ZLT11
Contents
Description
The ZiXing LunShi Tanke 11, alternatively "ZTL11" (Simplified Chinese: ZLT11轮式突击炮; lit. wheeled assault gun), is a rank VII Chinese light tank with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ground Breaking".
A member of the ZBL08 wheeled IFV chassis family from the late 2000s, the new 8x8 assault gun is the first and main component of modern PLAGF's heavy composite mechanized brigades since 2011 and it has been among the most iconic PLAGF vehicles in the 2010s. It comes with a more powerful engine that pushes it to speeds on par with NATO vehicles (up to 100 km/h) and armed with a powerful 105 mm gun with a variety of ammunitions including APFSDS and gun-launched ATGMs, as well as boasting dual-channel 2nd generation thermal sights, and the only wheeled assault gun that is amphibious that travels up to 14 km/h on water. With quite some improvements in terms of protection over its predecessor the PTL02, the arrival of this assault gun finally marks a Chinese wheeled vehicle comparable to its NATO counterparts.
General info
Survivability and armour
The good news to players that suffered from PTL02's poor protection against HMGs is that ZLT11 has much more protection than the aforementioned. At point blank range, even some 30 mm autocannon AP shells can't penetrate its frontal armour other than the vertical part of the hull, thanks to the thicker and more angled UFP and LFP. However, do not expect the sides or the rear to stop anything larger than 7.62 mm bullets with mere 10 mm plates. ZLT11 is more forgiving than PTL02 in most ways, but it is still a wheeled vehicle, so players should keep themselves away from heated battlefields.
Since the design of ZBL08 focused on comfort for the crew as well as better survivability, the 8x8 chassis is huge (in fact, just like PTL02, it's still taller than a Leopard 2A6); some might even compare it to Class 3 (P) and Radkampfwagen 90 in terms of size. Like most other wheeled vehicles, due to its size and the layout of compartments, over-penetration would be commonplace for such vehicles and this is especially true against subcalibre shells where the spalling will not cause extensive damage to the crew. And thanks to its relatively large size and improved protection, it could survive hits from overpressure by smaller calibre HEAT or rockets, but any rocket bigger than 130 mm can still ruin your day with relative ease.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The ZBL08 chassis has a Deutz BF6M1015FC V6 turbocharged diesel engine mounted at the rear of the chassis, outputting up to 440 hp. Pushing ZLT11 at up to 100 km/h and with a comparable power-to-weight ratio to Centauro I 120 and Rooikat MTTD. However, due to the design of the transmission, the reverse is still at a horrible -8.5 km/h for a wheeled vehicle, barely outperforming its predecessor so overextending means a quick demise if you cannot retreat to safety at once.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 112 | 10 | 23 | _,___ | 859 | __.__ | 37.35 |
| Realistic | 101 | 9 | _,___ | 450 | __.__ | 19.57 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The new and stabilized ZPT98A gun mounted on ZLT11 is an low-recoil gun based on the previous ZPL94 and PTP86, which were based on the well-developed L7 family of rifled guns. It shares similar characteristics to the ZPL94 and its export cousin WMA301, with on-par turret speed to his NATO counterparts yet the age-old problem of a poor depression angle still haunts ZLT11 so it can be troublesome if the terrain is complicated.
| 105 mm ZPL98A | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 40 | -4°/+18° | ±180° | Two-plane | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||||||||
Ammunition
For players who are use to WMA301 or ZTZ59D1, the gun has most of its shells interchangeable and performs the same on ZLT11.
During the late 1990s, Mainland China acquired 100 mm gun-launched ATGM technologies from Russia, so the ZLT11 also comes with a powerful GP105 tandem ATGM. The statistics are identical to the 9M117M1 Bastion: good travel speed, high TNT equivalent, and a tandem warhead for bypassing ERA. Thankfully, the ZLT11 does not suffer from the BMP-3's massive reload penalty for ATGMs. The GP105's whopping 750 mm of penetration it can take down practically anything it will ever meet at its BR. This is less than the ZBD86's HJ-73E ATGM, but still more than generous. As a beam-riding missile, the GP105 is immune to IRCM and can be guided on the move if necessary.
The Type 83 HEAT-FS round is nothing special. At its tier, the HEAT-FS is generally obsolete and it is the stock ammo for this vehicle, the only advantages over the APFSDS is the ability to cause overpressure damage through its explosive content, but the aforementioned GP105 can perform the same role as well; in fact, GP105 has a higher TNT equivalent than HEAT-FS.
The Type 83 APFSDS round, the first researchable kinetic round for this vehicle, is the same as found on the ZTZ59D1 and shares all its traits, which is still sufficient for its BR but it might struggle when it faces Russian MBTs with higher protection at longer ranges. For example, a fully spaded T-72A with the add-on armour can be difficult to penetrate outside of the standard Soviet weak spots of the driver's port and lower glacis.
The DTB-1 HE-VT round, seen previously on the T-69 II G and WMA301, can be useful to deal with helicopters or low-flying aircraft in very shallow dives. However, this should be done with caution since anything that flies is the last thing the WMA301 wants to face. For anti-helicopter duties, locate the target using the ZLT11's thermal sights, lase them with the laser rangefinder, and fire the round with enough lead to catch them comfortably within the proximity fuse radius. Keep in mind that DTB-1 has a rather low muzzle velocity and it is difficult to hit helicopters that are moving unpredictably and/or staying at long range.
