AMX-13 (FL11)

AMX-13 (FL11)

▄Crusader Mk.II

E.B.R. (1951)

AMX-13 (FL11)

▄Crusader Mk.II

E.B.R. (1951)

France

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	4.3	4.3

Class:

Light tank

Research:26 000

Purchase:76 000

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This page is about the French light tank AMX-13 (FL11). For other variants, see AMX-13 (Family).

Description

The AMX-13 (FL11) is a rank III French light tank with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB) and 4.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". It is the first of many iterations of the famous AMX-13. Although this version lacks the punch of its successors, it certainly offers a good foresight of what this light chassis can do.

The AMX-13 (FL11) is the first tank with the distinctive oscillating French turret design, combining it with a low, sleek-profiled chassis - almost identical to 6.0 AMX-13, save for a few small details (e.g. exhaust). The FL11 has a smaller, shorter gun with a double muzzle-break, on a smaller turret that doesn't have the large rear counter-weight/storage and the canvas over the turret joint found on later models.

General info

Survivability and armour

At its BR, this light tank actually has decent armour, especially in the turret front area, where 40 mm sloped at ~60° will defeat some low-caliber guns. Be cautious: although turret frontal armour is good, this does not means you can just go hull down and be safe, it will only provide you a chance to survive a shot and reposition (this tank is great for learning how to use later models of the AMX-13). As for everywhere else (but the UFP), 20 mm of flat armour is all you get, note that the upper front plate is sloped at 67°, which may ricochet long-range shots. With only 10 mm of top armour, seek company from allied AAs since your own armament does not enables you to engage aerial threats.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret roof - rear, cupola roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (turret base, turret, gun mantlet, cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	40 mm (38-40°) Turret base 20 mm (66°) Upper glacis 40 mm (cylindrical) Transmission carter 20 mm (51°) Lower glacis	20 mm (32-34°) Turret base 20 mm Sides	20 mm (32-34°) Turret base 15 mm (1°) Top 15 mm (44°) Bottom	20 mm (24°) Front glacis 10 mm Centre 10 mm (5°) Rear 5 mm Vents
Turret	40 mm (spherical) Turret front 60 mm (spherical) Gun mantlet	20 mm (cylindrical)		40 mm (spherical) Turret front 10 (18°) Rear half
Cupola	20 mm (conical) Base 10 mm (spherical) Dome			20 mm (conical) Outer ring 10 mm (spherical) Centre

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
• Storage boxes and mudguards are 4 mm thick.

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	68	8	12.7	418	515	32.91	40.55
Realistic	61	7		239	270	18.82	21.26

With a power ratio of 26.97 HP/ton in AB, or 15.42 HP/ton in RB (stock!), the AMX-13 (FL11) chassis offers mobility that leave almost nothing to be desired (reverse speed is kind of slow with only -6 km/h). With its wide tracks, even soft terrain is not that hard to cross. The only thing to consider while driving this light tank is obstacles as they can significantly reduce your speed, thus making you vulnerable and/or less effective. One could make very good use of such a fast and small vehicle by avoiding contact while making a large flanking manoeuvre, scouting enemies and popping out sometimes to take down enemies from unexpected angles.

Armaments

Main armament

The 75 mm SA49 cannon is quite decent at the BR. Its only flaw being a bad firing arc (shell drops fast with distance), which makes long-range engagements inadvisable. Penetration rates are comparable to those of the Russian F-34 cannon or those of the British QF 6-pounder's stock shot. While not being the best gun at the BR, it certainly provides enough firepower to destroy any enemy's flank. Horizontal drive is fast, allowing for fast reaction shots in close range engagements. As for elevation angles, -6° of depression feels a bit lacking while 13° of elevation is clearly the worst thing about this configuration: you cannot engage air targets. One last thing to consider about your main gun: it is mounted on an oscillating turret, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics ineffective. Coaxial armament is the classic French MAC 31 with 100 rounds loaded and ready to turn those soft targets to shreds. A sweet addition to this tank is 4 smoke launchers located on the lower turret part's back, these can be used either to shield you and your allies from incoming fire, to cover your retreat or to hide your team's movements from enemy sight. Smoke launchers at this low BR prepares players to higher-ranking battlefields and tactic opportunities, make sure to master them.

