ZTZ99A
Contents
Description
The ZhuangJia Tanke ZhuZhan 99A (ZTZ99A式主战坦克; coded WZ1001) is a rank VIII Chinese medium tank with a battle rating of 12.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".
Currently the end of the line of PLAGF MBT and the second-latest PLAGF tank in service, ZTZ99A ditched the Warsaw Pact low profile design and opted for a larger turret and sporting a new powerpack while retaining the similar protection to its predecessor- ZTZ99-III; with all the new features found on ZTZ99A, PLAGF enjoyers can finally make good use of the latest Chinese technologies on tanks to take out its enemies with its surprisingly good mobility.
*Note:ZTZ99A (WZ1001) has very little technological connection to ZTZ99-II/III (WZ123)
General info
Survivability and armour
Although sharing the number 99 in its name, ZTZ99A in fact has very little technological relationship to previous WZ123s other than the name. ZTZ99A has a completely new design from ZTZ99s (aside from its ZTZ99AY prototype which used the chassis of WZ123) with a higher overall profile to previous tanks comparable to NATO tanks. Featuring an arrow-shaped composite armor block and new FY-5 ERA with up to 250mm KE protection covering the turret; in case of top-down missiles, the new FY-1D1 ERA covering the top of turret can migrates some damages from top-down attacks. But in case of the hull, since the design requirement was equivalent protection to previous ZTZ99s, aside from the UFP armor itself, there's only FY-4 covering the UFP as well as the sides of the turret.
Another major difference is that the driver is moved to the right side of the hull (from enemy's perspective), if players didn't differentiate a 99A to 99s, it is very likely that shots landed on its UFP proved fruitless. To say at least, aside from the headlights on the UFP , LFP and the mantle, ZTZ99A will have a better protection at its frontal arc than his predecessors.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | 50mm Top 20mm (28°) Bottom |
45 mm (10°) Upper plate
45 mm (45°) Lower glacis 20 mm Engine vent |
___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The efforts of Chinese armored vehicle designers in the first decade of 21st century have finally riped- ZTZ99A sports a new powerpack consists of NORINCO Shaanxi 12V150HB-1 diesel engine and CH1000 transmission. With 1500 hp power output when spaded and having a DCT transmission, it is THE fastest MBT in game at 75 km/h and having a unpreceded -34 km/h reverse on any Warsaw Pact or tanks in Chinese service; the new transmission also makes ZTZ99A a huge but nimble tank in terms of its turning radius, vastly improves its reaction time to enemies or in case for a quick retreat.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 84 | 38 | 55 | _,___ | 2,862 | __.__ | 52.04 |
| Realistic | 76 | 35 | _,___ | 1,500 | __.__ | 27.27 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
The new ZPT99A gun on ZTZ99A is similar to previous ZPT98 gun, both gun shared very similar characteristics with high muzzle velocity, straight ballistics and featured an autoloader; although the turret traverse speed hindered some of its combat capabilities, it is certainly an improvement to previous tanks.
| 125 mm Type 99A | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 39 | -5°/+13° | ±180° | Two-plane | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
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 |
| DTC10-125 | APFSDS | 577 | 575 | 566 | 555 | 544 | 533 |
| GP125 | ATGM (tandem) | 850 | 850 | 850 | 850 | 850 | 850 |
| DTB12-125 | HE-VT* | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
| Shell details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
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° |
| DTC10-125 | APFSDS | 1,770 | 4.85 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78° | 80° | 81° |
| GP125 | ATGM (tandem) | 400 | 17.2 | 0.01 | 0.4 | 4,720 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
| DTB12-125 | HE-VT* | 850 | 23.2 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 5,300 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
In fact all the trio of ZTZ99s shared the very same ammunition since "Danger Zone", so the usage of these shells are identical from one another.
HEATFS
The stock DTP-125 HEAT-FS round has the typical penetration of 480 mm shared by Western MBTs with 120 mm guns, but this is not enough to deal with tanks with composite armour, which are the norm at top tiers. The post-penetration damage is also disappointing. Only use it as an interim shell before APFSDS is unlocked. With 2.19 kg of explosive mass, it is sometimes capable of knocking out light targets like SPAAs and light tanks with overpressure damage, so keep an eye out for those.
