M103
M103
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[Client Values; Actual values in
3,640,000  Cost |
| 1910390 HP Hit Points |
| 54.39/57.525.69/62.5 t Weight Limit |
- Commander (Radio Operator)
- Gunner
- Driver
- Loader
- Loader
| 810860 hp Engine Power |
| 34/12 km/h Speed Limit |
| 2527 deg/s Traverse |
| 14.8933.48 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| YesYes Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 254/86.4/53.3254/99.1/53.3 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/HEAT/HE Shells |
1000/4800/680
1060/4400/900 Shell Cost |
| 320/320/420400/400/515 HP Damage |
| 218/252/53258/340/60 mm Penetration |
|
6.67 r/m ▲
6 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
2134.4 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
2400 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.38 m ▲
0.37 m With 50% Crew: 0.471 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.458 m |
| 1.9 s 2.3 s Aim time |
| 2426 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -8°/+15°-8°/+15° Elevation Arc |
| 6045 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 370 m 390 m View Range |
| 410 m 745 m Signal Range |
Additional Statistics
(Top Configuration)
Camouflage
- Stationary: 4.9%
- When Moving: 2.6%
- When Firing: 1.1%
Terrain Resistance
- On Hard Ground: 1.15
- On Medium Ground: 1.25
- On Soft Ground: 2.3
Dispersion Change Values
- Turret Contribution
- Rotation: 0.1
- Shot Recoil: 3.84
- Suspension Contribution
- Acceleration: 0.19
- Turning: 0.19
With 100% Crew
IX
3640000
The M103 is an American tier 9 heavy tank.
The development started in 1948. In 1952 the order was placed for production of 300 vehicles to fight in the Korean War. The tank was designated as M103.
M103 replaced the T34 as the tier 9 heavy in patch 0.7.2. The fully upgraded 120mm cannon is a fantastic gun, with great accuracy, and very high penetration. While it lacks alpha damage compared to the T-10 or E-75, the gun's reload speed makes up for its lack of damage. The M103's oddly shaped hull and well-sloped turret can make this tank a bit tricky to fight, especially at long ranges; however, this tank suffers from having very weak sides and rear armor. When fighting this tank from the front, make sure you try and hit the lower glacis as hitting the upper hull will most likely bounce. If you can only see the turret aim for the large cupola atop the tank for easy penetrations. The speed and maneuverability of this tank are quite good, so it's able to keep up with the rest of the team and provide excellent fire support when needed, and is able to turn its frontal hull towards the enemy quickly to reduce damage taken from incoming fire.
The M103 leads to the T110E5.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IX | 120 mm Gun T122 | 242/340/60 | 400/400/515 | 5.45 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2790 | 230000 | |
| X | 120 mm Gun M58 | 258/340/60 | 400/400/515 | 6 | 0.37 | 2.3 | 3100 | 310000 | |
| VIII | 105 mm Gun T5E1/45 | 218/252/53 | 320/320/420 | 6.67 | 0.38 | 1.9 | 2400 | 118000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IX | Continental AV-1790-5B | 810 | 20 | 569 | 80000 | |
| X | Continental AV-1790-7C | 860 | 20 | 569 | 100000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | T97E1 | 57.5 | 25 | 0 | 8000 | 31500 | |
| IX | T97E2 | 62.5 | 27 | 0 | 8000 | 61500 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VI | AN/GRC-3 | 410 | 120 | 21600 | |
| X | AN/GRC-7 | 745 | 120 | 54000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Strong turret face armor and mantlet
- Good gun depression and DPM
- Well-rounded top gun with good performance across the board
- Huge tracks can help absorb shots when sidescraping
- Fast turret rotation for such a large turret
Cons:
- Covered with weak spots, shockingly unreliable armor for a heavy tank
- Limited forward speed and horrible reverse speed
- Large target, the turret is especially huge
- Fragile ammo rack and engine modules
- Low ammo capacity
Performance
Coming from the T32, the M103 could be quite the rude awakening for players used to typical American hull-down tactics. Unlike the T32, M103's turret is massive and of limited durability, with only its mantlet and cheeks being somewhat durable. The plate above the mantlet, the turret ring, the roof, the cupola and the sides/rear are all poorly armored for Tier 9 standards, and make relying on hull down tactics a challenge. Further complicating things, the hull armor is also on the weak side, with only the upper glacis offering some meaningful protection. And if that were not enough, the M103 is also a very large tank and therefore a juicy target for artillery.
Thankfully, what the M103 lacks in armor protection, it compensates in firepower and (to a lesser extent) mobility. Its top gun, the 120mm Gun M58, is the same gun used on the T110E5 a tier higher, and comes with great rate of fire, penetration (both standard and premium), a good -8 degrees of gun depression and decent gun handling and aim time. Do be aware that the tank's ammo capacity is limited though, so you should make every shot count for maximum efficiency. As for mobility, while its speed is average at best (and its reverse speed is plain terrible), for its size it is a fairly quick tank with good acceleration and ground resistance, and can keep up the pace during a push. Never rush to the frontlines though, as the M103 cannot take much punishment - leave that job to tougher heavy tanks like the German E 75 or the Soviet Object 257.
Overall, the M103 should be considered a "force multiplier", a tank that by itself is overall average, but that excels as support when part of a group. Use cover whenever possible, including your heavily armored allies, and seek opportunities to put your excellent firepower to good use, but never overcommit as that would only result in a trip back to the garage.
