Type 62

Type 62

Type 63

ZTS63

Type 62

Type 63

ZTS63

China

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.7	6.7	6.7

Class:

Light tank

Research:35 000

Purchase:210 000

Description

The Type 62 is a rank IV Chinese light tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision". This Chinese vehicle is identical to the Type 62 originally introduced in the Soviet tree.

General info

Survivability and armour

The Type 62's armor is very light for its rank and should not be relied upon against any serious anti-tank fire. Frontal protection is generally sufficient to resist heavy machine guns and possibly smaller autocannons that would have destroyed the preceding Type 63-I, but the same cannot be said for the side, rear, and roof armor. The Type 62's best defense is not being seen.

Armour type:

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

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35 mm (57°) Front glacis 25 mm (50°) Lower glacis	25 mm	15 mm (7-52°)	20 mm Front 15 mm Engine deck 5 mm Engine grille
Turret	50 mm (9-59°) Turret front 50 mm (2-66°) Gun mantlet	35 mm (11-44°)	32 mm (11-46°)	20 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	30 mm	20 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
20.2	N/A	78 (AB)
		70 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	775	954
Realistic/Simulator	442	500
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	38.37	47.23
Realistic/Simulator	21.88	24.75

Armaments

Main armament

85 mm Type 62-85TS
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
47			-5°/+22°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	5.9	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	5.9	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
9.60	__.__	__.__	__.__

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Type-62.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
47	45 (+2)	37 (+10)	31 (+16)	23 (+24)	21 (+26)	1 (+46)	no

Turret empty: 37 (+10)

Machine guns

12.7 mm DShK
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
300 (50)				600	-2°/+25°	±180°

7.62 mm SGMT
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,200 (250)				600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

With its excellent mobility, the Type-62 is great for getting from point to point and setting up ambushes. However it is important to note that the reload rate is around the same or even slower than most enemy tanks, so making your first shot count is always going to determine whether you survive the engagement or not. Aiming for the turret or ammo racks of the enemy are great options, as they usually ensure ammo rack detonations or that the enemy won't be able to fire back at you if not.

Also note that going on rough terrain and over piles of rubble is not recommended while at risk to be shot at by the enemy, as the gun takes a very long time to adjust in the vertical. With the the HEAT-FS shell, staying at range is also possible, as it is much easier for you to hide your tank from the enemy while not losing accuracy and penetration of the HEAT-FS shell.

When facing heavy and medium tanks of the enemy, try to knock out their gun to allow you to get a clear shot of their side, as the stock shells for the 85mm gun on the Type-62 can't reliably penetrate tanks such as the T29 and Tiger II (H) up front. However, with the HEAT-FS and APCR shells unlocked you'll be able to deal with heavily armoured tanks easier, so getting those early on is a must.

The hardest tanks to destroy in the Type-62 will be the T29 and Tiger II (H), as APHEBC and APCBC shells cannot penetrate these tanks from the front. When facing against these tanks, your best option is to get their ammo racks or turret crew from the side while they're busy dealing with your teammates, or, if they see you, relocating without them seeing you and getting them unawares. With the HEAT-FS shell it is possible to even penetrate the King Tiger's upper front plate if they underestimate you and don't angle their hull.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good acceleration, can reach fast travel speed quickly
• Small profile, easier to hide compared to the Type 63-I
• Better frontal protection than the Type 63-I
• Access to Type 1956 HEAT-FS round capable of penetrating 300 mm of armour, lethal against even heavy tanks
• APHEBC shells are great for side shots, can OHKO many tanks at its rank
• Pintle-mounted 12.7 mm MG can be used for fending off aircraft or light vehicles
• Decent ammo reserve for its size, 47 shells

Cons:

• Poor gun handling, turret rotation and elevation speeds are sluggish
• Thin armor, low crew survivability
• Somewhat slow reload
• Bad gun depression
• Can be confused for the other Type 62 located in the Soviet tree in Simulator Battles

History

Development

After World War II, China stayed in a state of conflict as part of the Chinese Civil War, pitting the Chinese Nationalists against the Communists. The Communist Party were victorious and they established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 01 October 1949. In 14 February 1950, the Chinese signed an alliance treaty with the Soviet Union, which allowed the Soviet Union to support China economically and militarily, leading to many money loans and arms trade. One of the weapons given in arms trade was the Soviet's new main battle tank, the T-54. The tank became the basis of the Soviet's aid in building up China's tank manufacturing facility in 1956, starting with Soviet-made parts before transitioning to Chinese parts. The T-54 tank design was then accepted into the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1959 as the Type 59.

While accepted as the main tank of the PLA, the Type 59 was deemed too heavy for some of the terrain and infrastructure on China. A light tank design was requested in the late 1950s, leading to the formal development process in 1958. The first prototype was produced in 1960 as the Type 59-16, which was essentially a down-scaled Type 59 with an 85 mm armament, thinner armour, and smaller profile. Trials commenced until December 1962, when it was accepted as the Type 62, production name WZ 131. It was then put into production in 1963 with roughly 1,393 tank units produced until 1989.

Combat Usage

The Type 62 light tank was primarily stationed with military units in Southern China where the infrastructure is not as sophisticated. However, the Type 62 would not see its first usage in Chinese hands. A number of them was supplied to the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War, which they used against America and South Vietnam until the end of the war in 1975. The Type 62 then saw use again in 1979 in Vietnam, but mostly in Chinese hands in the Sino-Vietnamese War. However, the Type 62 suffered due to anti-tank weapons such as the ubiquitous rocket launchers penetrating right through the thin armour. The overall consensus of their experiences in Vietnam was that the Type 62 not suitable to act around as a normal tank due to its light armour and armament, and was relegated to recon and fire support.

An upgrade program commenced on the Type 62 led to the Type 62-I variant. The program was based on the experiences in Vietnam, leading to many upgrades such as a laser range finder, a shield for the exterior-mounted 12.7 mm machine gun, and protection against HEAT rounds. The second modernization program began in 2000 to upgrade the Type 62-I into Type 62G which improved the armour layout and turret design of the tank, as well as adding smoke dischargers and a new 105 mm main armament with a modern stabilizer and fire-control system. The Type 62 stayed in the Chinese service up until early 2013.

The Type 62 also saw exportation to many countries, ranging from Albania, Banglades, Cambodia, Congo, Mali, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, North Korea, and Zaire. In some cases, such as in North Korea, this led to confusions between the Soviet's T-62 main battle tank due to the labeling of the Type 62 as simply "T-62". Information of the Type 62 in these countries are rather limited or unknown, though most of them seem to still have them in reserves today.

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

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