The uneven and sloped armour protection is generally useful versus most low to medium calibre (40-75 mm) guns in the rank the farther from the target makes it better for the armour. The irregular front and sloped side armour configuration on the turret makes it perfect to bounce some poorly aimed shots, yet some areas are not sloped at all and can be easily penetrated by shells of over 80 mm of penetration in close ranges. The vehicle also loses defensive equipment as the smoke grenade launchers and receives a large weak spot in its rear, since the Hedgehog launcher acts as a large unprotected ammo rack. This is because the Hedgehog mortar is a situational and limited weapon in tank warfare. One of the flaws of the Matilda Hedgehog over other variants is the reduced combat readiness and versatility.
This mortar was commonly used in naval warfare as an anti-submarine weapon and as such is very lethal weaponry if used correctly against tanks.
The most notable difference from other Matildas is the presence of a new type of armament in the rear a Spigot system fitted with Hedgehog mortars. The Matilda Hedgehog is an Australian late-war experiment of the early but legendary Matilda infantry tank. It was introduced during Update 'New Power' as a reward for Battle Pass: Season I. The Matilda Hedgehog is a premium gift rank II British heavy tank
