War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

ZTZ96

2021-02-27T08:31:37Z

U102983050: /* Main armament */ The battle rating of the ZTZ96 is now 9.3.

{{Specs-Card
|code=cn_ztz_96
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (sometimes referred to as '''Type 96''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

The first Chinese MBT in the game not directly based on or modified from a foreign design, the ZTZ96 has a more distinctive appearance and introduces several features not seen in previous Chinese medium tanks. The general layout is reminiscent of the [[T-72A|Soviet T-72]], but upon inspection, major differences are apparent in the design of the turret and hull. The welded turret is flat and angular compared to the dome shape traditionally favoured by the Soviet Union and China. The hull is a departure from the traditional T-54 chassis, featuring smaller roadwheels, different angles, and larger overall dimensions. Composite armour is present in the turret cheeks and on the upper glacis.

Like the T-72, the ZTZ96 features a 125 mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader. Its shell selection is somewhat limited but the APFSDS and HE shells are excellent and can handle most ground targets. The protection and mobility are average at best, but those familiar with previous Chinese tanks will be used to these faults. ZTZ96 users can enjoy the great firepower and look forward to the succeeding [[ZTZ96A]], a modernized and much-improved variant with thermal sights and ERA protection.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The ZTZ96's armour is a significant improvement over previous Chinese tanks like the [[CM11]] and [[ZTZ59D1]] but is not very competitive for its rank. It has a significant amount of chemical protection in the turret cheeks (~520-530 mm) and upper glacis (~460-480 mm). The turret can resist most HEAT-FS rounds fired by enemy tanks but the hull might be penetrated on occasion by 120 mm HEAT-FS as used by the [[Leopard 2K]] and [[Leopard A1A1 (L/44)]] for example. Contemporary ATGMs will usually go right through.

Kinetic protection is decent but not spectacular, at about 390 mm for the turret cheeks and 360 mm for the hull depending on what round is used for testing. This is enough to stop early APFSDS rounds like the 105 mm DM23 fired by the [[Leopard A1A1]], but many enemies at its rank can punch through it with their top rounds like 105 mm DM33/Type 93. Due to having a battle rating of 9.3, the ZTZ96 has some measure of isolation against top-tier guns. Contemporary US tanks like the [[MBT-70]] or [[XM-1 (GM)]] will struggle to penetrate its composite armour and surprisingly even the British Challenger 1 series will have some difficulties. Overall, though the ZTZ96 has similarities to the [[T-72A]], its armour protection is worse. The turret is weaker and the hull is comparable if the T-72's add-on armour upgrade is accounted for, slightly better otherwise.

As with other modern MBTs, the gun mantlet is highly susceptible to incoming fire, which can knock out the breech or hurt the crew. The lower glacis is also a weak point and should be hidden from enemy view when possible. However, due to the design of the upper glacis (which more closely resembles the T-54), there is no driver's viewport weak spot that plagues the contemporary T-64/72/80 tanks. This might surprise enemies with weaker rounds who shoot that area out of habit.

The post-penetration survivability leaves much to be desired. The autoloader uses the same layout as the T-72A; a penetrating shot to the lower glacis or hull side has a high likelihood of detonating the ammunition and instantly destroying the tank. Granted, this is slightly less likely to happen than in the T-64/80 since the propellant charges are stacked horizontally instead of vertically. In addition, with 3 only crew members, it is easier to knock out the tank with a good shot, particularly since the driver and gunner are lined up when the turret is facing forwards.

While hull penetrations tend to be fatal, this is not necessarily the case for turret penetrations. It is possible to empty the turret of spare ammunition by taking fewer rounds (22 + 1 for a full autoloader carousel and one in the gun). If an enemy shoots a turret cheek, usually only one crew member will perish, giving the player time to retreat if the gunner is lost or retaliate if only the commander is lost. The autoloader will ensure that the gun is loaded during this time.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,131|rbMinHp=646}}

The mobility of the {{PAGENAME}} is generally unimpressive, though still an improvement over preceding Chinese MBTs. It has 17.8 hp/ton when fully upgraded, which is about the same as the [[T-64B]] and less than the [[Challenger Mk.2]]; these two tanks are already considered quite immobile for their rank. The reverse speed of -7 km/h is painful but better than the agonizing 4 km/h of the Soviet T-64/72. Do not count on being able to retreat from danger rapidly. In general the {{PAGENAME}} will be among the last to arrive on the battlefield in top rank battles, and one should plan accordingly. However, the tank is still quite manoeuvrable and agile in its hull traverse, allowing it to weave through dense forests and urban areas with relative ease and react quickly to threats.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Type 88C (125 mm)}}

The ZTZ96 makes up for its drawbacks in protection and mobility with a superb gun. The 125 mm Type 88C smoothbore gun is capable of firing APFSDS, HE and HEAT-FS ammunition. For its battle rating of 9.3, the 125-I shell performs very well, offering 466 mm of flat penetration at point-blank and dropping only to 434 mm at 2 kilometres. It's angled performance is exceptionally good at 269 mm at 60 degrees, outperforming even the best Soviet APFSDS round, 3BM42 whose angled penetration is only 248 mm. For reference, the 125-I performs comparably to Western long-rod sabot rounds such as DM33. The HEAT-FS round is nothing special with a standard 480 mm of penetration that is only really effective at destroying lightly armoured vehicles such as SPAA. The HE round is of the Soviet-style, packing a whopping 5.4 kg of TNT equivalent that can deal devastating damage against Western tanks' weak spots of the hull and turret roof and turret ring. It's recommended to entirely ditch the HEAT-FS for HE as it arguably performs better in the anti-tank role, ironically.

Although the ZTZ96 uses a similar autoloader system to the T-72, its reload time of 7.5 seconds is slightly longer than the T-72's 7.1 seconds, which is already on the long side for its rank.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 88C (125 mm)|125 mm Type 88C]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 40 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+14° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane ||28.6||39.5||48.0||53.1||56.5|| rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 7.50 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
|17.9||21.0||25.5||28.2||30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DTP-125 || HEATFS || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480
|-
| DTB-125 || HE || 45 || 45 || 45 || 45 || 45 || 45
|-
| 125-I || APFSDS || 466 || 464 || 458 || 450 || 442 || 434
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DTP-125 || HEATFS || 905 || 18 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,190 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DTB-125 || HE || 850 || 23 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,460 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| 125-I || APFSDS || 1,730 || 4.02 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo part
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''40''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 40 ''(+0)'' 39 ''(+1)'' || 38 ''(+2)'' 38 ''(+2)'' || 37 ''(+3)'' 37 ''(+3)'' || 35 ''(+5)'' 31 ''(+9)'' || 32 ''(+8)'' 27 ''(+13)'' || 29 ''(+11)'' 23 ''(+17)'' || 24 ''(+16)'' 39 ''(+1)'' || 23 ''(+17)'' N/A || 39 ''(+1)'' N/A || No
|-
|}

Notes:

* The 9th projectile rack and the 7th propellant rack are a mechanized first stage ammo rack. The mechanized nature indicates the tank has a fixed reload as it uses an autoloader to reload the main gun, as such the main gun cannot be reloaded when the ammo rack is empty.
* It takes around 25s per shell to reload the first stage ammo rack. Additionally, there is a 10s interval between the gun is fully loaded and the crew starts to reload the first stage ammo rack.



=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|QJC88A (12.7 mm)|Type 86 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QJC88A (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm QJC88A]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 500 (150) || 700 || -5°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 86 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Type 86]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 2,500 (250) || 700 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Like preceding Chinese MBTs, the ZTZ96 is not suited for rapid assaults due to its substandard mobility and should be played conservatively. Let speedier teammates charge first into combat while you cover them and move to good overwatch positions. Situational awareness is key since faster opponents may arrive earlier and the tank lacks thermal sights. The gun handling is a bit better than contemporary Soviet MBTs but it still has a slow vertical traverse speed.

Before the APFSDS is unlocked, the only options are the stock HEAT-FS and HE. Neither of these ammo types is particularly good for sniping due to their muzzle velocities, so it is best to stay at close to medium range. The HEAT-FS will struggle against enemies with decent composite armour (of which there are many) and in frontal engagements should be fired at weak spots like gun mantlets and turret rings. The HE has a slower muzzle velocity but can potentially be much deadlier; lightly armoured vehicles like IFVs, SPAAs, and certain MBTs (e.g. [[Leopard A1A1]]) will often hull-break or explode if hit anywhere. Even the most heavily armoured opponents like the mighty [[M1A2 Abrams]] and [[Leopard 2A5]] can be instantly knocked out by hits to the gun optics or roof-mounted machine guns. If this isn't possible, hits to other sensitive areas like the turret ring and tracks can still cause major damage to various crew members and modules, priming the victim for a finishing blow.

Once the APFSDS is unlocked, it should be effective against the majority of the tanks seen at the ZTZ96's rank and is well suited for the ZTZ96's recommended laid-back playstyle. It is still a good idea to take some HE shells due to their utility and instant-knockout capability.

===Assault mode===

For players grinding the APFSDS in assault mode, it is recommended to bring full ammo, with around half HEAT and half HE. As the countdown goes at the start of the match, quickly find a spot where you will not get shot from every direction and stay there until you run out of ammo or die. The HEAT is great at one-shotting weakly armoured (relatively) cold war tanks that spawn at the early stages of the match, while the HE is capable of killing those heavily protected top tier MBT who spawn later. Given that you do not have APFSDS, therefore, lacking the ability to knock out some AI frontally, you will have to rely on assists to get scores. Firing HEAT / HE at tracks, roof-mounted MG, turret ring, cannon barrel, etc can at least immobile / disarm the AI, granting you an assist. The 7.5 second reload will be quite slow when facing a huge wave of AI so you must aim each shot carefully, but other times it is generally fast enough. The ZTZ96's armour can take quite some beating but is also prone to ammo rack explosion, or penetrating shots from the lower front plate and gun mantlet. Note that the ZTZ96 can be easily destroyed by rockets/bombs from AI planes too so it will be great to have a teammate with helicopter/SPAA covering the team.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[Leopard 2A5|Leopard 2 A5]]: this is the most protected Leopard you will see in an assault, usually in Mozdok and Fulda. When facing it frontally or with slight angles, load HE and aim for its turret ring where the crosshair is green. It is very likely to destroy it instantly. When facing its side, load HEAT and aim for its central hull. Don't expect to block any of its shells as its APFSDS can easily go through the ZTZ96's frontal armour, or the AI can just target your weak spots.
* [[M1A2 Abrams|M1A2]]: you will see it mostly in Fulda and Ardennes. When facing it frontally or with slight angles, load HEAT and aim for its turret ring where the crosshair is green. It is very likely to destroy it instantly. HE might not work here since it cannot effectively hurt the turret crew. But HE works great when aiming at the M1's turret roof. Items like the MG and the optics will all detonate the HE, causing the downward shrapnel to kill all the crew. When facing its side, load HEAT and aim for its central hull.
* [[Challenger 2 (2F)|Challenger 2F]]: you will see it mostly in Sands of Sinai. It is one of the toughest AI to destroy, especially when there are waves of them. When facing it frontally or with slight angles, load HE and aim for the hull side above the tracks where the crosshair is green. It is very likely to detonate random ammo inside. When facing its side, still load HE and aim for its central hull for an ammo detonation. The Challenger 2F's sides are covered with ERA blocks thus HEAT will get absorbed.
* [[Type 16]], [[Centauro ROMOR]], [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkamfwagen 90]]: Despite being armed with 105 mm guns, these tanks get access to DM33 rounds that can penetrate your turret cheeks within 400m. In addition, their high speed means that it is incredibly easy to get flanked by them, frequently resulting in side-shots. This is only made worse by the weakened side armour of the ZTZ 96 compared to its soviet counterparts, resulting in light autocannon easily being able to penetrate the ZTZ 96's side armour from afar.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful gun with access to high-penetrating APFSDS
* Autoloader reloads the cannon even when putting out fires or replacing crew members
* HE shell is currently the most powerful of any MBT, can cripple or outright destroy enemies with a good shot
* Low profile
* First Chinese tank equipped with composite armour, resistant to early APFSDS rounds
* Roof mounted heavy machine gun is useful against aircraft and light targets
* Relatively-faster turret rotation speed, compared to contemporary Soviet tanks

'''Cons:'''

* Mobility is below average at its rank
* Composite armour's kinetic protection leaves some to be desired
* Sub-par armour compared to other tanks
* Autoloader carousel is a giant ammo rack
* No thermal sights, a disadvantage against other thermal-equipping tanks
* Poor reverse speed
* Below average gun depression (-6°)
* Only 3 crew members makes it easily destroyed
* No ATGM capability, unlike the T-64B and T-72B

== History ==


The People's Liberation Army relied on the [[Type 59]] as its primary main battle tank for most of the Cold War. While cheap, reliable, and quite upgradeable, its design began to shows its age over the decades. The [[Type 69]] series differed little from the Type 59 in terms of appearance and was not used in quantity by the PLA. After relations with the Western world improved at the start of the 1980s, foreign technology was purchased and used to [[ZTZ59D1|upgrade the PLA's stock of existing tanks]]. However, there was only so much that could be done to bring the Type 59 up to a competitive level and more efforts were devoted to domestic tank development.

