VK 45.02 A

## Basic Information

The **VK 45.02 Ausf. A** is a German tier 8 heavy tank.

A project for the further development of the VK 45.01 (P). The prototype was not manufactured as the 10-cylinder Porsche engine did not pass trials. The manufactured turrets were mounted on the first Tiger IIs.

Compared to the Tiger II, it has superior mobility and gun handling, but loses out on firepower. The most noticeable differences from its brother, the VK 45.02 Ausf. B is that the Ausf. A's turret is mounted at the front instead of at the back, and that the Ausf. A is much nimbler, with weaker gun selection.

The VK 45.02 Ausf. A lead to the VK 45.02 Ausf. B.

## Pros & Cons

##### Pros:

* Above average mobility for a heavy tank; able to keep pace with some mediums.
* Ability to rotate in place and good terrain resistance.
* Decent armor for its mobility, superior to Tiger II in terms of hull armor (stronger LFP, has spaced armor "collar" protect
* Top turret is very bouncy but relies more on slope than in thickness.
* Good DPM and soft stats with 105mm

##### Cons:

* Weaker gun selection than most other tier 8 heavy tanks but still better than T32
* Low penetration on all guns and mediocre accuracy (by German standards) on 10,5 cm KwK 45 but still competitive
* Very weak hull sponsons bottom behind mud guards gets overmatched easily.
* Weak ammo rack and modules
* Horrible stock grinding with no weight capacity to spare, bad terrain resistance and useless gun

## Performance

The VK 45.02 A plays between a heavy and medium. Unfortunately, it inherits as many bad points of either tank class as good points.

* The gun is rather mediocre for a heavy, but still workable.
* The mobility is not impressive for a medium, but good for a heavy
* The armor is decent but has a few obvious weak spots.

Use the mobility as advantage; do not expose your tank for long times, your armor is good, but not impenetrable. Luckily, the sheer speed of this tank allows decent wolf packing with mediums and assaults on flanks where only mediums will be met. While not the best against other heavies of the tier, the gun and armor of this tank is more than enough against mediums and lights. Sharing the same 150 mm well sloped upper plate with the Tiger II, which will reliably bounce shells below 230mm penetration when angled, and combined with its maneuverability will allow it to excel at hunting down mediums and light tanks, which if played well, will have a hard time circling this tank.

Always remember to angle your armor, as even the infamous IS-3 can bounce a well-angled VK. Under certain rare circumstances, the VK's armor can deflect shots from tier 10 tanks. Because of your weaker than average gun, you should prefer support role with other heavies. Front line is not the place for this machine. One exception of this rule: if you are top tier, you should consider playing a more active role.

The accuracy of the cannon will also allow the VK to stay at medium range, which will help improve the chance of bouncing enemy fire. However, the cannon has subpar penetration which will make it hard to penetrate some tier 8 and 9 heavy tanks. If possible, conduct flanking actions. Keep in mind, though, that the size of the VK makes it a lucrative target. Don't stay still for too long, you have the mobility on your side.