AS 42
Contents
Description
The Camionetta AS 42 Tipo II "Metropolitana" (shortened as just AS 42) is a rank I Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".
General info
Survivability and armour
The AS42 lacks in armour and is very vulnerable to attacks from the air. While the sloped 3 mm of armour may be sufficient against standard machine guns, most heavy machine guns are able to shred this tank and as such it is not recommended to engage in slugging matches.
Though the armour itself is not sufficient against heavy machine guns, it is possible to use the rear engine compartment as armour to protect the crew from the heavy machine guns projectiles. The ammunition compartments at the sides of the vehicle may stop machine guns from penetrating all the way through to harm the crew, but these have dubious protection values in the long run. However, due to these extreme thin armour thickness, standard armour-piercing rounds tend to penetrate straight through with minimal damage.
The AS42 has 2 crew with ammo to the turret placements sides. The gun's armour is thick enough to protect the gunner in rare circumstances.
Armor Composition:
- Structural Steel - Main
- Gun Steel - Cannon Barrel
- Wheel - Tires
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 3 mm | 3 mm | 3 mm | N/A |
| Turret | 10 mm Gun Barrel
150 mm Gun Breech 20 mm Gunner's Seat 20 mm Elevation and Traverse Mechanisms | |||
Notes:
- Tires - 10 mm
- There is a spare tire on the front and on the rear of the vehicle
- Storage Boxes and Fuel Containers - 3 mm
- Storage Boxes and Fuel Containers cover much of the exterior in addition to the base armor
- Fenders - 3 mm
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 | 92 | 24 | 6 | 156 | 210 | 26 | 35 |
| Realistic | 85 | 22 | 97 | 110 | 16.17 | 18.33 | |
The tank has very high mobility with speeds exceeding 80 km/h on concrete and 35 km/h offroad.
Armaments
Main armament
Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.
| 20 mm Breda Mod.35 | 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 | 1,200 (12) | 501 | -10°/+90° | ±150° | N/A | 30.8 | 42.7 | 51.8 | 57.3 | 60.9 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| Realistic | 20.8 | 24.5 | 29.8 | 32.9 | 35.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: API-T · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* - The belt composition means that 75% of the shells (HEFI-T*) are useless against tanks. However, this belt is reliable against open-topped or lightly armoured targets like SPAA vehicles.
- Granata mod.35: HEFI-T* - This belt does little damage against armoured targets and should be used especially against aircraft or open-topped vehicles. The high-explosive filler is deadly to crew members.
- Perforante mod.35: API-T - This belt offers a good transition from the Default to the PzGr 40 belt. The round offers decent damage against lightly armoured tanks, especially at close range. Due to lack of high-explosive filler, however, it is better to focus on the PzGr 40 belt to maximize penetration power.
- PzGr 40: HVAP-T · API-T - Probably the belt with the best penetrating shell for the vehicle. While the damage effects post-penetration can be quite poor, the rapid fire from the autocannon can remedy this problem by following up quickly with another penetrating shot. In close combat, these shells should be used against modules and crew member to make the most of each shell. Against angled armour, however, the HVAP ammo may not be very effective.
| 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 | ||
| Default | API-T/HEFI-T* | 38 | 36 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Granata mod.35 | HEFI-T | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Perforante mod.35 | API-T | 38 | 36 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| PzGr 40 | HVAP-T/API-T | 64 | 63 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| 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% | |||||||
| Granata mod.35 | HEFI-T | 830 | 0.14 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| Perforante mod.35 | API-T | 832 | 0.14 | 1.2 | 9 | 1.7 | 47° | 60° | 65° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| __ | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Usage in battles
With its high speed, the AS42 has the ability to flank and, with its autocannon, able to cause high amounts of damage fast. If unable to penetrate, you will be able to escape quite quickly and leave to fight another day. The tank loses most of its advantages of stealth and positioning when going into Arcade Battles.
Modules
| Tier | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tires | Parts | Horizontal Drive | Granata mod.35 | |
| II | Suspension | Brake System | FPE | Adjustment of Fire | Perforante mod.35 |
| III | Filters | Crew Replenishment | Elevation Mechanism | ||
| IV | Transmission | Engine | Artillery Support | PzGr 40 | |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High top speed
- Access to PzGr 40 rounds
- Sloped frontal armor, may deflect some rounds
- High penetration for the 20mm cannon
Cons:
- Small magazine for SPAA
- Virtually no protection at all. Even rifle rounds will penetrate the armour
- Only has two crew members
- Crew is exposed
History
The AS (Autosahariana) 42 was derived from the AB 41 armoured car. It was, however, unarmored and did not have the rear driver position. Designed for long-range reconnaissance in North Africa, it had a cross country range of almost 500 miles (800 km). It was also known as the Camionetta Desertica (Desert Weapons Carrier) mod. 42, or "la Sahariana" (the Saharan). The main armament varied: 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons, 20 mm anti-tank rifles, and machine guns were common alternatives. About 200 were built and saw service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. After the armistice, some continued in use with Fascist Italian forces and Germany, including on the Eastern Front, and in the Ardennes in 1944-5.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
- Tanks of comparable role, configuration and era
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the tank;
- other literature.
| Italy anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| R3 Capraia | R3 T20 FA-HS |
| SIDAM 25 | SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral) |
| Wheeled | AS 42 · CM52 |
| Tracked | M42 Contraereo · Leopard 40/70 · OTOMATIC |
| Hungary | ◔ZSU-57-2 · ◔ZSU-23-4 |