The new Type 80/88 tank retained the general appearance of the Type 59, but its chassis was heavily redesigned, featuring a new suspension, a licensed German engine, and other changes. The turret retained the cast dome design but a 105mm gun was installed.

As with other PRC tank models, development continued for a long time and a large number of variants were made. The Type 85 branch featured welded turrets; the initial Type 85-1 "Storm" was intended for export and was otherwise similar to the original series, but no orders were placed from the PLA or export customers. A more radical development was the Type 85-IIM, which featured a welded turret equipped with an autoloading 125mm gun derived from the T-72. It also featured composite armour. This variant was exported to Pakistan under the designation of Type 85-IIAP.

The Type 85-IIM was later procured for domestic use, with some changes, as the Type 88C or '''Type 96''', spurred by the poor performance of the Iraqi Army's Type 79 tanks (which featured comparable protection to the 80/88) in the Gulf War. As can be expected, this was further developed into the [[ZTZ96A|Type 96A]] and 96B variants. The 96A introduced applique "arrowhead" armour on the front turret face with provisions for ERA, improving protection significantly, and the electronics were improved to a standard approaching the top-line Type 99 tank, including a gunner's thermal sight and FCS upgrades. The 96A has participated in Tank Biathlons, where it scored well in gunnery but was let down by its underpowered engine. The ultimate 96B variant appeared in 2016 and features comprehensive all-round upgrades with a much more powerful 1130 hp engine. Finally, an export variant called the VT-2 has been showcased by Norinco, generally similar to the Type 96A.

At present the Type 96 series can be considered the backbone of the PLA's tank forces, featuring good protection and firepower with a relatively low weight and cost, comparable in role to the Russian T-90. Elite units are issued the more advanced and heavier Type 99, but cost and terrain reasons have limited its deployment. Outside of China, the Type 96 has been exported to Sudan; reportedly these tanks have destroyed several South Sudanese T-72s in combat.

===[[wt:en/news/6445-development-ztz96-top-tier-chinese-en|Devblog]]===
Work on the ZTZ96 began in the early 1990s, as new Chinese MBT with larger 125mm smoothbore cannon supported by an autoloading mechanism and new composite armour protection. The first prototype was built in May 1991 and underwent successful testing until January of the following year. Having received the official designation ZTZ85-IIAP, production of the vehicle commenced, with the Pakistani army receiving its first units shortly afterwards.

Several years later, the decision was made to adopt the ZTZ85-IIAP for domestic use as a stopgap measure to equip the PLA with a capable combat vehicle. In 1996, the vehicles destined for PLA use were formally redesignated into ZTZ96 and production of the type began in 1998.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=china&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=cn_ztz_96 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;'''Images'''
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
File:ZTZ-96 WTWallpaper 07.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Ftqpt1gijlA|'''Type96 "Not so Meta"''' - ''JustinPlaysYT''|D3MA3J4FGNQ|'''ZTZ96 - A High Explosive Match!''' - ''Napalmratte''|AKxlwtWIlSI|'''The Shooting Range #173''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the ZTZ96.}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[ZTZ96A]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6445-development-ztz96-top-tier-chinese-en|[Development] ZTZ96: Top-Tier Chinese]]
* [[wikipedia:Type_96_tank|[Wikipedia] Type 96 tank]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/modern/China/Type-96.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Norinco Type 96 MBT]

{{China medium tanks}}

PTZ89

2020-11-19T14:23:02Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_ptz_89}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

The PTZ89 is a purpose-built tank destroyer armed with a formidable 120 mm smoothbore gun, somewhat similar in layout and concept to the infamous Soviet [[Object 120]]. It is remarkable for having entered service in 1989; by then, the era of the main battle tank was well underway and gun-armed tank destroyers were out of fashion. This conundrum exists in War Thunder as well, where the PTZ89 faces agile and well-armed tanks like the [[Leopard A1A1]] while not being speedy or well-protected itself. Still, if the PTZ89 does one thing well, it's firepower. The marvellous cannon easily penetrates almost anything it meets and the assisted loader allows several targets to be destroyed in quick succession. This vehicle is all about its gun and a skilled gunner can make good use of it for sniping and ambushes.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The PTZ89 is built on the chassis of the Type 83 self-propelled howitzer and its overall protection is disappointing. The hull has enough armour to shrug off heavy machine guns from the front but the sides are only 15 mm thick. The large and bulbous turret is even more vulnerable, the sloped turret face only being 22 mm thick. Never trust the armour of the PTZ89, vehicles armed with autocannons will easily shred it and it can be gunned down by the ubiquitous M2 Browning from the sides. Any aircraft equipped with cannons or heavy machine guns can destroy it from above.

The thin armour ironically makes subcaliber rounds produce less spalling upon penetrating the tank, but the internal layout can still lead to fatal results. The three crew members are lined up on the left side of the tank (right side from an attacker's perspective) and well-aimed shots might knock all of them out, putting the vehicle out of commission. That said, the turret seating is rather high and there is a chance that a shot knocking out the driver might pass underneath the turret crew. The turret bustle also houses many rounds of ammunition without blowout racks and penetrating shots to the turret front or rear can set them off.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 + 10 mm (71°) ''Upper glacis'' 35 mm (1-66°) ''Transmission housing'' 15 mm (20°) ''Mine plow attachment plate''|| 15 mm || 10 (9°) mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 22 mm (30°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (32°) ''Gun mask'' 40 mm (9-36°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 18 mm (14°) || 18 mm || 15 mm (79-89°)
|-
| Cupola || 15 mm || 15 mm || 15 mm || 15 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm of structural steel, tracks are 15 mm thick,

* Engine radiator grilles are 5 mm of RHA.

* Internal firewall around the engine/transmission compartment, 5 mm RHA thick.

* Slat armour on turret sides, 10 mm of structural steel.

* Skirts and storage boxes above tracks are 4 mm of structural steel.

=== Mobility ===

''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

{{tankMobility}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|PTZ89 (120 mm)}}
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[PTZ89 (120 mm)|120 mm PTZ89]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 30 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 13.2 || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | 5.00 || rowspan="2" | 5.00 || rowspan="2" | 5.00 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.9 || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| DYW1 || APFSDS || 443 || 442 || 436 || 429 || 422 || 416
|-
| DYS120 || HE || 30 || 30 || 30 || 30 || 30 || 30
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DYW1 || APFSDS || 1740 || 4.45 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DYS120 || HE || 900 || 19.5 || N/A || 0.1 || 2.49 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''30''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|QJC88A (12.7 mm)}}
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QJC88A (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm QJC88A]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| || 500 (150) || 700 || __° || __°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="2" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation mechanism
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
| Smoke grenade
| Laser rangefinder
| NVD
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent APFSDS round with very high velocity, great penetration and flat trajectory; comes with the vehicle as stock ammo
* Five-second reload thanks to the assisted loader
* Two-plane stabilizer giving it advantage in shoot-n-scoot tactic or sudden close encounters
* Roof-mounted 12.7 mm heavy machine gun can effectively damage low flying helicopters, lightly armoured vehicles or even aircraft
* Two salvos of smoke grenades can provide protective cover (to some extent) twice for the player
* Nice top speed

'''Cons:'''

* Very poor all-round armour making it extremely vulnerable to rockets, bombs or even .50 calibre rounds, let alone APFSDS and missiles
* Mediocre mobility
* Slow reverse speed of only 7-8 kph can put the player in a fatal situation
* Below average turret rotation speed
* Bad gun depression of only -5 degrees, limiting its terrain adaptation for different maps
* Humungous tank, increasing the chance of being spotted and hit

== History ==

During the 1970s, new tanks like the T-64 and T-72 were entering service in the Soviet Union, and with tensions between China and the Soviet Union still being tense, China needed a gun capable of defeating these tanks. The problem was, their primary tank was still the Type 59, a Chinese version of the T-54 tank, still armed with a 100 mm rifled gun. During this period, China tried to turn to Rheinmetall for their new 120 mm L/44 smoothbore gun, but this was rejected. The Chinese decided to develop their own gun, using technology and knowledge from the T-62 they had captured at Zhenbao Island.

In 1979, three versions of the gun were completed, with an estimated 1,000 APFSDS rounds fired. In February of that year, gun design 82-2 penetrated 204 mm on a 68 degree armour at a speed of 1,646 m/s. In 1981, the basic design was completed, with gun design 82-14 being chosen for the new 120 mm smoothbore gun. This could fire an APFSDS projectile at 1,700 m/s, penetrating 204 mm of armor at a 68 degree angle.

Following this, the gun was put in a turret on the Type 321 utility tracked chassis that would be used on other vehicles such as the PHZ-89 or PGZ-09. The vehicle would be demonstrated in 1985 in Nankou, Beijing, with more tests being conducted until late 1988, when it finally began initial production. It first entered service in 1989, and by the time it was retired, around 100 had been produced. Having served its purpose and the rise of new Chinese MBTs such as the ZTZ99 (Which have capable guns), It retired in November, 2015, when the 39th Army Group held an official retirement ceremony for the vehicle.

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== 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 ==


* [[wt:en/news/6936-development-ptz-89-hungry-dragon-en|[Devblog] PTZ-89: Hungry Dragon]]

{{China tank destroyers}}

T-26 No.531

2020-10-31T20:53:20Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_t_26_no531}}
{{About
| about = Soviet light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-26 (Family)
}}
== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

This is definitively the worst characteristic of this vehicle; armour is flat and thin on all sides. Do not expose yourself to enemy fire. Crew placement is not lined up from the front, meaning shells without HE filler can take up to 3 shots before being destroyed. Beware of HMGs and autocannons, since they will be able to penetrate your armour.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (22°) ''Front plate'' 7 mm (64-80°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm (6-52°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm (21-23°) ''Top'' 15 mm (0°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm (0°) ''Top'' 15 mm (12°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm ''Hull'' 6 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (13-15°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (5-44°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm (17-19°) || 15 mm (17°) || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes'''

* Suspension wheel is 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 6 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 141|rbMinHp= 80}}

While being a light tank, its mobility is one of a medium. It will take you where you want to be, provided you choose your route well and avoid tricky manoeuvres. Reverse speed, while not great (-6 km/h), can save you from some bad situations, provided cover is not too far behind.

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}
[[File:No.531 screenshot 2.jpg|thumb]]
The [[20-K (45 mm)|20-K]] is the typical Soviet rank 1 gun. Players should get used to it since it will be your main armament up until rank 2. This gun has a good amount of HE filler, meaning penetrating shells will do good damage, sometimes even one-shotting enemies. In longer ranges, shells begin to lose penetration and accuracy; it is not made for sniping. Try to bring ~10-15 BR-240SP (pure AP shells) for heavier targets. This gun is very forgiving to beginners, with its very fast reload speed and turret traverse.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 205 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' ||15.23||21.08||25.60||28.31||30.12
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 ||13.60||15.04||16.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 ||3.34||3.07||2.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''205''' || 202 ''(+3)'' || 197 ''(+8)'' || 187 ''(+18)'' || 177 ''(+28)'' || 167 ''(+38)'' || 157 ''(+48)'' || 139 ''(+66)'' || 121 ''(+84)'' || 103 ''(+102)'' || 79 ''(+126)'' || 61 ''(+144)'' || 29 ''(+176)'' || 1 ''(+204)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

Turret empty: 157 ''(+48)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==
The T-26 No.531 is definitely best suited to a more support role, flanking the battlefield and finding a good position to support your teammates from, the 45mm cannon has very good characteristics with its rounds (APHEBC, AP) being able to deal fair damage to enemy vehicles from short and long-range and the fast reload allowing for quick adjustment of aim between shots, this allows the T-26 to be a highly effective flanking vehicle if a good camping spot is found, however, the limited gun depression (-6°) will affect which positions are usable, keeping long-range is certainly an effective way to avoid taking damage. The T-26 is also usable at closer ranges for brawling with enemy vehicles, but it should be kept in mind that the thin armour on the T-26 (≤15mm) will leave the vital modules of your vehicle such as your crew, gun & powerplant (engine & transmission) at risk of taking damage, the mobility of the T-26 is also lesser than many of its counterparts which could potentially put it at risk in a brawling scenario, on the other hand, the T-26's good reload (3.77 - 2.9s) will usually give it an upper hand if you can survive the first shots against an enemy vehicle.

