Comet
Comet
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[Client Values; Actual values in
1,350,500  Cost |
| 1050310 HP Hit Points |
| 30.52/3215.74/34 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Gunner
- Driver
- Radio Operator
- Loader
| 600650 hp Engine Power |
| 51.5/18 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3436 deg/s Traverse |
| 19.6641.3 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 76.2/63.5/57.2101.6/63.5/57.2 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
56/2800/56
150/2800/75 Shell Cost |
| 110/110/175140/140/190 HP Damage |
| 91/144/38148/208/38 mm Penetration |
|
20 r/m ▲
15.38 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
2200 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
2153.2 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.41 m ▲
0.34 m With 50% Crew: 0.508 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.421 m |
| 1.9 s 2.3 s Aim time |
| 4846 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -13°/+20°-12°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 7561 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 360 m 380 m View Range |
| 450 m 700 m Signal Range |
VII
1350500
The Comet is a British tier 7 medium tank.
A further development of the Cromwell cruiser tank, this British tank saw service in World War II. A total of 1,186 vehicles were manufactured from September 1944 through to late 1945.
The Comet is a tank well suited for flanking, as its armor is neither good nor bad for its class; it won't survive brawls for long periods of time. It sports a couple of advantages over the Cromwell, such as a gun mantlet and lowered profile on the upgraded turret. However, it gets an "almost" inadequate top gun, barely an upgrade over the 75mm HV. What is more, in the footsteps of its predecessor, its handling and speed are somewhat slower, being barely better than those of the Panther and not quite as good as those of the T20. Clever use of flanking tactics and gun depression are necessary to successfully play this tank.
The Comet leads to the Centurion Mk. I.
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 (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | 3.7-inch Howitzer | 47/110/38 | 370/280/175 | 8.57 | 0.51 | 2.3 | 393 | 35000 | |
| V | 75 mm Gun Mk. V | 91/144/38 | 110/110/175 | 20 | 0.39 | 1.5 | 500 | 45000 | |
| VII | OQF 77 mm Gun Mk. II | 148/208/38 | 140/140/190 | 15.38 | 0.34 | 2.3 | 681 | 63000 | |
| VI | 75 mm Vickers HV | 145/202/38 | 135/135/175 | 15.38 | 0.34 | 2.3 | 591 | 50000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Rolls-Royce Meteor | 600 | 20 | 744 | 14000 | |
| V | Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk. IVB | 650 | 20 | 744 | 16000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VI | A34 | 32 | 34 | B/2 | 7000 | 11690 | |
| VII | A34A | 34 | 36 | B/2 | 7000 | 18000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | WS No. 19 Mk. II | 450 | 40 | 21000 | |
| VIII | WS No. 22 | 700 | 40 | 25000 | |
| VIII | WS No. 19 Mk. III | 550 | 40 | 22000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Fast rate of fire and good accuracy
- Excellent gun depression
- Good top speed and excellent acceleration
- Good viewrange
- Can equip a vertical stabilizer
Cons:
- Very weak armor, only the gun mantlet can absorb some hits
- Low alpha damage, penetration and shell velocity
- Very poor stock gun handling for a medium tank
- Fairly sluggish hull traverse speed
- Ammo capacity is somewhat low for the tank's rate of fire
Performance
The Comet has a nearly similar playing technique to the Cromwell, although it is not as nimble. It is a mobile medium tank with nearly decent traverse and a good ratio of horsepower per Ton which allow you to reach high speeds to assist allies. With the new turret with better view range, excellent gun depression, and ability to mount a vertical stabilizer the Comet takes and adapts the good features from the M4A3E8 and the Cromwell into a single tank. However, the gun itself is mediocre for its tier; with only 148mm of penetration, it is outclassed by most other mediums. The OQF 77mm should be used in flanking manoeuvres against heavily armored opponents. This is where the Comet's manoeuvrability, size and speed come in, allowing it to get to enemy flanks easily. Once in position, its DPM will tear through all but the most durable targets.
Stock, the Comet starts off better than the other Tier 7 mediums, and your upgraded turret allows you to use gun depression tactics with impunity, much like the better American tanks, thanks to your gun mantlet and low profile. It doesn't get much in the way of upgrades though, and ends up significantly weaker in armament for its tier than e.g. the Panther. Still, it is maneuverable, and appears to have fairly good camouflage characteristics. This tank also excels at supporting heavy tanks with its rate of fire. Use this to your advantage at all times.
If you can manage to succeed in - and indeed, actually like - the Comet, the upcoming Centurion tank will feel like a whole different world. That world won't be a bad one, mind you - Very much the opposite! It will be a world where you not only dominate hills, but are able to shoot and penetrate most tanks you face from across the map.
