The M50 Ontos: Speed Demon of US Tanks in War Thunder

As an avid player of the combat game War Thunder for the past 3 years, few things get me more excited than testing out a new famously fast tank to zoom around the battlefield. When it comes to velocity for American tanks, one vehicle stands out as the undisputed speed demon – the M50 Ontos.

Boasting a staggering top speed of 53 mph, the Ontos outpaces all other US armored tanks in the game. This allows skilled players to execute lightning-quick flanking maneuvers, rapid captures, and breakneck position changes.

However, velocity comes with tradeoffs – the Ontos pays for its mobility in thin armor. Success requires players fully leverage speed while cleverly hiding this tank‘s vulnerabilities.

Why Velocity Wins Games

Mobility plays a crucial role for victory in War Thunder for several key reasons:

• Flanking Heavy Armor: Attacking well-armored enemies like the Tiger II from vulnerable side and rear aspects where their thick sloped frontal plates or turrets provide no protection.
• Rapid Capture: Claiming key objective zones first, enabling your team to accrue more respawn tickets early.
• Chase Down: Running down lighter scout tanks before they can spot your heavier forces.
• Repositioning: Quickly changing locations to ambush enemies, escape assaults, or access superior firing angles that exploit the element of surprise.

Balancing firepower, protection, and mobility allows players to dictate engagement circumstances favorably. Against slow heavily-armored foes, speed presents opportunities to hit where it hurts most. The Ontos has just enough offensive punch to make the most of its velocity edge.

Analyzing the Ontos‘ Strengths: Why So Swift?

Weighing in at just 24 tons, the Ontos saves weight by sacrificing armor – with only 0.375" steel plate at its thickest point, no tank in the game has thinner effective protection. This extreme priority on mobility traces back to the Ontos‘ real world development history…

Originally designed in the 1950‘s as an easily air-transportable tank hunter for US airborne infantry, the Ontos was built light and nimble enough that earlier models could be sling-loaded under helicopters or paradropped out of transport planes with soldiers.

Trading protection for speed enabled elite paratroopers to rapidly deploy a lethal anti-tank punch across the battlefield. When you‘re surrounded by enemies without any backup, the faster the better!

Blistering Speed

Powered by a 6 cylinder gas 300 hp engine, the M50‘s excellent 29 hp/ton power-to-weight ratio let it achieve speeds far greater than contemporary tanks, with modoel tests clocking over 60 mph on roads! In game this translates to a blistering fast:

• 53 mph (85 km/h) on roads
• 55 mph (88 km/h) off-road

This high velocity advantage allows Ontos players to run circles around lumbering heavies. No other American armored vehicle can move faster.

Rapid Fire Recoilless Rifles

While armor was sacrificed for speed, designers ensured the Ontos packed an anti-tank punch – arming it with 6 deadly M40 106 mm recoilless rifles.

Firing up to 12 rounds per minute per gun – and capable of shooting on the move thanks to the rifles‘ absorbing recoil directly into the ground – a skilled Ontos commander can unleash 72 rounds per minute of high-explosive anti-tank goodness!

Flanking a Tiger II and unloading this level of high velocity firepower usually spells doom for the German heavy tank‘s thinner side armor. The Ontos may be light, but it hits with astonishing intensity for its size.

Comparison to Other Speed Demons

While the Ontos claims the US speed crown at 53 mph, it faces stiff competition from infamously fast foreign rivals:

As the table shows, while no tank can outracer the Type 16 prototype, the Ontos definitely outpaces the much-feared German RU 251 that shares the same battle rating. With speed and firepower ratings that either match or surpass its peers, the Ontos deserves recognition as a seriously swift tank hunter.

Mastering the Ontos: Tactics and Strategies

While velocity offers key tactical opportunities, the M50 demands careful handling to shine on the battlefield. Here’s my best advice for maximizing effectiveness based on extensive first-hand experience:

Leverage Speed for Flanking Assaults

Always seek side and rear shots against heavily armored tanks like the Maus, IS-3, or Black Prince where their thick frontal turret and hull armor becomes useless. With spotting help from teammates, stealthily encircle distracted opponents and ambush them from an oblique angle they aren‘t expecting fire to originate from.

Aim for engine compartments, thinly protected ammo racks, and crew areas to quickly cripple or destroy enemies before they can even traverse turrets or hulls to return fire.

Chase Down Scout Vehicles

Don‘t allow lightly armored autocannon vehicles like the R3 T20 FA-HS, Sd Kfz 234/2 or Crusader AA Mk II free reign to keep your team spotted. Leverage the Ontos‘ high speed to aggressively hunt these units down and deny opponents situational awareness advantages.

Rapid Capture Strategies

In contested capture point modes like Domination, race forward ahead of your team‘s heavies towards unclaimed zones. Moving at top speed, you can beat even medium tanks to seize key terrain. Just be ready to quickly fall back and reposition once enemies react and converge on your location.

Escape and Reposition

If faced with multiple approaching enemies massing firepower beyond your capacity to deal with, remember discretion is the better part of valor! Reevaluate circumstances, disengage, and relocate to reset the engagement on your terms someplace else. The Ontos‘ speed enables rapid escapes even under fire.

Conclusion

The M50 Ontos ranks firmly among War Thunder‘s fastest tanks, while packing enough firepower to threaten heavier armored enemies through exploitation of mobility and maneuver. While its thinly protected armor remains vulnerable in head to head duels, intelligent and dynamic players can utilize this American speed demon to run rampant in matches.

If you love dictating the terms of battle through velocity and rapid repositioning, consider taking the Ontos for a spin today! No other nation‘s tanks can chase it down.