Eland 90 Mk.7

Description

The Eland 90 Mk.7 is a rank British light tank with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike".

The Eland 90 Mk.7 is a light reconnaissance armoured car, built in 1962 by South Africa as a domestic variant of the French armoured car, the Panhard AML-90.

While the diminutive size and unpretentious look can be deceiving, this armoured car is sure to be one of the most agreeable light vehicles in the British ground forces. This combination of a remarkably mobile and small chassis plus satisfactory firepower is otherwise rarely found in British light vehicles; similarly to the reliable Crusader III and equal to the uncommon AEC Mk.II.

Meanwhile, Eland's weak armour is a problem for survival thus players will have to rely on flanking, scouting or ambushing tactics when engaging heavier armour.

General info

Survivability and armour

The armour of the Eland 90 Mk.7 is little to nonexistent. The fact it only has 10 mm of armour gives it extremely low survivability, even 7.62 mm MG can penetrate the armour on some areas. The crew is compacted inside a really small box, making 90% of the rounds fired at it (both main gun and machine guns) one shot potential. While the thin armour might not trigger APHE fuses, it will surely trigger HE, HEAT. Regardless, not triggering an APHE fuse leaves any incoming shell to act as a solid shot, severely damaging the crew.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
• Structural steel (mudguards, storage boxes)
• Wheel (tires)

Notes:

• Wheels are 10 mm thick.
• Storage boxes and mudguards are 5 mm thick.
• The belly is 8 mm thick.
• The gun barrel is 20 mm thick.

Mobility

The Eland 90 Mk.7, similar to the AML-90, are Formula 1 cars compared to the tanks seen at the battle rating. The low profile, weight, and the fact they are wheeled makes this vehicle extremely fast. However, this only applies to asphalt or solid ground maps. The mobility is significantly reduced in mud, water, sand and snow, reducing the speed from nearly 100 km/h down to 20 km/h.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

The Eland 90 uses the powerful 90 mm GT-2 low pressure cannon. The Eland 90 comes with a stock OCC 60-62 HEATFS ammunition, capable of penetrating most tanks at its BR at any distance. It should be noted that it only carries 29 rounds at max, 9 more rounds than the AML-90 but still a low count, and coupled with the poor survivability, commanders should always shoot to destroy in the least shots necessary, know center of mass, ammunition racks, etc to successfully engage a target.

Ammunition

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Eland 90 Mk.7

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Racks 5 and 6 are first stage ammo racks. They total 10 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
• These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 5 - 6 - 1 - 2 etc. until 4.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 4 into racks 6 then 5. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

Machine guns

Usage in battles

The Eland should be primarily used as a scout flanking vehicle due to its high speed, low profile, scouting capabilities and firepower (tremendous for such a small vehicle). The Eland has primarily 3 uses:

Scouting:

When on large maps, the scouting ability should be used at its full potential. The low profile and high speed make it able to crawl to cover fast and without creating much suspicion, while marking targets for friendlies to engage.

Flanking:

Due to the high speed and really powerful gun, the Eland can be used to hit any enemy from the back. This tactic should be a "Hit n' Run", you should disable or destroy targets and leave before they can engage you. This is nothing hard for the Eland as long as the escape routes and alternative routes are clear and within easy access.

Sniping:

Despite the optics not having a huge zoom, it is enough to be able to detect, target, and engage enemy vehicles at all ranges thanks to the HEAT-FS round. Be aware of your ammo as it can only carry 29 shells, so make all shots count. It also creates a relatively small smoke trail when firing compared to other cannons at the battle rating (105 mm, other 90 mm, 122 mm) thanks to the muzzle brake. Bushes can also be used to make this vehicle nearly invisible, due to its already low profile. A bunch of branches can cover almost 70% of the front, making it a moving and deadly bush. It also creates a small engine sound that will be, most of the time, masked up by other tanks, giving you a stealth capability which can be exploited in urban combat.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good mobility and acceleration with a dynamic reverse speed, even when stock
• Small size; perfect for ambushes
• 90 mm HEATFS provides great penetration; even more than the APDS found on the similarly ranked FV4202
• Smoke shells and smoke grenades to enhanced protection and support role
• More lenient playstyle than the previous Ratel IFVs, thanks to reduced size while conserving firepower and mobility
• Small size significantly reduces probability of death via artillery (unlike on the Ratel 90 and 20)
• It is essentially a slightly better AML-90 - it has hydraulic brakes which allow for much needed reduction to braking distance

Cons:

• As a light wheeled vehicle, it has an unstable handling at high speed
• Very thin armour; easily destroyed by heavy machine guns and aircraft
• No stabilizer; the vehicle cannot effectively use the speed and firepower at the same time
• HEATFS damage is unreliable in some situations; the sensitivity of the fuse is the main concern
• Only 3 crew members and ammo tightly storage within, likely to be disabled in a single hit
• Wide turning radius (cannot turn on the spot due to lack of tracks)
• Awful handling off-road, especially on snow and desert maps like Tunisia or Finland
• Prior to researching "Brake System" modification it suffers insufficient braking power, amplified by the high power-to-weight ratio

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

Images

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Eland 90 Mk.7 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Vehicles with similar chassis

• AML-90 (Family)

Related service history

• Ratel 20
• T-34-85
• PT-76B
• T-54/55 (Family)
• Olifant Mk.1A

Similar playstyle and role

• AEC Mk II
• Crusader III
• T18E2

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.