Difference between revisions of "MEPHISTO"

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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
  
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* [[wt:en/news/7684-development-vcac-mephisto-hell-hath-no-limits-en|[Devblog] VCAC MEPHISTO: Hell hath no limits]]
* ''other literature.''
 
  
 
{{France tank destroyers}}
 
{{France tank destroyers}}
 
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]
 
[[Category:Wheeled ground vehicles]]

Revision as of 14:40, 4 July 2022

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
MEPHISTO
fr_vcac_mephisto.png
GarageImage MEPHISTO.jpg
MEPHISTO
Research:160 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:450 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Véhicule de Combat Anti-Char, MEPHISTO is a rank VI French tank destroyer with a battle rating of 8.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull8 / 8 / 8
Turret0 / 0 / 0
Crew4 people
Visibility70 %

As with all French wheeled vehicles, the armour is little to none and MEPHISTO is no an exception. It barely has the armour to survive hits from 12.7 mm machine guns and in some places even 7.62 mm. The armour is not to be relied on due to the fact that even artillery fragmentation can pose a significant threat to the platform. However, due to the crew spacing, the first half of the crew being at the front and the other half far behind, both pairs being separated by the engine block, makes the MEPHISTO capable of surviving more than one hit from the side as long as the shot is not placed in the center of mass with explosive filler. However, the best armour is to not be seen in the first place.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 8 mm (27°) Top
8 mm (74°) Upper glacis
8 mm (45°) Lower glacis
8 mm (28°) Top
8 mm (12°) Bottom
8 mm (7°) 8 mm
Turret 5 mm Turret front 5 mm 5 mm 5 mm
Cupola 8 mm (cylindrical)

Notes:

Mobility

Amphibious
The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water
Speedforward / back
AB101 / 15 km/h
RB and SB93 / 14 km/h
Number of gears10 forward
2 back
Weight13.8 t
Engine power
AB420 hp
RB and SB220 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB30.4 hp/t
RB and SB15.9 hp/t

Mobility-wise, the MEPHISTO leaves nothing to be desired. It is a fast and agile platform with a very high top speed. However, like other wheeled vehicles, it lacks traction in muddy and snowy terrain, draining the speed significantly. While it does not lack a decent reverse speed, it is certainly not the best, it can reach up to 9 km/h. It holds a significantly amazing acceleration and an amazing turn rate as the short length and both axle turn make it capable to do a full 360° turn in ~4-8 seconds depending on terrain. The MEPHISTO is also fully amphibious, meaning it can cross and reach specific places in the maps inaccessible to other vehicles.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 101 15 13.8 312 420 22.61 30.43
Realistic 93 14 195 220 14.13 15.94

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB4 265 → 5 881 Sl icon.png
RB4 883 → 6 733 Sl icon.png
SB5 172 → 7 132 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications130 800 Rp icon.png
225 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 400 Ge icon.png
Crew training130 000 Sl icon.png
Experts450 000 Sl icon.png
Aces2 000 Ge icon.png
Research Aces890 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
160 / 210 / 250 % Sl icon.png
214 / 214 / 214 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new wheels.png
Tires
Research:
7 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods new car suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
8 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
8 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
440 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
24 000 Sl icon.png
550 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
24 000 Sl icon.png
550 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
2 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement fr.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
440 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
24 000 Sl icon.png
550 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
7 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods thermal sight.png
NVD
Research:
7 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
260 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
150mm_HOT_2_ATGM_ammo_pack
Research:
8 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
440 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Night vision device
Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.
Thermal imager
Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

HOT ATGM
Two-plane stabilizer
Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving
Autoloader
Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader
Ammunition12 rounds
First-order8 rounds
Belt capacity4 rounds
Reload15.0 s
Fire rate60 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 10°
Fire on the moveup to 6 km/h
Main article: HOT

The MEPHISTO ('Module Élévateur Panoramique Hot Installé Sur Tourelle Orientable', French for "elevated panoramic HOT launch module on rotating turret") is the primary weapon mount. It is able to fire four HOT or HOT-2 missiles in a rapid succession. HOT missiles are nothing new to French commanders and they have proven to be very capable in combat. It is a similar system as the TUA ('TOW Under Armour') seen in the M901 but with differences. While it is able to hold double the amount of much more capable missiles, the reload rate is considerably slower for multiple reasons: turret traverse speed and missile reloading. However, it is significantly more powerful when it comes to penetration. It has an advantage over any missile carrier, the missile launcher does not have to be deployed while stationary and it is two-plane stabilized, meaning it is able to quickly brake and engage a target without the need of reacquiring the target. The stabilizer also proves to be beneficial when on water as the waves can make the launcher bounce, just as seen in the M901.

HOT missile Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 12 (4) ±10° ±180° Two-plane 26.4 36.5 44.4 49.1 52.2 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00
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
HOT ATGM 700 700 700 700 700 700
HOT-2 ATGM 900 900 900 900 900 900
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Range
(m)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
HOT ATGM 250 4,000 23 0.05 0.1 3,800 80° 82° 90°
HOT-2 ATGM 250 4,000 23 0.05 0.1 4,870 80° 82° 90°

Ammo racks

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

Usage in battles

The only reliable playstyle for the MEPHISTO is hull-down. In a battle, this vehicle is best played behind a rock, so that rounds won't dip and hit the main chassis. If this is not possible, try to find a ridge to hide behind or a depression in the terrain. Since your launcher is the only thing exposed, expect for your launcher to get hit and receive a 10-second repair. (Note for stock vehicles, you will still be able to fire). Some players will be smarter and will shoot HESH rounds at you, the splash damage will be enough to either overpressure or knock out the rest of the tank. Since you only have 12 missiles (4 in the launcher, 8 stowed away) you will have to be patient and skilled at using this missile. If in the right hands, it is incredibly strong and can hold an important spot and single handedly deny the enemy any chance of taking an area. This will reward you a large number of targets destroyed as well as gaining a large number of points from people shooting at the launcher.

However, there are a couple of issues. The missile can only be fired when stationary, though the launcher remains deployed even if moving at very high speeds. The reload also requires the launcher to traverse round towards the rear of the vehicle and further lengthening the reload. One way to combat this is to have the rear end of the vehicle towards the target, therefore reducing the time taken to traverse the launcher back to the firing position.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Amazing mobility and handling
  • Potent ATGMs
  • Gen 2 thermals
  • Amphibious capabilities

Cons:

  • Long reload
  • Paper-thin armour

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


France tank destroyers
Lorraine 40t derivatives  CA Lorraine · Lorraine 155 Mle.50
ATGM  MEPHISTO · AMX-10M
Other  AMR.35 ZT3 · Lorraine 37L · SAu 40 · ARL-44 · ELC bis · AMX-50 Foch · AuF1
USA  ▄M10 GMC · ▄M36B2