Due to the top speed of the T-26 being less than many other vehicles at its BR (30 km/h), it will usually arrive at the battlefield after the fighting has already begun, this has the advantage of arriving after your team has already identified many targets, and also meaning that you will not be in the front line of attack, this will usually allow for you to last a bit longer than players who rushed the centre of the battlefield, alternatively, it is also less likely that you will reach capture points before they are capped by your faster teammates although there are cases where you can help capture a contested point.

It is also worth keeping in mind that the reverse speed is only 3km/h, so you will have to be careful when driving out into the potential enemy fire.

The lack of armour is really something to be kept in mind, even some machine guns (8mm, 12.7mm) will be able to go through you thickest pieces of armour (15mm), due to this you want to be trying your best to avoid enemy vehicles getting the first shot, driving under cover is advisable to avoid being spotted and if you spot an enemy vehicle it would be best to engage and destroy them as soon as possible to avoid them becoming a threat, due to the lack of effective armour, aircraft can also be a risk, again, staying in cover will make it more difficult for enemy vehicles to spot and engage your T-26.
[[File:No.531 screenshot 1.jpg|thumb]]
In terms of the T-26's gun, there are 2 round options, the APHEBC round has 70mm best effective penetration as well as 29.26g of TNT equivalent explosive, this will allow for this round to penetrate most armour at this BR and also have good post pen damage if the fuse is set off. Second round type is an AP round, this has 73mm best effective penetration but lacks any explosive filler, this makes its post pen damage less effective than the APHEBC round. ''More'' ''info on both these rounds can be found in the "ammunition" section above''.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="2" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| BR-240SP
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
|
|-
! colspan="6" |This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great firepower; the stock shell has 69 mm maximum penetration and 32 g TNT which can frontally penetrate many tanks
* Even in an up-tier situation it can still effectively penetrate tanks like the [[B1 bis|B1]]
* Massive ammo capacity and fast reload time is good for new players who are learning to aim
* Premium bonuses thanks to its premium status

'''Cons:'''

* Very low survivability; the armour is thin, not angled and is only 15 mm max. Can get frontally penetrated by anything like the [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]], [[Pz.III (Disambiguation)|Pz.III]] and even heavy MG.
* The three crew members are packed tightly together significantly reduces survivability
* Poor mobility overall; has low top speed limited manoeuvrability around the battlefield, the weak engine doesn't allow it to climb hills
* The narrow tracks slow it in desert maps like Sinai or snowy maps like Frozen Pass
* The slow reverse speed of only -3 km/h is very fatal as it cannot back away from danger in time
* Average turret rotation combined with the sluggish hull traverse prevents it from responding to flanks quickly
* Average -5° gun depression limits its potential in hilly terrains
* Some ammo is stored inside turret which tends to explode when hit

== History ==

===Development===
The '''T-26''' light tank design is derived from the British Vickers 6-ton tank. In the early 1930s, a Soviet buying committee travelled to Britain and purchased tanks, tractors, and cars for use in the Soviet Union, of which the Vickers tank was chosen. Fifteen Twin-turreted Vickers tank arrived into the Soviet Union in May 1930, equipped with only machine guns. Four more Vickers were delivered at the end of 1930, these being the single-turret variants with a 47 mm gun, and the deliveries were finished by 1932. The Vickers-produced tanks were designated as the ''V-26''.

The Vickers 6-ton tank competed with several Soviet designs for the "most suitable" tank design for Soviet use. One such competitor was the Soviet ''T-19'' light tank, which had advantages over the Vickers design, but also disadvantages. The T-19 designer, S. Ginzburg, suggested for a "hybrid" tank to be built off the features of the T-19 and the Vickers tank. But in January 1931, intelligence picked up that Poland bought up many foreign tanks from Britain and France with a license to mass-produce them. This information pressured the Soviet military council to adopt the foreign tanks into Soviet usage, thus the Vickers 6-ton tank, under the designation as the '''T-26''', was accepted into service on February 13, 1931, as the mainstay of the Red Army's armoured forces.

Although outclassed later in the war, it was considered one of the more successful and widely produced tank model in the 1930s. It, along with the [[BT-7|BT]] light tanks, composed of the majority of Russia's armoured forces in the late 1930s. It weighed just a little under 10 tons, had 15 mm thick armour in front, with a 45 mm 20K gun, and had a crew of three people. The Bolshevik Factory in Leningrad was the first factory to start producing the T-26 from June 1931, and production of the tank lasted from then until 1941.

===Variants===
During its production life, many variants of it were made for different purposes, up to '''53''' different ones to fit different roles, though only 23 would see service in production. Such designs included changes like a twin-turreted version (some with only machine guns and some with cannons), command tanks, added armour, artillery tanks (such as the [[T-26-4]]), flamethrower tanks, remote-controlled tanks, or just armoured carriers to tow artillery and such. Others were simply modified variants of the normal variants such as the [[T-26E]], which was the base single-turreted T-26 design with 30-40 mm applique armour made during the Winter War, which made them more resilient to the Finnish anti-tank weapons.

All these tanks produced in the span of 1931 to 1941 made up a total 10,300 tanks, and 1,701 other variants of it, for a total of 12,001 units produced.

===Combat usage===
[[File:No.531 screenshot 3.jpg|thumb]]
In 1937-39, a period of high tensions between the USSR and Japan, the Soviets provided 88 T-26 M33 tanks to China. The T-26, which along with the BT tanks would constitute three-quarters of the Soviet tank force at the start of its own war with Germany in 1941, had been developed from and was very similar to the Vickers 6-ton tank, a model which China had previously bought from Britain. With 20 of those tanks, mostly the Vickers Mark E armed with a short 47 mm gun, fighting with the 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions around Shanghai in 1937, is where most had been lost to the Japanese. The T-26s that came after appears to have been radio-equipped. They were assigned to the 1st Tank Regiment, which had elements attached to the new 200th (Motorised) Division, the first such division in the Chinese army. The 200th Division, with at least nine T-26s, was deployed to Burma in the spring of 1942. Most of its tanks were believed lost in that campaign, although they acquitted themselves well. Other T-26 elements saw action in China proper throughout the war.

This particular T-26, the T-26 No. 531, was the commander tank of general Sun Li-jen, who was nicknamed "Rommel of the east".

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

* Standard Chinese T-26: [[T-26 (China)]]
* Standard Russian T-26: [[T-26]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China light tanks}}
{{China premium ground vehicles}}

Type 63

2020-10-31T20:45:41Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_type_63_I}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

The Type 63 can be considered a domestic Chinese counterpart to the Soviet-produced [[PT-76 (China)|PT-76]] amphibious light tank, its predecessor in the tech tree. However, it is not a copy. It features a similar cast turret to the [[Type 62]] equipped with the same 85 mm gun, and the hull has larger dimensions and a different position for the driver. This 63-I variant has a more powerful engine as well. While the protection and gun handling are poor, the good firepower and speed make it much more formidable than the PT-76. It offers a taste of what's to come in the succeeding Type 62, which has similar offensive capabilities while improving in practically every aspect.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret front/sides, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 11 mm (82°) ''Upper glacis'' 14 mm (42°) ''Lower glacis'' || 13 mm ''Top'' 10 mm ''Bottom'' || 10 mm (1°) ''Top'' 10 mm (62°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 11 mm (15-58°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (10-69°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 11 mm (17-58°) || 11 mm (10-48°) || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick.
* Tracks are 15 mm thick.

The Type 63-I's armour is no better than the PT-76 and should not be relied upon against any incoming fire. Even heavy machine guns and autocannons pose a serious threat to this vehicle; the turret has only 11 mm of cast steel for example and can be penetrated by the M2 Browning commonly mounted on US tanks. SPAAs and aircraft will rip the tank to shreds. In general, avoid being spotted and stay close to cover. Placing bushes on the front and top of the tank to delay recognition by enemies, even for a second or two, can help considerably.

The Type 63-I is vulnerable to hull-break. Chemical shells (HEAT, HEAT-FS, HE) of at least decent size will trigger it consistently. Large full-calibre rounds that hit important parts like the engine, transmission, or gun breech can also cause it, but such rounds might also pass through the tank with little damage due to the thin armour. Many APHE rounds will actually fail to fuse if fired through the hull and turret sides.

The crew of 4 is better than the 3 in the PT-76, but the additional crew member resides in the turret, clustered with the turret crew, and the benefits to survivability are marginal.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=620|rbMinHp=354}}

The {{PAGENAME}} sees a decent improvement in mobility compared to the preceding [[PT-76 (China)|PT-76]], thus making this tank more attractive for flanking, or early game rushing. The {{PAGENAME}} is also good for hillclimbing and can reach some nifty positions on some maps. The mobility lags slightly behind some contemporary tanks like the [[M41A1|M41 Walker Bulldog]] and wheeled Italian vehicles are much faster on roads. It will still handily outrun medium and heavy tanks.

As an amphibious vehicle, it will not drown in water and can swim across rivers or lakes slowly but steadily. However, the lack of a gun stabilizer makes firing while on water very difficult. Avoid driving on water for more than short crossings if enemies are likely to see you, as it will be nearly impossible to defend yourself.

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Type-62-85-TC (85 mm)}}

The Type-62-85-TC cannon is also used by the Type 62, but the reload is about two seconds longer on the Type 63 for some reason. This means that it has the same sluggish reload as the PT-76 despite the fact that the Type 63-I has a dedicated loader. The gun handling is poor all-round, with the gun rotation, elevation, and depression speeds all being lower than the PT-76. This can be a pain when using the Type 63-I aggressively; it is unfortunate that the gun handling cannot keep up with the good mobility.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type-62-85-TC (85 mm)|85 mm Type-62-85-TC]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 47 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 9.5 ||13.2||16.0||17.7||18.8|| rowspan="2" | 11.2 || rowspan="2" |9.9|| rowspan="2" |9.1|| rowspan="2" | 8.6
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 5.9 ||7.0||8.5||9.4||10.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
Two APHE shells are available. The stock BR-365A APHEBC round has rather low penetration for its rank, but this is compensated by its excellent slope modifiers and high explosive mass. It penetrates other light tanks easily and is the best round to use when flanking. The BR-367 APCBC round has about 30 mm of extra penetration with less than half the TNT equivalent; while this is not a bad tradeoff, in practice it does not frontally penetrate many vehicles that the BR-365A round cannot, and when flanking the lower post-penetration damage is a big drawback. Using one or the other is mostly up to personal taste, though it does not hurt to bring some of both.

The BR-367P APCR shell has high velocity and better flat penetration than the APHE rounds, but as with other shells of its class, the angled performance and post-penetration damage are awful. It is best used as an interim shell before the HEAT-FS is unlocked; in emergency situations it can penetrate the turret face of the [[Tiger II (H)]] at close range.

The Type 1956 HEAT-FS shell is the most powerful option available to the Type 63-I and is very strong for its rank. 300 mm of flat penetration at any distance with good velocity and angled performance is no joke, capable of nullifying the armour of many heavy tanks. The only rival at the battle rating of 6.3 is the [[ST-A1]]'s 90 mm HEAT-FS with 305 mm of flat penetration. It boasts more TNT equivalent than the HE shell, making it dangerous to hull-breakable targets like the common [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]]. The main drawbacks are the mediocre post-penetration damage and the tendency to bounce against heavily sloped armour, so aim carefully.

The stock O-365K HE shell is very weak and should be avoided. It is not large enough to reliably trigger hull-breaks on anything more armoured than a SPAA truck and the HEAT-FS is better in all aspects.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 135 || 133 || 125 || 115 || 106 || 97
|-
| BR-367 || APCBC || 164 || 162 || 154 || 145 || 136 || 127
|-
| BR-367P || APCR || 208 || 203 || 183 || 160 || 140 || 123
|-
| O-365K || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| Type 1956 || HEATFS || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300 || 300
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.20 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 164 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-367 || APCBC || 792 || 9.20 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 67.76 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-367P || APCR || 1,020 || 5.30 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 793 || 9.54 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 660 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Type 1956 || HEATFS || 845 || 7.00 || N/A || 0.1 || 822.8 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''47''' || 42 ''(+5)'' || 36 ''(+11)'' || 30 ''(+17)'' || 24 ''(+23)'' || 15 ''(+32)'' || 11 ''(+36)'' || 7 ''(+40)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || Yes
|-
|}
Note: ammo rack #1 is in the back of the turret basket and will rotate with the turret.

