ST-A1

General info

The ST-A1 in the Garage.

The ST-A1 (also known by STA-1) is a Rank IV Japanese medium tank with a battle rating of 6.3. It was introduced along with the initial Japanese Ground Forces tree in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai".

The main purpose, usage and tactics recommendations

General play style

The ST-A1, similar to most Japanese tanks, is lightly armoured. Although the sloped upper glacis and the rounded turret are capable of bouncing off the occasional shot at BR 6.3, most enemies it faces will not have any problems in penetrating the armour. Combined with the tight placement of crew, modules, and ammo, the ST-A1 is easily taken out in a single shot. The ST-A1 can serve as a sniper or flanker (although it does not have the best speed), however, full utilization of the terrain is essential for survival - due to its powerful gun and low profile, the tank is able to fire off long-range shots without exposing itself. The excellent reverse speed should also be taken advantage of to quickly retreat into cover.

Vehicle characteristics

The STA1 bears the common Japanese post-war camouflage-schemes - green, bi-color green and the white spotted winter camouflage, as well as the beige-gray-green and multi-color camouflage patterns that are purchasable with Golden Eagles. The tank has a distinct silhouette with its rounded turret and long, low chassis, and carries the 90 mm M3A1 cannon found on the M46 Patton tank.

Tactics

Stay out of sight and find a good, defensible spot on the map and use your gun (preferably the HEAT-FS with 305 mm penetration) and excellent optical zoom. The tank has almost no armour, so do not rush forward - stay behind your allies. Take a shot, then use your reverse speed to retreat to cover.

Specific enemies worth noting

With 45mm armour on the hull and 50 mm mantlet, all enemies it faces are a threat.

Counter-tactics

When facing the ST-A1, the left side of the turret holds the gunner and commander, the right side holds ammo, so a well placed shot into the turret will result in a catastrophic explosion, or, at the least, double crew kill with solid shot. If you are unable to shoot the Gunner out, the Breach which is the largest thing in the turret will do as the repair is close to 1 minute (or less depending on crew) giving you enough time to reload and finish off the tank.

Pros and cons

Pros:

Vehicle body is thin and low = small front profile
Adequate gun depression of -9°
90 mm gun that allow for combat against contemporary medium tanks
.50 cal machine gun allow for AA defense
Good speed, OK mobility
Very good reverse speed
Access to HEAT-FS shells

Cons:

Elevated engine deck prevents rear gun depression
Large ammo rack all over the turret, especially left side (Aiming right side)
Inadequate hull raw armor of 75 mm at front, relies on slopes and bounces for resistance against shots
Even more inadequate turret armor of around 40-75 mm overall
Gun sub-par against the heavy tanks like the Tiger II
High drop-rate of shells make long-range engagements difficult
15mm of armor on top of the turrent and engine deck make it easy kills for Strafing Air and Artillery

Specifications

Armaments

1 × 90 mm Gun M3A1 cannon (40 rounds)
1 × 12.7 mm Browning M2HB heavy machine gun (660 rounds)
1 × 7.62 mm Browning M1919A4 machine gun (4,500 rounds)

Main armament

1 × 90 mm Gun M3A1 cannon

Ammunition Capacity: 40 Shells
Gun Depression: -10°
Gun Elevation: 13°
Turret Rotation Speed: 14.3°/s (Stock), __._°/s (Upgraded), __._°/s (Prior + Full Crew), __._°/s (Prior + Expert Qualif.), __._°/s (Prior + Ace Qualif.)
Reload Rate: 11.8s (Stock), __._s (Full Crew), __._s (Prior + Expert Qualif.), __._s (Prior + Ace Qualif.)

Ammunition

Ammunition	Penetration in mm @ 90°						Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in TNT equivalent in g:	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
Ammunition	10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in TNT equivalent in g:	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	0%	50%	100%
M318 shot	192	191	179	165	152	139	AP	853	11	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4°	43°	30°	25°
M71 shell	13	13	13	13	13	13	HE	823	11	0.1	0.5	925	+0°	11°	10°	9°
M82 shot	170	169	164	151	138	127	APCBC	853	11	1.2	20	137.2	+4°	42°	27°	19°
M304 shot	264	260	245	226	210	191	APCR	1021	7.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	24°	20°	18°
M332 shot	271	270	245	217	192	170	APCR	1178	5.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	24°	20°	18°
M348 shell	305	305	305	305	305	305	HEATFS	853	6.5	0.0	0.1	926.17	+0°	25°	18°	15°

Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in TNT equivalent in g:
M313	Smoke	821	11	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the ST-A1.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Recommendations	Visual discrepancy
40	39 (+1)	30 (+10)	1 (+39)	Turret empty: 30 (+10)	no

Secondary armaments

1 × 12.7 mm Browning M2HB heavy machine gun (pintle-mounted)
1 × 7.62 mm Browning M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Crew

Commander
Gunner
Loader
Driver

Total: 4 Crew members

Armour

Armour type:

Rolled homogeneous armour
Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	75 mm (52°) Front glacis 75 mm (47°) Lower glacis	25 mm (45°) Top 25 mm Bottom	15 mm (15-44°) Top 15 mm Bottom	15 mm
Turret	75 mm (5-55°) Turret front 50 mm (8-65°) Gun mantlet	40 mm (16-32°)	25 mm (7-10°)	15 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	40 mm	15 mm

Notes:

Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

Engine & mobility

Weight: 34.2 ton

Max Speed: 50 km/h
Stock

Engine Power: 775 hp @ 2200 rpm
Power-to-Weight Ratio: 22.66 hp/ton
Maximum Inclination: 35°

Upgraded

Engine Power: ___ hp @ 2200 rpm
Power-to-Weight Ratio: __.__ hp/ton
Maximum Inclination: __°

Modules and improvements

History of creation and combat usage

Screenshots and fan art

Skins and camouflages for the _____ from live.warthunder.com.

Additional information (links)

[Devblog] ST-A1: Stepping into a New Era

References

Sidebar

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ST-A1

Nation	Japan
Type	Medium tank
Rank	4
Battle Rating	6.3 6.3 6.3

Metric✓ Imperial

Characteristics
Weight	34,200 kg 75,398 lb
Number of Crew	4
Hull armour thickness	45/25/15/15 mm 1.77/0.98/0.59/0.59 inches

Statistics
Engine power (stock)	775 hp 442 hp 442 hp
Engine power (upgraded)	___ hp 500 hp 500 hp
HP/ton ratio (stock)	22.66 23.02 12.92 13.13 12.92 13.13
HP/ton ratio (Upgraded)	__.__ __.__ 14.62 14.85 14.62 14.85
Max speed	50 km/h 31 mph 45 km/h 28 mph 45 km/h 28 mph

Main Weapon
1 x 90 mm M3A1	Cannon
Ammo stowage	40 rounds
Vertical guidance	-10°/13°

Secondary Weapon
1 x 12.7 mm M2HB	Heavy machine gun
Ammo stowage	660 rounds
Mount	Pintle mount
Vertical guidance	-5°/90°
Horizontal guidance	-30°/30°
1 x 7.62 mm M1919A4	Machine gun
Ammo stowage	4,500 rounds
Mount	Coaxial

Economy
Required RP	95,000 RP
Vehicle cost	260,000 SL
Crew training cost	75,000 SL
Max repair cost*	2,920 SL 3,500 SL 4,410 SL
Free repair time (Stock)	4d 12h 8d 8d
Free repair time (Upgraded)	_d __h _d __h _d __h

Warning: this sidebar is a WIP and can be incorrect. Last updated 1.77.2.149.

ST-A1

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