- Buffed in 1.10:
Reload from 10.74 -> 9.59 0.19/0.19 gun handling -> 0.17/0.17 Turret roof weak spot significantly buffed
Early Research
- Players should first seek to upgrade to the 120mm, as the stock 105mm's low pen and accuracy is vastly inadequate when fighting other tier 9s and 10s. Using free XP is recommended.
- The next upgrade should be the turret, which will give the M103 a badly needed increase in durability and boost the rate of fire as well.
- The stock tracks allow the mounting all upgraded modules, so you can wait to upgrade these if you prefer. The ground resistance and moving dispersion is improved though which may give a higher advantage than the top engine on normal ground.
- Next you should get the engine, as it gives the tank even better mobility.
- After that you can decide if you want to get the top 120mm gun or to save the 60,000 XP for the T110E5 to get it sooner. The 120mm slightly upgrades rate of fire, penetration, aim time, accuracy, and is highly recommended. However the exact same 120mm is the stock (and only) gun of the T110E5, so if you spend the 60,000 XP to unlock it on the M103 you're effectively researching the same gun twice. It all depends on whether your priority is to get to the T110E5 faster, or if you enjoy the M103 enough that you'd be happy prolonging the grind to max out its power sooner.
- The radio does not have priority but it is relatively cheap to research; or you can mount it immediately if you already unlocked it in T71 LT or the M41 Walker Bulldog
Suggested Equipment
External Reviews and Opinions
Gallery
Historical Info
Design and Development
Like the contemporary British Conqueror tank, the M103 was designed to counter Soviet heavies such as the Josef Stalin tank or the T-10 if a conventional World War III broke out. Its long-ranged 120 mm cannon was designed to hit enemy tanks at extreme distances, but it was never used in combat. In 1953-1954 a series of 300 tanks, initially designated T43E1, were built by Chrysler at the Newark plant. Testing was unsatisfactory, and the tanks were all stored in August 1955. Only after recommending improvements, on 26 April 1956 the tank was standardized as the M103 Heavy Tank. Of the 300 T43E1s built, 80 went to the US Army (74 of which were rebuilt to M103 standard), and 220 were accepted by the US Marine Corps, to be used as infantry support, rebuilt to improved M103A1, then M103A2 standards. The successive versions of the M103 shared many components with the M47 and M48 Patton tanks and the M60, which, with the exception of the M60 (a main battle tank) were all considered 90 mm gun (medium) tanks. Tracks, rollers and suspension elements were the same, with some modification to take into account the greater weight. The engine and transmission were never modified enough to give the extra power needed for the greater weight of the M103, and as a result, the tank was relatively underpowered and the drive systems were fragile. The turret of the M103 was larger than that of the M48 or the M60 to make room for the huge 120 mm gun and the two loaders assigned to it, in addition to the gunner and the commander. The driver sat in the hull. The gun was capable of elevation from +15 to -8 degrees. The armor is made from welded rolled and cast homogeneous steel of varying thickness.
- Hull front: 100–130 mm (4.0–5.3 in)
- Hull side: 76 mm (3.1 in)
- Hull top: 25 mm (1 in)
- Turret mantlet: 250 mm (10.2 in)
- Turret front: 180 mm (7.3 in)
- Turret side: 76 mm (3.1 in)
- Turret top: 38 mm (1.5 in)
Service
In Europe, the US Army fielded only one battalion of heavy tanks, from January 1958, originally assigned to the 899th Armor, later redesignated the 2/33rd Armor. The US Army heavy armor battalion, in contrast to other armor units, was organized into four tank companies, composed of six platoons each, of which each platoon contained three M103's, for a total of 18 tanks per company. Standard US Army armor battalions at the time had three companies per battalion, each with three five-tank platoons, with 17 tanks per company (two tanks were in headquarters platoon). The US Marine Corps assigned one M103 company to each of its 3 Marine tank battalions, including its Marine reserve units. While the US Army deactivated its heavy armor units with the reception of the new M60 series main battle tanks in 1963, the remaining M103s stayed within the US Marine Corps inventory until they began receiving the M60 series MBT. With the disappearance of the heavy tank from US forces came the full acceptance of the main battle tank in 1960 for the US Army, and 1973 for the US Marine Corps. Although the 21st century's M1 Abrams MBT utilizes the same caliber of main gun, the 120 mm, the M103's cannon was a rifled gun firing a fixed round, ejecting a lengthy brass shell casing (34.69 inches in length for the armor-piercing rounds). The M1 tank's 120 mm main gun is a smooth bore (no rifling) firing a semi-caseless round, ejecting only a back cap of the original loaded round; the bulk of the 120 mm shell's casing is consumed during firing. Ammunition fired by the M103's M58 cannon included:
- APBC-T M358 Shot
- HEAT-T M469 Shell
- HE-T M356 Shell
- TP-T M359E2 Shot
Variants
- T43E1 1953. 300 built.
- M103 1957. 74 converted.
- M103A1 1959. 219 converted or rebuilt. New sight (Stereoscopic T52) and T33 ballistic computer. Removed one coaxial machine gun. New turret electric amplidyne system traverse. Turret basket.
- M103A2 1964. 153 converted or rebuilt. New 750 hp (559 kW) diesel engine from the M60 tank, increasing the road range to 480 km and maximum speed to 37 km/h. New sight coincidence XM2A.
