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Aoba

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Aoba
Aoba_wows_main.jpg
Cruiser | Japan | Tier VI
Tech Tree Position
Furutaka
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Aoba_icon_small.png
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Myōkō
stock
 top
General
Research price30000 exp
Purchase price2,660,000 Credits
Hit Points30,500 
Main Battery
203 mm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 in a Model C turret3 х 2 pcs.
Rate of Fire5.45 shots/min.
Reload Time11 sec.
Rotation Speeddeg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Time36 sec.
Firing Range13.55 km.
Maximum Dispersion116 m.
HE Shell203 mm HE Type0 
Maximum HE Shell Damage3,300 
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell17 %
Initial HE Shell Velocity840 m./s.
HE Shell Weight125.85 kg.
AP Shell203 mm AP Type91 
Maximum AP Shell Damage4,700 
Initial AP Shell Velocity840 m./s.
AP Shell Weight125.85 kg.
Secondary Armament #1
120 mm/45 10th Year Type on a Model B2 mount4 х 1 pcs.
Firing Range4.96 km.
Rate of Fire10 shots/min.
Reload Timesec.
HE Shell120 mm HE Type0 
Maximum HE Shell Damage2,000 
Initial HE Shell Velocity825 m./s.
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell%
Torpedo Tubes
610 mm Quad2 х 4 pcs.
Rate of Fire0.59 shots/min.
Reload Time102 sec.
Rotation Speed25 deg./sec.
180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec.
TorpedoType8 mod. 2 
Maximum Damage16,267 
Torpedo Speed59 knot
Torpedo Range9.99 km.
AA Defense
120 mm/45 10th Year Type on a Model B2 mount4 х 1 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second20.4 
. . . Firing Range4.5 km.
13 mm/76 Type 93 on a twin mount15 х 2 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second30 
. . . Firing Range1.2 km.
25 mm/60 Type 96 on a twin mount2 х 2 pcs.
. . . Average Damage per Second5.4 
. . . Firing Range2.49 km.
Maneuverability
Maximum Speed35 knot
Turning Circle Radius710 m.
Rudder Shift Time8.4 sec.
Concealment
Surface Detectability Range11.7 km.
Air Detectability Range5.78 km.
Battle Levels
12345678910
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VI
Ship_PJSC007_Aoba_1943.png
2,660,000

Aoba — Japanese Tier VI cruiser.

Aoba represented a further development of Furutaka with main battery guns placed in twin turrets to achieve a longer gun range. Moreover, she outstripped her predecessor in torpedo armament power and AA defense capabilities.

Modules

Main Battery Guns Rate of Fire
(shots/min)
180° Turn Time
(sec)
Maximum Dispersion
(m)
Maximum HE Shell Damage
(HP)
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell
(%)
Maximum AP Shell Damage
(HP)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
203 mm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 in a Model C turret5.5361163,300174,700 0240,000
Hull Hit Points
(HP)
Armor
(mm)
Armor
(mm)
Main Turrets
(pcs.)
Secondary Gun Turrets
(pcs.)
AA Mounts
(pcs.)
Torpedo Tubes
(pcs.)
Hangar Capacity
(pcs.)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Aoba (A)30,50061053415/2/42 0380,000
Aoba (B)31,90061053415/2/42 14,000980,000
Torpedoes Rate of Fire
(shots/min)
Torpedo Tubes Reload Time
(sec)
180° Turn Time
(sec)
Maximum Damage
(HP)
Torpedo Speed
(knot)
Torpedo Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Type8 mod. 20.61027.216,2665910 0400,000
Fire Control System IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST
(%)
Maximum Firing Range
(km)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Type6 mod. 10 0240,000
Type6 mod. 20 6,000520,000
Engine Maximum Speed
(knot)
Research price
(exp)
Purchase price
(Credits)
Propulsion: 102,000 hp35 0180,000

Compatible Upgrades

 Slot 1 
Main Armaments Modification 1
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
Magazine Modification 1
Damage Control Party Modification 1
 Slot 2 
Damage Control System Modification 1
Defensive AA Fire Modification 1
Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Engine Room Protection
 Slot 3 
Main Battery Modification 2
Secondary Battery Modification 1
AA Guns Modification 1
Aiming Systems Modification 1
Torpedo Tubes Modification 1
 Slot 4 
Damage Control System Modification 2
Propulsion Modification 1
Steering Gears Modification 1
Airstrike Modification 1

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Aoba isn't really much of a departure from her predecessor Furutaka. She is very similar to Furutaka's C Hull and continues traits that will persist through the entire Japanese heavy cruiser line. They are anti-ship combatants, skirmishers that specialize in medium to long ranges, and are ships that need other ships to draw fire or to support in order to do well in. Aoba is a very good vessel to be a captain in, so long as the captain knows her well.

