SPAAs are very fun to play, especially against ground targets. But what is the logic behind limited APDS shells in these tanks? Like, is there a historical reason why they cannot carry vast amount of APDS ammo, only limited to 40 shells? Perhaps dimensions or gun barrel wear?
I personally think SPAA should get full belt of APDS shells. They have high profile and sometimes low mobility (such as ZSU-23-4), and are no better than say, XM800T and other light tanks.
EDIT: XM800T with full APDS belt
bruh
Most SPAA that use 35mm KDA (like Gepard) are dual feed systems where the secondary APDS belt is limited 20 rounds per gun
What makes it impossible to fill more than 40 APDS bullets?
See the image I attached, the belt cannot be any longer as there’s not enough space.
As for the main belt, it was never meant to have APDS in it. I suppose it’s technically possible but it would be unhistorical.
Is a light tank, not a SPAA. More importantly, it still has less penetration that regular API-T on Gepard and it doesn’t get explosive filler.
M163 with apds
Forget spaa with apds belts, embrace the possibility to add apfsds belts for amx-30/32/40.❤️🩹
https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/VvHhjWeofCQS
LAV-AD with M919 APFSDS
sidam might actually be decent. kinda
Nothing. If you feel like it, you could fill up the main magazine with them. Ofc not ingame.
Twisting the knife a bit, don’t you think…
If you want good APDS on an SPAAG then go and play the falcon
Well they could load full apds in theory, but those things were designed aa support in mind not some td Mode rushing videogame. That’s why main belt is aa and for apds they use 20ammo box outside, for selfdefence only.
And reason is quite simple, It takes 1.5h to load mainbelt on gepard.
Oh yeah
The bottom belt is armored and made to carry High explosive munitions, the smaller belt is made to carry AP munition and thus didn’t need to be armored. It was never planed or realistic to put HE into the unarmored belt
Personally I’d prefer they further limit/remove the AP belts. I’d rather have a lower tier SPAA that’s actually effective at its job, than an SPAA that’s better played as a light tank.
They should uh… give the Gepard 1A2 FAPDS and Thermals
APDS rounds have better velocity so it would improve spaa too
Gepard 1A2 should be the only 35mm SPAA with that capability AFAIK. It’s missing FAPDS.
Wounder why the core feature FAPDS (Frangible Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot, 35mm DM33) wasn’t included yet. That new ammo type as main AA belt was the main point of the A2 upgrade. Like 30-40% more effective AA range than the full calibre rounds and vs. ground alot more pen.
BTW: Recent APDS-T(tracer) production at the Rheinmetall plant in Unterluss, Germany. 35mmx228 APDS-T and HEI-T are currently mass produced in a 1:1 ratio. Theoretically its possible to fill the main Gepard belt just with APDS. Or a mix of HEI-T and APDS-T. No technical reason nor aviability prevent the use of APDS @ main belts. The one to one production ratio imho indicates the use of HEI-APDS-HEI-APDS belts. Otherwise they’d produce less of the APDS.
I hope so at some day, if the game were 100% accurate, things like these could make bad vehicles on players view actually being good and unique options. Spraying APDS-FS into tanks instead of using the main cannon could’ve been a fun unique thing for French engineering in War Thunder.