HEFS
The stock DTB-125 HE shell is once again the strongest of any top-rank MBT. It can actually cause more damage to MBTs than the HEAT-FS round if fired at turret rings, hull roofs, and turret cupolas, especially after the introduction of pressure damage. Well placed impacts have a good chance of transmitting the shockwave into the crew compartment and knocking the target out instantly, even against the toughest MBTs like the Leopard 2A6. It helps to keep a few HE rounds around even after APFSDS is unlocked as they excel at causing pressure damage to light targets.
While at tier 4, DTB12-125 is now available at its disposal; unlike his Russian or NATO counterparts, this is currently the only HE-VT (while M830A1 on M1A1 HC and beyond is designated HEAT-MP) shell for MBT in game. This shell turns ZTZ99A into a 125 mm anti-aircraft gun thanks to its generous explosive fillers, any aircrafts that are within its 7 m trigger radius will not have a good day; do note that this also hinders this shell's capability on hitting well-protected ground targets.
APFSDS
The 125-I APFSDS round is a Tier 1 modification. Though it first appeared on the ZTZ96, it is still a decent option for the ZTZ99s and eases the stock grind considerably. It has very similar flat penetration and superior angled penetration to the 3BM42 "Mango" round used by Soviet tanks and can penetrate most contemporary opponents through at least the lower front plate and gun breech.
Waiting at Tier 4 is the DTC10-125 APFSDS round. It has a slightly worse performance to 3BM60 on T-80BVM, but with high mass and high velocity. This will be one of the go-to round for ZTZ99A and most targets at its tier is unlikely to withstand a penetrated shot from this shell.
ATGM
ZTZ99A has access to GP125 ATGM; performing identically to his Soviet counterpart. If sometimes players find their darts are not effective against well-armored targets, the sufficient velocity and penetration can ruin the day of such vehicles while sometimes helicopters if they didn't evade the incoming missile.
Ammo racks
| 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 |
Visual
discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | ProjectilesPropellants | 37 (+2)
39 (+0) |
34 (+5)
38 (+1) |
31 (+8)
37 (+2) |
27 (+12)
28 (+11) |
23 (+16)
26 (+13) |
N/A
23 (+16) |
1 (+38)
1 (+38) |
No |
Like his predecessors, to ensure the best survivability, only bring 23 shells at your disposal (22 in autoloader and 1 preloaded shell); any more shells will have to moved into the autoloader before being able to fire and significantly increase the risk of ammunition cook-off in case for any penetrated shots.
Machine guns
The turret-mounted 12.7 mm QJC88A HMG has already become the standard HMG for most PLAGF vehicles after the 1990s and this assault gun was no exception. The main usage of the HMG is to deal with lightly protected vehicles and low-flying aircraft including helicopters. It can also effectively damage gun barrels, tracks, optics, MG, and ERA to assist teammates in destroying enemies, though this may require a lot of fire. Players who dealt with the paltry 50-round belt capacity of the 12.7 mm DShK machine guns of previous PLA vehicles will be happy to know that the QJC88A has a much more generous 150-round belt capacity.