One of thing to notice is the slightly less responsive turrets (common to the next two tiers, culminating in Mogami's super-slow 155 mm turrets) and faster gun reload time of 4 seconds at best over her predecessor. Her responsiveness to fluid situations is improved for a Japanese cruiser. This allows her to be where needed and to support when it is asked. Aoba can smash tier V light cruisers with ease and be a wary force for other heavy cruisers and battleships but not so much with carriers as her AA suite is sufficient to only defend herself alone.

Her torpedoes are the same Type 8 mod.2 of the Furutaka upgrade but, perplexingly, their reload is longer. Unfortunately, the positioning of the racks at the rear of the ship is a sort of downgrade from Furutaka. Granted, this makes Aoba a dangerous ship to chase, but it also makes it more obvious to the enemy when she launches torpedoes, as the forward firing angle is quite shallow. [Annoyingly enough, these rear mounted torpedoes also creates a blind spot where you cannot spot friendly ships trying to pass close to you. -- Huh? - Ed.]

It's best that to let Aoba behave as an anti-ship combatant rather than a AA screen. Aoba retains the narrow hull of Furutaka and thus can bow in and expect not to be hit (very often) by battleship guns at longer ranges allowing continued fire. Combined with her excellent maneuverability and fast reverse speed of 17 knots, holding that heading is not difficult and while she can still dodge the occasional torpedo salvo if coming from the front or rear, especially with Hydroacoustic SearchWhile active, detects all enemy ships and torpedoes within the specified radius, without regard of obstacles such as smoke and terrain. active to give more time.

That being said, while Aoba is an anti-ship combatant, it does not have the armor or the reload speed to engage in gunnery duels with rapid firing American cruisers such as the equivalent tier Dallas and come out unscathed. It is a threat to equivalent tier cruisers, but like Furutaka, Aoba is a skirmisher, good at harassment, great at medium to long ranges at about 8-15 kilometers where she can still use her maneuverability to avoid gunfire, and requires friendly ships to draw fire, or islands to duck behind to give her breathing space.

Pros:

  • Narrow hull like most Japanese cruisers making it hard to hit her when she is facing bow or stern to enemy shells, also provides protection from bombs.
  • Very thick central deck armor (48 mm): even the biggest AP shells can ricochet.
  • Torpedo bulges rises above the waterline that covers ~75% of the citadel and helps shatter small shells.
  • Guns beat the equivalent ships of other nations, much better for dealing with cruisers of the equivalent tier.
  • Decent fire chance combine with her strong penetration, she rivals strong HE ship Devonshire.
  • Rate of fire, while slow for the tier, beats any Japanese heavy cruiser.
  • Good rudder shift and turning circle, makes it slightly easier to re-position and dodge shells.
  • Above average AA suite when Defensive AA FireWhile active, the damage per second of large caliber anti-aircraft guns is increased. is equipped and activated.

Cons:

  • Like most Japanese cruisers her armor is weak that makes her vulnerable to anything fired at her.
  • Slower firing rate of guns and traverse time compared to many equivalent tier cruisers.
  • Only 6 shells max in a salvo which is the least amount at her tier, although her fire chance, penetration, and accuracy makes it up.
  • Torpedo tubes have a very limited launching arc that require excessive boardside to use.
  • Rudder shift is slower than her predecessor without upgrades.
  • Despite better characteristics, she largely plays the same as Furutaka but with harder matchmaking.

