ZT3A2
Contents
Description
The ZT3A2 Ratel is a rank VI British tank destroyer with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike".
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour of this vehicle is absolutely negligible as its launchers are not protected and any ATGM or HE shell detonation next to it will at the very least set the ammo rack on fire or detonate it, taking the tank out in process. Frontal hull armour might sustain some MG fire from 500 m away, but it has way too many weak spots with 10 mm or even 6 mm RHA protection to be of any use.
The most glaring weak spot is the gunner sight, as even 7.62 mm rounds sometimes can penetrate it and hit the gunner. Unfortunately, the commander of the ZT3A2 cannot take control of the weapon to fire, meaning that literally anything and anyone can disarm the ZT3A2 with a well-place shot.
Another spot relatively easy to hit is the launcher ammunition. The launcher counts as an active ammo rack, so even hitting missiles with MG can cause them to detonate. Even worse, the ammo rack reappears in the middle of the reload, even though the tank cannot fire yet, so the operator must turn the launcher away if attacked.
One might argue that the ZT3A2's long hull might confuse enemies, but overpressure damage and missile ammo racks placed along the entirety of it make the spaced armour argument irrelevant in most scenarios. Any ATGM landing next to it will instantly destroy it, particularly the ones with 4 kg explosive mass. An IT-1 can do that even by hitting the top of the tree 20 m away from it.
Aircraft strafing the ZT3A2 often prefer to fire at it from the top and focus fire in the middle of it, so cannon based airstrike might fail to destroy the ZT3A2, but any rockets will obliterate the entire hull due to overpressure damage.
Artillery will obliterate this tank even with a 20 m miss and any artillery warning should be a cue to leave for anyone using the ZT3A2. Sometimes the shells land far enough to only cause minor overpressure damage, but crew will only endure 4 hits at best.
Both commander and gunner are located in the turret, which must be exposed to fire in most cases, which makes this tank very easy to disable if not destroy outright. Sometimes, one of them will survive if tank took a glancing hit of APFSDS.
The ZT3A2 has smoke grenades, but these are outdated old smoke grenades and there is only one group of them. Smoke grenades are launched very high up in turret direction, so it takes 4 seconds for them to hit the ground and then 5 seconds to set in. Therefore, they must be used long before the enemy reached your position, not when it is already too late.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
In arcade battles, the stock ZT3A2 drives at 30 km/h offroad and 60 km/h on dirt roads, slowly accelerating towards the 77 km/h mark. When using paved road, it will accelerate towards 100 km/h instead. An upgraded ZT3A2 does not drive much faster due to the engine only working at 1,700-2,000 RPM almost all the time, but it will reach 40 km/h almost as fast as it reached 30 km/h before and will reach its top speed on paved roads far more reliably. The maximum speed does not really change at all.
The ZT3A2 tends to have a lot of momentum in its movement and will keep its speed for some time after going offroad, but also should be driven carefully to avoid losing speed by accidentally ramming something. Its mass is also not enough to plow through thick trees, so they must be avoided.
This tank also has an uncanny ability to drive uphill at very sharp angles, which may slow it to 5 km/h but won't stop it entirely. This, combined with "Tires" upgrade, allows it to climb even certain mountains. The tank can also easily climb rocks and other objects, which tend to be impossible for regular tanks to get over. Unfortunately, this ability is rarely of any use in RB due to its low camera depression, so it is mostly used in AB to sneak shots into players not expecting a missile tank firing from weird positions.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 115 | 20 | 18.5 | 401 | 538 | 21.68 | 29.08 |
| Realistic | 106 | 18 | 249 | 282 | 13.46 | 15.24 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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You can skip researching "Adjustment of fire" at tier 2, as it does nothing noticeable to improve missile guidance. Research "Brakes" instead to improve the ZT3A2s ability to fire fast. "Elevation mechanism" in theory could help, but isn't necessary and can be skipped as well. Research "Tandem missile" as soon as possible, as it will help fight tanks of higher BR. Mobility upgrades might make the ZT3A2 faster, but their usefulness is very limited, with "Tires" and "Engine" bringing the most noticeable benefit. "Smoke grenades" might help the ZT3A2 to survive in between reloads or if it got caught in a crossfire, so it might be a good idea to research them first instead. Researching "Horizontal Drive" might make controlling missiles in RB slightly easier and will allow the user to respond to sudden flank attacks.