75 mm SA49					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	37	-6°/+13°	±180°	N/A	28.6	39.5	48.0	53.1	56.5	9.75	8.63	7.95	7.50
Realistic					17.9	21.0	25.5	28.2	30.0

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
PCOT-51P	APCBC	103	101	92	81	72	64
75 mm HE	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
M61 shot	APCBC	104	101	90	78	68	59

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%
PCOT-51P	APCBC	625	6.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°
75 mm HE	HE	600	6.2	0.0	0.1	675	79°	80°	81°
M61 shot	APCBC	618	6.79	1.2	14	63.7	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AMX-13 (FL11)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
37	31 (+6)	20 (+17)	12 (+25)	4 (+33)	1 (+36)	No

Machine guns

7.5 mm MAC 31
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,950 (150)	1,350	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The AMX-13 (FL11), in line with most light tanks, shines best as a flanker and scout, due to its almost non-existent armour. Some shots against lower tiers can be bounced off by the sloped upper glacis plate and turret front, but anywhere else will get penetrated with ease. A sub-par gun without APHE ammunition means frontal engagements are mostly out of the question.

Scout and flank, as any other light tank should. The AMX-13 (FL11) cannot stand up to direct assaults from the enemy; it has irrelevant armour, decent speed, a useable gun with lacking depression (especially facing forward), and only 3 crew. The bad reverse speed also makes it unable to retreat behind cover once discovered, so caution in engagements is advised. It is also worth noting that the low velocity and high drop rate of its shells allow the FL11 to engage from behind slopes without having to reveal itself.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	M61 shot	Airstrike
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	Improved optics

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent penetration
• Fairly small and has a low profile: easy to hide, helps scouting
• Good mobility
• Has smoke launchers
• Poorly aimed shots may bounce off the 40 mm sloped turret
• Unlike most light tanks, impervious to HMG from the front
• Engine in the front protects crew in head on engagements
• Has access to the same APCBC shot with HE filler as the M4 Shermans

Cons:

• Light armour
• Long reload
• Low velocity cannon: long-range shots are hard to land
• Unstable cannon pitch up when firing, makes it difficult to stay on target
• Unstable cannon pitch up when braking, makes it difficult and slow to acquire targets right after stopping
• Mediocre gun depression (especially facing forward)
• Bad reverse
• Bad elevation and no top-mounted MG makes it vulnerable to aircraft
• Turret area is filled with ammo and fuel.

History

Development

In 1952, the First Indochina War had been raging for six years. The French Army was facing a better and better armed enemy and their cavalry units were still equipped with WW2 tanks like the M24 or the M5A1. The French government decided to send the latest developed French tank, the AMX-13, in Indochina. However, the AMX-13 needed to undergo modifications for the South-Eastern theater. The large FL-10 autoloader turret and the long 75 mm gun made the AMX-13 unadapted for the logistical constraints of the colonial conflict (limited air transport capabilities and combat in constricted urban environments).

That's why a new turret was installed (the FL-11 equipping the Panhard EBR reconnaissance armoured car) which was smaller, lighter and sporting a shorter 75 mm gun. The new turret made the tank less tall and shorter in overall length. However, the new turret was cramped, which was detrimental to the manual reloading of the gun. No major modification was brought to the hull: the only noticeable difference was the shift from 4 track return rollers to 2.

The production started in 1954 with an order for 20 units but only 5 were produced. By that time, the First Indochina War had come to an end and the need for such an urban combat vehicle had disappeared.

Combat usage

The 5 AMX-13 (FL11) were allocated to the 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment in Oujda, Morocco. They never saw combat action and were sold in 1956 to the Moroccan Army following the country's independence. The light tanks stayed in the Moroccan arsenal until 1973. It is unclear if they ever saw combat under Moroccan flag.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AMX-13 (FL11) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #148 - Metal Beasts section at 03:38 discusses the AMX-13 (FL11).

AMX-13 (FL11) Tank Review - NUSensei

The Shooting Range #77 - Pages of History section at 05:19 discusses the AMX-13.

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• AMX-13 (Family)

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• M24 (Family)

External links

• [Wikipedia] AMX-13
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] AMX-13 Avec Tourelle FL-11