Difference between revisions of "AMX-13"

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{{About
 
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== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
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=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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The {{PAGENAME}} can carry you wherever you want as its engine allows for fast accelerations and good, sustained, top speed. You will get quickly to a firing position on the battlefield and relocate easily to a new one once spotted.
 
The {{PAGENAME}} can carry you wherever you want as its engine allows for fast accelerations and good, sustained, top speed. You will get quickly to a firing position on the battlefield and relocate easily to a new one once spotted.
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=== Modifications and economy ===
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== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
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=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
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<!-- ''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: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. 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.'' -->
 
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{{main|SA50 L/57 (75 mm)}}
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=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
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{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}
 
{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

Revision as of 09:21, 28 December 2020

VTOL | Rank 5 USA
AV-8A Harrier Pack
fr_amx_13_75.png
GarageImage AMX-13.jpg
AMX-13
AB RB SB
6.3 6.7 6.7
Class:
Research:71 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:210 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the light tank AMX-13. For other uses, see AMX-13 (Family).

Description

GarageImage AMX-13.jpg


The AMX-13 is a rank IV French light tank with a battle rating of 6.3 (AB) and 6.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". The AMX-13's chassis is the mainstay of France's light tank technology for the post-war period and this one is its most iconic iteration as it is mounted with the FL10 turret. This vehicle is one of the best light tanks at its battle rating, capable of fulfilling many roles on the battlefield.

The AMX-13 series has one of the most distinctive looks of all armoured warfare's history as it combines many unusual design choices. First, this tank does not feature a "classical" layout: engine deck is next to the driver and the turret ring is at the rear of the tank's hull. Speaking of turrets, this tank has an oscillating one, which means that both gun and turret armour are welded together and that the whole assembly has to rotate to elevate the gun. This way of mounting allows the placement of an autoloader mechanism in the long turret bulge. As for its size, it is very small.

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 %

Even though this tank has unimpressive armour values, its sloped profile will protect it from autocannon fire (with some distance, even the Bofors can't go through this tank). Any dedicated antitank gun/missile/contraption will go right through this tank's armour. While this may sound a bit bad "getting easily pierced" also has its advantages: some APHE rounds will not detonate upon impact, which will minimise the damage done. If you happen to get shot at, the best way to survive is by showing your right front corner towards the enemy, this way, the engine deck may catch some shells. Don't ever rely on this tank's armour, take every shot you survive as a second chance.

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
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

The AMX-13 can carry you wherever you want as its engine allows for fast accelerations and good, sustained, top speed. You will get quickly to a firing position on the battlefield and relocate easily to a new one once spotted.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 701 → 3 881 Sl icon.png
RB3 260 → 4 684 Sl icon.png
SB4 368 → 6 276 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications61 300 Rp icon.png
101 600 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 800 Ge icon.png
Crew training61 000 Sl icon.png
Experts210 000 Sl icon.png
Aces890 Ge icon.png
Research Aces570 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
120 / 150 / 200 % Sl icon.png
178 / 178 / 178 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
4 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 800 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 800 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 800 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 300 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
4 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 800 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 800 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement fr.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 300 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
4 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 800 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 800 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods airstrike.png
Airstrike
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 800 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_SA50_APCBC_ammo_pack
Research:
2 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 800 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 300 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
3 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 300 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods scouting.png
Improved optics
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
270 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)

Well-positioned, this gun can make your enemies cry: with the quick-firing rate it is "one-two, goodbye" for any foe caught from the sides/rear. In usual one-on-one engagements, foes usually exchange shots but, with the AMX-13, this is a lie: it can fire twice before its foe can reload, this can hurt very much. This high rate of fire makes it very efficient at long-distance sniping: it can adjust fire faster than its foes.

High gun placement and good gun depression angles make this tank very efficient at keeping low behind hills while showing very little of itself. Said shortly, this tank's armament is amazing.

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 APC 182 178 162 143 127 113
75 mm HE HE 10 10 10 10 10 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 APC 1,000 6.4 N/A N/A N/A 48° 63° 71°
75 mm HE HE 753 6.2 0.0 0.1 675 79° 80° 81°
PCOT-51P APCBC 1,000 6.4 N/A N/A N/A 48° 63° 71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AMX-13
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.
  • Rack 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 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. 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.
    • The depletion order at full capacity is: 6* - 7* - 1 - 2 up to 5.

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) 1,350 N/A N/A

The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Usage in battles

The AMX-13 is a very competitive tank as it can reach tricky positions quite fast on the battlefield. Its low profile allows it to hide behind many obstacles, serving as armour for this light vehicle. Keeping hull-down, behind a hill on the border of the map is the best way to use this tank: frontal engagements are a no-go with such little armour. AMX-13 commanders will be surprised to be able to shoot 1 round every 5 seconds with such accuracy and power at this BR.

