From Anti-Air to Anti-Tank in One Step

追加: 2026-05-20

[00:00:03]Anti-air and anti-tank vehicles are sometimes extremely close.

[00:00:08]This statement is especially true for large-caliber SPAAs.

[00:00:12]Guns designed to knock aircraft out of the sky at high altitude turned out to be very gooв at destroying armored vehicles, too.

[00:00:20]Today we’ll take these “anti-aircraft tank destroyers” into battle in War Thunder.

[00:00:25]Vehicles of this type can be roughly divided into two groups: those based on truck chassis, and those built on tank chassis.

[00:00:34]Let’s begin with the first kind.

[00:00:36]At Rank III in the German tree, you’ll find the famous 88-mm Flak 37.

[00:00:42]This gun became the basis for the Tiger’s firepower, but today we’re sticking with the half-track carrier.

[00:00:49]The cab is covered with armor, though it only protects against heavy machine guns.

[00:00:53]Because of the vehicle’s high mass, acceleration is sluggish, and reaching the listed top speed of 50 km/h in real combat is almost impossible.

[00:01:03]Still, there are major advantages: at its battle rating, the gun can punch through almost anything when firing at center mass, while capped shells with overpressure damage leave enemies very little room for optimism.

[00:01:15]The gun also has comfortable ballistics and an excellent reload: just 5 seconds with an experienced crew.

[00:01:22]The basic tactic is simple: find a position away from the main fight and pick off enemies as they appear.

[00:01:29]It’s uncomplicated yet effective.

[00:01:31]Just choose your spot carefully: the gun has no depression at all over the front, and even to the side, it only gets 3° down.

[00:01:39]The Soviet Union has a similar machine: the YaG-10 (29-K).

[00:01:45]It also accelerates slowly and reloads in 5 seconds, but has even less armor.

[00:01:50]Its gun can penetrate most opponents, though sometimes you’ll need to aim for weak spots.

[00:01:55]The good news is that its battle rating is much lower than the German counterpart’s.

[00:02:00]The Soviet truck should be played quietly and patiently, without rushing.

[00:02:05]Pick your position even more carefully and prepare an escape route before firing.

[00:02:10]The YaG-10 is much smaller than the German half-track, but its survivability is worse, too.

[00:02:16]In the Italian tree, you’ll find the Breda 90/53 truck.

[00:02:21]It also has no real armor, but unlike its peers, it accelerates much better.

[00:02:26]Reload is slightly longer at 6 seconds, but its shells penetrate most targets and deal overpressure damage.

[00:02:33]Better mobility lets you play much more aggressively.

[00:02:36]Just remember the gun’s slow traverse and poor depression — only 2° down.

[00:02:41]And don’t forget the cab: you can fire forward over it, but it still prevents the gun from depressing properly.

[00:02:48]All of these trucks also get time-fuzed HE shells for dealing with aircraft and open-top vehicles.

[00:02:55]The second type of these “half-SPG, half-SPAA” machines are built on tank chassis.

[00:03:01]The German VFW greets you with an imposing long-barreled 88-mm gun.

[00:03:07]At its battle rating, it penetrates most enemies.

[00:03:10]Only the toughest targets require careful weak-spot aiming.

[00:03:14]The modified Panzer IV chassis gives it decent mobility, roughly on par with tanks.

[00:03:20]It also has a unique mechanic: in the modification menu, you can raise or lower the side plates.

[00:03:26]This affects protection, size, gun angles, and reload speed — 4 or 6 seconds, depending on the configuration.

[00:03:34]The British QF 3.7 Ram is very similar to the German vehicle.

[00:03:39]It accelerates better, though its top speed is lower than the VFW’s.

[00:03:44]Its ammunition is limited to standard solid shot, so some targets may take several hits to finish.

[00:03:50]Good optics help with precise aiming.

[00:03:53]Positioning and escape routes matter a lot here as well, because the vehicle’s survivability is poor.

[00:03:59]Which of these machines is your favorite?

[00:04:01]Tell us in the comments!

[00:04:03]And don’t forget that SPAAs are still supposed to shoot down aircraft sometimes!