though, for most heavy tanks HE can only penetrate the driver hatch, taking them out, and damage the gun breech on a good hit. SPG calibre HE (like 152 mm of Object 268) will definitely destroy the roof armour and ammo rack, resulting in a one-shot, unless only a few shells are being carried (which is highly impractical). Non-HE shells are less likely to ricochet and do significant internal damage like this, but it is still possible to push them into the tank.

The frontal track guards are also very vulnerable at particular angles and can be exploited even when sides are not exposed to instantly destroy the tank using nearly any gun, like with Churchill Mk VII. The more realistic scenario, however, is high calibre HESH hitting the ground next to them and setting the tank on fire or outright destroying it. Fortunately, most tanks which are capable of this and are going out of their way to use HESH instead of HEAT are British and can only be your opponent in AB, in RB the likelihood of receiving such hit is greatly reduced.

The Conqueror has a researchable add-on armour package which improves the vehicle's survivability to HEAT rounds and by a small amount to kinetic rounds.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
• Structural steel (Side skirts)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	130 + 20 mm (59°) Front glacis 76 mm (44°) Lower glacis	51 + 6 mm	38 mm Top 20 mm (60°) Bottom	44 mm Front 17 mm Crew hatch 17 mm Rear
Turret	152-313 mm (0-68°) Turret front 89-200 mm (0-78°) Gun mantlet	89-233 mm (1-48°)	50 mm (1-34°)	51 mm 31 mm Square area near gun 17 mm Crew hatches
Armour	Front	Rear	Roof
Cupola	203 mm (0-17°)	70 mm (12-14°)	51 mm 17 mm Crew hatch

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
• Front of turret vary in armour thickness, from 152 mm to 313 mm, but it is all very sloped due to turret design.
• The front of the turret roof has an additional armour plate of 31 mm in thickness.

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	37	13	64.9	1.1	1046	1,545	16.12	23.41
Realistic	35	12			716	810	11.03	12.27

The Conqueror has reasonable mobility, despite its weight, thanks to a powerful engine and favourable gearbox ratios. It does suffer from a somewhat limited top speed of 34 km/h, however it reaches this speed fairly easily on-road and on smooth off-road surfaces. The vehicle has surprisingly responsive hull traverse due to the engine power and neutral steering capability. The Conqueror has a reasonable reverse speed for a British vehicle, however it shouldn't be relied on too heavily.

When the add-on armour package is researched and equipped, the vehicle's weight will increase by 1.1 tonnes, resulting in a minor decrease in mobility.

Armaments

Main armament

The 120 mm L1A2 is a powerful gun, derived from the M58 mounted on the M103 heavy tank. Unlike the M103's selection of HEAT or AP, the Conqueror instead utilises HESH and APDS ammunition, and again unlike the M103, mounts a two-plane stabiliser. The L1A2 exhibits excellent accuracy and long-range performance, although due to the sub-par post-penetration effects of APDS in some cases multiple rounds are required to secure a knock-out, particularly at range where critical components or ammunition is less reliably hit.

Despite this, the Conqueror performs admirably as a sniper, covering capture points or thoroughfares, and should primarily rely on APDS with careful thought as to placement. HESH may prove useful against lighter vehicles or in cases where a target's side armour is exposed, but otherwise should not be relied on for anything besides pure luck. It's important to remember that the Conqueror has a reasonably long reload of 19.4 seconds at base; and as such careful consideration should be made as to what to prioritise disabling first.

120 mm L1A2
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
35			-7°/+15°	±180°	Two-plane
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	9.7	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
19.4	17.13	__.__	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Shot L1G	APDS	362	361	359	354	339	321
Shell L1TK	HESH	152	152	152	152	152	152

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
Shot L1G	APDS	1493	7.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	75°	78°	80°
Shell L1TK	HESH	792	16	0.4	0.1	3,100	+0°	73°	77°	80°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Conqueror Mk.2.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Recommendations	Visual discrepancy
35	31 (+4)	21 (+14)	16 (+19)	11 (+24)	6 (+29)	1 (+34)	No

Keep ammo at around 16 (+19) or 11 (+24)

Machine guns

The Conqueror sports two machine guns, one of which is pintle mounted and may prove itself a deterrent to some close air support. The machine guns may on occasion prove useful for destroying incoming ATGMs, given a bit of luck.

7.62 mm L3A1
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,750 (250)				500	N/A	N/A
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,750 (250)				500	-10°/+30°	±90°

Usage in battles

The Conqueror can be effectively played as a sniper, or a steady breakthrough tank, providing the vehicle's slow reload and weak lower front plate are considered.

Sniper Role

When used in a sniper role, the Conqueror should utilise extreme ranges with some form of cover available, in case the situation goes awry. Ensure awareness is maintained for light flanking vehicles or enemy sniping vehicles on off-angles that may be able to disable the Conqueror through side armour. Play conservatively, avoiding wasting shots and having to wait for the long reload time, and avoid exposing the hull where possible.

Breakthrough Role

The Conqueror may be utilised in a breakthrough role, although it should be played conservatively and with a level of map awareness at all times. The stabilised gun allows the conqueror to comfortably fire on the move - a rare piece of equipment at the rank - this gives it a distinct advantage over most targets it will face at close range, with the ability to reliably hit targets without waiting for the suspension sway to subside. However, the vehicle's slow reload means that calculated shots are a requirement, and wasting a round may have dire results. As usual, keep in mind that the vehicle's sides and lower front plate are particularly vulnerable and exposing either to enemy fire will often result in the Conqueror's destruction.

