AMX-13 (Israel)

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This page is about the Israeli light tank AMX-13 (Israel). For other versions, see AMX-13 (Family).
AMX-13
il_amx_13_75.png
GarageImage AMX-13 (Israel).jpg
ArtImage AMX-13 (Israel).jpg
AMX-13
AB RB SB
6.3 6.7 6.7
Class:
Research:54 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:185 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The AMX-13 was employed by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. A total of 400 tanks were acquired from France between 1956 and 1967, with three battalions being formed and ready for deployment. The AMX-13 was used in an unconventional way: since the IDF lacked proper modern MBTs due to arms embargoes imposed upon them, it was decided to use the AMX-13 in frontline duties rather than in the usual roles of light tanks, such as reconnaissance. Thus, the AMX-13 sustained heavy casualties during the war and was promptly retired afterwards.

Introduced in Update "Wind of Change", the AMX-13 is best used in flanking manoeuvres using its good speed and agility against heavier opponents in uptiers, or sniping from medium to long ranges with its decent gun in downtiers. Like all light tanks, the AMX-13 is not suited to urban environments since it can be easily ambushed and destroyed. The AMX-13 lacks any sort of HEAT or APHE and relies only on APCBC with no explosive filler, making it very hard to one-shot enemies. It is recommended to aim for the gunner or the barrel of enemy tanks in close quarters, as the AMX-13 has a 5-second reload autoloader, allowing it to reload faster than most tanks at its BR except for IFVs or APCs with autocannons like the Marder IFV or the BTR-80A.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull40 / 20 / 15
Turret40 / 20 / 20
Crew3 people
Visibility79 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret roof, side and rear)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (turret base, turret front, 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 (14°) 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 (32-47°) Turret front
60 mm (conical) Gun mantlet
40 mm (15-75°) Barrel shroud
20 mm (0-30°) Turret 20 mm Turret bustle
20 mm (17-22°) Pivot ball
10 mm (77-90°) Turret underside
10 mm
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

Speedforward / back
AB68 / 8 km/h
RB and SB61 / 7 km/h
Number of gears5 forward
1 back
Weight14.5 t
Engine power
AB515 hp
RB and SB270 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB35.5 hp/t
RB and SB18.6 hp/t

The AMX-13 is not the fastest for the BR, mostly losing to wheeled vehicles. However, the AMX-13 keeps a consistent speed regardless of the terrain, making it able to reach off-road positions much faster. On top of that, the excellent power-to-weight ratio also helps when trying to reach elevated positions.

The main drawback to remember is the sub-optimal reverse speed. The AMX-13 can only partially expose itself, a fully exposed AMX-13 will not be able to reverse back into cover in time.

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 14.5 418 515 28.83 35.52
Realistic 61 7 239 270 16.48 18.62

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 159 → 3 102 Sl icon.png
RB2 621 → 3 766 Sl icon.png
SB3 494 → 5 020 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications46 900 Rp icon.png
85 400 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 500 Ge icon.png
Crew training52 000 Sl icon.png
Experts185 000 Sl icon.png
Aces710 Ge icon.png
Research Aces480 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 140 / 170 % Sl icon.png
166 / 166 / 166 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
2 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 300 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 900 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 900 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement il.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
2 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 300 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
3 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 600 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods airstrike.png
Airstrike
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_SA50_APCBC_ammo_pack
Research:
1 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
115 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
2 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 300 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
2 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 300 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 900 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods scouting.png
Improved optics
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 900 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Autoloader
Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader
Ammunition36 rounds
First-order12 rounds
Reload5.0 s
Vertical guidance-6° / 13°
Main article: SA50 L/57 (75 mm)
75 mm SA50 L/57 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 36 -6°/+13° ±180° N/A 28.6 39.5 48.0 53.1 56.5 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
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
POT-51A APBC 182 178 162 143 127 113
OE Mle 1951 HE 15 15 13 12 11 10
PCOT-51P APCBC 202 198 180 159 141 125
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%
POT-51A APBC 1,000 6.4 - - - 47° 60° 65°
OE Mle 1951 HE 753 6.2 0.2 0.1 675 79° 80° 81°
PCOT-51P APCBC 1,000 6.4 - - - 48° 63° 71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AMX-13 (Israel)
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
36 32 (+4) 28 (+8) 23 (+13) 18 (+18) 13 (+23) (+29) (+35) No

Notes:

  • Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
  • Racks 6* and 7* (autoloader magazines) are first stage ammo racks. They total 12 shells.
    • These racks get filled first when loading up the tank and are also emptied first.
    • As the AMX-13 (Israel) is equipped with an autoloader, manual reloading of the gun is not possible.
    • Once the autoloader magazines have been depleted, you can't shoot until the loader has restocked the autoloader with at least 1 shell.
    • The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun (about 15 seconds). Take this into account when playing.
    • Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 7* then 6*. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

