Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 (120 mm)
Contents
Description
The L1A2, also known as the L1 or L11, is a 120 mm tank cannon mounted on the Conqueror and Conway in the UK tree. The gun was developed by the Royal Ordnance as a precursor to the L11A5 tank cannon most commonly seen on the Chieftain tanks and later, the Challenger 1 tanks. The large caliber of 120 mm was deemed necessary in NATO's desire to counter the U.S.S.R's newly unveiled IS-3 heavy tanks. The gun never saw combat, with the Conway project being scrapped after one prototype and the Conquerors were only put into service in Germany as part of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine).
The cannon fires a traditional APDS (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot) round and, thanks to the gun's rifling, also fires HESH (High Explosive Squash Head). Penetrating up to 362 mm of armor-equivalent, the gun has a high potency. The trade-off for this is the gun's two-stage round system, which significantly increases reload times (approximately 19-20 seconds stock).
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
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Available shells
The gun has two shells, Shot L1G (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot) and L1TK (High Explosive Squash Head).
The sabot will be familiar to anyone who has previously used other variants, especially those other variants in the UK tree. The sabot has the classic trade-off of reduced shell spalling in exchange for superior penetration.This shell is the main multi-purpose shot for this gun.
HESH is the UK's preferred HE delivery method, which gives greatly increased penetration values on extreme angles, in exchange for lower overall penetration.This shell is for use against hull-breakable vehicles such as BMPs and SPAAs, and tanks with more extreme angles, for example later Russian tanks such as T-54s and T-55s.
| Round | Penetration (10 meters) | Penetration (2000 meters) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0° | 30° | 60° | 0° | 30° | 60° | |||
| Shot L1G | 362 mm | 332 mm | 138 mm | 321 mm | 294 mm | 123 mm | ||
| Shot L1TK | 152 mm | 152 mm | 152 mm | 152 mm | 152 mm | 152 mm | ||
Comparison with analogues
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Usage in battles
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Pros and cons
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Pros:
Cons:
History
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Media
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See also
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- reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
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- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on weapon;
- other literature.
| Britain tank cannons | |
|---|---|
| 30 mm | L21A1 |
| 40 mm | QF 2-pounder |
| 47 mm | Ordnance QF 3-pounder |
| 57 mm | 6pdr OQF Mk.III · 6pdr OQF Mk.V |
| 75 mm | OQF Mk.V |
| 76 mm | OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I · OQF 3in 20cwt · QF 17-pounder |
| 77 mm | OQF Mk.II |
| 84 mm | 20pdr OQF Mk.I |
| 94 mm | 28pdr OQF · 32pdr OQF · OQF Mk.II |
| 95 mm | Howitzer, Tank No.1, Mk.I |
| 105 mm | LRF · Royal Ordnance L7A1 |
| 120 mm | Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 · Ordnance BL Tk. L11 · L11A5 · L30A1 |
| 165 mm | ORD BL 6.5in L9A1 |
| 183 mm | QF L4A1 |
| Foreign: | |
| 25 mm | M242 (USA) |
| 37 mm | M5 (USA) · M6 (USA) |
| 75 mm | M2 (USA) · M3 (USA) |
| 84 mm | kan Strv 81 (Sweden) |
| 105 mm | Sharir (Israel) |
| 120 mm | Rh120 L/55 A1 (Germany) |
| 125 mm | 2A46M-5 (Russia) |
| 155 mm | M185 (USA) |
| South Africa | |
| 20 mm | GI-2 |
| 76 mm | GT-4 |
| 90 mm | GT-2 |
| 105 mm | GT-3 · GT-7 · GT-8 |
| 155 mm | G6 L/45 |
