If the museum tank info card is to be believed, there should be ~50 shells maximum capacity.
If we look at the wet storage bins in the turret - We have from left to right: 9 charges in one bin, 16 charges in the middle bin behind the breach (double stack), 9 charges by the loader, 4 in the floated container left of the breach, and 12 left of the drivers left shoulder.
That gives you exactly 50 charges - This is the accurate position of all combustable charges if I had to guess. Projectiles are a bit harder, as no matter what we do, we never end up with 50 charges by removing the ammo bins at the front.
Discounting the erroneous ammo bins, we end up with 42 projectiles in the turret. Close to the advertised 50: it could have been an intentionally vague number given the secrecy of the vehicle - maybe precise ammo counts are not provided and instead appoximates? I doubt this though.
There’s two options I can think of to solve this problem outside of “50 is not the exact round count”:
1.
I would suggest that the additional projectile heads are stored likely in a similar configuration to Challenger 1: either side of the drivers shoulders. War thunder already models a 2 piece projectile rack there, but this too I believe is speculation as i’ve not found any documents or photographs of it’s placement there. This could mean, the gunner when facing forward has direct access to the projectile bins, while the loader can access the charge bins. This makes sense to me.
The left shoulder containing charge bins to equal the advertised 50 rounds of propellant, the right containing the required 8 additional projectiles in a horizontal layout, mirroring the charges on the loader’s side.
More projectiles are stored left of the loader, as seen in this photo at the bottom of the screen.
near the red 2, that looks like the tip of a HESH round. I would wager most, if not all ammunition is stored in the turret as close to the loader and gunner as possible.
Either side of the wet ammo storage bins at the back, there appears to be a HESH projectile loaded onto an upright rack there. Hard to say for sure, and it would very much depend on the developers best judgement here.
Me personally, i’d say a combination of the two. There’s likely additional ammunition storage right next to the loader where that HESH is, I don’t see why that wouldn’t exist either side, so that’s two additional projectiles at minimum. Possible room for more under the red 4 on the photo, laid horizontally but that’s pure guesswork.
Infront of the gunner, is likely a projectile bin to fit the remaining rounds to make a rounded compliment of 50 projectiles.
Difficult to say given how few photos have been taken of inside CR2 but this is about as far as public knowledge can take someone.
Ultimately, Gaijin could do the following implimentations and still come out with a very fair CR2 guess.
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ALL of the missing projectiles are at the right side of the drivers shoulder, to be accessed by the gunner. This might be true, given the photos looking down at the drivers position show big white walls on either side. One is definitely an ammo bin, the other? Possibly projectiles.
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Vertical racks store projectiles near the loaders feet, and more rounds are stacked horizontally near his shin. Complete guesswork BUT there is HESH there, supporting that ammo is stored near the loaders feet. At least 1 round.
This could be mirrored over near the commander and gunner, be a mix between this and suggestion 1, or have all the projectiles near the gunners feet, loaders shins and behind/beside the commander, mirrored from where that single HESH round is. -
The number of 50 projectiles is incorrect, and is an approximation. Total rounds is 42, number of charges in Wet Bins to be adjusted to the new figure.