Long range sniper/flanker
  • Stay low and scout targets for your team. When spotting a vulnerable enemy, shoot its engine/transmission/driver, don't get back into cover and finish it off 6 seconds later, only then, fade back into the shadows. Do not get out of cover too often as enemies too much aware of your position may destroy you easily. If spotted, stay as far as possible from enemy fire: this tank's small size can avoid a lot of shots since it takes some serious gunnery skills to hit such a fast and small target from a distance (1000+ m).
Brawler
  • Even though this is not recommended usage, this can tank actually be taken in close-quarter combat. In this role, it behaves much like any SPAA in the same context: flanking and surprising its foes from the sides with a hailstorm of bullets. Use smoke launchers in order to secure roads and advance concealed towards unsuspecting foes.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire Airstrike PCOT-51P
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism Smoke grenade
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support Improved optics

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Low profile.
  • Thin armour will often not detonate APHE ammo.
  • Frontally resistant to some SPAA fire (Ostwind and M19).
  • Has smoke launchers (high ark of fire).
  • Can reach its top speed quite fast.
  • Gun performance is comparable to the British QF 17-pounder's.
  • Good gun depression value: high gun placement make hull-down positions very efficient.
  • Fast turret rotation.
  • Stock shell is quite good, although the upgraded shell is a strict improvement.
  • Short reload time thanks to the 12-round autoloader: 1 shot every 5 seconds, comparable to reload times at low ranks.
  • Has scouting ability.

Cons:

  • Thin top armour: vulnerable to strafing planes (can be penetrated by .50 cals with ground target belts at typical strafing ranges).
  • Thin sides will get shredded by SPAAs and HMGs.
  • Only 3 crew members
  • Extremely bouncy suspension: bad at stop-and-shoot due to oscillating turret design.
  • Bad reverse speed for a light tank.
  • Bug-like Antennas are extremely tall and give away your position when hiding.
  • Gun penetration subpar in up-tiers: relies heavily on flanking manoeuvres.
  • Restocking the autoloader is very slow once it has been depleted and it limits severely your combat performance.
  • Lacks defensive armament against aircraft.

History

Development

Development of the AMX-13 began in 1946 in response to a requirement by the French Army for a light tank to support paratroopers. It was designed at Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX). A long line of prototypes lead to the production model. The first prototype was the AMX-13 2A in 1948, with four road wheels. Next came the 2B with five road wheels and a raised idler wheel, and the 2C with the FL-10 turret and two return rollers. The 2D introduced an arrangement with four return rollers.

Design

The turret held the commander and gunner, and was set to the rear of the vehicle. The hull was very compact and low profile, with the engine on the right side and the driver in the front, left side.

The main feature of the AMX-13 was the FL-10 oscillating turret, armed with a 75 mm gun with an automatic loader system fed by two six-round magazines, for a total of 12 rounds in the autoloading mechanism. The gun could depress 8° and elevate 12°, with 5° per second of elevation speed. The turret could rotate 360° with 30° per second of traverse speed. A TCV 107 laser rangefinder was provided to the gunner. 6 smoke grenade launchers were fitted on the turret, with 6 more grenades stored in the vehicle. One coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun was fitted, with 1,800 rounds in belts of 200. Another 7.62 mm machine gun could be fitted on an anti-aircraft mount with 1,800 rounds.

The gasoline engine produced 250 horsepower, and the manual transmission had five forward and one reverse gear. The suspension was of the torsion bar type. The drive sprockets were in the front, return rollers in the back, and there were five road wheels and four return rollers. The AMX-13 could reach a speed of 60 kph, and it had a range of 400 kilometers.

The protection of the AMX-13, it being a light tank, was not great. It could withstand heavy machine gun and low-caliber autocannon rounds from the front, but the sides could not even withstand heavy machine gun fire. An appliqué armor package was developed to increase protection at the choice of the user.

Production

Production began in 1952, at Atelier de Construction Roanne (ARE). Over 7,000 AMX-13s of all variants were produced, seeing export to a number of nations as well as seeing service with the French Army. Production shifted to Creusot-Loire at Chalon-sur-Saône in 1964, since ARE began producing the AMX-30 in that year.

Service

The French Army received most of the original 75 mm-armed version, with about 3,000 entering service. They were assigned to the regular armored units, which were mostly filled with M47 and M48 Patton medium tanks at the time. AMX-13 squadrons had four tanks, and were split into two sections of one infantry section and one light tank section each, along with an ammunition truck and command vehicle. These squadrons were used for screening and reconnaissance, locating enemy forces and engaging them. After the first section had engaged the enemy and was reloading, the second section engaged the enemy. The process of alternating reloading and firing between the sections allowed the tanks to hold off the enemy until medium tanks arrived.

In the 1960’s, the AMX-30 entered service. AMX-13s were used during the decolonization war in Algeria (1954-1962), although they saw little combat due to the lack of opposition and the terrain. After the French AMX-13s were up-gunned with the 90 mm gun, they often saw service in foreign theaters of operation due to their relative inexpensiveness. The AMX-13s were decommissioned and put into reserve starting in 1985.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
Vehicles equipped with the same gun
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


France light tanks
AMC.34/35  AMC.34 YR · AMC.35 (ACG.1)
H.35/39  H.35 · H.39 · H.39 "Cambronne"
AMX-13  AMX-13 (FL11) · AMX-13-M24 · AMX-13 · AMX-13 (SS.11) · AMX-13-90 · AMX-13 (HOT)
Wheeled  AML-90 · AMX-10RC
AMD.35  AMD.35 · AMD.35 (SA35)
E.B.R.  E.B.R. (1951) · E.B.R. (1954) · E.B.R. (1963)
Other  FCM.36 · R.35 (SA38) · Char 25t · MARS 15 · VBCI-2 (MCT30)
Austria  SK-105A2
Great Britain  ▄Crusader Mk.II
USA  LVT-4/40 · ▄M3A3 Stuart