So-Ki

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A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
jp_type_95_so_ki.png
So-Ki
AB RB SB
3.0 3.0 3.0
Class:
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Description

Featured Image: So-Ki in WT Garage


The So-Ki is a rank II Japanese self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced along with the entire Japanese Ground Forces tree in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai".

This anti-aircraft vehicle features dual Type 98 20 mm cannons which have high-velocity capability and great mobility.

General info

Survivability and armour

Due to the lackluster armour, literally anything can destroy the So-Ki. Enemies armed with .50 cals - tanks and planes - are particularly deadly, as they can pierce through the weak armour with no problem. Destroying this tank is easy, with a shot slightly to the right of the driver's hatch for a one-shot to knock out both crew members in the hull.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 16 mm (16-19°) Front plate
16 mm (11-72°) Front glacis
16 mm (29-48°) Lower glacis
12 mm 10 mm (12-51°) 9 mm
Turret 8 mm (10-14°) N/A N/A N/A

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are both 15 mm thick.

Mobility

This tank is quite fast, being built off of the Type 98 Ke-Ni, so use this blistering speed to your advantage.

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armor
weight (tons)
Max speed (km/h)
7.0 N/A 49 (AB)
45 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 136 168
Realistic/Simulator 115 130
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 19.43 24.00
Realistic/Simulator 16.43 18.57

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Type 98 (20 mm)
A three-quarter view of an early 20 mm So-Ki SPAAG.

Double the guns means double the difficulty enemy aircraft will have with dealing with you, so be sure to aim for engines and at the centre of planes - your exposed cabin means that planes will often try to dive you, hoping to score an air-to-ground knockout - give them a nasty surprise by filling their engines with Type 100 HE-T shells. That being said, always, always, always pay attention to what's going on in the air. Your gunner gets knocked out quickly, so be sure to always be aware of the battle in the air, as well as on the ground.

20 mm Type 98 (x2)
Capacity (Belt capacity each) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
520 (20) 300 -10°/+85° ±180°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 35.22 48.75 __.__ __.__ 69.65
Realistic 23.80 28.00 34.0 37.6 40.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
3.9 3.4 3.2 __.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
Type 100 HE-T HEFI-T 2 2 2 2 2 2
Type 100 AP-T API-T 40 38 29 21 16 11
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
in m/s
Projectile
Mass in kg
Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent):
Normalization At 30°
from horizontal:
Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
Type 100 HE-T HEFI-T 829 0.13 0.3 0.1 6.0 +0° 79° 80° 81°
Type 100 AP-T API-T 829 0.16 N/A N/A N/A -1° 47° 60° 65°

Belt types

Belts Shell composition Combat usage
Default API-T,HEFI-T
(Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer – High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell
Type 100 HE-T HEFI-T
(High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell
Type 100 AP-T API-T
(Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer) shell

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the So-Ki
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
26 (+12) No

Usage in battles

Capture bases and attack lightly armoured targets when you can. For the most part you should be focused on an AA role, rather than an AT one, so always be listening for aircraft engines.

At its battle rating, the So-Ki can penetrate the sides of some tanks like the M4 Sherman and Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. F2 and Pz.Kpfw. III series, but this is only at close range and generally the idea of using this tank to engage medium tanks not a very good one. This tank can deal with many lightly armoured targets like other SPAAs and some light tanks, so if you feel lucky then that is always a viable option. As for an AA role, this tank's performance is good enough for the job. It can shoot down low-flying aircraft with relative ease, and anyone who knows where to aim can easily shoot down most aircraft this tank will meet.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Rapid firing cannons allow for excellent aerial coverage
  • Great vehicle mobility allowing for fast repositioning
  • Frontal protection from light machinegun
  • Great ammunition storage capacity
  • Fast reloading time

Cons:

  • Gunner crew is exposed and have no rear protection
  • Very vulnerable to incoming artillery rounds and aerial strafing/bombing
  • Rapid firing easily depletes ammunition magazines, trigger control required

History

Prior to World War II, Japan experimented with developing a SPAAG which could be mounted to several different platforms, including trucks, tanks and railroad cars. Production ended up developing a SPAAG which could shoot down aircraft at low altitudes, however, the Japanese military wanted their SPAAGs to have the capability to also shoot down aircraft at medium altitudes too. Along with the requirement to shoot down aircraft at low and medium altitudes,m the SPAAG needed to also be highly mobile and capable of providing protection to convoys from aerial attack as a defensive vehicle also.

By 1941, Japan started prototyping two variations of the new SAAG, a single mounted Type 98 20 mm cannon known as "Ta-Se" short for Taikū ("anti-air") sensha ("tank") and the "So-Ki" which featured dual-mounted Type 98 20 mm cannons. The platform which was chosen for the SPAAG was the newly built Type 98 Ke-Ni light tank with its turret removed and the dual cannon platform installed.

The crew positions of the So-Ki featured a driver situated in the centre of the vehicle and right under the anti-aircraft gun emplacement. To aid in protecting the cannon crew (gunner and loaders) a gun shield was added to block or deflect small arms fire, however, it was no match for a direct tank shell hit or strafing attack by fighters, attackers and dive bombers. A bench for the crew was mounted at the rear of the platform and could be folded out of the way to allow for placement of more ammunition magazines if necessary.

The total ammunition capacity for this vehicle was 22 belts plus two more already loaded in the cannons. The rate of fire for the Type-98 cannons was around 830 rounds per minute, however, velocities between rounds differed as they were comprised of different weights due to round type and explosive filler. Unfortunately, the So-Ki never entered production as by the time it was ready to enter service the needs of Japanese anti-aircraft vehicles had significantly evolved meaning the So-Ki was already outdated. The Japanese were also having a difficult time massing sufficient resources necessary for the production of this unit because of Allied progression in the Pacific front

Media

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