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The M8-120 Thunderbolt II is a Tier 9 progression Light Tank under Marat Shishkin's dealership.

History[ | ]

Class: Light Tank (Prototype)
Developed: 1993-2015
Service: N/A
Vehicles Built: 2
Operators: N/A

The M8 (also called "Thunderbolt II") is an upgraded XM8 prototype from the old Armored Gun System program from the 1990s, initially developed to replace the obsolete M551 Sheridan Light Tank. The program was originally terminated in 1997 due to lack of funding and would then stay dormant for more than half a decade. In October 2003, the company that had built the original XM8 unveiled an upgraded prototype called M8 Thunderbolt Enhanced Capability Demonstrator. The biggest change was the gun upgrade. Instead of the older 105mm gun, the Thunderbolt had a 120mm soft-recoil smoothbore gun that could fire standard NATO 120mm APFSDS and HEAT ammunition. Unfortunately, nobody was interested in this vehicle.

In 2006, a second (different) Thunderbolt prototype appeared with a different name (120 Armored Gun System or 120AGS) only to be shelved again and revived another decade later. In 2015, the final iteration of the Thunderbolt appeared as a contender in the recent U.S. Army Mobile Protected Firepower program only to again disappear after not being selected, this time probably for good.

Vehicle Traits[ | ]

  • Stealthy: This vehicle does not lose any camouflage when moving at any speed, which is handy primarily for scouting.
  • Heavy Weapon: This vehicle carries one of the largest weapons around with significantly increased damage per shot.
  • Modern Kinetic Rounds: This vehicle's kinetic (APFSDS) rounds are very effective against ERA kits.

Ammunition[ | ]

# Ammo
Name
Ammo
Type
XP Cost Damage Penetration Velocity Reload
Time
More
Info
1 120mm M829A2 APFSDS APFSDS-DU Stock 550 730[note 3] mm 1,680 m/s 4.50 s
Toggle
  • Accuracy (Fully Aimed): 0.12 °
  • Fire Chance Bonus: 25 %
  • Damage Randomization: ± 5 %
  • Penetration Randomization: ± 5 %
  • Ricochet Angle: 67.0 °
2 120mm M829A3 APFSDS APFSDS-DU Experience 139,655 570 800[note 4] mm 1,555 m/s 4.50 s
Toggle
  • Accuracy (Fully Aimed): 0.12 °
  • Fire Chance Bonus: 25 %
  • Damage Randomization: ± 5 %
  • Penetration Randomization: ± 5 %
  • Ricochet Angle: 67.0 °
3 120mm M830A1 HEAT-MP HEAT-MP Stock 684[note 5] 870 mm 1,140 m/s 4.50 s
Toggle
  • Accuracy (Fully Aimed): 0.13 °
  • Fire Chance Bonus: 300 %
  • Damage Randomization: ± 10 %
  • Penetration Randomization: ± 10 %
  • Bonus Module Damage: 35 %
4 7.62mm AP AP Stock 8 18[note 6] mm 855 m/s 5.00 s
Toggle
  • Accuracy (Fully Aimed): 0.98 °
  • Magazine Type: Clip
  • Partial Reload: Yes
  • Magazine Size: 800
  • Burst Fire Rate: 400 rd/min
  • Damage Randomization: ± 10 %
  • Penetration Randomization: ± 10 %
  • Ricochet Angle: 67.0 °

Upgrades[ | ]

Armor[ | ]

Thunderbolt II Stock Armor with Level III Upgrade
XP Cost Credit Cost Hull
Armor
Hull
Composition
Turret
Armor
Turret
Composition
ERA Name ERA
Penetration
Reduction
Stock Stock 180 mm (vs AP)
255 mm (vs HEAT)
Steel 380 mm (vs AP)
735 mm (vs HEAT)
Steel N/A N/A vs AP
N/A vs HEAT
The M8 Thunderbolt II features spaced aluminum stock armor along the front and the sides of the turret. It also has the highest level appliqué armor option installed.

Weapon[ | ]

# Name XP Cost Credit Cost Aim Time Reload Time More Info
Weapon1 120mm XM291 Smoothbore Cannon Stock Stock 1.12 s 4.50 s
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Stats:

  • Depression/Elevation: -10.0° / 20.0°
Ammo:
120mm M829A2 APFFSDS
120mm M829A3 APFSDS
120mm M830A1 HEAT-MP
7.62mm AP

Engine[ | ]

Name XP Cost Credit Cost Max Speed Reverse Speed Forward
Acceleration
Hull Traverse Fire Chance
Detroit Diesel 6V92TIA 580 hp Diesel Engine Stock Stock 70 km/h 35 km/h 4.33 s (0 to 32 km/h)
20.88 s (0 to Max Speed)
42.40° 6 %
Detroit Diesel 6V92TIA 600 hp Diesel Engine Experience 25,390 Credits 290,840 70 km/h 35 km/h 3.93 s (0 to 32 km/h)
18.91 s (0 to Max Speed)
46.80° 6 %

Parts[ | ]