Research

Captains should first research Aoba's second hull for the increase in health and maneuverability it provides. Lastly, captains should research the upgraded Gun Fire Control System to increase the ship's maximum firing range.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

Commander Skills

The key skills for Aoba are identical to those used on Furutaka and include Grease the Gears at Level 1, Adrenaline Rush at Level 3, and Concealment Expert at Level 4. Captains who use the ship’s torpedoes often may also wish to invest in one or more of the torpedo skills if they have points remaining after investing in her main guns and concealment. The AA skills, particularly Expert AA Marksman, are almost always a good choice for leftover skill points on cruisers. While Pyrotechnician could be taken at Level 2 to improve her shells' fire chances, her rate of fire is too low to properly take advantage of the relative small boost to fire chance per shell. Captains may also with to invest in Top Grade Gunner to improve the slow rate of fire when they find themselves unable to drop off detection using her concealment.

Consumables

Aoba can equip the following consumables:

Signals

Aoba captains should mount the standard flags to improve the ship's performance in battle. To improve upon the ship's armaments, India X-Ray (+1% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm. / +0.5% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber below 160mm. / +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.), Victor Lima (+1% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm / +0.5% chance of causing a fire for bombs and shells with a caliber below 160mm. / +4% chance of causing flooding.), and Juliet Whiskey Unaone (+15% chance of causing flooding. / +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.) flags are recommended to increase the fire chance and flooding chances respectively. To improve the ship’s survivability, captains should mount November Foxtrot (-5% reload time on all consumables.) and India Yankee (-20% to fire duration.) flags. Sierra Mike (+5% to the ship's maximum speed.) flags are recommended to increase the ship’s already high top speed.


Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

Historical Info

Historical Gallery

References

  1. Japanese cruiser Aoba - Wikipedia
  2. Aoba-class cruiser - Wikipedia

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

  • Added to the game in Update 0.1.4 (alpha version).
  • Update 0.5.0:
    • The Experience and Credit earnings were reduced by a value in the range of 5-10%.
  • Update 0.5.2:
    • Experience earnings increased by 3%.
    • Credit earnings increased by 5%.
  • Update 0.5.6:
  • Hulls (A) and (B): The 4х1 120mm/40 10th Year Type mod. B2 AA mounts were replaced with 4х1 120mm/40 10th Year Type mod. B2/C mounts. As a result, the average AA damage within the 4.5km AA engagement area radius increased by 10 points (from 10 to 20 points).
  • Hull (A): the ship's HP was increased by 4,200 (from 26,300 to 30,500).
  • Hull (B): the ship's HP was increased by 1,400 (from 30,500 to 31,900).
  • Update 0.5.8:
    • The armor model of the hull was refined.
  • Update 0.6.2:
    • The national flag was moved from the stern to the mast.
  • Update 0.6.7:
    • Credit earnings increased by 5%.
  • Update 0.6.12:
    • Detectability when firing main guns in smoke changed to 6.79 km.
  • Update 0.6.13:
    • Fire extinguishing time now 30 s instead of 60 s.
    • Improved display of thin elements.
  • Update 0.6.15:
    • A bonus was added to the "Type 16" permanent camouflage: a -10% discount to the cost of post-battle maintenance.
  • Update 0.7.2:
    • Players who have collected the "Uniform Elements" sub-collection of the "Yamomoto Isoroku" collection can use an alternate permanent camouflage color.
  • Update 0.7.6:
    • Improved display of thin elements on the hull.
  • Update 0.7.10:
    • The range of the Hydroacoustic Search consumable was unified: 4 km for detecting ships, 3 km for detecting torpedoes.
  • Update 0.7.11:
    • Accuracy of the main battery was improved to be similar to that of Zao.
  • Update 0.9.2:
    • Fixed an issue which excluded one of the 25 mm/60 Type96 guns from the short-range AA defenses for Tier VI Aoba's Hull (B).
    • The Central armor plating was reinforced from 16 mm to 25 mm.
  • Update 0.10.0 :
    • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 4.95 km.
  • Update 13.1:
    • Added the Submarine Surveillance consumable with the following characteristics:
      • Range: 5 km.
      • Reload: 120 s.
      • Number of charges: 3.
      • Action time: 20 s.