The poor protection of the Type 63-I means that taking less ammunition will not improve post-penetration survivability by much. Taking 30 rounds or less will empty the ammo racks in the back of the fighting compartment and turret basket, so solid projectiles entering the front right of the vehicle might pass through and hit only the loader. This is mildly helpful against British tanks and M41s. In the event that 30 rounds is not enough, a rare occurrence, it's fine to take more.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

The Type 63-I has a coaxial 7.62 SGMT machine gun. It is useful for spotting targets on the map but little else. The lack of a pintle mounted heavy machine gun makes it difficult to ward off aircraft or gun down light vehicles like armoured cars.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,200 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Type 63-I is best used in a way that avoids direct exposure to enemy fire and gives you time to set up shots and ambushes. Running straight into battle or rushing cap points may not end well. Flanking is definitely a recommended method as this gives you the time you desperately need due to slow turret rotation and reload. It also gives you chances to shoot at enemy side armour, which is the only way to penetrate heavier enemies if you use the conventional shells. When flanking, avoid driving in the open if possible and keep an eye out for other light vehicles. Some of them, like armoured cars and Hellcats, can be hull broken with the HEAT-FS round, while others like the [[M41A1|M41 Walker Bulldog]] used by several nations cannot and are best dispatched with the APHE rounds.

The long reload makes selecting the right ammunition type for the situation very important. Otherwise, switching to the correct round could take up to 11 seconds, enough for an enemy to retreat or return fire. It is better to keep HEAT-FS loaded when entering an engagement if enemy types are unknown; any target that the HEAT-FS cannot hull-break can still be disabled with a careful shot to the gunner/driver/gun breech, and APHE can be used to finish cripped targets off. On the other hand, the first speedy enemies to appear at the start of a match are probably soft enough to destroy with APHE. Try to reload while in cover.

Like many domestic PRC tanks, the Type 63-I's gun handling is quite awful, so predict where enemies are likely to appear and always be on the lookout for potential ambushes or flankers. If your aim must be shifted rapidly, turn the hull as well as the turret. Though it lacks neutral steering, the hull traverse is quite good. Avoid trying to take down or harass aircraft unless they are bold enough to fly directly at you and escaping to cover is impossible.

Ground targets to watch out for include the infamous [[R3 T20 FA-HS]], whose extreme mobility and fully stabilized autocannon are the bane of the Type 63-I's bad gun handling and armour, and the [[Ru 251]], which also has incredible speed and can hull-break the Type 63-I easily with its chemical rounds. Thankfully, these two targets can be hull-broken in return. Try to spot them first and stay out of sight until they are not looking in your direction. Then, introduce them to the HEAT-FS. Be sure not to miss, you may not get a second chance.

Besides flanking, another tactic is to use the HEAT-FS shells for long range sniping. The HEAT-FS does not lose accuracy nor penetration at range, giving you the full 300 mm penetration on each hit. Keep in mind that the tank's optics are not great, having 4x zoom like the PT-76. Shooting and relocating is advisable due to the fact that if an enemy manages to be within range of you, they will only need one shot to take you out. Keep an eye on the sky and switch positions after a few kills, as it is very likely that planes and artillery will be on their way to seek revenge. Virtually any aircraft can dispatch the Type 63-I, even those lacking bombs or rockets.

Remember to constantly mark enemies with scouting. Besides helping your team and gaining assists for yourself, it allows teammates to mop up targets that you have crippled but are unwilling or unable to finish off. The reduction in aircraft spawn cost is also valuable due to the Type 63-I's fragility. If a good early-game run with the tank is terminated, it should be easy to pull out a good CAS aircraft like the [[Tu-2S-44 (China)|Tu-2]] or counter-CAS aircraft like the [[La-9 (China)|La-9]] to exact revenge while leaving points in reserve for later spawns.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Airstrike
| BR-367
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
| BR-367P
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Improved optics
| Type 1956 HEAT-FS
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Same 85 mm gun as the [[Type 62]], more powerful and much less frustrating to use than that of the preceding [[PT-76 (China)|PT-76]]
* Has access to 300 mm penetration HEAT-FS, excellent for the battle rating
* 4 crew members
* Improved mobility from the PT-76
* Can scout and assist with repairs
* Amphibious

'''Cons:'''

* No stabilizer, firing on the move or on water is difficult
* Very thin armour
* Poor gun handling
* Slow reload, especially for a light tank
* No night vision devices
* No sources of smoke
* Larger profile than the PT-76

== History ==


The Soviet Union delivered [[PT-76 (China) |PT-76]] tanks to the People's Republic of China in the 1950s. Their lightweight and amphibious capability were appreciated by the PLA, and in 1958 an order was placed for the development of an indigenous vehicle in the same vein. Initially a copy of the PT-76 called the Type 60 was made, but unsatisfactory performance and reliability issues prompted a redesign. The new design was finalized in 1963 and entered service as the Type 63 light tank, not to be confused with the Type 63 armoured personnel carrier that served as a basis for the [[ZSD63]]. While resembling the PT-76, the Type 63 tanks featured notable differences, such as a new engine, a relocated driver's station, and a new turret with an 85 mm gun. Overall dimensions were slightly enlarged for extra flotation. The Type 63 was intended for use in the wet and muddy terrain of southern China and also for seaborne assaults - many were stationed in the southern coast, across the strait from Taiwan.

The improved '''Type 63-I''' variant replaced the original 240 hp V6 engine derived from the PT-76 with a more powerful V12 12150-L2 engine developing about 400 hp. Additional upgrades were developed over the years. The 63-II variant from the 1970s added laser rangefinder and night vision equipment. The 63HG variant from the 1990s had a boat-like hull with a rounded nose and a modified turret with a 105 mm gun. In the late 1990s, the ultimate Type 63A variant entered service. It featured a new welded turret with improved protection, a 105 mm gun, modern fire control systems, and a further redesigned hull.

The Type 63 was exported to several countries, including Myanmar, Albania, and Vietnam. It remains in use with several of them today. The Type 63A, which is a modification of the Type 63 with 105mm gun and improved armor, still serves with the PLA today, however it is being gradually replaced by the larger and more advanced ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== 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 ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China light tanks}}

T-62 545 (China)

2020-10-31T20:42:01Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_t_62}}
{{About
| about = Chinese medium tank '''{{Specs|name}}'''
| usage = Soviet variation
| link = T-62
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

This Chinese vehicle is identical to the Soviet [[T-62]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The armour protection of the T-62 is very similar to that of the T-54. Unfortunately, the T-62 tends to face more powerful guns at its BR, so its armour is not nearly as effective for its BR as the T-54's is. The well-rounded turret and sloped hull can ricochet poorly aimed rounds when angled, but should not be relied upon to protect the T-62.

Like most Soviet-designed and built tanks, the T-62 has a very compact layout, meaning that a single penetrating hit is will most likely cripple or outright destroy the tank. Of particular note of concern is the front hull ammunition rack inside the fuel tank situated next to the driver. This rack is the ready rack of the T-62 and cannot be emptied by reducing the number of rounds carried. A penetrating hit there is likely to result in an ammunition cook-off that will instantly destroy the tank.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 899|rbMinHp= 513}}

The {{Specs|name}}'s mobility is somewhat similar to that of the T-54 medium tank, although the heavier weight makes it a little bit more sluggish. It can reach a respectable 50 km/h forward, and the maximum reverse speed is -8 km/h. Because the {{Specs|name}} is longer than the T-54 and does not have neutral steering, its turning performance is noticeably worse, especially on rough terrain.

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|U-5TS (115 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[U-5TS (115 mm)|115 mm U-5TS]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 40 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+16° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

The 115 mm 2A20 smooth-bore gun is a potent gun capable of firing APFSDS, HEATFS aand HE ammunition. It is stabilised, allowing for accurate firing on the move. The turret traverse is also significantly improved over that of the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], and the turret also provides more gun depression, allowing for some use of hull-down tactics. It should be noted that the gun has limited depression when the gun passes over the hull fuel tanks (at roughly 45 degrees to each side). Due to the large size of the 115 mm ammunition and cramped space of the T-62, the reload is much slower than that of comparable NATO tanks (~10–12 s depending on crew skill level and training).

==== Ammunition ====
While the APFSDS ammunition is not as lethal as the APHE ammunition used on previous Soviet medium tanks and requires some degree of careful aim, it is still capable of destroying tanks in one shot, especially with frontal penetrations.

* There are two types of APFSDS ammunition: 3BM3 and 3BM4. The stock 3BM4 round has a pure steel kinetic rod while the unlockable 3BM3 dart is a steel rod with a tungsten slug inside the penetrator. The latter has substantially more vertical penetration and somewhat better post-penetration lethality, but its performance against highly sloped armour is significantly worse. Both rounds have outstanding muzzle velocities of over 1,600 m/s, allowing long-range shots to be made without much lead.

* The 3BK4 fin-stabilised HEAT round has more penetration than either APFSDS round and retains its penetration at long ranges, but has a much slower muzzle velocity that makes aiming at long ranges significantly more difficult. It is more effective than APFSDS against lightly armoured targets since it can reliably hull-break them if it detonates.

* The 3UOF11 fin-stabilised HE round is rather unremarkable and is only really useful against soft targets.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 3BM4 || APFSDS || 285 || 279 || 263 || 243 || 222 || 202
|-
| 3BM3 || APFSDS || 350 || 347 || 322 || 300 || 283 || 270
|-
| 3BK4 || HEATFS || 440 || 440 || 440 || 440 || 440 || 440
|-
| 3OF11 || HE || 31 || 31 || 31 || 31 || 31 || 31
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3BM4 || APFSDS || 1,615 || 5.55 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 72° || 76° || 78°
|-
| 3BM3 || APFSDS || 1,615 || 5.55 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| 3BK4 || HEATFS || 950 || 12.97 || 0.05 || 1.0 || 2,280 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| 3OF11 || HE || 905 || 14.86 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 2,640 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

'''Last updated:'''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''40''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

The T-62 is armed with a single coaxial 7.62mm SGMT machine gun with a single 2500 ammo belt.

== Usage in battles ==


As with its Soviet counterpart, it is best used as a long-range sniper to take advantage of its excellent gun. However the two-plane stabilizer allows it to fight effectively on the move as well, so consider staying behind your team to cover their advances.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| 3BM3
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
| ESS
| Artillery Support
| 3BK4
| NVD
|-
! colspan="7" |This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent APFSDS and HEAT-FS rounds can cleave through almost any opponent at its battle rating
* Two-plane stabilizer makes it easy to fire on the move and land the first shot
* Slightly improved turret armour, gun depression, and traverse compared to earlier Chinese/Soviet medium tanks
* Has night vision systems
* Good overall mobility
* Respectable frontal armour

'''Cons:'''

* Only distinguishing features from the Soviet T-62 are the "545" markings on the sides of the turret, which are easily overlooked in Simulator battles
* Rather slow reload
* No heavy machine gun for use against soft targets or aircraft
* Gun depression while improved, is not good, however, better depression than the Type 59 and T-54/55

== History ==


After an initial period of cooperation between the Soviet Union and the fledgeling People's Republic of China, the Sino-Soviet split of 1956 soured relations between the two countries, resulting in the former allies becoming regional rivals. In 1969 the tensions came to a head as the PRC and USSR clashed over the disputed Zhenbao/Damansky Island for seven months. During this period the Soviet Union deployed the T-62 tank in combat for the first time. A single T-62 (No. 545) was disabled by Chinese fire, and Soviet efforts to recover it were unsuccessful. The tank was recovered by the PLA and extensively studied; the new technology was reverse engineered and copied, with some of these advances making their way into the domestic [[Type 69]] tank.

Though captured by the Chinese, the T-62 never formally entered service in the PLA. The tank still exists today and is currently on display in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== 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 ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China medium tanks}}
{{China premium ground vehicles}}

Type 69

2020-10-31T20:36:35Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_type_69}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

At first glance, the Type 69 looks reminiscent of the preceding [[Type 59]]. Closer inspection reveals it to be quite an interesting tank. It can be visually differentiated from similar vehicles by the placement of the IR spotlight directly above the gun mantlet (Soviet tanks place the spotlight off to the side), a laser rangefinder next to it, and a unique fume extractor located near the tip of the barrel. It can be thought of as a cross between the Soviet [[T-55A]] and [[T-62]]. Like the former, it boasts improved mobility and gun handling from the original Type 59/T-54, and like the latter, it has a smoothbore gun firing HEAT-FS and APFSDS rounds. As the product of the PRC's first foray into indigenous technologies, it also boasts night vision, stabilizer, and laser rangefinder systems.

