SOS - how does the Aufkl.Panther perform?

Straight Outta Supertest - how does the Aufklärungspanzer Panther perform? This time no pictures, sorry - but I got my hands on the official Russian supertester evaluation of this tank. Basically, the supertesters are asked "how comfortable is it to play with this vehicle?" and "would you work to unlock this tank on public server?" Please note that during supertest, vehicles are tested not using general random matchmaking, but against other vehicles of the same tier and class (in this case, the AMX-13/75, T71 and the WZ-131)

Supertesters basically evaluate this tank positively. For its weight, it is rather nimble and it doesn't feel underpowered. It is considered well armored and exceptionally good in ramming, but the choice of guns is average (the Konisch gun has sufficient penetration and rate of fire, but low alpha), the gun platform is also stable (accurate). It is estimated it will be a great light tank killer. The ramming however is essential - if you miss the first ram attack, you will find yourself in a difficult position. Its size is repeatedly noted to be its biggest disadvantage, as is its lackluster set of guns.

Supertesters note it's roughly on par with the AMX-13/75, but the outcome of the battle depends mostly on player skill and is heavily influenced by the fact, whether the Panther manages to actually ram the AMX-13 (seems like the ramming will be the tactic of choice for this vehicle). If the AMX-13 gets rammed by it, its chances are practically zero. If the Panther player doesn't however use ramming and relies only on firepower, it's fully possible for the AMX to reload the autoloader, in which case the Panther will probably lose. Against the T71, the situation is similiar, just that the T71 is more nimble. Compared to WZ-131, the situation repeats itself, supertesters note that if a successful ramming attack is performed, the WZ-131 loses 200+ hp. If the WZ-131 however avoids the ramming attack, it has a good chance of winning, because its gun DPS is higher.

Summary: heavy, but competitive vehicle, that has to close in for the kill and deals heavy damage by ramming. On medium to long distances, other light tanks have the advantage.


As for the second question: roughly 2/3 of supertesters would unlock it on live server. It definitely is considered competitive -  that probably means it will go live, for good or ill.