AMD.35 (SA35)

This page is about the premium French light tank AMD.35 (SA35). For other versions, see AMD.35 (Family).

Description

The AMD.35 (SA35), also known as Panhard 178, was a 4x4 French reconnaissance armoured car, usually equipped with a 25 mm autocannon. In 1939, a version of the Panhard was unveiled, featuring a 47 mm SA35 cannon, intended to increase the anti-tank capabilities of the vehicle. Not many vehicles received this modification however, instead most SA35 cannons were intended for the Char B and Char D2 series of tanks. Instead, in 1940, Panhard proposed a version of the vehicle with a rearward-facing 47 mm SA37 gun. Due to the increasingly deteriorating situation on the front, the single prototype had to be abandoned and destroyed by its crew, although it managed to see action with the 1er RAM, defending a bridge near Etignie.

It was introduced during Update "Sky Guardians" as a reward for the "Repair Factory" event. The AMD.35 (SA35) is very poorly protected, it can be even penetrated by HMG fire from distances above 500 m from the sides. This vehicle uses its mobility as its armour, however, while it has good mobility while on the road, its wheeled design makes it suffer on rough terrain. It has a quite decent gun, with good penetrating power for its BR, it is capable of dealing with most medium and light tanks that are common at rank I, like the BT-7 and the Panzer III, though it might struggle against heavier opponents in uptiers.

General info

Survivability and armour

Being an armoured car, the AMD.35 (SA35) has poor protection, as the vehicle is only protected against rifle-calibre MG fire. The sides are easily penetrated by heavy MG fire, but unlike most armoured cars the AMD.35 (SA35) has enough frontal armour to survive most heavy MG fire from a distance above 500 m and practically all heavy MG fire to the front of the turret.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
• Wheel (tires)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 mm (22°) Upper plate 15 mm (66°) Upper glacis 26 mm Lower plate 15 mm (38°) Lower glacis	15 mm Hull side 20 mm Driver viewport	15 mm (23°) Crew compartment 15 mm (2°) Rear plate 15 mm (44°) Lower glacis	15 mm (24°) Front glacis 7 mm Crew compartment 7 mm (8°) Engine compartment
Turret	26 mm (47°) Turret front 45+20 mm Gun mantlet	15 mm (12-21°)	15 mm (11°)	7 mm (7°)

Notes:

• Wheels are 10 mm thick.
• Storage boxes and mudguards are 5 mm thick
• Belly armour is 7 mm thick.
• The cupola is just a ventilation cupola and 7 mm thick.
• Internal plates (7 mm thick) separate the crew compartment from the engine compartment, as well as the engine compartment in half and cover the commander from the top and the rear.

Mobility

The AMD.35 (SA35) can reach really good high speeds on road, but has poor cross-country performance. Notably, its wheeled configuration means the car will not get accurate fire when on the move and it will turn in an arc. Meanwhile, its good reverse speed can possibly save the car from an unfortunate encounter.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade			Expression error: Unexpected * operator.	163		Expression error: Unexpected round operator.	__.__
Realistic				93		Expression error: Unexpected round operator.	__.__

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

The SA35 gun offers a reasonable penetration power at its battle rating. Its average muzzle velocity allows for a rather flat firing trajectory but the accuracy drop is noticeable from 700 m distance and becomes a handicap over 1,000 m. The rotation speed of the turret is slow compared to other tanks at the same rank or battle rating. Elevation and depression angles of the gun are important, allowing you to fire from unusual positions (behind a ridge, on a slope, etc.). Your recoil is nonexistent. The reload times of the gun are in line with other light tanks at the same BR. The average penetration power and the absence of post-penetration damage from the solid shot are the biggest weaknesses of the armament. This will bring you to have to shoot enemy tanks repeatedly to destroy them entirely, while being in close proximity to maximize your penetration power.

47 mm SA35 L/32					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	30	-12°/+20°	±180°	-	23.8	32.9	40.0	44.2	47.1	3.90	3.45	3.18	3.00
Realistic					14.9	17.5	21.3	23.5	25.0

Ammunition

The AMD.35 (SA35) has a limited choice of ammunition:

• Mle1935: APC; a solid shot with average penetration and no explosive filler. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximise the damage. Knowledge of enemy vehicle layouts is essential with this type of ammunition.
• Mle1935 HE: HE; useful for destroying open and very lightly armoured vehicles, pack 3-2 HE shells due to a lack of a coaxial machine gun.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Mle1935	APC	62	59	47	36	27	20
Mle1935 HE	HE	6	6	5	4	4	4

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Mle1935	APC	660	1.62	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
Mle1935 HE	HE	590	1.41	0.1	0.1	143	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
30	1 (+29)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Recommended ammo load is the full 30 as the ammo capacity is already limited.