Ships of Japan
Destroyers  II TachibanaDoubloons • II Umikaze • II Tachibana LimaDoubloons • III Wakatake • IV Isokaze • V Minekaze • V FūjinDoubloons • V KamikazeDoubloons • V Kamikaze RDoubloons • V Mutsuki • VI Fubuki • VI Hatsuharu • VI Shinonome BDoubloons • VI ShinonomeDoubloons • VII Akatsuki • VII Shiratsuyu • VII YūdachiDoubloons • VIII Akizuki • VIII Kagerō • VIII AsashioDoubloons • VIII HSF Harekaze IIDoubloons • VIII Asashio BDoubloons • VIII HSF HarekazeDoubloons • VIII AL YukikazeDoubloons • IX Yūgumo • IX Kitakaze • IX MinegumoDoubloons • IX STAR KitakazeDoubloons • X Shimakaze • X Harugumo • X HayateDoubloons •  Yamagiri 
Cruisers  I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III KatoriDoubloons • IV YūbariDoubloons • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki AlphaDoubloons • V Furutaka • V Agano • V YahagiDoubloons • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII TokachiDoubloons • VII MayaDoubloons • VII ARP MyōkōDoubloons • VII ARP AshigaraDoubloons • VII ARP HaguroDoubloons • VII Southern DragonDoubloons • VII Eastern DragonDoubloons • VII ARP NachiDoubloons • VIII Mogami • VIII ToneDoubloons • VIII AtagoDoubloons • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago BDoubloons • VIII ARP TakaoDoubloons • VIII ARP MayaDoubloons • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX AzumaDoubloons • IX AL AzumaDoubloons • IX Chikuma II • X Zaō • X Yodo • X YoshinoDoubloons • X Yoshino BDoubloons • X Kitakami 
Battleships  II MikasaDoubloons • III Kawachi • IV Myōgi • IV IshizuchiDoubloons • V Kongō • V ARP KongōDoubloons • V ARP KirishimaDoubloons • V ARP HarunaDoubloons • V ARP HieiDoubloons • V HSF HieiDoubloons • VI Fusō • VI MutsuDoubloons • VI IseDoubloons • VII Nagato • VII AshitakaDoubloons • VII HyūgaDoubloons • VIII Amagi • VIII Yumihari • VIII KiiDoubloons • VIII Ignis PurgatioDoubloons • VIII RagnarokDoubloons • IX Izumo • IX Adatara • IX MusashiDoubloons • IX HizenDoubloons • IX IwamiDoubloons • IX DaisenDoubloons • IX TsurugiDoubloons • IX Iwami BDoubloons • X Yamato • X Bungo • X ShikishimaDoubloons • X ARP YamatoDoubloons •  Satsuma 
Aircraft Carriers  IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII KagaDoubloons • VIII Kaga BDoubloons • X Hakuryū •  Sekiryu
Cruisers
Japan  I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III KatoriDoubloons • IV YūbariDoubloons • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki AlphaDoubloons • V Furutaka • V Agano • V YahagiDoubloons • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII TokachiDoubloons • VII MayaDoubloons • VII ARP MyōkōDoubloons • VII ARP AshigaraDoubloons • VII ARP HaguroDoubloons • VII Southern DragonDoubloons • VII Eastern DragonDoubloons • VII ARP NachiDoubloons • VIII Mogami • VIII ToneDoubloons • VIII AtagoDoubloons • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago BDoubloons • VIII ARP TakaoDoubloons • VIII ARP MayaDoubloons • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX AzumaDoubloons • IX AL AzumaDoubloons • IX Chikuma II • X Zaō • X Yodo • X YoshinoDoubloons • X Yoshino BDoubloons • X Kitakami 
U.K.  I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V ExeterDoubloons • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI LondonDoubloons • VI DidoDoubloons • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII BelfastDoubloons • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII CheshireDoubloons • VIII Tiger '59Doubloons • VIII Belfast '43Doubloons • VIII HampshireDoubloons • VIII NottinghamDoubloons • VIII AL CheshireDoubloons • VIII STAR EdinburghDoubloons • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X PlymouthDoubloons • X GibraltarDoubloons • X Defence •  Edgar 
France  I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De GrasseDoubloons • VI DupleixDoubloons • VII Algérie • VII ToulonDoubloons • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII BayardDoubloons • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX CarnotDoubloons • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X ColbertDoubloons •  Condé 