Armaments
Main armament
There are two main missiles on the ZT3A2, The ZT3A1 and ZT3A2. Both missiles are immune to jamming by ICRM, so the AMX-30B2 BRENUS will not be able to escape them. Both missiles have very strong vertical drive and rather sluggish horizontal drive. They also can cause overpressure damage through more RHA than would be expected from a normal HEAT warhead.
The missiles are loaded in magazines of 3 missiles with 4 magazines or 12 missiles total. They aren't reloaded if the launcher is damaged. Each shot forces a 0.6s reload. Missiles fire off in order from the right to the left.
In AB/RB the guiding "camera" is located in the launcher, which means that it can fire and guide straight after exposing the launcher. In SB, missiles are guided by gunner's optics under the launcher, which means that the hull must also be exposed.
The ZT3A1 can be treated like a MILAN 2 with 40 more km/h speed on it. It often fails to break through light tanks and will only destroy ERA screens, but not break through them in most cases. Regardless, they are still very strong and there are 3 of them at once, so it is possible to destroy an entire tank squad if they are not paying attention to their surroundings. They can cause overpressure through 20 mm RHA, which means it can destroy [[Leopard]] by hitting the top of its roof.
The ZT3A2 has a tandem warhead, which allows it to penetrate one obstacle (primarily, ERA of Soviet or French tanks) without wasting the HEAT payload, and it in general has more penetration than most of rank VI British ATGM, easily breaching and obliterating any tanks they land on. Unfortunately, some light tanks like the TAM can still somehow survive a direct hit, so aiming at weak spots is still recommended. This missile can cause overpressure through 30 mm RHA, so even many Soviet tanks aren't safe from it, as even if they hide their hull they are still an easy target.
Both missiles are easier to aim by using sniper scope, even in arcade mode and at point blank range, as sniper scope makes it easier to see missile position via light it emits onto ground and thus easier to force them to fall into enemy cover.
It's necessary to be careful when cutting missile controls off by launching the next one, as cutting them off too close to the target might cause the missile to randomly turn 120 degrees, which results in a miss.
| ZT3 missile | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 12 (3) | -5°/+15° | ±180° | Two-plane | 35.2 | 48.8 | 59.2 | 65.5 | 69.7 | 19.50 | 17.25 | 15.90 | 15.00 |
| Realistic | 23.8 | 28.0 | 34.0 | 37.6 | 40.0 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| ZT3A1 | ATGM | 650 | 650 | 650 | 650 | 650 | 650 |
| ZT3A2 | ATGM (tandem) | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| ZT3A1 | ATGM | 240 | 4,000 | 26 | 0 | 0.01 | 3,580 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
| ZT3A2 | ATGM (tandem) | 220 | 5,000 | 28.5 | 0.4 | 0.01 | 3,580 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
This MG fires way too slowly to be of any combat use, but if the ZT3A2 is attacked by a hostile ATGM carrier, it should be fired at the incoming missiles with an about 5% chance of shooting them down mid-air.
| 7.62 mm Browning MG4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 2,000 (250) | 500 | -10°/+20° | N/A |
Usage in battles
Arcade mode
It can be used on a map with a road leading off your spawn towards capture point to quickly take over a strong defensive position. Do note, that it will only reach maximum speed if uses asphalt road and it might need a head start for that anyway. Any position that enemy has to attack into and cannot attack indirectly is worth taking over like this. For example, on the map "Middle east" it can rush into north capture point and fall down into cover of a bunker before being sniped. This position is well protected, and also allows it to abuse simplified AB ATGM controls to deny any access to the capture point for the enemy team, as it has strong vertical missile control and can snipe attacking enemy tanks by just pointing sniper scope at them after firing out and over cover.
It can also be used to drive to the side of attacking enemy to sneak shots into them. You can also do this in more provocative manner by hiding behind buildings next to them, but be aware that you then have to rely on your team to act as a distraction and you should avoid being seen and especially avoid or destroy light tanks to not get unnecessary attention. While sneaking in AB is difficult, it is still rather easy to sneak upon Soviet players and heavy tanks in general as long as you understand the game mechanics. Do note, that in AB the ZT3A2 does not have the constraints of "gun depression" and is able to fire off any kind of ground spikes, therefore it might be a good idea to climb any weird ground formation or rocks if it allows you to fire over buildings or other enemy cover, or at least give you a second before the enemy can process what is going on and react.
