[v8.2] (UPDATED!) MBT Armor Gunnery Guide [XDT]

A guide to show players where tanks can be penned as well as showing how to ammo rack each respective tank frontally.

changelog

28.12.2024
updated leopard and m1a2 rack, credits to squadwiki

26.07.2024
*New M60T and MGS graph
_
16.07.2024 [UPDATE]
*Added new damage model of ZTZ-99A
*Added T-90A
*Added BMP-2M

In the upcoming days, I will be adding the newer vehicles and updating some older information and images of other vehicles. Feedback is welcome, hope you enjoy.




30.03.2024 [UPDATE] -- https://squad-armor.com/ (updated link)
An interactive guide made by MJH1606, which is probably the best guide out there. Would highly recommend everyone to use it since it's better than picture guides.

Introduction

hi we made this guide to make our armor guides accessible to everyone on squad and also because the other guides are relatively low effort (false information, didnt even bother verifying by themselves in game, plagiarized AND WRONG information, heavily lacking in information or just out of date.)

like seriously the only other guide is a simple "shoot here" and provides no other context on where else you can potentially shoot. you can give them benefit of the doubt perhaps since their guide is years old.. yes, there is more content but a lot of it contains errors or doesnt give you any more information than just a "shoot the mantlet bro" (which is lazy af) when you could 2HK by ammo racking the enemy tank winning you the tank duel.

scroll down to see what we've compiled. tested on live server, Thanks to Incompetent Legion [IL] for letting us use their event server and XDT.

gun mantlets are a universal weakspot for all the tanks

---
PERSONAL RATINGS AS OF v8.0.1

Armor wise,
ZTZ99 > ABRAMS > CHALLENGER > T72 > LEOPARD > M60T > T-62


General tank rating
(short-medium ranges)
ABRAMS = ZTZ > CHALLENGER > T72 > LEOPARD > T-62 > M60T
(i have noticed abrams losing to ztz crews alot more than vice versa which is concerning)
---

that 6.5s reload on the abrams is insane


sources :
https://old.reddit.com/r/joinsquad/comments/wxtwfc/big_brain_vehicle_cheat_sheet_v2_32_now_with/
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BJpQAlXPA_yFAqyWSIPjmKXWOXDqanSz?usp=sharing
https://imgur.com/a/Ayjehdb

really puts into perspective when everything you need to make a competent guide is on one reddit post

Terminology
UFP = Upper Frontal Plate
LFP = Lower Frontal Plate

T-90 / RUS (8.0.1) (NEW!)

>>>>Rough location of ammorack from side
(picture from MHJ1606's site)


The tank is no different than a T-72B3. Almost the same stats apart from slight changes to mobility, engine sound and the frontal plate and an upgraded .50 cal. To differentiate it, look at the turret, or if you're close enough you will hear its different engine sound from far away. Fight it like you're fighting a T-72B3.

BMP-2M / RUS (8.0.1) (NEW!)

A fat, sluggish version of BMP-2.
It is most dangerous against infantry with it's new grenade launcher and vehicles alike with x4 rapid fire Kornet ATGMs. The extra slat armor it has frontally and on the side only gives advantage against infantry AT weapons, mostly LAT's.

If you're engaging this in an IFV, to have an easier time you have to be a little bit precise. Disable its turret first by shooting at its turret, try to shoot the flat sides. Any IFV can reliably penetrate its turret even in extreme ranges like 1500 meters or 2500 meters, assuming the angles are in your favor. 11-12 shots from a Warrior and 17-18 shots from any other IFV (assuming distance is <900 meters and you're not using Insurgent's IFVs) will completely disable its turret and it will not be able to turn to return fire. Immediately afterwards, disable its engine and make sure it does not run away. Then shortly after, grab a champagne and celebrate your victory.

In a tank, this thing can still pose a threat with it's quad ATGMs. If it hasn't noticed you, try to go for an engine shot first if you have an advantage in positioning. If it knows your location and if you're in close range, try to shoot its turret but be careful not to miss! It will die in 2 Tank AP's. Going for the ammorack can be a little bit overkill, but if its side is turned towards you then I recommend going for that instead.


TLDR
*More sluggish than BMP-2
*Rapid-fire Kornets, x4, rather inaccurate at +1000 meters
*Grenade launcher poses big threat to infantry
*Same ammorack location as BMP-2
*Extra 30mm added on side armor, but not strong enough to make any difference. Stops .50cal completely and 14.5mm at >300 meters
*.50cal can still penetrate the armor plate behind the turret up to 300 meters

ZTZ-99A - PLA/CHINA (UPDATED 8.0.1)

I will underline the most important features/nerfs after the latest update.

RED: Still impenetrable, even at 100 meters and below, it is still very unreliable to penetrate. Unless you are point blank and aiming for the lower part of the frontal plate (DO NOT CONFUSE IT WITH LOWER PLATE!!) you still will not be able to penetrate. Even ATGMs like Kornet, TOW, etc. struggle to penetrate frontal plate. Forget about trying to ammorack it, you can't even penetrate it 95% of the time!