Modules

As usual, the 'Parts' and 'FPE' upgrades are essentially mandatory. After these, the 'Tracks' upgrade is recommended to allow the Conqueror to avoid exposing its sides to targets, along with the 'Adjustment of Fire' for additional accuracy at range. Most other upgrades are somewhat irrelevant in terms of their ordering, however the add-on armour upgrade may prove valuable against HEAT rounds.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• APDS round is extremely powerful, with a maximum of 362 mm of penetration at 10m/0°
• HESH ammo may have surprising results, and can prove particularly effective against light or side armour
• APDS round is particularly accurate at long ranges
• Both available rounds have reasonably good angled performance
• The L1A2 cannon is fully two-plane stabilised, allowing it to be fired accurately on the move
• The coaxial machine gun has ballistic performance similar to the HESH round and may be used for ranging
• The turret is very sloped and well armoured, with very few weak points
• The upper front plate is very thick and sloped
• Can mount add-on armour which offers more protection in the form of spaced armour to the turret cheeks and upper plate
• Well-spaced crew make the vehicle unlikely to be affected by crew knock-out in a single hit
• Reasonably good mobility despite weight
• Has a rangefinder which can accurately measure distances up to 1,300 m

Cons:

• APDS has minimal post-penetration effect, and careful round placement is necessary
• HESH is not reliable against any vehicle with semi-decent armour
• Long reload time (19.4 second base), although relatively standard for calibre
• Possesses only 7.62 mm machine guns
• Weak lower front plate
• Particularly weak side armour, 51 mm inner with a spaced 6 mm plate
• 17 mm of protection on the engine deck will result in aircraft strafing runs to damage or set fire to the engine
• Top speed is limited at only 34 km/h
• A turret penetration will often result in ammunition detonation; the turret has ammo racks strewn throughout

History

Development

In 1944, General Staff started a project called A45 Infantry Support Tank, which started around the same time as the development of the A41 Centurion cruiser tank. This project, after the war, was redesignated from a typical "Infantry Tank" and instead focused on a new role of a "Universal Tank" design in the form of the FV 200 series. The "Universal Tank" concept was to design a vehicle that would have a mobility comparable to that of cruiser tanks, but with the armour and firepower of heavy tanks. The FV 200 series designation was adopted and was to serve as a line of vehicles that used the same hull and chassis in different roles like armour recovery vehicles and self-propelled guns. The first tank of this series was to be the FV 201, which would be 55 tons and use the 20-pounder gun.

In 1949, a new requirement for the project called for the use of a 120 mm gun, possibly in response to the reveal of the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank in the Berlin Victory Parade in 1945. This new requirement would delay the initial deadlines for the tank as no gun of that caliber had been developed yet. As a interim development before such a gun could be made, the FV 201 hull was mounted with a turret from the Centurion tank and this created the FV 221 Caernarvon, with Mark I for a 17-pounder armament and a Mark II for a 20-pounder armament. However, the success of the lighter Centurion tank made the Caernarvon unsuitable in a "Main Battle Tank" role. Further development on the Caernarvon, with emphasis on the armour and armament, would develop the FV 214 Conqueror tanks, some were straight up conversions of Caernarvon Mark II's. About 185 Conquerors were produced in Mk.1 and Mk.2 variants from 1955 to 1959.

Design

The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as the "Tank, Heavy No. 1, 120 mm Gun, Conqueror", was intended to provide a mobile, long-range anti-tank support for the lighter and more numerous Centurion tanks stationed in Germany. As a response to the heavy IS-3 tank in Soviet service, the tank's armament and armour is taken up and beyond extreme to typical NATO armour development. The armour, with a frontal plate of about seven inches (178 mm), made the tank one of the most protected tanks stationed in West Germany. The abundance of armour made the tank heavy, weighing 64 tons, and this impeded the tank's top speed and made it mechanically unreliable. However, the tank was very mobile in cross-country terrain, seen as equal as the lighter and faster Centurion tank.

The gun was the very large 120 mm cannon, the largest caliber tank gun available when it was introduced. The gun was American-developed, the same 120 mm cannon that would arm the M103 heavy tank. The gun uses a two-piece ammunition and the tank allowed for a ammo stowage of 35 rounds. Another notable feature of the Conqueror aside from its large cannon and thick armour was the unique and rotatable commander's cupola. In the cupola was the Conqueror's fire control system and had many features that made it ahead of its time. Being able to be rotated independent from the turret, plus with a coincidence rangefinder, the commander could align the cupola to a target, measure its range, and direct the gunner to the designated target. While the gunner located and engage the target, the commander could go and find a different target to designate and range.

Usage

The Conqueror were all stationed in West German in the armoured regiments stationed there. Each regiment received 9 Conquerors and were organized in groups of three as tank troops to support the Centurions in any conflict that arise from the tense situation of the Cold War. As history played out, the Cold War never became "hot" and no hostile conflicts arise in the borders of Germany, thus the Conquerors never saw any use aside from training as they were all exclusively stationed on the German borders. The Conqueror's intention to provide a long-range anti-tank capability for the Centurions, became less significant when the Centurions began to arm themselves with the more powerful 105 mm L7 gun, such as the Centurion Mk 10. The lower tactical value of the Conqueror and further development on heavy tanks in Britain had the Conquerors replaced in 1966 with the much more powerful and armoured, yet lighter, FV 4201 Chieftain tank.

Media

The Shooting Range #108 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the Conqueror.

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] Сenturion Mk III and Conqueror Mk II
• [Devblog] Conqueror Armor Investigation