Ground Vehicles
By the mid-1970s, the Israeli Army had built up an impressive fleet of American M109 self-propelled howitzers. By the standards of the time, their range and rate of fire were considered perfectly adequate. But in the context of regular border clashes, IDF command wanted a more modern and more effective system. The task of creating a “howitzer of the future” was assigned to the engineers at Soltam, who by then already had experience in artillery design.
The Wiesel is a small armored weapons carrier (AWC) that can boast a wide variety of armaments capable of accomplishing many tasks. Since its development in 1969, the Wiesel still serves the German Bundeswehr to this day. With its small size and quick agility, the name “Wiesel” was very fitting.
The Vickers Mk. E, also known as the Vickers 6-ton, was a tank developed in Britain during the Interwar period. Although it did not enter service in the UK, it was used by numerous countries, including Finland, Poland, and the USSR (where it became the T-26). In War Thunder, this tank can be found in the Finnish sub-tree. It is in many ways similar to the T-26, but it also has several differences, such as an extra crew member and a different gun.
War Thunder has plenty of HE slingers. You’d think there’s nothing left to surprise you. But every time a new one shows up, the interest comes right back. Because HE vehicles are all about emotion... and you can never have too much of that! Today we’re taking a look at Britain’s AS90.
This article is about the history of the German 3.7 cm L/45 guns — mainly the PaK 36* and KwK 36 — as well as the tangentially related Navy 3.7 cm FlaK M42 L/69. The PaK 36 was the mainstay of towed anti-tank guns for Germany during World War II, being used from the war’s onset until the last days of the war, and were used in all sorts of roles, ranging from anti-tank operations in the late 1930s to infantry support using HE and fin-stabilized HEAT grenades during the closing days of the war. While the PaK 36 and its derivatives were largely obsolete by the end of World War II, their large production volume (20,000 units) meant that it wasn’t too hard to find them across various frontlines, still putting in work.
The Ratel 90 is an South African Light Tank in the British Tech tree. It is part of the Ratel family of fighting vehicles, a series of 6 wheeled IFV’s developed to replace the obsolete Alvis Saracen APC in South African Service. The Ratel 90 is a variant of the Ratel platform fitted with the turret of the Eland 90, and was utilized in the direct fire support role against enemy armour and fortifications. With a top speed of 65 mph, and a main armament that can penetrate 350mm of armour, it is a fairly decent light tank. However, with minimal armour protection, and a large silhouette, the Ratel 90 can be difficult to use effectively.
In a small town of 15,000 people, a machine lay dormant by a memorial to Italian soldiers. It has been a subject of online curiosity among armor enthusiasts, who typically pass it by as nothing more than JPEG pixels on their monitors, eliciting laughs and scoffs. However, perhaps such a mysterious being has a deeper history… This is perhaps, but maybe not, a definite historical background of The Tonk.
The history of armored warfare is filled with vehicles born from shifting geopolitical landscapes, and few exemplify this better than the Khalid (Arabic for “Eternal or Immortal”). Officially designated the FV4030/2, the Khalid represents a vital evolutionary link between the Chieftain and the Challenger 1. Originally designed to fulfill a massive Iranian defense contract under the Shah, the project was abruptly derailed by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, leading the British government to repurpose the tanks for the Royal Jordanian Army.