The final kinetic round for this vehicle is the new DTW2 with higher velocity and nearly 100 mm more penetration than its predecessor. This is a common round which is still used by PLAGF at present with 435 mm penetration at point blank range, comparable to the German DM63 and just comes behind the infamous M900 round found on American vehicles. For its BR it can handle most enemies it might ever face, but T-72B series and later T-80U can be a very nasty enemy with their above-average protection. This will be the go-to shell for the vehicle, but bringing some HE-VT and ATGM for knocking down aircraft or higher tier MBTs is also viable.
| 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 | ||
| Type-83 HEAT | HEATFS | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| Type-83 APDS | APFSDS | 337 | 335 | 330 | 322 | 314 | 306 |
| DTW2-105 | APFSDS | 435 | 432 | 426 | 416 | 407 | 398 |
| DTB-1 | HE-VT* | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| GP105 | ATGM (tandem) | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 |
| 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% | |||||||
| Type-83 HEAT | HEATFS | 1,173 | 11 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 1,270 | 65° | 72° | 77° |
| Type-83 APDS | APFSDS | 1,455 | 3.79 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78° | 80° | 81° |
| DTW2-105 | APFSDS | 1,530 | 3.79 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 78° | 80° | 81° |
| DTB-1 | HE-VT* | 825 | 16.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,660 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| GP105 | ATGM (tandem) | 370 | 18.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 4,620 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 28 (+12) | 12 (+28) | 1 (+39) | No |
Machine guns
The turret-mounted 12.7 mm QJC88A HMG has already become the standardized 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, ZLT11 has instead a 5.8mm QJT machine gun that shares the same round as the service rifle-the QBZ95 assault rifle; although the smaller caliber at 5.8x42 mm, but oddly enough, it still retains the same penetration from previous 7.62 mm machine gun. It is only good of 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 | -3°/+60° | ±180° |
| 5.8 mm QJT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 800 (200) | 801 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
Speed is the ZLT11's best friend, being an 8x8 chassis, and thanks to a more powerful engine and revised transmission, it can reach a top speed of 100 km/h on road; alternatively the chassis has also designed for difficult terrains so it can still reach 40-50 km/h off road, just keep in mind that mud is always the enemy. Thanks to the pair of propellers behind the wheels and its acceptable weight, this is also the only amphibious wheeled assault gun in-game so in some maps with aquatic bodies, you might be able to take a detour and strike the enemies with surprise. The protection up front is also sufficient to stop up to 30 mm autocannon APHE shells (aside from the vertical rectangular area between the UFP and LFP), which is a great improvement over PTL02.
With dual-channel TVD sights, players can search for enemies with ease although it has no commander override capability for the main gun, which is a bit of a let down and sometimes fatal if the vehicle gunnery system survived but not the gunner. The gun is fairly sufficient and sometimes even overkill for its tier, the new DTW2 APFSDS has similar performance to the German DM63 round and just comes behind US M900, this round can safely penetrate NATO tanks with ease. Soviet/Russian tanks are by nature tougher to deal with, so bringing some GP105 ATGMs is a go-to just in case, thanks to its beam riding guidance and no reload penalty, as well as run-and-shoot capabilities, GP105 can ruin the day of most vehicles it might face. Also, just like its Soviet ancestors, this can also be used for anti-rotorcraft missions. Alternatively, the DTB HE-VT shells can also be utilized for AA missions against rotorcrafts or low-flyers with its VT-fuzed warhead.
But all this comes at some cost: first, 8x8 chassis is huge compared even to the heaviest MBTs, and has a fairly big turning radius and ZLT11 is no exception, so players of PTL02 might find the vehicle less agile over the previous vehicle; secondly, the reverse gear is still disappointing at mere -8.5 km/h, which again makes it the second slowest among fellow assault guns; and thirdly, the common problem of Warsaw Pact/Mainland China vehicles - its -4° depression angle, which can cause trouble at complicated terrains.
Overall, the playstyle of ZLT11 is fairly the same as their NATO counterparts and a major upgrade from PTL02: flank the enemies, unleash hell with these good ammunitions and speed; and scout for the team at the same time.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Overall better protection over its predecessor
- Powerful 105 mm gun with variety of ammunition
- Fast forward on-road travelling speed at 100 km/h
- Currently the only amphibious wheeled assault gun
- 2nd generation TVD for both gunner and commander
- Spacious hull that helps migrate spalling damage and sometimes overpenetration
- More versatile in terms on anti-aircraft weaponry with ATGMs or HE-VT shell
Cons:
- Less agile in terms of turning radius
- Huge target, larger & taller than even Western MBTs
- Terrible -4° gun depression, eliminating lots of potential engagements
- Can still be overpressured by larger calibre explosive weaponries
- Horrible reverse speed at -8.5 km/h heavily limits its agility and survivability
- Lack of commander override of main weapon
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
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.
| 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 | |
| China light tanks | |
|---|---|
| Type 63 | Object 211 · Type 63 · ZTS63 |
| Type 62 | Type 62 |
| WZ551 | ZSL92 · PTL02 · WMA301 |
| ZBL08 | ZLT11 |
| Type 86 | ZBD86 |
| WZ502 | ZBD04A |
| ROC | M41D · M64 |
| Type 59 | QN506 |
| USA | ␗M8 LAC · ␗M3A3 Stuart · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ␗M5A1 · ␗M24 · ␗M18 GMC · ␗M41A3 |
| USSR | ␗T-26 · T-26 No.531 · ␗PT-76 |