Early Research
- The engine, second radio and the 75 mm Vickers HV carries from the Cromwell should be mounted immediately. The top radio and the top gun QQF 77 mm MK.II can be carried from the heavy tank line.
- The second research should be the suspension, the tank is too heavy for any upgrade.
- Then research the second turret and the QQF 77 mm gun.
- Last should be the top radio.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
Combat experience against the Germans in the Western Desert Campaign demonstrated to the British many shortcomings with their cruiser tanks. Hence a request was made in 1941 to the Nuffield Organisation and Leyland Motors Ltd for a new heavy cruiser tank that could achieve battle superiority over German models. For reasons of economy and efficiency, it had to use as many components as possible from the current A15 Cruiser tank Mk VI Crusader tank.
The initial designs submitted were the A24 Cruiser Tank Mk VII Cavalier tank from Nuffield powered by a Nuffield-Liberty L-12 engine and the A27L Cruiser tank Mk VII Centaur tank from Leyland, which was also powered by the Liberty L-12 but would be able to use the more powerful Rolls-Royce Meteor when it became available.
The Cruiser tank Mk VII A27M Cromwell was the third parallel development to the Cavalier and Centaur. The Cromwell's Meteor engine proved to be very reliable and gave the Cromwell good mobility, but some problems did appear. The tank was prone to throwing its tracks if track tension was not maintained properly or if it turned at too high a speed or too sharply. There were also some problems with suspension breakage, partly due to the Cromwell's high speed.
A 17 pounder version of the Cromwell, the A30 Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tank, was under development. To handle the large gun, the Cromwell hull had to be lengthened and a large turret set on top. Due to the slow production of Challengers, the Sherman Firefly (a Sherman tank fitted with the 17 pounder gun) conversion received official support. Until the Challenger was available, one Firefly would be issued to each Cromwell troop (giving three Cromwells and one Sherman Firefly); but this was unsatisfactory due to the different maintenance requirements and associated supply complication of two tank models, as well as the performance difference between Cromwell and Sherman.
A34
With the A34 (the General Staff specification), later named Comet, the tank designers opted to correct some of the Cromwell's flaws (the track shedding and broken suspension problems) and enhance the Cromwell's main strengths, low height and high speed. Originally, it had been expected that the tank would use a new gun from Vickers: the "High Velocity 75mm". However, as designed, the gun would not fit into the turret size available. So the gun was changed to a different gun, the "77mm HV". This gun used the same calibre (76.2 mm) projectile as the 17-pounder but the shell casing was from the older QF 3 inch 20 cwt gun loaded to higher pressures. The resulting round was completely different to 17-pounder ammunition. It had a lower muzzle velocity than the 17-pounder but the ammunition was much more compact and more easily stored and handled within the tank. This made it possible to mount the gun on a smaller turret ring - the Challenger turret had been so large to allow space for two loaders - without making the hull wider. Several other improvements were made: armour protection was increased, the hull and turret were welded[2] with a cast gun mantlet, ammunition was stored in armoured bins, the suspension was strengthened, return rollers were added and the turret was electrically traversed (a design feature taken from the Churchill tank), with a generator powered by the main engine rather than the hydraulic system of the Cromwell.
Armour on the Comet ranged from 32 mm to 74 mm on the hull, while the turret was from 57 to 102 mm. The Comet tank's top speed was limited from the Cromwell's 40+ mph to a slower, but respectable 32 mph (51 km/h) to preserve suspension and engine components and to reduce track wear. The mild steel prototype was ready in February 1944 and entered trials. Although concerns about the hull gunner and belly armour were put to one side (to avoid redesign), there was still sufficient delay caused by minor modifications and changes that production models did not begin to be delivered until September 1944. Intended to be in service by December 1944, crew training was delayed by the German Ardennes Offensive. By the end of the war, 1,200 had been produced. Comet was fitted with two radio sets: a No. 19 Wireless, for communication with the regiment and the troop, and a No. 38 Wireless for communication with infantry units. Like many British tanks, it also had a telephone handset mounted on the rear so that accompanying infantry could talk to the crew.
Historical Gallery
Historical Accuracy Errata
Every armament configuration besides the 77 mm HV gun is fictitious.
- The Cromwell Mk. IV turret was only fitted to the Cromwell and experimented on a Matilda. Its configuration on the Comet is fake.
- The Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk. IVB engine was only fitted to the Centurion tank. Its configuration on the Comet is also fake.
- SCC No. 15 Olive Drab paint scheme is missing. This was the base colour on all British AFVs in Europe from April 1944.
- The Royal Armoured Corps recognition mark (or flash) was only used until mid-1942; the Comet entered service in December 1944.
