XM975 - War Thunder Wiki (2025)

Description

The Carrier Air Defense Missile System XM975 is a U.S. self-propelled missile defence (SAM) system based on the French Roland ground-to-air missile that was constructed on the Tracked Carrier - XM975. The U.S. Army evaluated the Roland missile system in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Roland ground-to-air missile launcher was mounted on the Tracked Carrier - XM975 (a weapon-tracked carrier that was also utilized on the M109 self-propelled howitzer). Overall, this SAM system had limited service, with only one prototype manufactured and approximately 27 units produced in total. It served in the U.S. Army for about 5 to 10 years before being phased out.

Introduced in Update "Winged Lions", the XM975 is a top-ranking U.S. Army ground forces SAM system, that clears the skies of potential enemy aircraft. This SAM system will be quite familiar to French Army ground personnel, as it uses the French Roland ground-to-air missile as its primary weapon. Unfortunately, it lacks additional armaments and only has two ready-to-fire missiles in the missile launcher, forcing the player to make every missile count.

General info

Survivability and armour

The XM975 has similar protection to other SPAAs and SAMs of its rank, with enough protection to stop some splash damage from near misses of small rockets and bombs. The armour will also stop rifle-calibre rounds, but the American M2HB Browning, the Soviet NSVT, or other similar heavy machine guns will slice straight through the armour, along with of course any MBT round. Avoid direct confrontation with all enemy ground forces.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (turret, hull rear)
• Aluminium alloy 5083 (hull)

Notes:

• Tracks are 20 mm thick, suspension wheels are 15 mm thick

Mobility

The top speed of 57 km/h (35.4 mph) is reasonably quick. The XM975 is capable of traversing the map relatively quickly, though it is recommended to travel in mostly straight lines if possible. The acceleration is mediocre and it will take time for the vehicle to regain speed again, so attempt to avoid many turns and take roads when able.

Modifications and economy

The modification order is fairly simple for the XM975. Parts and FPE should come first as usual, then the Roland 3. This will increase the engagement range of the XM975 from 6.3 km to 8 km and allow engagement of most enemy helicopters. Then horizontal drive, airstrike and elevation mechanism, to allow for better tracking of fast moving enemy aircraft and a reduction to the spawn cost of allied aircraft. After that, mobility modifications, crew replenishment and finally improved optics.

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition

Ammo racks

Usage in battles

When using the XM975, attempt to stay focused on the air threats. As a SAM platform, there are very few ground vehicles that can be knocked out by the Roland missile, so it is better to find a concealed position and avoid contact with enemy armour. The XM975 does have an advantage over quite a few other anti-air vehicles, thanks to the IRST (infrared search and track) mode. Commanders of the XM975 should be aware of this mode, as it prevents detection of lock-on by the enemy aircraft's RWR. The IRST mode also ignores enemy chaff, and is generally just a better mode to operate in as a whole.

The Roland is a relatively slow missile, so it is not recommended to fire upon jets that are near the limit of the missile's range and/or fly at high speed. However, this is made up for by the high manoeuvrability of the missile, as the slower speed allows it to pull sharper turns than quicker SAM missiles. Helicopters are usually within range, as all helicopters armed with the AGM-114 Hellfire will be within engagement range, as the maximum range of the hellfire is 8 km, like the Roland 3. Some helicopters may outrange the Roland in uptiers, such as the Ka-50 or Ka-52 with the 9K 127 Vikhr missiles. It is recommended to immediately take cover if outside engagement range, although it is possible to proximity fuse the Vikhr with the Roland if there is no other option available.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Roland SAMs are quite manoeuvrable compared to other SAMs around the BR
• Can take down aircraft and choppers up to 8.0 km (4.97 mi) with the Roland 3
• SACLOS-guided SAMs are much harder to defeat compared to IR-guided SAMs

Cons:

• Lacklustre armour and high profile makes the XM975 vulnerable to enemy fire
• Roland missiles are slower than later SAMs and fairly easy to spot
• No anti-aircraft cannons as backup once all missiles are expended or for use against close-range/ground targets

History

The XM975 was selected by US Army as a forward air defence system in 1975. The first missiles were delivered in 1977 and fired in 1978. The XM975 was a modified M109 howitzer chassis equipped with a Roland 2 system with a longer range American-made search radar. Unfortunately problems with technology transfer and rising costs terminated the program after producing 27 launchers and 600 missiles, mounted on M812 flatbed trucks.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the XM975 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• View of the XM975 firing its Roland 3 at an enemy air target, the vehicle's primary role.

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 series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Wikipedia] Roland (missile)