Players coming from the [[Type 59]] will appreciate many of the Type 69's improvements, no longer having to deal with a glacial turret rotation speed, single plane stabilizer, and lack of night vision. However, its firepower is a sidegrade at best. Both tanks can use HEAT-FS, but while the Type 59 could use APHE rounds for instant knockouts against lightly armoured tanks like the [[Leopard 1]], the Type 69 has a poor-quality APFSDS round instead. No miracles should be expected from its gun.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The armour layout of the Type 69 is virtually identical to the [[Type 59]] and [[T-54 (1951)]], with a rounded turret made of cast homogeneous armour and a highly sloped front glacis. While the frontal protection is good in terms of raw values, the Type 69 will face many tanks with powerful sub-calibre and HEAT rounds that can penetrate its armour with ease. That said, it confers some resistance to the APHE rounds fired by contemporary Soviet tanks like the T-54/55.

Post-penetration survivability is not optimal as the interior of the tank is cramped and plenty of loose ammunition is stored in the turret and fighting compartment. However, the Type 69 has a "wet" ammo rack next to the driver, which is more resistant to detonation by HEAT rounds.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|100 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis''
|80 mm
|45 mm (16°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (72°) ''Lower''
|30 mm ''Front'' 20 mm ''Back''
|-
|Turret
|160 mm (14-39°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm (4-78°) ''Gun mantlet''
|115 mm (45-50°) ''Upper'' 155 mm (10-30°) ''Lower''
|65 mm (9-35°)
|30 mm
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=899|rbMinHp=513}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Type 69 (100 mm)}}

The Type 69 is armed with a 100 mm Type 69 smoothbore cannon equipped with a two-plane stabilizer, capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT-FS, and HE rounds. It reloads 0.1 seconds quicker than the Type 59's rifled gun but this is a negligible improvement.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 69 (100 mm)|100 mm Type 69]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 44 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+17° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | 11.1 || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | 8.5
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The Type 69's stock rounds are the 1-72-85 APFSDS and the 1-71-74 HE. The APFSDS was at one point the worst round of its type in War Thunder; 220 mm of flat penetration at 10 meters is worse than many AP/APHE rounds. The [[AUBL/74 HVG]]'s 60 mm APFSDS penetrates more despite having a much lower calibre! It also suffers noticeable dropoff at long distances. However the angled penetration is surprisingly good, topping out at 127 mm @ 60 degrees. For comparison, the T-55A's 3BM25 APFSDS round has far superior flat penetration (up to 335 mm) but only has slightly higher angled penetration (up to 129 mm @ 60 degrees) than the 1-72-85. Penetration aside, it has a good muzzle velocity of 1505 m/s and the post-penetration damage is decent, being an improvement over typical APDS rounds.

The 1-71-74 HE shell is weak and should be ignored. It has a low explosive content and might be able to cause hull-breaks on light targets, but not consistently. Any vehicle with more than paper-thin armour will be immune to it.

The unlockable Type 1973 HEAT-FS is a Tier I modification. Familiar to Type 59 users, it has the same penetration performance as the T-55A's 3BK17M HEAT-FS with a lower TNT equivalent and a slightly lower muzzle velocity. 390 mm of flat penetration at any distance is impressive and will slice through almost all tanks lacking special armour types (spaced, reactive, composite). While it lacks the high velocity of the APFSDS and can be detonated by bushes or fences, the HEAT-FS is still good for dealing with heavy targets that the APFSDS can't penetrate. It has slightly less explosive mass than the HE shell but is more consistent at hull-breaking due to its ability to damage internal modules.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 1-72-85 || APFSDS || 220 || 213 || 193 || 173 || 156 || 140
|-
| Type 1973 || HEATFS || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390
|-
| 1-71-74 || HE || 17 || 17 || 17 || 17 || 17 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 1-72-85 || APFSDS || 1,505 || 4.70 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| Type 1973 || HEATFS || 1,000 || 10.05 || N/A || 0.1 || 1,180 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| 1-71-74 || HE || 900 || 15.00 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1,300 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''44''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

The DShK is useful against enemy helicopters if they get too close. It can also penetrate lightly armoured targets like certain SPAAs or light tanks.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 500 (50) || 600 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,400 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Type 69 is somewhat paradoxical. Its laser rangefinder and smoothbore cannon may suggest that it is a good sniper, but the poor penetration of its 1-72-85 APFSDS makes it difficult to pick off well-protected targets from afar. Meanwhile its two-plane stabilizer, improved engine, and faster turret rotation speed are more suitable for an offensive role, though it lacks the APHE enjoyed by the comparable [[T-55A]] for instant knockouts.

Terrible APFSDS is still APFSDS, and it does the job against against lightly armoured opponents like the [[Leopard I]] and [[AMX-30]]. For US or Soviet medium tanks, shooting the hull can work at closer distances. When fighting more resilient targets, such as those that are hull down with good turret armour, the Type 1973 HEAT-FS is a better choice. Take advantage of the laser rangefinder to accurately deliver the HEAT-FS rounds at long distances.

The post-penetration damage of the APFSDS and HEAT-FS are somewhat punctual, so effort should be taken to aim for ammo racks or catch as many crew members as possible in the line of fire. This is especially important since the Type 69's reload is rather sluggish and a damaged target could retreat or retaliate before a follow up shot is ready.

Mobility wise, the Type 69 is about the same as the [[T-55A]]. While not agonizing, it certainly won't be the first tank to arrive on the battlefield. Note that the reverse speed of -7 km/h is rather poor and it lacks neutral steering, so be careful about overextending.

Overall the Type 69 is a versatile tank, having tools for most situations at hand and no major weaknesses, though conversely it is not exceptional in any regard. It is best used as a flexible combatant, capable of flanking, pushing aggressively, or sniping as the situation demands. Stay close to teammates and avoid engaging multiple opponents at the same time. Caution should be paid to its substandard mobility, slow reload, and sometimes finicky ammunition.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Type 1973 HEAT-FS
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
|
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Laser rangefinder
| NVD
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* One of the earliest tanks in the game with APFSDS rounds
* APFSDS comes stock
* Has a two-plane stabilizer
* Access to night vision and a laser rangefinder
* Improved engine, turret rotation speed, and ammunition capacity compared to the Type 59
* Top mounted heavy machine gun is useful against aircraft
* Wet ammo storage

'''Cons:'''

* APFSDS has abysmal flat penetration for its calibre
* Does not have access to APHE
* Armour is identical to the Type 59, does not hold up very well at its rank
* Not particularly mobile
* Somewhat long reload
* No sources of smoke available
* Can be confused for Soviet tanks at a quick glance

== History ==


After the Sino-Soviet split, the People's Republic of China was no longer able to receive military technical help from the Soviet Union. The [[Type 59]], a licensed copy of the T-54A, was the the most advanced medium tank available to the PLA, but after a few years it became apparent that upgrades were necessary to keep up with the rapidly advancing technology of the time. The PLA ordered the development of a new "Type 69" tank in 1963 and the first prototype was manufactured in 1966; however, the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 and the ensuing purges impeded further development of the tank. The early Type 69 featured a smoothbore cannon, IR searchlight, laser rangefinder, and a new engine.

After the capture of [[Т-62_545_(China)| a Soviet T-62]], the latest Soviet technology was examined, copied, and implemented into the Type 69, creating the Type 69-I variant. During this time the smoothbore gun was found to be rather unsatisfactory, and Type 69 tanks in Chinese service were often refitted with the same 100mm rifled gun as the Type 59. Further development continued through the 1980s, culminating in the Type 79 series, which incorporated a new 105mm gun and numerous Western technologies.

The Type 69 series saw relatively limited service with the PLA but were more popular on the export market, purchased by countries such as Thailand, [[T-69 II G|Bangladesh]], and Myanmar. Modified Type 69 tanks were still in the inventory of the Iraqi Army during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though by this point they were no match for modern MBTs. That being said, the Iraqi division equipped with the {{PAGENAME}} tanks, though outgunned, fought more valiantly than the elite Republican Guard who had access to more modern equipment.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=china&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=cn_type_69 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|B6ZsuPjSuNo|'''T-54/T-55 family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:24 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ro6fFFWqdJ8|'''Aggressive {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''TheEuropeanCanadian''}}

== See also ==


* [[T-69 II G]] - export variant to Bangladesh

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China medium tanks}}

Type 59

2020-10-31T20:34:45Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_type_59}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

The Type 59 holds the distinction of being the first tank to be domestically manufactured by the People's Republic of China. It is a famous part of the PLA's Cold War tank inventory, saw service with many countries, and set the stage for many later developments.

A somewhat simplified, licensed produced version of the Soviet T-54A, the Type 59 looks very much like the [[T-54 (1951)]]. The most noticeable differences are the fume extractor on the tip of the gun barrel and the different roadwheels, similar to the T-55A. Internally, the Type 59 differs from the T-54 by having a single-plane stabilizer and a different ammunition selection. It helps to get accustomed to this tank, as the later [[Type 69]], [[ZTZ59D1]], and [[T-69 II G]] are its descendants and handle similarly.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The armor layout of the Type 59 is identical to the T-54 (1951), having a rounded, egg-shaped turret with a highly sloped upper glacis. The armor is not bad per se, but most of its opponents use powerful APDS, APFSDS, or HEAT-FS rounds that can go right through it, an issue made worse by the fact that the Type 59 currently has a higher battle rating than the T-54. While it is mostly immune to APHE rounds from the front, few vehicles use them at its rank, and those that do are typically from the Soviet Union and unlikely to face the Type 59 in Realistic Battles.

Post-penetration survivability is questionable. Ammunition is scattered around the tank and none of the ammo racks are protected. The interior of the tank is cramped and penetrating hits are likely to take out multiple crew members. When the gun is pointed forward, the driver, gunner, and commander are all lined up for an easy one-shot kill.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|100 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis''
|80 mm
|45 mm (16°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (72°) ''Lower''
|30 mm ''Front'' 20 mm ''Back''
|-
|Turret
|160 mm (14-39°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm (4-78°) ''Gun mantlet''
|115 mm (45-50°) ''Upper'' 155 mm (10-30°) ''Lower''
|65 mm (9-35°)
|30 mm
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 806|rbMinHp= 460}}

The mobility of the Type 59 is the same as the T-54, decent to good but not the best. The top speed will only be reached on paved surfaces. The wide tracks make for fairly good off-road capability. The tank cannot turn in place and the reverse speed of -7 km/h leaves much to be desired. Speedy MBTs like the [[Leopard I]] will easily outrun the Type 59, though it can keep up with the [[M60]] and is still faster than the [[Centurion Mk 10]].

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Type 59 (100 mm)}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Type 59 (100 mm)|100 mm Type 59]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 34 || -4°/+17° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' ||9.52||13.18||16.00||17.69||18.82
|-
| ''Realistic'' ||5.95||7.00||8.50||9.40||10.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
|11.05||9.78||9.01||8.5
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 218 || 213 || 192 || 169 || 148 || 130
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 218 || 214 || 195 || 173 || 154 || 137
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 239 || 236 || 223 || 207 || 192 || 178
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 224 || 216 || 186 || 153 || 127 || 105
|-
| Type 1959 || APDS || 299 || 298 || 291 || 272 || 253 || 249
|-
|Type 1973 || HEATFS || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 ||
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 887 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 93.94 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 1,050 || 8.53 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Type 1959 || APDS || 1,432 || 3.18 || N/A || N/A || N/A ||N/A||N/A||N/A|| N/A
|-
| Type 1973 || HEATFS || 1000 || 10.05 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 1180 ||N/A||N/A||N/A|| N/A
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 880 || 15.2 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1460 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

The Type 59 has many ammunition types to choose from. The stock round is the BR-412 APHE. An uncapped shell, its performance is rather substandard for its rank and it might have difficulties against angled armor or at long distances. The BR-412B APHEBC round is slightly better at a distance and the BR-412D APCBC round is the best of the AP shells overall. These shells are best used against lightly armored tanks like the [[Leopard I]] and [[AMX-30 (1972)|AMX-30]]. Note that the turrets of the [[OF-40]] and [[STB-1]] are more resistant to APHE rounds from the front. Against US tanks like the [[M60]], try to aim for the gun mantlet or just flank instead.

The BR-412P APCR shell is currently modeled as having less penetration than the BR-412D round, so it is completely useless and should not be taken.