U.S.S.R.  I Orlan • II DianaDoubloons • II Diana LimaDoubloons • II Novik • III AuroraDoubloons • III Bogatyr • III OlegDoubloons • III VaryagDoubloons • III AL AvroraDoubloons • IV Svietlana • V MurmanskDoubloons • V Kotovsky • V Krasny KrymDoubloons • V MikoyanDoubloons • V KirovDoubloons • VI Budyonny • VI MolotovDoubloons • VI Admiral MakarovDoubloons • VII Shchors • VII LazoDoubloons • VII Lazo BDoubloons • VIII Chapayev • VIII Tallinn • VIII Mikhail KutuzovDoubloons • VIII OchakovDoubloons • VIII Pyotr BagrationDoubloons • VIII Dmitry PozharskyDoubloons • IX Dmitri Donskoi • IX Riga • IX KronshtadtDoubloons • X MoskvaDoubloons • X Alexander Nevsky • X Petropavlovsk • X StalingradDoubloons • X Smolensk B • X SmolenskDoubloons • X SevastopolDoubloons • X Kommissar •  Novosibirsk 
U.S.A.  I Erie • II Chester • II AlbanyDoubloons • III St. Louis • III CharlestonDoubloons • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V MarbleheadDoubloons • V Marblehead LimaDoubloons • V RattleheadDoubloons • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII AtlantaDoubloons • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII IndianapolisDoubloons • VII Atlanta BDoubloons • VII BoiseDoubloons • VII FlintDoubloons • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII WichitaDoubloons • VIII AnchorageDoubloons • VIII CongressDoubloons • VIII RochesterDoubloons • VIII San DiegoDoubloons • VIII AL MontpelierDoubloons • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX VallejoDoubloons • IX AlaskaDoubloons • IX TulsaDoubloons • IX Alaska BDoubloons • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto RicoDoubloons • X SalemDoubloons • X AustinDoubloons •  Annapolis 
Germany  I Hermelin • II Dresden • II EmdenDoubloons • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf SpeeDoubloons • VI LeipzigDoubloons • VI HSF Admiral Graf SpeeDoubloons • VII Yorck • VII MünchenDoubloons • VII WeimarDoubloons • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz EugenDoubloons • VIII MainzDoubloons • VIII SchillDoubloons • VIII Mainz BDoubloons • VIII Cross of DornDoubloons • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX SiegfriedDoubloons • IX ÄgirDoubloons • IX Admiral SchröderDoubloons • IX Roon CLRDoubloons • X Hindenburg •  Clausewitz 
Pan-Asia  I Chengan • III Ning HaiDoubloons • V Chungking • VI Rahmat • VI HuangheDoubloons • VII Chumphon • VIII Harbin • VIII IrianDoubloons • VIII WukongDoubloons • IX Sejong • IX DalianDoubloons • IX MengchongDoubloons • IX TianjinDoubloons • X Jinan 
Spain  I Júpiter • II Méndez Núñez • III Navarra • IV Almirante Cervera • V Galicia • VI Baleares • VI CanariasDoubloons • VII Asturias • VIII Cataluña • VIII NumanciaDoubloons • IX Andalucía • X Castilla 
Europe  I Gryf • VI ElliDoubloons 
Netherlands  I Van Kinsbergen • II Gelderland • III Java • IV De Ruyter • V Celebes • VI Kijkduin • VII Eendracht • VIII Haarlem • VIII De Zeven ProvinciënDoubloons • IX Johan de Witt • IX Van SpeijkDoubloons • X Gouden Leeuw • X Prins van Oranje 
Italy  I Eritrea • II Nino Bixio • III Taranto • IV Alberto di Giussano • V Raimondo Montecuccoli • V GenovaDoubloons • VI Trento • VI Duca d'AostaDoubloons • VII Zara • VII Duca degli AbruzziDoubloons • VII Francesco FerruccioDoubloons • VII GoriziaDoubloons • VIII Amalfi • IX Brindisi • IX MichelangeloDoubloons • X Venezia • X NapoliDoubloons • X Napoli BDoubloons •  Piemonte 
Commonwealth  I Sutlej • II Port Jackson • III Caradoc • IV Dunedin • V Red Fort • VI Hobart • VI PerthDoubloons • VI MysoreDoubloons • VII Uganda • VIII Auckland • IX Encounter • IX HectorDoubloons • X Cerberus • X BrisbaneDoubloons 
Pan-America  I Hércules • II Almirante Barroso • II Almirante AbreuDoubloons • III Vicente Guerrero • IV Córdoba • V La Argentina • VI Almirante Cochrane • VII Coronel Bolognesi • VII Nueve de JulioDoubloons • VIII Ignacio Allende • VIII Almirante GrauDoubloons • IX Santander • X San Martín