AC 4 Experimental
AC 4 Experimental
Mouse over "
[Client Values; Actual values in
3,100  Cost |
| 840168 HP Hit Points |
| 28.45/3111.52/31 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Driver
- Gunner
- Radio Operator
- Loader
| 330330 hp Engine Power |
| 60.4/20 km/h Speed Limit |
| 4040 deg/s Traverse |
| 11.628.65 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 65/65/6565/65/65 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
175/3200/75
175/3200/75 Shell Cost |
| 150/150/190150/150/190 HP Damage |
| 171/239/38171/239/38 mm Penetration |
|
12 r/m ▲
12 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
1800 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1800 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.39 m ▲
0.39 m With 50% Crew: 0.483 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.483 m |
| 2.1 s 2.1 s Aim time |
| 4444 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -10°/+20°-10°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 5050 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 360 m 360 m View Range |
| 450 m 450 m Signal Range |
VI
3100
The AC 4 Experimental is a British tier 6 premium medium tank.
The tank was developed in 1943. An order was placed for 400 vehicles. The prototype was created on the basis of the AC 1 tank with an enlarged superstructure, which allowed mounting a modified turret from the AC 3 tank with a 17-pounder gun. In July 1943, the work on the project was stopped at the final stage, as the program for creating the Australian cruiser tank was discontinued.
The AC 4 Experimental is an interesting UK medium, featuring a very powerful 17-pdr gun with good gun depression but mediocre protection and mobility, making it a second-line support vehicle.
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 (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | OQF 17-pdr Gun Mk. VII | 171/239/38 | 150/150/190 | 12 | 0.39 | 2.1 | 826 | 62000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | Cadillac "75" x3 | 330 | 20 | 1000 | 10350 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VI | AC 4 Experimental | 31 | 40 | B/2 | 5000 | 12000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | WS No. 19 Mk. II (Aust.) | 450 | 40 | 21000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Best-in-class penetration with both regular and APCR ammo, tied with the Firefly's main gun
- Strong gun depression, can work a ridge line
- Decent handling stats and aim time, no need for an Enhanced Gun Laying Drive for accurate repeat shots on the same target
- Good hull and turret traverse speeds
- Good reverse speed
Cons:
- Poor DPM for its class, amongst Tier VI mediums only one tank has worse
- Engine is underpowered, terrain resistances are bad, unable to reach its own listed top speed without going downhill
- Lower view and signal ranges than Sherman Firefly, slightly lower RoF
- Unable to mount a Vertical Stabilizer
Performance
The AC 4 Experimental shares a lot of features with its smaller sibling, the AC 1 Sentinel, and its tier-peer, the Sherman Firefly. It takes on the compact size and fast traverse speeds of the AC 1, but also copies the somewhat lackluster armor (giving the occasional bounce, good for about 7-8% more effective health), "odd" water-cooled machine gun shroud, poor terrain resistances, and painfully weedy engine. From the Sherman Firefly it brings a quick-firing 17-pounder, which offers exceptional penetration and respectable aim time, but its mediocre alpha damage and low shell speed makes it not the ideal sniper.
Taken all together the AC 4 Experimental serves best as a support tank. It lacks the armor to brawl and does not have the exceptional power-to-weight ratio needed by flankers such as the Cromwell, but its relatively small size, excellent traverses, and good gun depression make it an ideal second-line fire-support machine. Go hull down, peek over the tops of hills to find targets, and take a shot with the confidence that you can penetrate almost anything you encounter before slipping back down into cover. The main gun features an almost excessive penetration value of 239mm on its APCR rounds, which gives the tank penetration capabilities more commonly seen on Tier VIII mediums.
If you can pick up enough speed to execute a flanking maneuver you can take apart foes with ease thanks to the penetration and DPM of the 17-pounder gun. This tank is also good for cleaning up weak or injured enemies towards the end of a match, thanks again to its speed and rate of fire.
With its one-of-everything crew layout -- Commander, Gunner, Driver, Radio Operator, Loader -- the AC 4 is crew compatible with the AC 1 Sentinel and Cromwell B, all three premium UK mediums can mix and match crews (or use one crew for all three) without penalty. Non-premiums with the same crew setup are the Cavalier, Comet, Cromwell, Mediums I and II, and Sherman III -- all crew members trained in these can be used in the above premiums without penalty.
This tank behaves as a sort of hybrid between a medium tank and a tank destroyer. While carrying a gun very reminiscent of mid-tier British and US tank destroyer guns it has the agility (if not the raw speed) of mid-tier British and US mediums. Let your faster or more powerful allies go on ahead of you to spot or engage the enemy, then come in to support with your excellent gun. Choose your shots carefully, as you carry only 50 shells; with a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute, your ammo supply can disappear quickly.
Early Research
As a premium tank, the AC 4 Experimental is elite in its stock configuration.
Suggested Equipment
Documented Tank and Crew Builds
As a second-line support tank a Binocular Telescope is a good idea, getting you to a 450 meter view range with no other perks or equipment; Coated Optics and pulling out all the stops on perks and gear will only get one to 439m short of food. You have to be stationary to activate binos but for players using the AC 4 Experimental as a support platform this will not be that much of a drawback.
Other good equipment choices are a Gun Rammer for a bit extra DPM and to "trade" more effectively, a Low Noise Exhaust and/or Camouflage Net, and/or simply Improved Ventilation to make most parameters of the tank just a bit better.
The AC 4 suffers from low terrain resistance speeds -- making the listed top speed of 60.4kph an outright lie -- causing some players to install a Turbocharger, but arguably Additional Grousers is a better choice, which can make the tank faster through all terrain types (one of those rare instances where Grousers are better than turbocharging).
Gallery
Historical Info
AC IV one 17 pounder or 25 pounder gun
one Vickers machine gun
Engine as Mark III
The main gun is notable in that it was historically one of the first to use APDS (armor-piercing discarding sabot) ammunition (September 1944 onward), and the AC 4 is one of the few tanks in the game to feature such ammo (mislabeled in the game as "AP Composite-Rigid"), such as the Sherman Firefly, Strv 103B, and FV217 Badger.
Historical Gallery
