Light AA Mk I
Contents
Description
The Tank, Light AA Mk I is a rank I British self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X".
This tank makes for a good entry-level anti-aircraft vehicle; good speed, manoeuvrability and a devastating short to medium range AA attack. This vehicle should be used in the rear end of an assault, watching the skies for incoming bogies. However, the real ace is that the guns lack accuracy but trade for a sheer volume of fire, filling the skies with a hailstorm of bullets that can discourage bandits from lining up on an attack run. However, anything beyond effective range won't be struck down effectively.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Light AA Mk I has very little armour. Most of the hull has 14mm of armour, which is sufficient only against rifle-calibre rounds. However, the gunner is exposed to machine gun fire, and being that there are only 2 crew members, if he dies, the entire vehicle is destroyed. This means even enemy machine guns can kill you if they hit your gunner. You may be able to somewhat protect the gunners face by aiming upwards with the machine guns, but this is not reliable. In any case, the Light AA Mk I is vulnerable to any vehicle in the game.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 55 | 7 | 4.9 | 125 | 168 | 25.51 | 34.29 |
| Realistic | 51 | 7 | 78 | 88 | 15.92 | 17.96 | |
Armaments
Main armament
| 7.92 mm BESA (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 | 3,600 (225) | 600 | -10°/+65° | ±180° | N/A | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | __.__ | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: Ball · T · IT
- Universal: AP · T · IT · Ball
- API-T: IT · IT · AP · T
- AP-T: AP · AP · IT · 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 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Universal | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| API-T | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| AP-T | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Optics
| Light AA Mk I Optics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Which ones | Default magnification | Maximum magnification |
| Main Gun optics | x2.1 | x3.7 |
| Comparable optics | M13 MGMC | |
Usage in battles
The Light AA Mk I is a very vulnerable vehicle, so commanders should be careful not to expose themselves to enemy fire. Take care to find a position where you will not be seen by enemy ground vehicles, and watch the sky. Due to the low velocity of the machine guns, the Light AA Mk I should not open fire until the enemy plane is very close, probably within 1 km. If you begin to fire while the enemy plane is out of range, they will likely divert course and stay away from your position. Also be wary if there is more than one enemy plane up, as you can be strafed to death by machine gun fire. Once you have a good shot on the enemy plane, the 4 machine guns are capable of dealing more damage than one might expect, you can easily down various aircraft quite quickly, although twin engine fighters and bombers will be difficult to destroy.
Modules
| Tier | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tracks | Parts | Horizontal Drive | Universal | |
| II | Suspension | Brake System | FPE | Adjustment of Fire | API-T |
| III | Filters | Crew Replenishment | Elevation Mechanism | AP-T | |
| IV | Transmission | Engine | Artillery Support | ||
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great placement as a Rank I SPAA
- 4 x BESA machine guns mean a high ammo load and a good rate of fire
- 4 x machine guns means that you have a high hit probability
- Armour provides some protection from machine-gun fire, though the gunner is vulnerable
- Excels at taking down fighters
- Can be used against low tier SPAA and open-top tank destroyers, however, it is best suited to strictly SPAA duties
- Small and mobile
Cons:
- Cannot defend itself from ground attacks, all belts cannot penetrate any tanks
- Damage output is nowhere near comparable to SPAA armed with 20 mm autocannons at this tier
- The gunner is exposed to machine-gun fire from above and the front
- The armour will not protect you from 12.7 mm rounds and above
- Vulnerable to artillery
History
The machine-gun armed Mark VI light tank formed the bulk of British tank strength in 1939. They were intended for colonial duties and reconnaissance but would see front-line combat as late as the British defeats in Java in early 1942. In 1940 they were in use in the light tank squadrons of armoured regiments and the main body of the divisional cavalry regiments. They carried a .50 calibre or 15 mm machine gun as the main armament. They were also used in the early war as command vehicles for armoured units.
As they were withdrawn from service, some Mark VI's were converted to anti-aircraft vehicles, raising the superstructure and replacing the turret. In practice the commander also being the gunner was ineffective. British armoured regiments and tank battalions were supposed to have 4-8 of these vehicles each in mid-1942. By mid-1943 they were taken out of service, replaced for this purpose by the significantly more versatile 20 mm-armed Crusader AA Mk II tank.
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;
- encyclopedia page on the tank;
- other literature.
| 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 |