ORANGE: The cheeks are ONLY penetrable if they're flat towards you and not angled, but they can be penetrated most of the time below 300-400 meters at 90 degrees. If the turret is angled, then go for mantlet.

GREEN: Penetrable in every range, but since they're a small target it's going to be a little bit hard.

Personal opinion: Even after getting nerfed, the tank's frontal plate is still overpowered. The armor went from 600mm to 400mm but it's still overpowered as ♥♥♥♥. For comparison, the T-90A has 80mm of lower plate and 280mm of frontal plate which is approximately 455mm to 650mm in effective thickness because it is angled, not counting the very upper part of the frontal plate which can reach up to ~700mm due to extreme angles. The ZTZ-99A on the other hand has an armor of 400mm frontal AND lower plate. It's effective thickness is 750mm at level ground and can go up to 1000mm in lower plate and 900mm~ frontal plate. Tank AP has 800mm of max penetration in 0 meters (point blank) for comparison.




OLDER INFO BELOW
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OLDER INFO BELOW






19/12/2023:
V.7.0.1
ZTZ TURRET CHEEKS CAN ONLY BE PENNED 190 METERS AND BELOW. (FROM 300 METERS AT V.4) @ 90 DEGREES.

IF THE TURRET IS ANGLED AND THE CHEEKS ARE FLAT TOWARDS YOU, YOU CAN PEN FROM FARTHER BUT I ADVISE AGAINST DOING SO. SIMPLY AIM FOR MANTLET.

HULL CANNOT BE PENNED AT 90 METERS WITH SABOT. ASSUME HULL IS IMPENETRABLE AT ALL UNLESS POINT BLANK.
GUN MANTLET AND GUNNER'S OPTICS REMAIN THE BEST TARGET
YES, YOU CAN SHOOT THE HEADLIGHTS AND GET A HULL PENETRATION BUT IT IS INCONSISTENT AT BEST. SEEMS TO ONLY WORK AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE. SO EITHER GAMBLE OR SHOOT THE MANTLET.


note for turret cheek shots (marked in orange) : we tested at 250 meters, reliable penetration. at 300 basically all shots bounced. we didnt bother finding the exact distance where penetration stopped being reliable so just assume 275ish xd

front on view, to be used in conjunction with above provided graphic

yes, i know the chart makes us look wrong but we tested and the turret cheek is a reliable pen up to 300 meters. 250 meters reliably penned, 300 meters had a pretty much guarantee bounce chance

the chinese tank may the best tank in the game at range as youd only have the gunner sight and mantlet that can be penned past 300 meters and considering that they are quite small targets. and also that its EXTREMELY hard to ammo rack whereas the Abrams, Challenger and T-72 have pretty accessible ammo racks. (as you will see in this guide)

BUT
the ztz has awful sights and every other tank has better sights so..




here you can see why the ammo rack is a pixel shot

MGS - US (v.8.0.1) [FIXED GRAPH]

Important Note: The turret does NOT transfer damage to hull. So shooting at the hull is advised unless you absolutely need to disable its turret first.
This was a bug and it is now fixed. Turret transfers damage to hull now.

This piece of garbage can be penetrated from anywhere. It has a sloped 15mm frontal and lower plate armor which can withstand .50 cal but nothing else.

DO NOTE THAT going for the ammorack is absolutely overkill for this vehicle AS A TANK, because it dies to only 2 shots from a regular tank AP anyway. You will kill the hull before you can ammorack it basically. But as a HAT/TANDEM enjoyer, it would be smarter to go for the ammorack because it dies to one-shot, compared to a hull-shot which dies to two shots of TANDEM.


Yes, it has two different ammoracks, you can shoot at any of them.

And because the side armor is incredibly weak, you can damage its ammorack even with a .50 cal but I'd recommend you to take out the engine first if it comes to that.

It also has terrible gun rotation speed, limited ammo and a horrible gun stabilization. When the vehicle is not moving on a straight line or if your driver keeps doing sharp turns, you won't be able to control the gun.

M60T - TLF (UPDATED GRAPH)

Can be penetrated from anywhere apart from the turret cheeks, they're angled well and will sometimes deflect shots.
One of the worst tanks in the game, worse than Leopard 2A6 and arguably worse than T-62.
FOR MAXIMUM DAMAGE SCALING GO FOR EITHER GUN MANTLET (250MM) OR LOWER FRONTAL PLATE (100MM) alternatively just rack the tank in 2 shots lol (3 at higher distances)

The ERA plating counts as 80mm layered armor (on top of the 100mm frontal plate) for god knows why and it only goes for M60T. Tanks like T-72 (RUS and MEA) do not benefit from this. Though it does not offer any benefits as it's only 80mm. APFSDS will go through it like a hot knife.


