M185 (155 mm)

Description

The M185 is an 155 mm howitzer used on the American M109 Paladin SPHs. The M185 was derived from the M126, a shorter barreled version with less muzzle velocity and effective range than the M185. The Paladin participated in many wars, varying from Vietnam to the modern Gulf War in 1991.

In-game, the M185 is mounted on the M109A1 series of Paladins in USA, Britain, and Israel (Rochev).

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• M109A1
• ▄M109A1
• Rochev

General info

The M185 has a very high destructive potential. Having 61 mm of penetration for the HE and HE-VT shells, direct hits to most tanks on spots near the roof will eliminate the crew. Light vehicles and open tops will be annihilated, and the HE-VT can destroy slow moving planes and helicopters with a near hit.

Available ammunition

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

The M185 works as a typical howitzer: aiming for and above roof sections as well as cupolas is a must. With a better muzzle velocity than the short-barreled M126, it is easier to aim the gun and projectiles reach the target faster. Most vehicles at the same BR as the M109A1 will be able to destroy the M109A1 in a single hit, so make the shots count, work with teammates, and make sure cover is nearby to ensure a safe reload.

When shooting, the rule of the thumb is to aim for surfaces directly above the roof, the roof itself, cupolas, or any armor thinner than 55-60mm.

Fighting German tanks:

• If fighting Panthers, shoot the lower section of the gun mantlet above the roof. Alternatively, aim for the cupola as early models of Panthers have a distinctive tall drum cupola that can easily be targeted. The Panther's sides can also be penetrated with HE, only being 40-50 mm thick.
• For the Tiger H1s, shoot the lower section of the gun mantlet right above the roof. The H1 also has the drum cupola, so aiming there will also overpressure and destroy the Tiger. For Tiger Es, shoot the gun mantlet as the cupola is quite small from the front. From the sides, shoot the cupola or turret ring.
• Tiger IIs will be encountered quite commonly in an uptier. Aim for the cupola if possible or shoot right above the roof on the lower section of the mantlet.

Fighting Soviet (USSR) tanks:

• The T-34 series of tanks have weak armor and the HE can destroy the tank from the UFP, turret ring, or the cupola.
• IS-1/2s can be hard to deal with frontally, aim for the drum cupola.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent firepower, can deal with vehicles it faces with ease if aimed properly.
• Gun is still useful with some skill until the introduction of ERA/composite, more precise CAS, and better weapons.
• Easy to aim and relatively quick muzzle velocity make sniping easy.

Cons:

• HE will not be effective on surfaces thicker than 61 mm, heavily armored tanks will be tricky to deal with.
• Long reload time, missing a shot can be unforgiving.
• Barrel has a very long size, can be detrimental in urban combat.

History

Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon 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 weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-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 />.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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