ZTZ88A

This page is about the Chinese medium tank ZTZ88A. For the other version, see ZTZ88B.

ZTZ88A

ZTZ88B

ZTZ96

ZTZ88A

ZTZ88B

ZTZ96

China

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	9.0	9.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:94 000

Purchase:520 000

Show in game

Description

The ZhuangJia Tanke ZhuZhan 88A (88A式主战坦克, coded WZ122G) is the 2nd revision of the ZTZ88 MBT in late-1990s; by the time of Mainland China's economic reform and military modernization, PLAGF has dire need for a new MBT before the future ZTZ99 series (Project 784) made into commission. To replace the fleet of ZTZ59 derivatives and utilize the imported 105 mm cannon production line, the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building reused the design of WZ1225 during the Project 122 development from 1970s and built the first Chinese MBT known as the ZTZ80; after around a decade of further development on FCS and better powerplant thanks to the BK122 (Type 85) series, these equipment were soon installed onto the ZTZ80 platform and renamed as the ZTZ88. The A variant replaced the original ZPL83 with a new, longer ZPL94 105 mm cannon and experimented with an applique composite armor pack as the evaluation for future PLAGF composite armor; although deemed obsolete by its introduction by late-1990s with ZTZ99 and ZTZ96 ready for commission, some 700 tanks were built alongside with its base model, ZTZ88B and been seen as late as the 2020s Sino-Indo LAC confrontation.

Introduced in Update "Wind of Change" as a threshold between the ZTZ59/69 series and future ZTZ96 series, ZTZ88A introduced a better FCS, a long barrel 105 mm cannon, as well as new powerplant which would inherit to the future ZTZ96 series; with the experimental applique composite armor and improved mobility over any T-54 family, although it lacks the flexibility of NATO MBTs or the kinetic protection of Soviet MBTs, the tank will come as a lead-in training vehicle for future PLAGF MBTs.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull100 / 60 / 45

Turret220 / 155 / 65

Crew4 people

Visibility75 %

At first glance, the ZTZ88A still resembles a T-54 or its Chinese domestic counterpart, ZTZ59, but with a closer look at its hull, players will find that it is a new design. The UFP is more angled than the T-54's (67° vs 60°), so the base protection is slightly better than that of the T-54/T-62. Furthermore, thanks to the advancement in composite armour in China, it is also the first Chinese vehicle to be equipped with composite armour as an applique on UFP. Compared to similar hull armour seen on the Soviet T-55AM-1 and T-62M-1, the ZTZ88A has less chemical protection (around 380-420 mm) and 105 mm HEATFS may sometimes be able to damage the driver and fuel tanks towards the lower portion of the UFP. Angling the hull slightly can help mitigate this. Surprisingly, it has better kinetic protection than its Soviet contemporaries: the UFP can resist APFSDS rounds with less than around 180 mm of 60° penetration, so some US and Soviet offerings like 100 mm 3BM25, 105 mm M735, and even 125 mm 3BM15 are blocked. Unfortunately the ubiquitous 105 mm DM23/M111 round used by the Leopard A1A1 for example will penetrate with few issues, but still, the ZTZ88A has one of the most protected hulls at its tier.

The side armour was reduced to 60 mm, so do be aware of any vehicles with autocannons - at the tier, most autocannons have APDS or APFSDS at their disposal. The side skirts can help somewhat at angles.

The turret, on the other hand, is poorly protected comparing to the hull. It is very similar to previous Soviet/Chinese dome-shaped turret designs with only slightly greater thickness. Unlike the ZTZ59D1 and T-69 II G, the ZTZ88A's turret does not have any ERA coverage, leaving it extremely vulnerable to stock HEATFS rounds as well as ATGMs, which are all commonly found at this tier. Thus the uncovered steel armour cannot provide much protection, if any, against ammunitions like APFSDS or HEATFS. Tanks that mainly use chemical rounds are especially more threatening, such as M551 and BMP-1.

Like the previous Soviet/Chinese designs, the crew of 4 tankers is packed in a slightly bigger but still confined space. Although the ammo rack is protected by fuel tanks, the abundance of APFSDS or HEAT at the tier isn't really concerned about these improvements. Be very careful when moving on the battlefield, a penetrating shot will very likely result in a knockout of the crew or ammunition detonation.