Name XP Cost Credit Cost Description Notes
Spallliner
Spall Liner
Experience 40,625 Credits 465,345 Hit points are increased by 150
Smokegrenades
M82 Smoke Grenades
Stock Stock Comes with 4 charges
Takes 35s to recharge
Duration: 10s
Smokegrenades
M90 Smoke Grenades
Experience 60,940 Credits 698,015 Comes with 8 charges in total
Magazine capacity: 2 charges
Takes 3s to recharge
Duration: 10s
Magazine reload time: 25s
Softkillaps
AN/VLQ-8A Soft Kill APS
Experience 83,790 Credits 959,775 Automatic Soft Kill APS
Target Acquisition Range: 300m
Effective Range: 300m
Multiplier to ATGM's Standard Noise: x 7
Additional ATGM Noise Penalty: 3.5
Penalty to ATGM Agility: x0.65
Angle of Effect: 360°
Gunstabilizer
Improved Gun Stabilizer
Experience 101,570 Credits 1,163,360 Overall accuracy while moving is improved by 20%
Autoloader
Improved Autoloader
Experience 206,305 Credits 2,363,075 Rate of fire is increased by 7%
Thermalsight
B07-K2 Thermal Imager
Experience 130,925 Credits 1,499,645 Ability to spot targets behind foliage improved by 15%
Gunstabilizer
Improved Stabilizer Drives
Stock Stock Overall accuracy while moving is improved by 40%
Gunstabilizer
Upgraded Fire Control System Sensors
Stock Stock Reduces the accuracy penalties for firing and traversing the hull.
Transmission
Reinforced Transmission for Light Tanks
Experience 540,000 Credits 3,000,000 Maximum Speed: +15 km/h [note 7]
Treads01
Stock Tracks
Stock Stock Mobility (Light Terrain): 89.1%
Mobility (Heavy Terrain): 74.8%
Treads02
Improved Tracks
Experience 20,950 Credits 239,945 Mobility (Light Terrain): 90.4%
Mobility (Heavy Terrain): 76.6%

Other unlocks[ | ]

Name Cost Description Notes
Battleharden
Battle Hardened
Golds 7,000 The Battle-Hardened status allows you to earn more Experience and Credits
and also grants preferential matchmaking to the vehicle.
Equiptypeall
Universal Retrofit Slot
Experience 202,540 Unlocks Universal retrofit slot.
Currencyrep
27,000 Reputation
Experience 101,270 Provides an injection of 27,000 Reputation.
Currencyrep
27,000 Reputation
Experience 101,270 Provides an injection of 27,000 Reputation.
Currencyrep
27,000 Reputation
Experience 101,270 Provides an injection of 27,000 Reputation.
Currencyrep
27,000 Reputation
Experience 101,270 Provides an injection of 27,000 Reputation.
Tokenunlock10
Tier 10 Unlock Token
- Enables you to unlock one Tier 10 vehicle.
Dealer: Marat Shishkin
[note 8]

Abilities[ | ]

# Name XP Cost Stats Activation
Time
Duration Cooldown More
Info
TopSpeed Ability Override
Top Speed
Stock Acceleration: +200%
Max Speed: +5%
Hull Traverse Rate: +50%
Camo Penalty from Motion: +50%
N/A 20 s 60 s
Toggle

Description:
Temporarily improves your vehicle's acceleration, maximum speed and hull traverse values at the cost of increased camouflage penalty for movement. In other words, activating this ability makes your vehicle easier to spot when moving.

Conditions:
No conditions bound to this ability.
RapidFire Ability Rapid Fire
Rapid Fire
Stock Rate of Fire: +20%
ATGM Noise: 15 m
N/A 20 s 60 s
Toggle

Description:
This ability improves your vehicle's reload speed, allowing it to fire faster for a short period of time. However, for the duration of this ability, the gun also becomes considerably less accurate and ATGMs become far more difficult to aim.

Conditions:
No conditions bound to this ability.

Footnotes[]

  1. Enables you to unlock one tier 9 vehicle.
    Dealer: Marat Shishkin
    Vehicles with Tier 9 token:
  2. Enables you to unlock one tier 10 vehicle.
    Dealer: Marat Shishkin
    Vehicles:
  3. 730 mm at 150m;
    584 mm at 600m
  4. 800 mm at 150m;
    640 mm at 600m
  5. 86 for Non-Penetrating Hits
  6. 18 mm at 100m;
    9 mm at 1000m
  7. Also unlockable on:
  8. This upgrade is unavailable until the vehicle progress is complete.
Light Tanks
Sophie Wölfli

Dragun 125  •  CV90105 TML  •  CV90120 Ghost  •  M41  •  MPF LT

Marat Shishkin

Bglt. Pz 57  •  FV101 Scorpion  •  FV101 Scorpion 90  •  M551 Sheridan  •  M8 Buford  •  M8-120 Hades  •  Thunderbolt II  •  PL-01  •  PT-76  •  PT-85  •  Stingray  •  Stingray 2  •  T92 ACAV  •  T92 LT  •  VFM Mk. 5

Zhang Feng

VT5  •  WPB Anders  •  ZTQ-15

Oscar Faraday

ASCOD  •  Exp. Tank  •  Griffin 120mm  •  K21 XC-8  •  RDF/LT  •  TAM 2IP

Francine De Laroche

Harimau  •  Leo. Cockerill

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