However, instead of a traditional 7.62 mm Type 86 coaxial machine gun found on previous tanks, ZTZ99A opted for 5.8 mm QJT machine gun instead. Although it's a smaller calibre at 5.8x42 mm, it still retains the same penetration from previous 7.62 mm machine gun. It only works well against any exposed crew of enemy vehicles and it might sometimes earn surprise kills on helicopters
| 12.7 mm QJC88A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 500 (150) | 700 | -5°/+60° | ±180° |
| 5.8 mm QJT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 2500 (200) | 801 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
As the spearhead of the current PLAGF armored corps, thanks to its vastly improved mobility to his predecessors and new technologies intergraded onto ZTZ99A, it has a better handling than the predecessors and comparable to NATO vehicles in terms of its thrust-weight ratio and top speed (among the top 3 and in fact the fastest MBT in game). The newly designed tank also has very similar protection to his predecessors while parts of its turrets are replaced by brand new FY-5 ERA blocks and the top is covered by FY-1DA ERA blocks, improving its survivability in case for a top-down attack. But a bad news is that its mantle is still lightly protected compare to other MBTs at its tier, a penetrated shot is now even more likely to cause a breech knockout or even lethal damages to the gun crews. In terms of the hull, although it was remarked to have the protection of a ZTZ99 and moved the driver to the left side (from the chassis), the age-old problem of a huge LPF and less protected area over the driver can certainly ruin players' day at top tier. So it is better to keep ZTZ99A away from heated battlefield or in case of a quick assault, make sure to cover the LFP and mantle as much as possible; in case of complicated terrains, either avoid them or in case of the installation of a dozer blade, you can quickly dig a cover for you in case for any possible assaults.
In the firepower department, ZTZ99A also comes with varieties of shells; the darts, although being complained for having a below average penetration, but the overall performance is still sufficient enough to knock-down most western vehicles aside from Strv 122; when facing Russians though, in case players are unconfident to the darts, GP125 ATGM now comes at their disposal as an alternative to melt through Russian MBTs. While both HE shells seemed similar, but the stock DTB-125 is still among the most hard-hitting HE shell at top tier while the new DTB12-125 is VT shells, meaning that any aircrafts that comes close to its 7 m triggering range will have a very bad day thanks to its explosive content. So bring varieties of shells is viable to make ZTZ99A more versatile or sometimes have the last-ditch capability to delivery a strike back.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great maneuverability
- The fastest MBT in game at 75 km/h
- Long-anticipated -34 km/h reverse speed, vastly improving its odds to retreat
- Dual-flow transmission and shorter chassis enables a tighter turning radius
- Powerful guns with variety of shells ranging from darts up to ATGM
- Very similar sturdy protection to its predecessors
- Faster horizontal traverse speed for the gun
Cons:
- Still suffers from a huge LFP and insufficient protection at mantle
- Has the infamous "NATO hump" that hinders firing arc at rear angles
- Insufficient vertical traverse speed in case of a sudden strike
- Huge profile compare to previous PLAGF tanks
- DTC10-125 has a embarrassing penetration for a top tier shell to ensure a kill
History
As the previous WZ123/ZTZ99 program has been certified, the Central Military Commission only deemed ZTZ99s as the placeholder before their ultimate aim- a 3rd generation MBT was achieved. Soon after the first batches of ZTZ99-III rolled off the production line, the new designer, Mao Ming (毛明) of Institute 201 took over from his mentor Zhu Yusheng (祝榆生) and started on his new design of MBT- WZ1001.
The earliest known prototypes consisted of 3 WZ1001s which has different designs: the very first one was based on a ZTZ99, installed a brand new turret and rework on the rear side of the chassis to fit the new power pack; the second one that looks similar to what the certified WZ1001 would be while the third one installed an experimental 125 mm L/54 gun based on the former. These prototypes were first spotted in 2006 and their efforts for a new tank was then certified in 2010, thus named ZTZ10 then ZTZ99A due to untold reasons.
The earliest batches of the pre-production run ZTZ99As were spotted in early 2010s with an experimental millimeter wave IFF radar, known simply as New MBT (新型主战坦克) or by its erroneous name ZTZ99A2 (or 99大改) to observers. The debate of the name settled down when it was first shown during the 70th V-J Day Parade in Beijing as the TJ1XX column during the parade; as later batches started to manufacture in 2016, those in 90th PLA Day Parade at Zhurihe Base (朱日和基地; a Fort Owen-like exercise ground for PLA troops) and during the 70th National Day Parade has slightly different design with the removal of the aforementioned MMW radar.
