Difference between revisions of "M41A3 (China)"

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(Adding most information for the vehicle, playstyle and history pending)
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!Armour!!Front (Slope angle)!!Sides!!Rear!!Roof
 
!Armour!!Front (Slope angle)!!Sides!!Rear!!Roof
 
|-
 
|-
|Hull||28.5 mm (49°) ''Front glacis''
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|Hull||28.5 mm (49°) ''Front glacis''<br>63.5 mm (33-37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 28.5 mm || 28.5 mm (46°) ''Top''<br>25.4 mm (1°) ''Middle''<br>25.4 mm (20°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
63.5 mm (33-37°) ''Lower glacis''
 
|28.5 mm||28.5 mm (46°) ''Top''
 
25.4 mm (1°) ''Middle''
 
25.4 mm (20°) ''Bottom''||12.7 mm
 
 
|-
 
|-
|Turret||44.4 mm (11-13°) ''Turret front''
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|Turret|| 44.4 mm (11-13°) ''Turret front''<br>50.8 mm (2-43°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (1°) || 31.75 mm (1°) || 12.7 mm
50.8 mm (2-43°) ''Gun mantlet''
 
|31.75 mm (1°)||31.75 mm (1°)||12.7 mm
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->'''Pros:'''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
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'''Pros:'''
 
* Rather high mobility to navigate around the battlefield
 
* Rather high mobility to navigate around the battlefield
 
** Neutral steering transmission for tighter turns
 
** Neutral steering transmission for tighter turns
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* Currently the earliest tank to receive commander override for last-ditch retaliation
 
* Currently the earliest tank to receive commander override for last-ditch retaliation
 
* Sufficient penetration to take down Panther or IS-1 up-front
 
* Sufficient penetration to take down Panther or IS-1 up-front
 
*
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''

Revision as of 03:31, 21 September 2023

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
␗M41A3
cn_m41_a3_walker_bulldog.png
GarageImage M41A3 (China).jpg
␗M41A3
AB RB SB
5.3 5.3 5.3
Purchase:2 980 Specs-Card-Eagle.png
Show in game

Description

The ␗M41A3, officially designated as M41A3戰車 or by its translated nickname 華克猛犬 (Walker Bulldog), was the light tank used by ROCA and ROCMC from 1958 to 2022 as one of their fleet of light tanks. The design concept of M41 series was for improvements on close-quarter self-defense firepower while retaining mobility on battlefield under the T41 program, while the tanks were produced during the Korean War, it was only until the Vietnam War when they were put in service. M41A3 was the modification of older M41A1 with the fuel-injected AOS 895-5 diesel engine which was received by ROCA in 1958 as the military aid to the heated Taiwan Strait frontline; although there were no significant combat records for these tanks, they mostly served as the fire support vehicle for the outer islands and training vehicles for ROCA armored corps. Due to the aging and obsolete performance of Walker Bulldogs, ROCA upgraded 50 of these tanks at better hull condition to the M41D standard, while the remaining ones would still serve until 2020s when a vehicle flip-over accident boosted the decommission of unconverted M41, as well as CM32 series replacing them; the final vehicle was decommissioned at Armor Training Command, ROCA in Hsinchu on 2022/2/25.

Introduced in Update "Sons of Attila" as a GE premium light tank, the overall performance of M41A3 is totally identical to its counterparts in different nations with pleasing mobility and sufficient firepower to take out most WWII tanks from the side; but in M41A3's case, it traded its advanced ammunitions (HVAP and HEAT) for a lower battle rating. Players could still enjoy the Walker Bulldog now at lower tier, flanking enemies will be a piece of cake with caution.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull31 / 25 / 19
Turret25 / 25 / 25
Crew4 people
Visibility88 %