HOW TO AIM WITH THE M60T SIGHTS (IT IS AWFUL)



NOTE IF YOUR TANK IS ON UNEVEN GROUND IT WILL VARY

SPRUT MGS - VDV

1 shot ammo rack with APSFDS, highest armor value = 30mm (you can pen this paperskin anywhere)

M1A1/M1A2 - US/USMC/ADF

28/12/2024 :



19/12/2023 :
V.7.0.1
TURRET MANTLET AND GUNNER'S SIGHT CAN BE PENNED WITH T72 HEAT-FS (5HK SO ONLY USE IF U RUN OUT OF AP)

featuring multiple angles for viewer's pleasure

most detailed version

less detailed version

tldr version

MISC




MORE ♥♥♥♥ (19.12.23)





YOU CAN RACK IT FROM SHOOTING AT THE TRACKS (probably really hard to replicate in a live game all things considering but i could pen it reliably in a live armor testing server in perfect conditions)

FV 4034 / CHALLENGER - UK/GB

19/12/2023 :
V.7.0.1
TURRET MANTLET CANNOT BE PENNED WITH HEAT-FS RELIABLY. SABOT WILL STILL GO THROUGH LIKE CHEESE.

UPPER FRONTAL PLATE CAN BE PENETRATED AT 700 METERS AND BELOW (tested @90 deg. will vary if they angle) BUT THIS MAKES AMMO RACKING THE CHALLENGER INCREDIBLY EASY, ESPECIALLY AT CLOSE RANGE.

EXAMPLE VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/BO9kQKBQPTY


turret ring is so small its basically a non existant target
cheatsheet img
Red - Ammo Rack
Blue - Impenetrable Plate
Green - Engine

shoot orange spots to ammo rack frontally, lower frontal plate grants more reliable results as not hitting the viewport smack on will result in a bounce.

tldr version.
ORANGE = past 190 meters, shots will NOT pen
RED = impenetrable or very low chance of pen
YELLOW = reliable pen
GREEN = reliable pen premium
BLACK = ammo

note that this assumes you are fighting the challenger on level ground


1:1 chart of Challenger ammo rack location and armor rating
(not made by me)

Leopard 2A6M - CAF

updated 28/12/2024

T-72S / T-72B3 - MEA/RUS

WIP

Again, one of the easiest tanks to kill in game. When engaging head-on just try and go for the middle of the hull. If hull is inaccessible, go for mantlet. AFAIK only pennable part on the turret.

Turret roof is green, yes but with what limited testing has shown us, it is a unreliable pen as it is an extreme angle.




19.12.23

T-62 - MEA/INS/MIL

Credits

Sources :
https://old.reddit.com/r/joinsquad/comments/wxtwfc/big_brain_vehicle_cheat_sheet_v2_32_now_with/
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BJpQAlXPA_yFAqyWSIPjmKXWOXDqanSz?usp=sharing
https://imgur.com/a/Ayjehdb

Konig, for doing all these tests, helping and making https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198055392275

SirHolmes, for helping with some of these tests.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198133594183

Me, making these graphs* and helping with some tests.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198345499326
*ones found here were not made by me albeit - https://imgur.com/a/Ayjehdb

Incompetent Legion [IL] for letting us use their event server.

discord.gg/ilsq

please upvote

so everyone can see this guide xd

[Mister Jae]

🥀🥀💀

[eat what the vultures will not]

dont play this mid ahh game btw

[König aller Waffen]

Wait, seriously? I haven't touched this game in a while because it kept pissing me off and now they're changing ammorack locations of other tanks in the game?
For now, for an updated view of armor models and x-rays of tanks in-game, you can check this site out,
https://squad-armor.com/
I unfortunately lost interest in this game and I do not know when I will have the motivation to update this guide, but you can use the site I mentioned above for up-to-date models.

[[U-GR] Надпивас]

Yep, Leopard ammorack is now located at the middle of the hull, just like on T-72, but has smaller hitbox.

[[U-GR] Надпивас]

Looks like OWI moved Leopard ammorack as well. Shots to the old ammorack spot do not damage ammo component anymore.

[König aller Waffen]

OW has moved the M1A1/M1A2 ammorack to the opposite side of the tank and reduced the size of some ammorack boxes without telling anyone. It really baffles me who is running this company, but clearly they're no better than a monkey.

I'll be updating the model changes and add some of the more new important vehicles in the upcoming days.

[König aller Waffen]

I have updated the guide with newest damage model of:
ZTZ-99A (updated)
BMP-2M and T-90A.

In the upcoming days i will also add new vehicles like BMP-3 and update some of the images/information of older vehicles.

Feedback is welcome.

[König aller Waffen]

@mildlyhistorical Thanks for the heads up, i'll be posting the new vehicles and updated ZTZ armor layout today

[MildlyHistorical]

I believe the ZTZ armor has now been fixed so that the hull isn’t completely impenetrable from the front anymore, any chance you might check that out?

[König aller Waffen]

T-90 right now unfortunately is almost no different than a T-72B3. The only difference comes to play when you're engaging it distances above 1600 meters, which you have trouble penetrating frontal plate. I will add it to the guide as soon as I am free