Opinions on the XM246?

Did you forget that its also a better chassis
(and it looks worse than gepard)

The M48 hull has more armor than Gepard but not meaningfully so. Both hulls stop autocannon but not main guns of the tier.

M48 hull is also much more sluggish due to it’s lower top speed and lower HP/ton ratio

The XM246 does not have a better hull.

it used to be based on rangefinder, it was literally useless, now its still technically based on rangefinder, but it can be slaved to the range detector on your radar

My china main friend begs to differ. He says AHEAD is extremely capable, but make sure to use IRST track instead of radar as this improves the firing solution. Also give a little additional lead on the marker.

Not only that but the PGZ09 also has thermals, APDS, APHE rounds with 75mm pen instead of 68mm, and good mobility

what? having used both hulls, i can definitely say that the leopard hull is better, especially the neutral steering

Yes, sorry, that’s what I meant. I will edit my comment to make it clearer

Ah, I see. Regardless, it strengthens my point. The PGZ should be 8.7.

Really it would just be nice if the thing received an APDS round. No reason for it not to get one, as even with APDS it’s just a worse gepard in almost every way. Even with APDS it won’t be better, as it’s much slower so it’s much more difficult to get a solid flank on enemies.

more things to make top tier grind slower cuz gaijin doesn’t like to put things in folders anymore

While it could get a lot of things that would help it out significantly, I don’t think it should recieve any of them. And the reaason is simple, lineups.

It’s currently at 8.3, which is important since 8.3 is a major lineup for the US that’s been missing a solid SPAA for a very long time.

If it gets enough of a buff from these additions that it moves up in BR, 8.3 loses the SPAA that it’s been desperately needing for so long.

If it only moves up 0.3 BR, then it’s mostly pointless since there’s only one other 8.7 vehicle in the tree.

And if it moves up to 9.0, it or the Sgt York become entirely pointless, depending on which one is better.

Keeping it at 8.3 is the most important thing, IMO.

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Don’t have it yet,but as always the tank released is half-baked.

The radar is wrong,first of all.In game it has the same radar of the M247 (the APG-66). IRL the XM246 never had this radar,it used a modified version of the radar used on the Phalanx CIWS.
It operates on a different band,has a lower range (around 10-15 km, both for search and track) but has the same area coverage (360°)and spins more than 3x faster,meaning that targets are updated more frequently.

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Oh, ok

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing it so far even though there are a few things missing IRL wise.
I have just spaded it in 44 games (Premium) with a 2/1 kill to death ratio.


Unlike the M247 the XM246 can actually be played like the DIVAD was envisioned, like a forward air-defense vehicle in Warthunder, the 35mm SAPHEI makes it a great support vehicle that make short work of flankers and rat vehicles, and which will easily maime heavy tanks and MBTs. The play style is very aggressive for a AA vehicle which is achievable because of your armor, you don’t get evaporated as soon as a HMG looks at you, players with 20mm will actually struggle to hurt you, and the size make you decently survivable against tank guns from the front as it’s hard to knock out the whole crew with one shot.
I didn’t see too many aircraft but if you wait to engage til they are within 2km you do fine. A downside is that it appears that you can’t lock on to an aircraft flying within ~800 meters of you. So you just have to wing it, which is annoying.
Compared to the Gepard I don’t think it is lacking even if it is a bit slower, I have done much better in the XM246, but I didn’t play as aggressively in the Gepard.

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I like and hate the XM246. As your bug reports have shown it’s missing a lot and it just feels unfinished. I enjoy being able to actually pepper enemies with ammunition that poses a threat, but my one gripe is how inaccurate the lead indicator is. When you lock onto an aircraft, the lock will drift up and down on the actual aircraft, throwing off the indicator. The actual indicator itself is not accurate either as you have to aim considerably farther in front of it to actually hit the target. I really hope it gets its historical radar as that might help with it.

I only wish it has something like AHEAD or HEVT, else it going to be just another SPAA that is more excel in TD than AA.

Pantsir

I agree, only giving it those tools would result in it moving up in BR. I know the PGZ09 has AHEAD at 8.3, but that’s just because Gaijin doesn’t care about minor nation BRs (Hence the wierdness with the Israeli Magachs).

The US is also the only nation that doesn’t need those tools, because they have one of the only two conventional SPAAs with them at the next lineup.

Same like M247.

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How is it worse? The guns are closer together so planes and AGMs can’t just fly between them, this also makes it much more convenient to shoot tanks.
It’s also way better protected so enemy IFVs and SPAAs are less likely to just onetap you, and more resistant to aircraft fire. AFAIK you also can’t lose your gunner or FCS to .50s which is a HUGE upgrade. And being more spacious means you’ll survive tank shells more often.

If it got proxy fuse it would move to 9.0+, better to not get it so the gap between VADS and York is filled.

Similar story with Gepard. And that one isn’t the best 8.3 SPAA, not even close.

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Its not as OP as most say it is though?

And its true that USSR SPAA is underwhelming until you get the strela…