Can we agree that the M42 duster is the worst SPAA ?

[Kioki]

I somehow spaded it (mostly in arcade)
Is there a way to use it efficiently in realistic ?

[rigolgm]

It is really awful. Only thing I like about it is the decent speed (it can rush to safer areas etc).

[burg4401]

had it for years, it never went well when I used it.

I was doing warbonds using the china spaa in ab a lot recently,
when I went back to rb it just sort of clicked, I'm hitting things now with the slow firing spaa.

all you can do is practice.

[Trollslegur]

40mm Bofors are just awful to use.
The projectiles are so slow you have to aim into the next map to hit anything.
That being said, when they do hit, they hurt.

[burg4401]

I'm killing with those bofors as well now,

funny, I'm missing more with the wibble now, oh well.....

[Kioki]

I just realised that in the new update you can hold the track button to track planes is RB...
Those 40mm snipes feel good as hell

[Slyke]

Efficiently? Well. It's not impossible to land hits on airplanes with it, also extremely lethal and satisfying when you do. You'll have to be very patient and precise as just spamming with it gets you nowhere.

That's difficult to pull off and requires your opponent flying a certain way. What you can always do with it is help your allies in close range situations. You go in first and either bait a shot out of the enemies (because of overpenetration you'll have higher chances of survival than most tanks anyway), distract them long enough to be killed by someone else or disable their guns. It's extremely effective but requires precise timing and coordination (which mostly means "just reading the room" if you're playing with randoms).

That tactic is not unique to M42 and can be used by any AAA, though. The only thing unique to it is that it's difficult to use against air targets and can't engage most ground targets on its own. As in it kind of sucks. Soviet AAA are just as inconvenient against airplanes, but at least they are relatively good against tanks.

[dctoe_US]

Originally posted by Curst:

Efficiently? Well. It's not impossible to land hits one airplanes with it, also extremely lethal and satisfying when you do. You'll have to be very patient and precise as just spamming with it gets you nowhere.

That's difficult to pull off and requires your opponent flying a certain way. What you can always do with it is help your allies in close range situations. You go in first and either bait a shot out of the enemies (because of overpenetration you'll have higher chances of survival than most tanks anyway), distract them long enough to be killed by someone else or disable their guns. It's extremely effective but requires precise timing and coordination (which mostly means "just reading the room" if you're playing with randoms).

That tactic is not unique to M42 and can be used by any AAA, though. The only thing unique to it is that it's difficult to use against air targets and can't engage most ground targets on its own. As in it kind of sucks. Soviet AAA are just as inconvenient against airplanes, but at least they are relatively good against tanks.

Totally agree. I can typically shoot down at least 3 planes per battle with it now. But one thing that also takes some time is crew training. Very important to turret rotation and accuracy. Also build up the crews Vitality. Because once people find out you are good with it; you will become the focus of the aerial assault! Practice makes perfect, and you a target! But I love it. (Said dctoe's ego).

[burg4401]

i like spaa as well,
I have the br 8s and am ok'ish with them,
i find the radar more trouble that it is worth, gets dragged off if a plane goes between you and your target, add ground clutter, really no point aiming at the shoot her thing.

so I turn radar off and use my eyes and ears to find targets, there is a time and place to fire which you will learn or blow up a lot.

I'm not sure about the 10+, not used them and not sure I want the responsibility of keeping the team alive.

[Mr Luxury Yacht]

Second worst SPAA.

You're forgetting the Crusader AA Mk.1, basically the same thing except only one 40mm instead of two.

[Izpak]

So-Ki is probably the worst tier for tier IMO.

3.3 with 2x20mm with no armour and reloads often.

[Slyke]

Originally posted by Mr Luxury Yacht:

Second worst SPAA.

You're forgetting the Crusader AA Mk.1, basically the same thing except only one 40mm instead of two.

Its 72mm pen is a lot better at 4.7 than it is at 6.0. It's also significantly smaller and completely protected from tank machine guns.

[omega552003]

play the M15A1 to know its the worst AA in game.

[Jaes]

Nah, M42 is not the worst SPAA.

Type 97 is.

[YUNG_BRUH]

have u heard of crusader?

[83athom]

You just learn how to lead at extreme ranges and get good at guestimating. Unlike smaller autocannons, the 40mm doesn't lose a lot of energy beyond 2km; meaning you can actually engage heavy targets a long ways out.

Once you get good at that, enemies that think they're safe at altitude and don't bother to maneuver can be swat out of the sky relatively easy: https://www.reddit.com/r/Warthunder/comments/c5gcno/m19_doing_m19_things/