There is also a possibility of using the ZT3A2's tall profile to fire through the openings of indestructible buildings at the tanks standing on the other side, for example big tall windows of churches, which can allow you to capture a point with minimal effort. It is also possible to fire through some street corners, as many of them have little openings and cracks which are often overlooked, such as ones on south side of Port Novorossiysk domination mode, when there can be at least 6 tanks waiting for you to rush them, but not noticing a very little window next to them which you can fire through. This tactic is usually successful, as at close range it is impossible for regular tanks to fire back, and at long range your launcher is such a small target, only a specialist will be able to notice and hit you back. Be careful with the missile launching pattern, as to not hit your own cover.
It can be used as a sniper tank, with main advantage of it being able to obliterate enemy cover with first unguided missile, which is immediately followed by a guided missile hitting their turret and a third being sent over cover if target managed to survive the first hit. Likewise, it is possible to just send all 3 missiles through forest in hopes that they will be able to brute force the foliage and hit enemy tanks anyway. It is also technically possible to drive missiles into enemy ATGM tanks over hills when they are reloading, but it might be too difficult to time correctly, unless missile is guided next to the ground and you keep its position by tracking the light it emits onto the ground. Remember to immediately hide after such attacks and in general fire into enemy tank sides to avoid being countersniped. Three shots can also be used to snipe three tanks simultaneously, but low missile speed will not allow you to attack moving tanks like that, so think whom you want to take out first before firing.
In any case be very wary of your reload timings - locate targets, gain as much of unfair advantage over them, like short cover you can fire over and they cannot, as possible, then fully commit to your attack when they seem to lose focus. Each shot forces a 0.6 second "reload" and in that time you must point missile on your first target and decide who needs to be destroyed next, then fire next missile. Otherwise, guide each missile till the very end and focus on enemies which clearly noticed that they are being attacked and start turning towards you. After firing three shots, back off into cover before anyone decided to fire back. If enemy managed to destroy the launcher, turn around and make a complete retreat, especially if it was already empty, as repair will take at least 5 seconds and reload after this will take from 15 to 20 seconds, making you unable to recover from that kind of damage fast enough.
Overall, in AB the ZT3A2's efficiency depends on a lot of factors outside of players control - if everyone will focus on it, you will not be able to do much, especially from long range, as it takes just one or two good hits of virtually any weapon to destroy the ZT3A2, but you should be already used to play around enemy with aim assist at this point.
Notable enemies
- Proximity missile carriers: avoid gaining attention of the M3A3 Bradley, CM25 and the Dardo since their missiles can explode in proximity of enemy tanks and the ZT3A2's armour is too thin to survive overpressure damage. Locate and destroy them immediately, if you can, or run very far away, as simple cover of a hill or a wall won't save against them. If forced to fight them head-on (preferable in AB only): ensure that your launcher is fully loaded, position yourself as far away from them as possible and put the hull low behind cover to avoid being obliterated by a gun, but high enough to be visible. Natural reaction to this for most such light tanks is to start spamming ATGMs at you, this is where the 3-shot magazine of the ZT3A2 comes into play. Since proximity missiles have the tendency to react to anything they fly next to, your answer should be firing a missile of your own. Once they are out of ammo, drop the third shot straight into their turret or run.
- Wheeled light tanks: the ZT3A2 is on average two times slower than light tanks on wheels at the same rank due to its negligible offroad speed, as it averages at a speed of a fast medium tank or slower light tanks even with the best player effort. While it is too likely to meet a player, that can and will fire their guns while driving at a full 90+ km/h, and maybe you will be able to do an emergency stop and destroy them (or at least destroy eachother), it is very likely to meet 4 of such tanks already standing next to a capture point that you were intending to attack, so don't be overconfident and be careful with rushing attacks into capture points with lots of low cover (which the ZT3A2 can't use as it's too tall). Do not act as if you are the only person who can rush, as otherwise the ZT3A2 will get gunned down before even doing anything, since it can't fire on the move.