Armour type:

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

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 + 20 mm (67°) Upper 80 mm (52°) Lower	60 mm Top 50 mm Bottom	45 mm (3°)	30 mm (89°)
Turret	200-300 mm Turret front (Volumetric) 70-400 mm Gun mantlet (Volumetric)	165-250 mm (Volumetric)	60-100 mm (Volumetric)	30 mm (87°)
Cupola	80 mm (cylindrical)			30 mm

Composite armour	Frontal effective protection	Sides
Hull	Upper glacis: 280 mm Kinetic / 380 mm Chemical	N/A

Notes:

• Tracks and suspension wheels are 20 mm thick

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB64 / 10 km/h

RB and SB58 / 9 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight38.5 t

Engine power

AB1 393 hp

RB and SB730 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB36.2 hp/t

RB and SB19.0 hp/t

Thanks to improvements during the early 1980s, the ZTZ88A is equipped with a NORINCO 12150ZL engine with 730 hp, the same as the succeeding ZTZ96, and the chassis has a new suspension offering a smoother ride. The 10% increase in weight compared to the ZTZ59D1 is more than compensated by the 40% increase in engine power. This gives the ZTZ88A a vast improvement in power-weight ratio to about 19.0 hp/ton and thus better a top speed at 57 km/h compared to its predecessors. Although it is not quite as fast as NATO counterparts at similar tier, it is certainly a very welcome improvement. For comparison, the Leopard A1A1 has about 19.6 hp/ton, the T-62M-1 has about 16.4 hp/ton, and the M60A1 RISE (P) only has 14.1 hp/ton. Thanks to the improved horsepower, the ZTZ88A has a considerably faster hull traverse comparing to older tanks like the ZTZ59D1, which is helpful to angle the hull quickly or to wiggle through tight spaces.

The reverse speed however is slightly better at a -9 km/h, it might sound nowhere fast enough like its more agile foes (e.g. Leopard 1, AMX-30, etc.), but it's at least some improvement over the T-54 family. This can be quite risky, meaning that the player must think carefully before peeking out of a cover/hill.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	64	10	38.5	1131	1,393	29.38	36.18
Realistic	58	9		646	730	16.78	18.96

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 278 → 6 224

RB4 442 → 6 463

SB5 496 → 7 996

Total cost of modifications160 200

267 400

Talisman cost2 600

Crew training150 000

Experts520 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces950 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 200 / 240 %

220 / 220 / 220 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 300 Suspension Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 280 Brake System Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 280 Filters Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 370 Transmission Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620 Engine Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620	Improved Parts Research: 2 000 Cost: 11 000 300 Improved FPE Research: 1 900 Cost: 9 900 280 Crew Replenishment Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 370 Smoke grenade Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 370 ESS Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 300 105mm_TYPE83_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 300 105mm_SAP_ammo_pack Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 300 Adjustment of Fire Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 280 105mm_china_HE_VT_ammo_pack Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 280 Laser rangefinder Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 280 Elevation Mechanism Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 370 105mm_china_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 370 Artillery Support Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 620

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Main armament

105 mm ZPL94 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition45 rounds

First-order23 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

9.7 → 7.5 s

Vertical guidance-4° / 18°

The introduction of the Royal Ordnance 105 mm L7 cannon marked the transformation of PLAGF from Warsaw Pact armaments to Western ones. The ZPL94 mounted on the ZTZ88A has one of the longest barrels in the L7 family, giving it a higher muzzle velocity over its Western counterparts. While ZTZ88A still doesn't reload quite as quickly as NATO tanks, the gap is significantly smaller.

105 mm ZPL94					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	45	-4°/+18°	±180°	Two-plane	19.0	26.4	32.0	35.4	37.6	9.75	8.63	7.95	7.50
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

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
Type-83 HEAT	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
DTB-1	HE-VT*	23	23	22	21	21	21
Type-83 HESH	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
BTM1	SAPCBC	97	96	90	83	76	70
Type-83 APDS	APFSDS	351	349	343	336	328	321

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Type-83 HEAT	HEATFS	1,200	11	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°
Type-83 HESH	HESH	750	11.2	0.1	4	4.31	73°	77°	80°
BTM1	SAPCBC	803	16.2	1.2	19	2.31	48°	63°	71°
Type-83 APDS	APFSDS	1,500	4.2	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Arming distance (m)	Trigger radius (m)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
DTB-1	HE-VT*	825	16.2	0.2	0.1	500	15	1.66	79°	80°	81°

The ZTZ88A offers a range of shells at the player's disposal, and players who already own the T-69 II G will be very familiar with them as both tanks share the same shells.