As a light tank, expecting the overall protection to be sufficient against enemies is rather irrational - the armor itself can stop .50 cal ammunition up front without problem; but once enemy vehicles with autocannon see M41A3, they can tear down the vehicle rather quickly, let alone full-caliber shells which mostly have more than enough, sometimes overkill penetration to go through the armor. For maximum survivability, finding terrains and hide the hull is a good option as the mantle could sometimes bounce oncoming shots if they landed on extreme angles, it also make sure only the largest autocannons will have the chance to penetrate you in this case.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 28.5 mm (49°) Front glacis
63.5 mm (33-37°) Lower glacis
28.5 mm 28.5 mm (46°) Top
25.4 mm (1°) Middle
25.4 mm (20°) Bottom
12.7 mm
Turret 44.4 mm (11-13°) Turret front
50.8 mm (2-43°) Gun mantlet
31.75 mm (1°) 31.75 mm (1°) 12.7 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB81 / 21 km/h
RB and SB73 / 19 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
2 back
Weight23.1 t
Engine power
AB954 hp
RB and SB500 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB41.3 hp/t
RB and SB21.6 hp/t

Although M41A3 was stated to be upgraded by a new engine, but the only change on the AOS 895-5 engine is fuel injection instead of carburetor on previous 895-3 engines; thus the overall mobility is totally identical to other M41A series in game and enables M41A3 for flanking operations while able to retreat quickly to safety.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 81 21 23.1 _,___ 954 __.__ 41.3
Realistic 73 19 _,___ 500 __.__ 21.65

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB1 173 Sl icon.png
RB1 361 Sl icon.png
SB1 721 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts250 000 Sl icon.png
Aces630 Ge icon.png
Research Aces870 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 90 / 130 / 180 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 160 / 160 / 160 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement cn.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods airstrike.png
Airstrike
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Mods scouting.png
Improved optics
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_us_M361_Smoke_ammo_pack

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition65 rounds
First-order11 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.6 → 5.9 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: M32 (76 mm)

All production M41 shares the same 76 mm M32 cannon onboard. The ballistics of the gun is quite user-friendly and easy to get on hand to, the internal space and the caliber also make sure the gun can reload faster as enemies with larger guns need more time to reload - by the time they finished the reload (given an injured/knocked-out loader), an aced M41A3 could deliver up to 2 shots.

76 mm M32 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 65 -10°/+20° ±180° - __._ __._ __._ __._ __._ _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic __._ __._ __._ __._ __._

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
M339 shot APBC 177 173 159 143 129 116
M352 shell HE 15 15 14 12 12 12
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%
M339 shot APBC 975 6.6 - - - 47° 60° 65°
M352 shell HE 732 6.8 0.2 0.1 867.22 79° 80° 81°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy
time (s)
Screen hold
time (s)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
M361 713 7.1 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
65 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

Machine guns

Ammunition2 200 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate575 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 70°
Horizontal guidance-60° / 60°
12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
___ (___) ___ __° __°
7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
___ (___) ___ __° __°

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Rather high mobility to navigate around the battlefield
    • Neutral steering transmission for tighter turns
    • Up to 72 km/h forward (at certain terrain) and 19 km/h reverse speed
  • Fast reload and gun traverse speed
  • .50 cal for gunning down light vehicles or oncoming aircrafts
  • Currently the earliest tank to receive commander override for last-ditch retaliation
  • Sufficient penetration to take down Panther or IS-1 up-front

Cons:

  • Large profile for a light tank
  • The armor is thin and more than enough to trigger delay fuse of shells
  • Lacks HEAT and APCR (HVAP) from other production M41 in game
  • Only solid shots available
  • Very cramped combat compartment, all crews are literary sitting on/next to ammunition

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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


China light tanks
Type 63  Object 211 · Type 63 · ZTS63
Type 62  Type 62
WZ551  PTL02 · WMA301
ZBL08  ZLT11
Type 86  ZBD86
WZ502  ZBD04A
ROC  M41D · M64
Type 59  QN506
USA  ␗M8 LAC · ␗M3A3 Stuart · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ␗M5A1 · ␗M24 · ␗M18 GMC · ␗M41A3
USSR  ␗T-26 · T-26 No.531 · ␗PT-76

China premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  T-26 No.531 · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ␗M41A3 · M64 · WMA301
Medium tanks  ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · T-34-85 No.215 · Т-62 №545 · ZTZ59A · Type 69-IIa · T-69 II G · ZTZ96A (P)
Heavy tanks  IS-2 No.402