M56 Scorpion
M56 Scorpion
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[Client Values; Actual values in
4,600  Cost |
| 820164 HP Hit Points |
| 7.14/93.51/9 t Weight Limit |
- Commander (Radio Operator)
- Gunner
- Driver
- Loader
| 200200 hp Engine Power |
| 45/17 km/h Speed Limit |
| 4040 deg/s Traverse |
| 28.0156.98 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| YesYes Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
AP/HEAT/HE
AP/HEAT/HE Shells |
380/4000/255
380/4000/255 Shell Cost |
| 240/240/320240/240/320 HP Damage |
| 219/275/45219/275/45 mm Penetration |
|
7.69 r/m ▲
7.69 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
1845.6 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1845.6 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.33 m ▲
0.33 m With 50% Crew: 0.409 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.409 m |
| 1.9 s 1.9 s Aim time |
| 1212 deg/s Gun Traverse Speed |
| 60° Gun Arc |
| -10°/+15°-10°/+15° Elevation Arc |
| 4343 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 1515 % Chance of Fire |
| 350 m 350 m View Range |
| 500 m 500 m Signal Range |
VII
4600
The M56 Scorpion is an American tier 7 premium tank destroyer.
The M56 SPG was intended to support airborne units as a light tank destroyer that could be transported by cargo planes or inserted by parachute or glider. The vehicle was mass produced from 1953 through 1959, but it was not popular and was soon replaced by the Sheridan light tank. The Scorpion was occasionally used to provide artillery support in Vietnam.
The M56 Scorpion was planned to be the first American TD in the premium shop and tech tree but instead became a special/bundle premium that has been for sale about once a month on the NA sever, then later added to the in-game shop in the 9.22 patch.
It is a true glass cannon with literally only 1mm of armor, so take extreme caution to not get spotted as you will be focused on immediately. The M56 can be very fun if played right as a sniper at the start of a battle and a close support tank towards the end. The gun is very good, if a little finicky at times, and can still pen quite a few Tier IX's frontally when you aim for weak spots. Overall it can be a very fun vehicle once one gets the hang of it.
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 (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | 90 mm Gun M54 | 219/275/45 | 240/240/320 | 7.69 | 0.33 | 1.9 | 1107 | 95500 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | Continental AOI-402-5 | 200 | 15 | 338 | 34000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | M56 Scorpion | 9 | 40 | 0 | 1500 | 20000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | AN/PRC-8 | 500 | 12 | 22000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Good accuracy and aim time
- Good gun depression and wide gun arc
- High penetration, both with AP and HEAT, and HEAT rounds actually have a higher muzzle velocity, not slower
- Very small size and great concealment values
- Great acceleration and can turn at near max speed
Cons:
- Worst armor values in the game, HE shells and ramming are the bane of this vehicle and every hit will cause damage
- Disappointing damage per minute
- Mediocre top speed for a small TD with a medium sized gun and no armor
- Terrible gun traverse speed
- Bad as a crew trainer, as its crew slots and preferred skills/perks do not match higher-tier TDs' play style
Performance
Try to stay at extremely long range as a sniper at the start of the battle. Do not get spotted, because once you are you'll be dead in seconds. Enemy artillery loves you so don't stay still for too long and move immediately when spotted, because with that armor any direct hit is a definite one shot kill, and even near misses can remove most of your health.
Extremely good penetration allows you to easily engage enemy heavy tanks, and the wide gun traverse arc allows you to cover large areas. However gun traverse is extremely slow, and turning the hull may be needed to change targets on opposite sides of the battlefield. Fortunately this tank has a surprisingly fast hull traverse, which might give it a bit of an advantage against an enemy lights.
The very thin armor makes you extremely vulnerable to ramming. Along with the low weight, any contact with any tank, even a light touch by an AMX ELC bis can be fatal. Also, as your armor is virtually non-existent, pretty much everybody is going to fire pure HE at you, which means your health will be drained very fast, along with a high chance of fire.
The compact module and crew arrangement will make multiple critical hits very likely, especially when hit by HE shells. Getting hit by HE is one of this tank's biggest drawbacks; not only will you take more damage, the chance of critical hits -- especially multiple critical hits -- is very very high. For example one HE shell could take out half your health, destroy the engine and set fire to it, damage the ammo rack, kill the commander, and break your left track. In this case you're a sitting duck, unable to move and return fire due to both the engine and track getting destroyed, and unable to reload due to the ammo rack. You'll be an easy target, and even if nobody hits you a second time the fire can easily burn you out, and in the event you do survive your combat capability will be greatly diminished.
Towards the end of the battle you will want to move in closer but do not brawl. Find distracted enemy tanks to attack, and if you can't get to their sides put that 219mm of pen to use. Also going hull-down will greatly improve your survivability as the M56's gun shield is a very small target. Always pull back between reloads and stop every now-and-then when moving back up to try and trick your targets into firing. This is very useful to learn, as some maps just aren't suited for sniping. Always keep your gun in the game, whether through peek-a-booming, hull-down, sniping, or, in some cases flanking. Getting spotted is not as much of a problem as getting hit is. You will want to stay as a sniper when first getting this tank until you are used to its nature. Don't ever push, as that leads to a short-cut to the garage.
Being mindful of Sixth Sense is a must, be sure to react when it goes off.
The Scorpion's crew layout -- Commander (Radio Operator), Gunner, Driver, Loader -- matches the T25 AT, T28, and T95; all three tanks' crews will fit perfectly into the M56. Other premium tanks with this exact setup are the TL-7 and T78, all crew from tanks previously mentioned can also be used without penalty. (Except for a radio operator, in a pinch the Scorpion will take any American TD crew members, but a commander from any other tank not mentioned won't have radio operator skills.)
Early Research
This is a premium tank; there is no research required.
Suggested Equipment
Improved Rotation Mechanism
External Reviews and Opinions
Gallery
Historical Info
The M56 was a fully Caterpillar tracked vehicle with rubber-tired run-flat road wheels and front drive sprocket wheels. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors A01-403-5 gasoline engine developing 200 bhp at 3,000 rpm, allowing a maximum road speed of 28mph and a maximum range of 140mi. Twenty-nine rounds of main gun ammunition were carried, and only the blast shield was armored.
In service
The M56 saw combat service with U.S. forces in the Vietnam War. It was deployed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which was the only Airborne Brigade deployed with the M56, where it was used mainly in a direct fire-support role. Its function as an air portable, self-propelled, anti-tank vehicle was eventually replaced in Vietnam by the troubled but effective M551 Sheridan which had a fully armored turret. The USMC used the Ontos, which had an armored cabin and was armed with recoilless rifles, in a similar role (the running gear of the first Ontos prototype was the same as on the M56, but it was replaced for the production variant).
With the retirement of the Sheridan, current US airborne troops did not have a self-propelled gun system that could be delivered by air drop until the development of the M1128 Mobile Gun System Stryker MGS variant that is currently undergoing airdrop certification.
Historical Gallery