- XM-1 (GM): this tank has NERA screen in the turret, and is as fast as a light tank. Try to hit it in the hull or at least angle the missile down before it lands on the turret, if you use the default missile. Tandem missile should be able to penetrate it regardless. Avoid engaging it directly, as it has way too many machine guns.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Is able to use tandem missiles, which penetrate ERA at almost any angle of attack and can cause overpressure damage through more armour than normal HEAT ATGM. They also have a chance of penetrating the IPM1's turret frontally if user controls them well
- Has three shot launcher, which is a step down from the Striker, but still one more shot when compared to type 89 and similar tanks
- Missiles are immune to jammers
- Can relocate very fast on maps with a lot of paved roads after having researched mobility upgrades
- Missiles have very strong vertical mobility, which technically allows them to directly attack tanks from low/high ground and/or over obstacles with enough user skill (though this is difficult to pull off in RB due to mediocre camera depression)
- While clumsy, the ZT3A2's chassis are able to climb at very sharp angles (60-70 degree inclination even when stock in AB) and it can get on top of certain objects the Striker or other ATGM tanks would not be able to climb
- Tall profile allows it to fire directly over certain cover which other tanks normally use as a full cover, for example, destroyed building debris, potentially surprising some enemies
Cons:
- Missiles do not turn well in horizontal plane and are especially unresponsive in RB
- Vertical depression is not too great on the launcher, which can limit launch options from high ground in RB (not as much of an issue in AB)
- In SB, the hull must be exposed to make a direct shot and almost any responding shot to the top of the hull will destroy weapon, ammo rack, or enough crew to count as crew knockout, even a single glancing hit from ZSU-57-2 may be enough. In AB/RB it still have to be careful, as any direct hit to the missiles will make them explode the carrier
- Slow when drives offroad and in general drives more like a bus rather than a tank or a regular armoured car
- Must make a complete stop to fire, which makes it incapable of fighting any kind of light tanks or SPAA directly
- Missiles are only 20-40 m/s faster than MILAN and hostile ATGM tanks generally use missiles that are 2 to 5 times faster, SAM tanks can even make a very late response and still win the duel
- Reloads only after spending all three shots (but reloads all three at once), does not automatically reload during rearm like the Striker
- Has obsolete smoke grenades and only has one group of them
- Has a lot of upgrades which do nothing to improve its fighting capabilities (like adjustment of fire)
History
Devblog
In the early 1960s, the South African military already identified the need for anti-tank missile capabilities. Subsequently, this led to South Africa procuring the MILAN ATGM in the early to mid 1970s. However, early use experience with the MILAN highlighted the weapon's unsuitability for the African tropical conditions.
Being a wire-guided missile, the MILAN's control wire had a tendency to get caught up in the thick African bush and get severed, causing the missile to go off target and making engaging moving targets even more challenging. As a result, the decision was made to procure a laser-guided missile. However, as international arms embargoes were imposed on South Africa, simply acquiring an existing weapon off the export market wasn't possible. Therefore, South African engineers at the Kentron company went about designing their own laser-guided ATGM in the late 1970s.
The result of this undertaking was the creation of the ZT3 missile system. By the time the ZT3 system had been ready for production in 1986, plans were being drawn up for a modified Ratel 20 housing the newly developed ZT3 missile launcher in a modified Ratel 60 turret. The modified Ratel with the ZT3 missile system was developed in order to supplement the Ratel 90s in anti-tank operations as the latter often struggled to engage heavy armour in direct combat.
The Ratel ZT3-A1 entered production in 1987 and around 90vehicles of the type had been built by 1993. The ZT3-A2 was introduced in 2008 and continues its successful operation with SANDF units till the present day.
Media
- Skins
- Images
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
| Britain tank destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Infantry tank derivatives | Archer · Gun Carrier (3-in) |
| Light tank derivatives | Alecto I |
| M10 Achilles | Achilles · Achilles (65 Rg.) |
| Centurion derivatives | FV4005 · Conway |
| ATGM | Swingfire · Striker |
| Other | Tortoise · ▄M109A1 |
| Canada | QF 3.7 Ram |
| South Africa | G6 · ZT3A2 |