Machine guns

Ammunition4 950 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reload5.0 s
Fire rate551 shots/min
Main article: MAC 31 (7.5 mm)
7.5 mm MAC 31
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 4,950 (150) 551 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

How the AMX-13 can be used largely depends on what BR and nations it is facing. At a full down-tier, against 5.3/5.7 (AB/RB), the AMX-13 can be used at medium to long range as a travelling sniper. The main threats at that BR are heavies such as the American T34, the German Tiger II (H) and the Russian IS-2 (1944). These can all be penetrated in their respective weak spots at 500 m, however the further you are, the narrower the weak spots get, and there is no guarantee to disable them in a single shot.

In an up-tier, against up to 7.7, the AMX-13's long-range capabilities are greatly diminished. Most medium tanks become tough to deal with. Heavies like the IS-3, T32, M103 and Maus are a no-go, T-54s are particularly tough as well, the only mediums still easy to deal with at long range are the Leopard 1 and AMX-50. In this situation, the AMX-13 can still shine as a flanker, where you can use your rounds on the less-armoured sides and at a closer range.

It is important to remember that the AMX-13's round is a 75 mm APCBC with no explosive filler to speak of. The round struggles against any form of angled armour, and the post-penetration damage is not always sufficient, even destroying light vehicles from the side may prove difficult (the BMP-1 and Marder A1- being the toughest to deal with). The 5 seconds autoloader can alleviate that, but you will still need to aim strategically. When facing a medium or heavy tank frontally, the best option is sometimes to shoot the barrel and disengage (or, provided they are alone and close enough, get on their sides to finish them off). It will usually take more than one round to destroy an enemy vehicle (against large vehicles, even a direct shot to the ammo may not detonate it due to poor post-penetration damage), so disabling them with the first shot should always be your first priority.

Particularly when getting on the side of multiple enemies at once, focus on disabling all the enemies before attempting to finish them off. A shot to the side turret to destroy their cannon breech is usually the most optimal. This is particularly true for the American T34s and T32s. As for the IS-3, due to the angled turret, the easiest method is a shot to the rear turret, otherwise, a shot in between the hull and the turret is the only place that can be penetrated. On the side, it is possible to penetrate the Maus' armour, however it is a lengthy and dangerous process, and it is usually better to simply destroy its guns and let your team finish it off.

Finally, remember to pro-actively use the scouting ability, it can often save you in a pinch.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 75 mm APCBC has high penetration and high velocity, can penetrate even heavy tanks' weak spots (e.g. Tiger II (H))
  • Autoloader reloads the cannon at an impressive speed
  • Fast on most terrains, can effectively perform flanking
  • Small profile, easy to conceal the tank and ambush others
  • Autoloader means that injured crew or fire-extinguishing will not impact the reload time which can be a life-saver

Cons:

  • Poor survivability, thin armour can be penetrated by any gun including that of any SPAA like Falcon
  • Narrow tracks negatively affect its start-up agility on loose surface
  • Autoloader holds 12 shells, reload time significantly lengthens after those
  • APCBC isn't explosive, requiring accurate shots on crew or other components
  • -7 km/h reverse is very low, severely limiting its tactical agility

History

AMX-13 from the 27th Armored Brigade

The AMX-13 was employed by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War against Egyptian and Syrian forces. It was Israel's only choice to acquire a modern tank in a period when France was the only global power willing to sell weapons to Israel. Israel first acquired a batch of 180 units of the AMX-13 light tank from France in 1956. This was part of an agreement to increase the strength of the Israeli army, and to maintain in the region after arms purchase agreements between Egypt and Czechoslovakia.

Because of a shortage of tanks in the IDF's inventory, Israel employed this vehicles as main battle tanks in some units and thus, they were not used as light tanks or reconnaissance vehicles. Israel later acquired several more units of the AMX-13, with a total of 400 units ready to be deployed by 1967, thus, before the war, 3 battalions were formed to participate in the Six-Day War.

The three battalions participated in all the fronts of the war, one of them being deployed in the West Bank area against Jordan, another in the Golan Heights against Syria and the last one was deployed in the Gaza Strip and in the north of the Sinai Peninsula against Egypt.

Though the tank had decent performance, it proved unsatisfactory. The AMX-13 was a light tank employed in a frontline role, thus, it sustained very heavy casualties throughout the entire war but specially during the Rafah Crossing and the Jiradi Pass. Most of these tanks were destroyed by Soviet-made tanks like the IS-3 and T-54/55. Because of these bad results, the tanks were rapidly retired from service after the war, and sold to the Singapore Army between 1968 and 1969.

Media

Skins

See also

Related development

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Israel light tanks
Tracked  AMX-13 · Namer 30
Wheeled  AML-90