The Type 1959 APDS has identical penetration to the Soviet 3BM-8 APDS round with minor differences in the weight and muzzle velocity. The performance is generally comparable to the DM13 APDS. It has a high muzzle velocity and is thus the easiest to use at long distance, but the post-penetration damage is rather anemic.

The Type 1973 HEAT-FS has the same penetration as the T-55A's 3BK-5M HEAT-FS round. The muzzle velocity and weight are between the 3BK-5M and 3BK-5, but it has about 260 fewer grams of TNT equivalent due to the different filler. In practice, there is not a significant difference, and the HEAT-FS boasts the highest penetration out of all of the Type 59's rounds, going clean through almost any tank not equipped with composite armor or ERA. It is also capable of causing hull-breaks on light tanks and SPAAs. Unfortunately, the fuse is very sensitive and will trigger on bushes and fences.

The OF-412 HE shell only has 26 mm of penetration and is of limited utility. It is not large enough to cause any notable damage to MBTs, and while it can cause hull-breaks, so can the HEAT-FS.

Note that the Type 59 does not have access to the 3D3 smoke shell from the T-54 (1951).

The primary choice of ammunition for the Type 59 should be the BR-412D shell. It can penetrate most opponents at its rank and has enough explosive filler to cause instant knockouts, which is very valuable considering that the Type 59 reloads rather slowly and may not have enough time for follow-up shots. A few rounds of Type 1959 APDS and Type 1973 HEAT-FS should be carried, the former for use at long distances and the latter for use against heavily armored or hull-breakable targets.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-54_(1951).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the Type 59.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''34''' || 33 ''(+1)'' || 28 ''(+6)'' || 23 ''(+10)'' || 22 ''(+11)'' || 21 ''(+13)'' || 1 ''(+33)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 28 ''(+6)'' One rack only: 21 ''(+13)''

The ammunition storage of the Type 59 is not exactly safe, but to be fair, this applies to many contemporary tanks. Spare rounds are littered around the turret and fighting compartment, and there is a large rack next to the driver. It's best to take fewer rounds to at least clear out the turret. Carrying 21 rounds or less will completely empty the fighting compartment, which helps to prevent side-aspect shots from being instantly fatal.

=== Machine guns ===


{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 250 (50) || 600 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,500 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Type 59 is best used similarly to the original T-54. The mobility is decent, but the turret rotation speed is quite agonizing and the gun lacks a two-plane stabilizer. For those not used to this vehicle, it is better not to rush straight into the combat zone. Instead, stay behind other teammates, keep an eye on the surroundings, and anticipate where enemies may appear. The vertical stabilizer, an oddity for a high-tier vehicle, does not really allow for firing on the move but is an advantage when fighting unstabilized tanks since the gun does not need to fully settle before an accurate shot. Enemies with two-plane stabilizers like the [[Centauro]] will be tough customers. If dealing with them, keep a safe distance and drive slowly while aiming down the sights. If the gun needs to be pointed in a different direction quickly, rotate the hull simultaneously with the turret.

This basic version of the Type 59 omitted the night vision systems from the T-54A, so it's essentially blind in night battles. In these situations, stick with the [[Type 69]] and perhaps the [[M48A1 (China)|M48A1]] instead.

Stay close to teammates if possible. The slow reload and poor gun handling make dealing with multiple enemies or flankers a difficult task without backup. A fast light tank, SPAA, or armored car can circle around the Type 59 faster than it can react. It helps to bind the cupola mounted heavy machine gun to a separate key in case this happens; the DShK rotates fairly quickly and will rip through the sides of the [[AUBL/74 HVG]] with ease.

Overall, the Type 59 faces many challenges at its current battle rating, often being uptiered and having to deal with tanks far more advanced than it. It is definitely not a "meta" vehicle and the Type 59 will often meet its demise at the hand of APFSDS rounds fired from across the map. Still, it is satisfying and amusing to destroy a thermal-equipped, APFSDS-slinging MBT from the late 1980s with a tank first produced in 1958, using an APCBC round introduced in 1951.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|BR-412B
|Horizontal Drive
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|BR-412D
|Elevation Mechanism
|BR-412P
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|Artillery Support
|Type 1959 APDS
|Type 1973 HEAT-FS
|-
|}

The Type 59 does not have the Smoke Grenade upgrade that the T-54 (1951) does.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 100 mm gun with a wide selection of ammunition, including strong HEAT-FS
* Good frontal armor
* Has a top-mounted heavy machine gun for use against soft targets
* Gun has a vertical stabilizer
* Decent mobility

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload
* Does not have a two-plane stabilizer
* Sluggish turret traverse
* Armour does not hold up very well at its rank
* No sources of smoke available
* No night vision

== History ==


During the early 1950s, the People's Republic of China purchased numerous tanks from the Soviet Union, such as the [[T-34-85 (S-53) (China)|T-34-85]] and the [[IS-2 (China)|IS-2]]. Domestic industrial and engineering capabilities were quite limited at the time and the USSR agreed to assist in setting up a factory manufacturing the T-54A in China. The Chinese copies were designated '''Type 59''' and featured several differences from the original T-54A, such as the deletion of the night vision and possibly stabilizer systems, at least initially.

The Type 59 was produced for a long period of time in several versions, finally appearing in large numbers to completely replace the highly obsolete T-34-85 after a few decades. Though it started out as a competitive design, it became apparent that the Type 59 was in need of some upgrades after a few years. An effort to create a replacement resulted in the [[Type 69]], but this model was not very popular with the PLA, only seeing limited domestic service. As a result the Type 59 remained the premier tank of the PLA for most of the Cold War, seeing some usage in the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979 and at Tiananmen Square in 1989 and receiving limited domestic upgrades to the fire-control, automotive, and fire suppression systems. The reason for PLA's continued use of this first generation MBT was largely due to the political turmoils that was happening in China during the late 60s and early 70s. Efforts to produce domestic second generation MBTs to replace the Type 59, such as the WZ-122, were usually blocked as political ideology took hold of these projects attempted by skilled Chinese engineers.

When relations with the Western world began to normalize during the early 1980s, foreign technologies were available for integration, resulting in numerous upgraded variants like the Type-59-II, [[ZTZ59D1|Type 59 D1]], Type 59D, Jaguar, and VT-3. Soon afterwards domestic tank development accelerated and the Type 59 was superseded by more modern tanks such as the Type 80/88 series. Currently, the Type 59 is still present in the PLA's inventory in sizable quantities, but has been gradually relegated to reserve and training purposes, with more and more units being equipped with far superior [[ZTZ96|Type 96]] and Type 99 main battle tanks.

Like the original T-54/55 series, the Type 59 was a popular export item. It was used by the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War alongside its Soviet counterpart. It remains in use with countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Iran, often in heavily upgraded form. Chinese companies still offer comprehensive upgrades and conversions of the Type 59 for export customers. An estimated 10,000 tanks were produced between 1959 to the 1980s.

The tank was also shown in the famous photo of "Tank Man" on Tiananmen square.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=china&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=cn_type_59 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|B6ZsuPjSuNo|'''T-54/T-55 family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:41 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|-NsXtlGCC1g|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Calm Aggression''' - ''Napalmratte''}}

== 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 ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China medium tanks}}

Type 69

2020-10-26T18:28:53Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_type_69}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

At first glance, the Type 69 looks reminiscent of the preceding [[Type 59]]. Closer inspection reveals it to be quite an interesting tank. It can be visually differentiated from similar vehicles by the placement of the IR spotlight directly above the gun mantlet (Soviet tanks place the spotlight off to the side), a laser rangefinder next to it, and a unique fume extractor located near the tip of the barrel. It can be thought of as a cross between the Soviet [[T-55A]] and [[T-62]]. Like the former, it boasts improved mobility and gun handling from the original Type 59/T-54, and like the latter, it has a smoothbore gun firing HEAT-FS and APFSDS rounds. As the product of the PRC's first foray into indigenous technologies, it also boasts night vision, stabilizer, and laser rangefinder systems.

Players coming from the [[Type 59]] will appreciate many of the Type 69's improvements, no longer having to deal with a glacial turret rotation speed, single plane stabilizer, and lack of night vision. However, its firepower is a sidegrade at best. Both tanks can use HEAT-FS, but while the Type 59 could use APHE rounds for instant knockouts against lightly armoured tanks like the [[Leopard 1]], the Type 69 has a poor-quality APFSDS round instead. No miracles should be expected from its gun.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The armour layout of the Type 69 is virtually identical to the [[Type 59]] and [[T-54 (1951)]], with a rounded turret made of cast homogeneous armour and a highly sloped front glacis. While the frontal protection is good in terms of raw values, the Type 69 will face many tanks with powerful sub-calibre and HEAT rounds that can penetrate its armour with ease. That said, it confers some resistance to the APHE rounds fired by contemporary Soviet tanks like the T-54/55.

Post-penetration survivability is not optimal as the interior of the tank is cramped and plenty of loose ammunition is stored in the turret and fighting compartment. However, the Type 69 has a "wet" ammo rack next to the driver, which is more resistant to detonation by HEAT rounds.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|100 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis''
|80 mm
|45 mm (16°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (72°) ''Lower''
|30 mm ''Front'' 20 mm ''Back''
|-
|Turret
|160 mm (14-39°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm (4-78°) ''Gun mantlet''
|115 mm (45-50°) ''Upper'' 155 mm (10-30°) ''Lower''
|65 mm (9-35°)
|30 mm
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=899|rbMinHp=513}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Type 69 (100 mm)}}

The Type 69 is armed with a 100 mm Type 69 smoothbore cannon equipped with a two-plane stabilizer, capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT-FS, and HE rounds. It reloads 0.1 seconds quicker than the Type 59's rifled gun but this is a negligible improvement.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Type 69 (100 mm)|100 mm Type 69]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 44 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+17° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | 11.1 || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | 8.5
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The Type 69's stock rounds are the 1-72-85 APFSDS and the 1-71-74 HE. The APFSDS was at one point the worst round of its type in War Thunder; 220 mm of flat penetration at 10 meters is worse than many AP/APHE rounds. The [[AUBL/74 HVG]]'s 60 mm APFSDS penetrates more despite having a much lower calibre! It also suffers noticeable dropoff at long distances. However the angled penetration is surprisingly good, topping out at 127 mm @ 60 degrees. For comparison, the T-55A's 3BM25 APFSDS round has far superior flat penetration (up to 335 mm) but only has slightly higher angled penetration (up to 129 mm @ 60 degrees) than the 1-72-85. Penetration aside, it has a good muzzle velocity of 1505 m/s and the post-penetration damage is decent, being an improvement over typical APDS rounds.

The 1-71-74 HE shell is weak and should be ignored. It has a low explosive content and might be able to cause hull-breaks on light targets, but not consistently. Any vehicle with more than paper-thin armour will be immune to it.

The unlockable Type 1973 HEAT-FS is a Tier I modification. Familiar to Type 59 users, it has the same penetration performance as the T-55A's 3BK17M HEAT-FS with a lower TNT equivalent and a slightly lower muzzle velocity. 390 mm of flat penetration at any distance is impressive and will slice through almost all tanks lacking special armour types (spaced, reactive, composite). While it lacks the high velocity of the APFSDS and can be detonated by bushes or fences, the HEAT-FS is still good for dealing with heavy targets that the APFSDS can't penetrate. It has slightly less explosive mass than the HE shell but is more consistent at hull-breaking due to its ability to damage internal modules.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 1-72-85 || APFSDS || 220 || 213 || 193 || 173 || 156 || 140
|-
| Type 1973 || HEATFS || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390
|-
| 1-71-74 || HE || 17 || 17 || 17 || 17 || 17 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 1-72-85 || APFSDS || 1,505 || 4.70 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| Type 1973 || HEATFS || 1,000 || 10.05 || N/A || 0.1 || 1,180 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| 1-71-74 || HE || 900 || 15.00 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1,300 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''44''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

The DShK is useful against enemy helicopters if they get too close. It can also penetrate lightly armoured targets like certain SPAAs or light tanks.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 500 (50) || 600 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,400 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Type 69 is somewhat paradoxical. Its laser rangefinder and smoothbore cannon may suggest that it is a good sniper, but the poor penetration of its 1-72-85 APFSDS makes it difficult to pick off well-protected targets from afar. Meanwhile its two-plane stabilizer, improved engine, and faster turret rotation speed are more suitable for an offensive role, though it lacks the APHE enjoyed by the comparable [[T-55A]] for instant knockouts.

Terrible APFSDS is still APFSDS, and it does the job against against lightly armoured opponents like the [[Leopard I]] and [[AMX-30]]. For US or Soviet medium tanks, shooting the hull can work at closer distances. When fighting more resilient targets, such as those that are hull down with good turret armour, the Type 1973 HEAT-FS is a better choice. Take advantage of the laser rangefinder to accurately deliver the HEAT-FS rounds at long distances.

