M26 T99

M26 T99

M26 T99

USA

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.7	6.7	6.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:7 480

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This page is about the medium tank M26 T99. For other uses, see M26 (Family).

Description

The Medium Tank M26 T99 is a premium Rank IV American medium tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.53 "Firestorm". This is a M26 Pershing tank equipped with four rocket pods holding a total of 44 rockets which can be launched against the enemy.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Front, turret)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Side, Rear, Roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	101.6 mm (42-46°) Front Glacis 162.5 mm (25-60°) Upper front glacis 76.2 mm (28-53°) Lower Glacis	76.2 mm (0-1°) Front 50.8 mm (0-3°) Rear	50.8 mm (7°) Top 22.2 mm (71°) Bottom	22.2 mm
Turret	101.6 mm (1-55°) Turret front 114.3 mm (1-84°) Gun mantlet	76.2 mm (3-54°)	76.2 mm (1-79°)	25.4 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	76.2 mm	25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
42.5	N/A	45 (AB)
		40 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	775	954
Realistic/Simulator	442	500
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	18.23	22.45
Realistic/Simulator	10.40	11.76

Armaments

Main armament

90 mm M3
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
70			-10°/+20°	±180°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	14.28	19.80	24.0	26.60	28.20
Realistic	14.28	16.80	20.4	22.60	24.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
11.05	8.63	7.95	7.50

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
T33 shot	AP	189	188	163	137	115	96
M71 shell	HE	13	13	13	13	13	13
M82 shot	APCBC	165	164	150	137	125	114
M304 shot	APCR	264	260	245	226	210	191

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%
T33 shot	AP	822	11	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M71 shell	HE	823	11	0.1	0.5	925	+0°	79°	80°	81°
M82 shot	APCBC	807	11	1.2	20	137.2	+4°	48°	63°	71°
M304 shot	APCR	1021	7.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
M313	821	11	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M26 Pershing

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
70	61 (+9)	55 (+15)	49 (+21)	41 (+29)	33 (+37)	25 (+45)	17 (+53)	9 (+61)	1 (+69)	No

Only bottom: 49 (+21)

Additional armament

114 mm M8 rocket
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Flight speed (m/s)	Range (m)
44			-10°/+25°	260	4,500

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,000 (200)				577	-10°/+50°	±120°

7.62 mm M1919A4
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
5,250 (250)				500	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

Even being designated as a medium, the Pershing can perform in many different roles in battle. It can be used for supporting allied tanks with long reload time as IS-2's, T32's, etc. Participate in flanking maneuvers — the M26 speed and agility is not brilliant but enough for that — and be successful in sniping and ambushing situations. Use the lower profile of Pershing compared to the Sherman's to navigate through s. The vertical guidance (-10º/20º) allows the M26 to shoot from upper positions without exposing too much of the tank. That´s an advantage compared to Russians which have many ground depression problems.

The 90 mm M3 gun owns a wide selection of ammunition to be used. The M82 APCBC with 200g of explosive filler is extremely deadly. Usually successful penetration with this shell can lead to a quick end to the enemy. It lacks a bit of penetration for the rank this vehicle sits, but it's great for flanking shots. The M304 HVAP shot, gives the vehicle the ability to penetrate thick armour, mind the APCR/HVAP has poor slope characteristics. This means these need to aim for flat armour. Against a King Tiger Henschel, this means aiming for the turret on the gunner side. At that position the M26 can penetrate out to distances of 1800 meters.

Although moderately armoured for a medium tank class, most enemies can easily destroy the M26 at this rank. A safe play style is a must. To reduce direct impacts in frontal engagements angle the Pershing, the V-shape frontal armour can deflect some shots. The lower glacis is a very good target, try to keep it hidden from the enemy. One down side to the Pershing is the engine. The power to weight ratio is poor and does not allow for very quick maneuvering. It uses the same Ford GAF that can be found in the late series M4 Medium tanks, with nearly 8 tons more weight. Being slightly underpowered, the Pershing has a hard time climbing hills. Good knowledge of maps and areas of operation will help immensely, so use them wisely.

Tactics

Urban maps (Poland, Eastern Europe, Hürtgen Forest, Cologne) are perfect for ambushing, use the tank's moderate speed to catch off-guard heavier enemy tanks. Drop artillery in front of suspected enemy positions if the M26 need to cross a street and relocate, the smoke screen will cover the M26.

If the M26 T99 has been able to flank an enemy, the first shot is decisive. Always shoot the breech to knock out the gun. The best ammo to do this is M304(APCR) round, or M82(APCBC). M304 will guarantee a 100% successful shot, M82 can also work very good and might destroy everything inside the turret. But some Germans have tracks in the hull sides and if the enemy saw the M26 and is turning the turret, the M82 could bounce off the turning turret armour. Most importantly, don't miss.

The large sides of German heavy´s are tempting targets but its very easy to over pen with the wrong ammo like the T33(APCBC) or M304.

If flanking a SPG like Jagdpanther, Jagdtiger or Ferdinand, just aim for the engine, and the vehicle is basically down for easy picking.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Armament:
  • The 90 mm gun is adequate for most contemporary tanks it will face.
  • Gets 44 M8 rockets, which can be used to blind other tanks in a pinch.
• Armour:
  • Armour does not differ at all from the regular Pershing.
• Utility:
  • Can be used as a backup for the regular M26.
  • Does not require any significant learning curve to operate, can be used just as the normal M26 would.

Cons:

• Survivability:
  • Rocket pods create external (and unarmoured) ammunition racks.
  • Frontal hull armour on the Pershing has relatively little sloping.
• Armament:
  • 90 mm gun lacks penetration to take on tanks frontally.
  • Rockets are not very effective at destroying tanks.
• Price:
  • In addition to only being available for purchase after having purchased the Calliope (9,740 GE, ~50 USD), the M26 T99 will cost another ~30 USD (5,990 GE).

History

In 1944, the main tank development in US Ordnance was the T26E1 tank, which would later become the M26 Pershing. The M26 was made into many different variants in hope it could fulfill multiple roles. One variant hoped to increase the M26's firepower with the addition of rocket launchers, in a manner similar to the T34 Calliope on the Shermans. The rocket launchers was attached on M26 serial number 2011, the 250th of its kind made from Detroit Tank Arsenal. The rocket launcher attached was the 4.5 inch multiple rocket launcher T99, consisting of two racks on both sides of the turret, carrying a total of 44 rockets for use. The rocket launchers were traversable by the same turret controls for the main 90 mm gun. The T99 launchers were mounted on trunnions and could be jettisoned from inside the tank when empty. Settings for rocket firing came at one at a time, two at a time, and a full salvo dump. The last of these settings can fire all 44 rockets within 7 seconds. The design was informally called M26 T99.

Testing with the M26 with the T99 commenced in sometime in late 1945 at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. However, the tank apparently did not seem to have any interest as no other mention of it is made after that. It was presumably cancelled sometime in early 1946.

Media

Skins and camouflages for the M26 series from live.warthunder.com.

Read also

[Devblog] М26 Pershing with Т99 rocket launcher - with developer's answers

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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