Usage in battles

The AMD.35 (SA35) is best thought of as an armoured car with an adequate gun. Although it has poor armour protection, like most armoured cars, it is mobile, lethal, and surprisingly survivable.

Its gun is a 47 mm cannon with adequate penetration values. This weapon will have no problem dealing with most enemies at this rank. Just try to stay under 300 m of range, or else there may be significant deviation in the rounds. However, be aware that the post-penetration damage is quite small so it is advisable to aim for critical components such as the breech or the gunner first. It's also important to note the lack of a machine gun, which can become a problem when facing SPAA and other lightly armoured vehicles, and so bringing a few HE shells is necessary to deal with them in a timely manner.

The AMD.35 has a great speed advantage on roads and paved surfaces. However, it has poor mobility on soft terrain, and struggles to go uphill. Even when driving on roads, quick turns cause the vehicle to lose much speed. Finally, the AMD.35 has quite ineffective brakes. It is recommended that the tanker use the AMD.35's great on-road speed to quickly attain a firing position at the beginning of a match, and move quickly around the map to avoid detection. If a good firing position is found, then the AMD.35 will be able to utilise its cannon to great effect.

Enemies worth noting:

• Pz.II and other tanks with autocannons can shred your armour and the modules behind it. Generally, it is advised not to engage head on but if you are forced to, then make sure you get off the first shot before they start spraying.
• SPAAs - Nearly every anti-aircraft vehicle at the rank will be able to penetrate and destroy the AMD.35 with ease. Not to mention that SPAAs guns have high rates of fire. As with any other vehicles, it is advised to shoot first. Certain SPAAs which are commonly underestimated like the French P.7.T AA, and CCKW 353 AA and the American M15 CGMC, and should be especially noted, as despite not having 20 mm autocannons like their Axis counterparts, they all have weapons capable of efficiently knocking out an AMD.35.
• The Matilda III, SU-122, T-50 and some other tanks can have over 50 mm of armour which is is thick enough to stop you from penetrating them from front or even from the sides. It's advised to avoid engaging them from the front and instead marking them on the map for your teammates to deal with or attacking them from the side or back while they are distracted. The Matilda's and Valentine's should be noted as they are practically invulnerable to your cannon.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High straight-line top speed on paved surfaces
• Excellent reverse gear
• Adequate penetration and shell velocity
• Quick reload speed
• High crew count and good survivability
• Adequate gun depression

Cons:

• Poor cross-country performance
• Weak brakes
• Slow turret rotation and gun elevation
• Lightly armoured flanks and rear

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AMD.35 (SA35) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• AMD.35

External links

• [Devblog] Repair Factory: AMD 35 SA35

Panhard
Armoured Cars	AML-90
AMD.35	AMD.35 · AMD.35 (SA35)
E.B.R.	E.B.R. (1951) · E.B.R. (1954) · E.B.R. (1963)
Export	AML-90

France light tanks
AMC.34/35	AMC.34 YR · AMC.35 (ACG.1)
H.35/39	H.35 · H.39 · H.39 "Cambronne"
AMX-13	AMX-13 (FL11) · AMX-13-M24 · AMX-13 · AMX-13 (SS.11) · AMX-13-90 · AMX-13 (HOT)
Wheeled	AML-90 · AMX-10RC · Vextra 105
AMD.35	AMD.35 · AMD.35 (SA35)
E.B.R.	E.B.R. (1951) · E.B.R. (1954) · E.B.R. (1963)
Other	FCM.36 · R.35 (SA38) · Char 25t · MARS 15 · VBCI-2 (MCT30)
Austria	SK-105A2
Great Britain	▄Crusader Mk.II
Netherlands	CV 9035NL
USA	LVT-4/40 · ▄M3A3 Stuart

France premium ground vehicles
Light tanks	AMD.35 (SA35) · H.39 "Cambronne" · LVT-4/40 · AMX-13 (SS.11) · AMX-13-M24 · E.B.R. (1954) · E.B.R. (1963) · VBCI-2 (MCT30)
Medium tanks	M4A1 (FL10) · Panther "Dauphiné" · AMX-30 · AMX-30 Super · AMX-50 (TO90/930)
Heavy tanks	B1 ter · 2C bis · Somua SM
Tank destroyers	Lorraine 155 Mle.50