The post-penetration damage of the APFSDS and HEAT-FS are somewhat punctual, so effort should be taken to aim for ammo racks or catch as many crew members as possible in the line of fire. This is especially important since the Type 69's reload is rather sluggish and a damaged target could retreat or retaliate before a follow up shot is ready.

Mobility wise, the Type 69 is about the same as the [[T-55A]]. While not agonizing, it certainly won't be the first tank to arrive on the battlefield. Note that the reverse speed of -7 km/h is rather poor and it lacks neutral steering, so be careful about overextending.

Overall the Type 69 is a versatile tank, having tools for most situations at hand and no major weaknesses, though conversely it is not exceptional in any regard. It is best used as a flexible combatant, capable of flanking, pushing aggressively, or sniping as the situation demands. Stay close to teammates and avoid engaging multiple opponents at the same time. Caution should be paid to its substandard mobility, slow reload, and sometimes finicky ammunition.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
| Type 1973 HEAT-FS
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
|
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| Laser rangefinder
| NVD
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* One of the earliest tanks in the game with APFSDS rounds
* APFSDS comes stock
* Has a two-plane stabilizer
* Access to night vision and a laser rangefinder
* Improved engine, turret rotation speed, and ammunition capacity compared to the Type 59
* Top mounted heavy machine gun is useful against aircraft
* Wet ammo storage

'''Cons:'''

* APFSDS has abysmal flat penetration for its calibre
* Does not have access to APHE
* Armour is identical to the Type 59, does not hold up very well at its rank
* Not particularly mobile
* Somewhat long reload
* No sources of smoke available
* Can be confused for Soviet tanks at a quick glance

== History ==


After the Sino-Soviet split, the People's Republic of China was no longer able to receive military technical help from the Soviet Union. The [[Type 59]], a licensed copy of the T-54A, was the the most advanced medium tank available to the PLA, but after a few years it became apparent that upgrades were necessary to keep up with the rapidly advancing technology of the time. The PLA ordered the development of a new "Type 69" tank in 1963 and the first prototype was manufactured in 1966; however, the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 and the ensuing purges impeded further development of the tank. The early Type 69 featured a smoothbore cannon, IR searchlight, laser rangefinder, and a new engine.

After the capture of [[Т-62_545_(China)| a Soviet T-62]], the latest Soviet technology was examined, copied, and implemented into the Type 69, creating the Type 69-I variant. During this time the smoothbore gun was found to be rather unsatisfactory, and Type 69 tanks in Chinese service were often refitted with the same 100mm rifled gun as the Type 59. Further development continued through the 1980s, culminating in the Type 79 series, which incorporated a new 105mm gun and numerous Western technologies.

The Type 69 series saw relatively limited service with the PLA but were more popular on the export market, purchased by countries such as Thailand, [[T-69 II G|Bangladesh]], and Myanmar. Modified Type 69 tanks were still in the inventory of the Iraqi Army during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though by this point they were no match for modern MBTs. Although reserve Iraqi divisions were equiped with Type 69 tanks, it is said that these units fought braver than Saddam's Republican Guard, which were supposedly elite units.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=china&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=cn_type_69 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|B6ZsuPjSuNo|'''T-54/T-55 family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:24 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ro6fFFWqdJ8|'''Aggressive {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''TheEuropeanCanadian''}}

== See also ==


* [[T-69 II G]] - export variant to Bangladesh

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China medium tanks}}

Centurion Mk 3

2020-10-18T07:59:14Z

U102983050: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_centurion_mk_3}}
{{About
|about = the medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = similar vehicles
|link = Centurion (Family)
}}
== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_CenturionMk3.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the entire British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. The Centurion boasts relatively strong sloped front armour, decent mobility, and a powerful [[Ordnance_QF_20-pounder_Mk.I_(84_mm)|20-pounder cannon]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (58°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (47-48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50.8 (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (8-12°) || 29 mm 8-14 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 152 mm (6-27°) ''Turret front'' 152 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 89 mm (5-12°) || 89 mm (1-18°) || 50.8 mm ''Border of turret'' 29 mm ''Center of turret''
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 90 mm || 29 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
*The steel boxes around the turret and hull give a 4 mm additional protection, though this seems to be a negligible addition.
*Spaced armour plates are placed on the side of the Centurion, giving an additional 6 mm of side armour.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1007|rbMinHp= 575}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 65 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 19.04 || 26.35 || 32.00 || 35.39 || 37.65 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.90 || 14.00 || 17.00 || 18.80 || 20.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,400 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 1,130 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''65''' || 59 ''(+6)'' || 57 ''(+8)'' || 55 ''(+10)'' || 53 ''(+12)'' || 33 ''(+32)'' || 17 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 53 ''(+12)'' Front empty: 33 ''(+32)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,600 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Centurion Mk. 3 is an effective medium tank if played to its strengths. If one wants to keep it simple, just use the powerful gun to snipe from distance. More advanced tankers can utilize the not too impressive max speed (35kmph/22mph) to move with this medium tank into the flanks of enemy tanks (close to the border of a map) and search for positions like hills and ridges where one can make use of the amazing -10° gun depression to hide the vulnerable lower plate of this tank. Once in such a position, one should use the binoculars to scout for enemies without exposing the turret. If an enemy tank is spotted that could be a potential threat (dangerous tank / faced towards you) pop out a little bit and start to take out the enemies gunner/cannon barrel/cannon breech to prevent him from returning fire. Now utilize the quick reload to take out one crew member after the other to finish your opponent. If an enemy is spotted who is exposing their side or even the rear while not aiming towards you, shoot the engine first to immobilize and possibly even ignite the enemy tank, preventing him to take cover. The next shots should again disable the gun of the enemy, now finish your prey by shooting all crew members or if you feel lucky shoot an ammo rack.

The best choice to pierce enemy tanks is obviously the Shot Mk.3 (APDS) although it is quite expensive in terms of Silver Lions. The Shot Mk. 1 (APCBC) works in most situation as well but lacks penetration compared to the Mk. 3 APDS shot. The amazing penetration characteristics of this APDS shot enables this gun to pierce front plates of all Panther models (apart from the Panther II) to ranges up to 2000m. T-44s and Panther IIs front plates can be penetrated to ranges up to almost 1000m. Keep in mind though that the front plate of the T-44 is angled at 60°, so it bounces even this powerful APDS shot quite often. Even the front plate of the mighty Tiger II is not able to stop this APDS shot if not angled and the range is shorter than 100m.

In a head to head situation with an enemy tank approaching try to angle the centurion not more than 5° degrees to either side since the side armour is quite weak (50.8mm), try to hide your lower front plate which is a massive weak spot, while reloading turn the turret 10° to the right to maximize chances of bouncing shots (right side of the turret front has some extra armour) and keeping the gunner alive.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="2" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| Shot Mk.3
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
| Smoke grenade
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Powerful and high penetrating gun, stock round is adequate enough to deal with other vehicle it faces and APDS can punch through anything it will face.
* Has a base reload time of 8.1 seconds, which can be lowered further into around 7.4 seconds (which is on average 2 seconds faster than its competitors).
* Excellent gun angles
* Strong gun mantlet.
* Neutral steering, can turn on the spot without having to switch into gear 1.
* Good maneuverability.
* Good reverse speed.
* Gun stabilizer.
* Top (Roof) armour is resistant to aircraft guns.

'''Cons:'''

* Low top speed.
* Ammo rack in the front, penetration through the lower glacis will likely ends up destroying or detonating the ammo rack.
* Top armor covering the engine compartments is not improved from the Mk 1, still 8mm which can be penetrated by most aircraft guns.
* Small internal compartment (only 4 crew members), easy to one shot.
* APDS shot causes only punctual damage (aim carefully).
* No explosive filler on any AP shells.
* Weak side armour, do not angle the hull too much.

== History ==

===Development===
The tank's concept was made in 1943 when the Directorate of Tank Design, under Sir Claude Gibb, was asked to produce a new heavy cruiser tank for the General Staff under the designation ''A41'', which was to become the standard of a British "Universal Tank" to replace the separated "infantry" and "cruiser" tanks currently used. As World War II progressed and the Germans unveiled their heavier tanks with an [[KwK 36 (88 mm)|88 mm cannon]] like the [[Tiger H1|Tiger]], War Office made a revision to their design requirements to counter this threat. The requirements now include an increased durability and reliability, with the ability to protect itself against the 88 mm gun and mines, an agility similar to the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] and with good reverse speed, all while staying under a 40 ton weight.

Responding to these requirements, the department developed a larger hulls by adapting the suspension on the Comet, lengthening with another road wheel and spacing between the wheels. The standard Christie suspension used on the previous cruiser tanks was replaced by the Horstmann suspension, which uses coil springs on two-wheel bogies on each side and is proven to be easier to maintain than the Christie suspension. The hull used a welded and sloped armour with a cast turret mounting the famous [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|17-pounder cannon]]. The speed of the tank would be established by using the Rolls Meteor engine previously used on the Comet and [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]]. Despite these changes, the department concluded that the weight restriction would not allow the tank design to withstand the 88 mm rounds. The weight restriction was done so the tank would be able to be carried around in the Mk.I and Mk.II transport trailers, which had a 40-ton load. This restriction was rescinded to allow more freedom in the tank design, which showed potential to War Ministry. The heavier tank designs developed had armour equivalent to the heaviest infantry tanks like the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill tank]], yet with superior cross-country mobility due to improved suspension and engines.

The tank was given the name '''Centurion''' and the first mock-ups of the design was made by AEC and was presented in May 1944. After that, 20 pilot models were ordered with a various armament combinations. Ten had a 17-pounder and a 20 mm Polsten gun (5 with a machine gun in turret rear, 5 with an escape door instead), five had a 17-pounder and a BESA machine gun and an escape door, five more with the 77 mm HV gun with a driver operated hull machine gun. The prototypes of the 40-ton design, the Mk.1, had a 76 mm armour on the front glacis, which was made very powerful with the heavy sloping design on the tank. Added with a 152 mm thick turret armour, the Centurion became a very protected tank design, yet it was also very agile, outperforming the Comet tank in tests. The next Centurion model, Mk.2, featured a much thicker 118 mm front glacis armour and a thicker side armour. Production began for the Centurion Mk.2 in November 1945 for 800 tanks from Leyland Motors, Royal Ordnance Factories, and Vickers. The Mk.2 was put into service in the 5th Royal Tank Regiment in December 1946.

After the Centurion Mk.2 was put into service, Royal Ordnance developed the successor to the 17-pounder, the [[Ordnance QF 20-pounder Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20-pounder]]. With this, the Centurion went through another upgrade to mount the 20-pounder. The 20 mm Polsten gun was removed and replaced by a BESA gun due to its questionable utility. The new upgrade, now the [[Centurion Mk 3]], also featured an automatic stabilization system that improved firing accuracy while on the move. The tank was first produced in 1948 and overtook the previous Mk.1 and Mk.2 in service. However, the 20-pounder also did not stay in service for long and were replaced by the more powerful [[L7A1 (105 mm)|105 mm L7 gun]] from Royal Ordnance Factories. All Centurions versions after Mark 5/2 used the L7 gun, including the [[Centurion Mk 10]], which also featured additional armour with the new gun.

===Combat usage===
The Centurion first saw combat in the Korean war in 1950 in the British 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Centurion Mk.3 issued to them had to be cared for in the winter conditions of Korea. Steps such as parking the tank on straw, starting the engine every half-hour, and keeping the gear engaged has to be done to keep the tank from becoming frozen in place. The Centurions made a great impact in the battlefield, covering the withdrawal of the 29th Brigade. In 1953, the Centurion saw part in the battle of the Hook in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, repelling the swarming Chinese infantry. General John O'Daniel from the US 1st Corps praised the Centurion's mobility throughout the mountain terrains.

After the Korean War, the Centurions saw service again during the Vietnam War in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps after complaints were made on the thin armour of their armoured vehicles. The Centurions landed on 28 February 1968. Headed by Colonel Donald Dunstan, he ordered the Centurions to reinforce firebases at Coral and Balmoral. The use of the Centurions by the 1st Australian Task Force helped them in the Battle of Coral-Balmoral that caused massive casualties in two infantry regiments among the enemy with no known tank losses. After the battle, more Centurions landed into Vietnam, with a total of 58 Centurions in the country at once in the span of three and a half years. In this time period, 42 suffered damages, two were written off, and two crewmen were killed in action.

