XM246: The American Gepard!

Today we’ll be taking a look at the XM246, an experimental SPAA with a pair of 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannons on the hull of the M48 Patton tank, coming in the Hornet’s Sting major update.

XM246: An SPAA for the USA at Rank VI At a glance:

• Fast-firing 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannons!
  
• Search and tracking radar.
  
• Large turret, but with a good rotation speed.

Vehicle History
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The U.S. Army looked to replace their M163 and MIM-72 anti-aircraft systems through the Advanced Radar-directed Gun Air Defense System (ARGADS) competition. This competition aimed to develop an anti-aircraft system equipped with a radar, mounted on a tank chassis to be able to accompany ground formations. Later, the competition was relaunched under the new name of Division Air Defense (DIVAD), where the M48 tank, that remained in large quantities in army warehouses, was used as the chassis.

Two companies built experimental prototypes: Ford Aerospace with their XM247 and 40 mm Bofors guns (the future M247 Sergeant York), as well as General Dynamics with their XM246 prototype, armed with 35 mm Oerlikon cannons. Despite a convincing advantage in the number of targets hit during test firing, the XM246 did not win the competition and was withdrawn from further testing.
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Introducing the XM246!
Meet the XM246, a new anti-aircraft vehicle for the USA that features familiar guns and chassis, positioned at rank VI between the M163 and M247, capable of providing more anti-air firepower for several lineups. Descending into the particulars!




The very concept of the XM246 may seem familiar to many of you — a medium tank chassis with 35 mm Oerlikon cannons, so it must be the Gepard, right? Well they’re both similar in many ways, but there’s still some differences. Firstly, the guns are positioned closer together in the center of the turret rather than spread apart. Next is the large looking tracking radar that’s located at the front left of the turret and the search radar on top of the turret, both enclosed in a dome. Lastly is the ammunition, where the XM246 lacks the APDS belt, however it won’t stop this vehicle from being able to penetrate lightly armored tanks at close range with the other belts!

As for mobility, the XM246 uses the M48 Patton chassis as did its competitor in the ARGADS competition, the M247. This chassis is capable of reaching a max speed of 48 km/h, allowing it to move around on roads fairly quickly and off-road at a decent pace.




Rounding off, the XM246 sits in a good middle ground between the high rate of fire but short range of the M163 and the slower rate of fire but long range of the M247. The radar on the XM246 will tell you the lead point for firing at targets at long range, and the fire rate of 550 RPM per barrel will compensate for any inaccuracy thanks to the high rate of fire down range. As with all other SPAAs, the XM246 will also be quite effective as a support vehicle by taking out enemy tracks, gun barrels and lightly armored targets. Don’t count on your armor protection though, as the armor is pretty thin all-over and will be penetrated by most enemy tanks.



That’s it for this one. The XM246 is coming in the Hornet’s Sting major update and will provide good firepower for taking out enemy aircraft in several lineups. Keep an eye on the news for more dev blogs coming your way!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.