Today we’re very happy to introduce the long awaited T77E1 SPAAG for the American ground forces tree! This addition will be finding its way into a lot of lineups when it arrives as part of the next major update.
T77E1: An SPAA for the USA at Rank II
At a glance:- Six .50 cals!
- Fast turret traverse and high elevation angles, can fire 85 degrees upwards.
- Gunner and Commander are exposed, but both can fire the guns.
- Limited anti-tank ability, but great at defeating unarmored vehicles.
Meet the T77E1!
This six-shooter prototype will be arriving at the early ranks of the American ground forces tree in the next major update. The USA has been missing some SPAA diversity in the earlier ranks, so we’re very happy that the T77E1 is ready to join the game, and thanks to its more forgiving attributes, it’ll make a fine partner for several strong lineups well beyond its Battle Rating. We also have something to talk about regarding the Skink and Ram II! So, saddle up, and let’s take a closer look.
The T77E1 ups the firepower drastically from the M16, featuring six M2 .50 cals in the turret complete with 900 rounds of ammunition each, allowing for long bursts of sustained fire. The platform is also impressively equipped for combating low-flying aircraft on the spur of the moment — it can point upwards almost vertically at 85 degrees, in addition to having a fast traverse speed of 65 degrees per second with a top crew!
Since the internal workings take up a fair bit of room, the gunner and commander are positioned slightly outside of the turret. Their plexiglass housing offers no tangible protection against incoming fire, but as the T77E1 features tandem controls, both crew members can fire the guns, so if the gunner is knocked out the commander can keep firing! While the hull remains functionally identical to the regular M24 Chaffee, the turret protection is reduced. The overall thickness is 12.7 mm, or half an inch — the same thickness as the M18 — enough to withstand small arms fire but not much else. Thanks to the Chaffee hull, the T77E1 maintains the same impressive mobility, allowing it to traverse the map and reposition quickly to remain less predictable.
The T77E1 will remain a fairly comfortable SPAA to use, its sustained fast traverse speed will make tracking enemy aircraft nice and easy. The six guns will also accommodate for some degree of inaccuracy thanks to their wide spread of fire, meaning enemy aircraft should think twice before a standoff with this one!