The Centurions also made up the bulk of India's tank forces, to which they used against Pakistan in the conflicts that occur in 1965 and 1971. In the middle east, the Centurions were supplied to Israel and Jordan in the 1950s. At the time of the Six-Day war, Israel had 293 Centurion tanks and Jordan had 90 Centurions. Both countries used the Centurions against each other in the war. Sometime in early 1970s, the Centurions on both side were upgraded with the 105 mm L7 gun. Both Jordan and Israel used the Centurion again in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where the Israel establish the Centurion's prowess in battle during the Battle of Golan Heights, where 100 or so Centurions are able to beat back 500 or more Syrian [[T-54 (1951)|T-55]] and T-62 tanks. While the Centurion still see use in Jordan today, the Centurions in Israel were retired in the 1990s, only staying as armour personnel carriers and armour recovery vehicles. In the middle east, the British used the Centurions again during the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq, though only as an AVRE in the 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment. Three were lost in training incidents with no deaths among the crew.

Sweden and South Africa also used the Centurions, buying them from Britain after World War II. The Centurions in South Africa were retained and upgraded due to their superiority over anything their neighbors had at the time, with a focus on the upgrade to the 105 mm gun and belly armour to protect itself against mines. Sweden bought the Centurions in an attempt to standardize their tank forces as it was the most cost-effective method, plus the Centurions have a huge upgrade potential to counter future threats. The British offered to sell the Centurion in late 1952, to which 80 were ordered by Sweden. The first deliveries were made in April 1953, followed by more orders and more deliveries until about 350 Centurion tanks ranging from Mk.3, Mk.5, and Mk.10 were in Sweden. The Swedish military used the Centurions until 1990s, modernizing the tanks with upgrades in equipment and internal mechanics. They replaced the Centurions with [[Leopard 2A4|Leopard 2s]].

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

==References==
<references />

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

== Sources ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Type 59

2020-10-04T09:15:26Z

U102983050: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=cn_type_59}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

The Type 59 holds the distinction of being the first tank to be domestically manufactured by the People's Republic of China. It is a famous part of the PLA's Cold War tank inventory, saw service with many countries, and set the stage for many later developments.

A somewhat simplified, licensed produced version of the Soviet T-54A, the Type 59 looks very much like the [[T-54 (1951)]]. The most noticeable differences are the fume extractor on the tip of the gun barrel and the different roadwheels, similar to the T-55A. Internally, the Type 59 differs from the T-54 by having a single-plane stabilizer and a different ammunition selection. It helps to get accustomed to this tank, as the later [[Type 69]], [[ZTZ59D1]], and [[T-69 II G]] are its descendants and handle similarly.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The armor layout of the Type 59 is identical to the T-54 (1951), having a rounded, egg-shaped turret with a highly sloped upper glacis. The armor is not bad per se, but most of its opponents use powerful APDS, APFSDS, or HEAT-FS rounds that can go right through it, an issue made worse by the fact that the Type 59 currently has a higher battle rating than the T-54. While it is mostly immune to APHE rounds from the front, few vehicles use them at its rank, and those that do are typically from the Soviet Union and unlikely to face the Type 59 in Realistic Battles.

Post-penetration survivability is questionable. Ammunition is scattered around the tank and none of the ammo racks are protected. The interior of the tank is cramped and penetrating hits are likely to take out multiple crew members. When the gun is pointed forward, the driver, gunner, and commander are all lined up for an easy one-shot kill.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|100 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis''
|80 mm
|45 mm (16°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (72°) ''Lower''
|30 mm ''Front'' 20 mm ''Back''
|-
|Turret
|160 mm (14-39°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm (4-78°) ''Gun mantlet''
|115 mm (45-50°) ''Upper'' 155 mm (10-30°) ''Lower''
|65 mm (9-35°)
|30 mm
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 806|rbMinHp= 460}}

The mobility of the Type 59 is the same as the T-54, decent to good but not the best. The top speed will only be reached on paved surfaces. The wide tracks make for fairly good off-road capability. The tank cannot turn in place and the reverse speed of -7 km/h leaves much to be desired. Speedy MBTs like the [[Leopard I]] will easily outrun the Type 59, though it can keep up with the [[M60]] and is still faster than the [[Centurion Mk 10]].

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Type 59 (100 mm)}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Type 59 (100 mm)|100 mm Type 59]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 34 || -4°/+17° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' ||9.52||13.18||16.00||17.69||18.82
|-
| ''Realistic'' ||5.95||7.00||8.50||9.40||10.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
|11.05||9.78||9.01||8.5
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 218 || 213 || 192 || 169 || 148 || 130
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 218 || 214 || 195 || 173 || 154 || 137
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 239 || 236 || 223 || 207 || 192 || 178
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 224 || 216 || 186 || 153 || 127 || 105
|-
| Type 1959 || APDS || 299 || 298 || 291 || 272 || 253 || 249
|-
|Type 1973 || HEATFS || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 || 390 ||
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 887 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 93.94 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 1,050 || 8.53 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Type 1959 || APDS || 1,432 || 3.18 || N/A || N/A || N/A ||N/A||N/A||N/A|| N/A
|-
| Type 1973 || HEATFS || 1000 || 10.05 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 1180 ||N/A||N/A||N/A|| N/A
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 880 || 15.2 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1460 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

The Type 59 has many ammunition types to choose from. The stock round is the BR-412 APHE. An uncapped shell, its performance is rather substandard for its rank and it might have difficulties against angled armor or at long distances. The BR-412B APHEBC round is slightly better at a distance and the BR-412D APCBC round is the best of the AP shells overall. These shells are best used against lightly armored tanks like the [[Leopard I]] and [[AMX-30 (1972)|AMX-30]]. Note that the turrets of the [[OF-40]] and [[STB-1]] are more resistant to APHE rounds from the front. Against US tanks like the [[M60]], try to aim for the gun mantlet or just flank instead.

The BR-412P APCR shell is currently modeled as having less penetration than the BR-412D round, so it is completely useless and should not be taken.

The Type 1959 APDS has identical penetration to the Soviet 3BM-8 APDS round with minor differences in the weight and muzzle velocity. The performance is generally comparable to the DM13 APDS. It has a high muzzle velocity and is thus the easiest to use at long distance, but the post-penetration damage is rather anemic.

The Type 1973 HEAT-FS has the same penetration as the T-55A's 3BK-5M HEAT-FS round. The muzzle velocity and weight are between the 3BK-5M and 3BK-5, but it has about 260 fewer grams of TNT equivalent due to the different filler. In practice, there is not a significant difference, and the HEAT-FS boasts the highest penetration out of all of the Type 59's rounds, going clean through almost any tank not equipped with composite armor or ERA. It is also capable of causing hull-breaks on light tanks and SPAAs. Unfortunately, the fuse is very sensitive and will trigger on bushes and fences.

The OF-412 HE shell only has 26 mm of penetration and is of limited utility. It is not large enough to cause any notable damage to MBTs, and while it can cause hull-breaks, so can the HEAT-FS.

Note that the Type 59 does not have access to the 3D3 smoke shell from the T-54 (1951).

The primary choice of ammunition for the Type 59 should be the BR-412D shell. It can penetrate most opponents at its rank and has enough explosive filler to cause instant knockouts, which is very valuable considering that the Type 59 reloads rather slowly and may not have enough time for follow-up shots. A few rounds of Type 1959 APDS and Type 1973 HEAT-FS should be carried, the former for use at long distances and the latter for use against heavily armored or hull-breakable targets.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-54_(1951).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the Type 59.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''34''' || 33 ''(+1)'' || 28 ''(+6)'' || 23 ''(+10)'' || 22 ''(+11)'' || 21 ''(+13)'' || 1 ''(+33)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 28 ''(+6)'' One rack only: 21 ''(+13)''

The ammunition storage of the Type 59 is not exactly safe, but to be fair, this applies to many contemporary tanks. Spare rounds are littered around the turret and fighting compartment, and there is a large rack next to the driver. It's best to take fewer rounds to at least clear out the turret. Carrying 21 rounds or less will completely empty the fighting compartment, which helps to prevent side-aspect shots from being instantly fatal.

=== Machine guns ===


{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 250 (50) || 600 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,500 (250) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Type 59 is best used similarly to the original T-54. The mobility is decent, but the turret rotation speed is quite agonizing and the gun lacks a two-plane stabilizer. For those not used to this vehicle, it is better not to rush straight into the combat zone. Instead, stay behind other teammates, keep an eye on the surroundings, and anticipate where enemies may appear. The vertical stabilizer, an oddity for a high-tier vehicle, does not really allow for firing on the move but is an advantage when fighting unstabilized tanks since the gun does not need to fully settle before an accurate shot. Enemies with two-plane stabilizers like the [[Centauro]] will be tough customers. If dealing with them, keep a safe distance and drive slowly while aiming down the sights. If the gun needs to be pointed in a different direction quickly, rotate the hull simultaneously with the turret.

This basic version of the Type 59 omitted the night vision systems from the T-54A, so it's essentially blind in night battles. In these situations, stick with the [[Type 69]] and perhaps the [[M48A1 (China)|M48A1]] instead.

Stay close to teammates if possible. The slow reload and poor gun handling make dealing with multiple enemies or flankers a difficult task without backup. A fast light tank, SPAA, or armored car can circle around the Type 59 faster than it can react. It helps to bind the cupola mounted heavy machine gun to a separate key in case this happens; the DShK rotates fairly quickly and will rip through the sides of the [[AUBL/74 HVG]] with ease.

Overall, the Type 59 faces many challenges at its current battle rating, often being uptiered and having to deal with tanks far more advanced than it. It is definitely not a "meta" vehicle and the Type 59 will often meet its demise at the hand of APFSDS rounds fired from across the map. Still, it is satisfying and amusing to destroy a thermal-equipped, APFSDS-slinging MBT from the late 1980s with a tank first produced in 1958, using an APCBC round introduced in 1951.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|BR-412B
|Horizontal Drive
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|BR-412D
|Elevation Mechanism
|BR-412P
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|Artillery Support
|Type 1959 APDS
|Type 1973 HEAT-FS
|-
|}

The Type 59 does not have the Smoke Grenade upgrade that the T-54 (1951) does.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 100 mm gun with a wide selection of ammunition, including strong HEAT-FS
* Good frontal armor
* Has a top-mounted heavy machine gun for use against soft targets
* Gun has a vertical stabilizer
* Decent mobility

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload
* Does not have a two-plane stabilizer
* Sluggish turret traverse
* Armour does not hold up very well at its rank
* No sources of smoke available
* No night vision

== History ==


During the early 1950s, the People's Republic of China purchased numerous tanks from the Soviet Union, such as the [[T-34-85 (S-53) (China)|T-34-85]] and the [[IS-2 (China)|IS-2]]. Domestic industrial and engineering capabilities were quite limited at the time and the USSR agreed to assist in setting up a factory manufacturing the T-54A in China. The Chinese copies were designated '''Type 59''' and featured several differences from the original T-54A, such as the deletion of the night vision and possibly stabilizer systems, at least initially.

The Type 59 was produced for a long period of time in several versions, finally appearing in large numbers to completely replace the highly obsolete T-34-85 after a few decades. Though it started out as a competitive design, it became apparent that the Type 59 was in need of some upgrades after a few years. An effort to create a replacement resulted in the [[Type 69]], but this model was not very popular with the PLA, only seeing limited domestic service. As a result the Type 59 remained the premier tank of the PLA for most of the Cold War, seeing some usage in the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979 and at Tiananmen Square in 1989 and receiving limited domestic upgrades to the fire-control, automotive, and fire suppression systems. When relations with the Western world began to normalize during the early 1980s, foreign technologies were available for integration, resulting in numerous upgraded variants like the Type-59-II, [[ZTZ59D1|Type 59 D1]], Type 59D, Jaguar, and VT-3. Soon afterwards domestic tank development accelerated and the Type 59 was superseded by more modern tanks such as the Type 80/88 series. Currently, the Type 59 is still present in the PLA's inventory in sizable quantities, but has been gradually relegated to reserve and training purposes, with more and more units being equipped with far superior [[ZTZ96|Type 96]] and Type 99 main battle tanks.

Like the original T-54/55 series, the Type 59 was a popular export item. It was used by the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War alongside its Soviet counterpart. It remains in use with countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Iran, often in heavily upgraded form. Chinese companies still offer comprehensive upgrades and conversions of the Type 59 for export customers. An estimated 10,000 tanks were produced between 1959 to the 1980s.

The tank was also shown in the famous photo of "Tank Man" on Tiananmen square.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== 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 ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{China medium tanks}}