Rheinmetall Skorpion
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Rheinmetall Skorpion
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[Client Values; Actual values in
9,800  Cost |
| 1150230 HP Hit Points |
| 38.23/4522.37/45 t Weight Limit |
- Commander (Loader)
- Radio Operator
- Driver
- Gunner
| 650650 hp Engine Power |
| 60/20 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3030 deg/s Traverse |
| 1729.06 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| YesYes Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
1070/4800/935
1070/4800/935 Shell Cost |
| 490/490/630490/490/630 HP Damage |
| 246/311/65246/311/65 mm Penetration |
|
4.92 r/m ▲
4.92 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
2410.8 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
2410.8 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.3 m ▲
0.3 m With 50% Crew: 0.372 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.372 m |
| 2.1 s 2.1 s Aim time |
| 1818 deg/s Gun Traverse Speed |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -7°/+14°-7°/+14° Elevation Arc |
| 3030 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 360 m 360 m View Range |
| 700 m 700 m Signal Range |
VIII
9800
The Rheinmetall Skorpion is a German tier 8 premium tank destroyer.
Development of the second series of self-propelled guns on the basis of the Panther tank was started by the Rheinmetall company in January 1943. The design plans for the 12,8 cm Skorpion were completed on April 2, 1943. Existed only in blueprints.
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 | 12,8 cm Kanone 43 L/55 | 246/311/65 | 490/490/630 | 4.92 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 3050 | 250000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | Maybach HL 210 TRM P30 | 650 | 20 | 850 | 35500 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | Rheinmetall 12,8 cm K 43 Skorpion | 45 | 30 | 0 | 15000 | 30000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | Fu.Spr.Ger. "f" A | 700 | 40 | 10000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent alpha damage, penetration, and accuracy
- Has a fully rotating turret
- Gun depression is decent (-7 degrees) when aiming to the sides
- Very good speed and acceleration
Cons:
- Very poor gun depression when aiming at the front or rear
- Virtually unarmored, easily damaged by HE shells
- Terrible camouflage
- High terrain resistance and slow hull/turret traverse, lacks agility
Performance
The Skorpion G plays most like a very bloated Rhm.-Borsig Waffenträger with substantially better mobility and accuracy at the expense of inferior camouflage, gun handling, and DPM. Thankfully the mobility, penetration, and alpha damage allow you to remain useful even in Tier IX and X battles. As with every low-armor tank you should pay special attention to not getting hit as most hits will result in damage. Under the right circumstances you can even play the Skorpion like a medium tank, but it is a fine line between success and failure. Support your team by striking at distracted enemies and vehicles that are still reloading. In some rare instances you can also trade shots, especially versus lower-tier mediums with 75mm guns. Due to the horrible hidden dispersion values snapshots won't connect most of the time. It is really important to let the gun aim, especially since you will be stuck reloading for over 10 seconds.
The 246mm of penetration on the AP rounds allows you to damage most tanks you will encounter reliably, which is especially important for a premium tank since one typically uses them to earn credits.
It is important to remember that unlike the Rhm.-Borsig Waffenträger, the Skorpion G has poor camouflage ratings and a very large silhouette (comparable to the Panther II). Situations in which the Rhm.-Borsig Waffenträger could have remained hidden or simply slunk into the nearest ditch to avoid being hit are often certain death for the much larger . This can be partially mitigated with the use of a camouflage net, but you are still likely be spotted after your first shot unless there is substantial foliage cover between you and your target.
At the beginning of the battle you can decide to rush a key location or pick a TD spot. Even if you are doing the latter, watch for gaps on the minimap. Once a gap presents itself, exploit it and use your mobility to flank the enemy and put the pressure on. Due to the mobility, this tank is also nicely suited for cleanup late during a match, just make sure you don't overextend yourself and end up in a spot with no way out.
The Skorpion's crew setup -- Commander (Loader), Gunner, Driver, Radio Operator -- is only compatible with the Skorpion G; every other German TD does not have a Commander who is also the vehicle's Loader. Creating one dedicated Commander-Loader for this tank and its sister is recommended, the other three positions can be filled by any other German tank destroyer crew members you like, preferably those well trained in Concealment.
Gallery
Historical Info
In early 1942 Wa.Prüf 4, the German organization in charge of field artillery, put forward a design requirement for a vehicle to move heavy artillery. The main stipulation was that it should use parts from the new Panther medium tank. A similar competition was already underway for a vehicle to move lighter field artillery, such as 10.5 cm guns, using the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis. This had inspired Wa.Prüf 4 to do the same for a vehicle to move heavier 12.8 cm and 15 cm artillery pieces, as the Geschützwagen III/IV was too small to handle them. The guns in question were the 12.8 cm K 43 and 15 cm sFH 43. The sFH 43 (schwerer Feld Haubitze, heavy field howitzer) was a projected improvement on the 15 cm sFH 18, the new gun was to use bagged propellant and had a screw-type breech. The 12.8 cm Kanone 43 is unknown in most literature but is presumably a predecessor to the 12.8 cm K 44 L/55. Neither of these cannons were ever built. In order to keep weight down, the designs were to be open-topped. Prototypes were to be built using Panther parts, but it was projected that any serial production vehicles would be made using the Panther II chassis. This idea was discarded when the Panther II was cancelled in June of 1943.
Both Krupp and Rheinmetall-Borsig took part in this design competition. All designs were able to be transported by rail with a few adjustments, and all could carry at least 30 rounds, however, Rheinmetall’s design had trouble with this.
Design and Fate
Like Krupp, Rheinmetall-Borsig also presented their first designs on the 1st of July, 1942. They were the 12.8 cm K 43 (Sfl.) Rheinmetall-Borsig (indexed Gerät 5-1213), and 15 cm sFH 43 (Sfl.) Rheinmetall-Borsig (indexed Gerät 5-1530). The vehicles were identical except for armament. Both had a 360-degree rotating turret and a hydraulic gun dismounting mechanism designed by Daimler-Benz, similar to that used on the Heuschrecke 10.
On January 7th, 1943, Rheinmetall produced three more designs. In reality, these were the same vehicle, but with different armaments. The vehicles had centrally mounted, 360-degree rotating, dismountable turrets. The chassis was that of a Panther, extended to a wheelbase of 4,220mm. They were designated 15 cm sFH 43, 12.8 cm K 43 and 12.8 cm P 43. On or around the 24th of February, 1943, Rheinmetall’s entry for the Selbstfahrlafette für 12.8 cm K 43 und 15 cm sFH 43 Project was assigned the cover name “Skorpion”.