Devblog
The ZTZ99A is a further development of the ZTZ99 MBT, already familiar to seasoned War Thunder tankers and fans of Chinese ground vehicles in the game. However, despite sharing a common chassis, the ZTZ99A can be considered a completely new vehicle thanks to a near complete overhaul of its design, particularly concerning its turret. Unlike previous variants, the ZTZ99A features a new arrow-shaped turret, fitted with state-of-the-art ERA and composite armor, capable of defeating even tandem charge chemical rounds.
While the protection upgrade did result in the vehicle gaining roughly 4 tons in weight over its immediate predecessor, this drawback is amply compensated by the ZTZ99A receiving a new 1,500 horsepower diesel engine. As a result, the vehicle’s power-to-weight ratio increases to an impressive 27.7 hp/t despite the weight increase! As a result, the ZTZ99A actually outmatches its predecessors in terms of mobility, being able to attain a top speed of 75 km/h on paved roads. Furthermore, a new transmission eliminates the poor reverse speed of the older modifications with the ZTZ99A now being capable of reaching up to 34 km/h while going in reverse. Quite a handy upgrade for intense gun fights, eh?
Unlike its protection and mobility, the ZTZ99A’s firepower however remains virtually unchanged from previous versions. The vehicle still features the familiar ZPT-98 125 mm smoothbore cannon as well as a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a top-mounted high-caliber commander’s machine gun. Therefore, the ZTZ99A inherits its predecessors’ excellent firepower and combines it with its own upgrades to result in a potent new fighting vehicle, worthy of the top spot in the Chinese ground forces tree.
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;
- other literature.
| China medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| ZTZ59 | Type 59 · ZTZ59A · ZTZ59D1 |
| ZTZ69 | Type 69 · Type 69-IIa |
| ZTZ88/96 | ZTZ88A · ZTZ88B |
| ZTZ96 · ZTZ96A · ZTZ96A (P) | |
| ZTZ99 | ZTZ99-II · ZTZ99-III |
| ZTZ99A | ZTZ99A · WZ1001(E) LCT |
| Export series | MBT-2000 · VT4A1 |
| ROC | CM11 |
| Other | Т-34-85 Gai · Object 122MT "MC" |
| Bangladesh | T-69 II G |
| Japan | ␗Chi-Ha · ␗Chi-Ha Kai |
| Pakistan | Al-Khalid-I |
| USA | ␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ␗M48A1 · ␗M60A3 TTS |
| USSR | ␗T-34 (1943) · ␗Т-34-85 (S-53) · T-34-85 No.215 · Т-62 №545 |
| Norinco (China North Industries Corporation) | |
|---|---|
| Light AFV/IFV | |
| WZ501 | ZBD86¹ |
| WZ131 | ▂Type 62 · Type 62 |
| WZ211 | Type 63 · ZTS63 |
| WZ502 | ZBD04A |
| MBT | |
| WZ120 | Type 59¹ · ZTZ59A · ZTZ59D1 |
| WZ121 | Type 69 |
| WZ122 | ZTZ88B · ZTZ88A · ZTZ96 · ZTZ96A · ZTZ96A (P) |
| WZ123 | ZTZ99-II · ZTZ99-III |
| WZ1001 | WZ1001(E) LCT · ZTZ99A |
| Tank Destroyers | AFT09 · PTL02 · PTZ89 · ZLT11 |
| SPH | PLZ83 |
| SPAA | ZSD63/PG87² · PGZ09 · PGZ04A |
| Export | |
| WZ121 | Type 69-IIa · T-69 II G |
| MBT2000 | MBT-2000 · Al-Khalid-I |
| MBT3000 | VT4A1 |
| Other | WMA301 · WZ305 |
| ¹ License production / Reverse engineered · ² Field modifications | |
- Ground vehicles
- China ground vehicles
- Eighth rank ground vehicles
- Medium tanks
- Ground vehicles with explosive reactive armour
- Ground vehicles with composite armour
- Ground vehicles with smoke grenades
- Ground vehicles with engine smoke generating system
- Ground vehicles with dozer blade
- Ground vehicles with night vision device
- Ground vehicles with thermal sight
- Ground vehicles with autoloader
- Ground vehicles with gun stabilizer
- ATGM vehicles