The first option that comes stock is the Type 83 HEAT having identical performance to NATO's DM13 HEAT. At its tier, it is still sufficient to penetrate most tanks without ERA or composite armour and its explosive mass is enough to knock out lighter vehicles with overpressure on occasion. Some opponents to watch out for include the Sho't Kal Dalet, T-55AM-1/T-62M-1, and M60A1 RISE (P).

The DTB-1 is very different from most HE shells at its tier - it is a VT shell, meaning that the shell detonates when it is close to other vehicles, including aircraft; this is a trait that the ZTZ88A's NATO counterparts don't have. It has 1.66 kg of explosive mass, which can sometimes knock out lighter vehicles like SPAAs, but its real utility lies in its anti-air potential. It is suggested to use to target aircraft or helicopters which happen to be within your elevation angle - a hit from DTB-1 is very lethal to aircraft.

The Type 83 HESH is another story. It is a common HESH found on NATO vehicles - a solid hit on vehicles can trigger a lethal post-penetration effect, but the results of HESH is mixed. It generates a wide cone of shrapnel but the effects tend to be rather shallow or inconsistent. It is still possible to snipe stationary vehicles hiding behind cover with Type 83 HESH in some cases so bring some if desired - the laser rangefinder will certainly help with this.

The BTM1 SAP shell is an interesting option returning from the ZTZ59D1. It can't be said to have high penetration by Rank VI standards (and doesn't benefit from the ZPL94 cannon's increased muzzle velocity), but its instant-knockout ability can be entertaining for attacks of opportunity, especially when using the ZTZ88A's good mobility and gun handling compared to previous Chinese tanks.

The last round available is Type 83 APDS, which is actually an APFSDS round. Thanks to the longer barrel of the ZPL94, the overall penetration is slightly higher than M111/DM23 APFSDS at 351 mm point-blank; this is the go-to shell for the ZTZ88A. It might not have the highest penetration at its tier, especially compared to the PTL02 and PTZ89, but it can still hit enemies hard. There are a few opponents to watch out for in uptiers: the British Chieftain Mk 10 and Challenger Mk.2/Mk.3 have tough turrets, and the Soviet T-72A (when spaded), T-72AV (TURMS-T), T-64B, and T-72B have tough turret and UFP armour that the ZTZ88A cannot penetrate without aiming for weak spots.

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
45	40 (+5)	23 (+22)	1 (+44)	No

Although there are 23 shells in the ready rack, only 19 of them are protected by the fuel tanks, not the 4 shells on the left side; so it is suggested to bring only 20 shells into battle (19 in the rack + 1 preloaded in the breech).

Machine guns

12.7 mm Type 54 machine gun

Ammunition500 rounds

Belt capacity50 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

Vertical guidance-4° / 82°

7.62 mm Type 59 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 500 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

The ZTZ88A still uses the same machine guns from the obsolete T-54s despite its introduction date in the early 1990s. The Type 54 (DShK) is still sufficient to gun down strafing aircraft/helicopters or lighter vehicles but suffers from a small 50 round belt capacity, while the Type 59 (SGMT) is only good for harassing enemies or sometimes targeting exposed crews.

12.7 mm Type 54
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	500 (50)	600	-4°/+82°	±180°

7.62 mm Type 59
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,500 (250)	600	-	-

Usage in battles

For Soviet or Chinese players, the ZTZ88A would feel like a faster T-55A or ZTZ59D1, which is indeed true thanks to its 730 hp engine, giving it higher mobility over them. It might not be the fastest tank at its tier, but the ZTZ88A can still follow the main forces with its speed. For those who are playing against the ZTZ88A, the tank looks very similar to T-55s but they may be surprised when they don't penetrate its UFP thanks to the applique armour. As discussed, it might not stop all contemporary APFSDS or HEATFS, but it certainly helps stop earlier shells and it can still surprise common tanks like the XM-1 (GM) that lack good angled penetration. The turret is another story however - although it is slightly thicker than the T-55s, it will not stop any well-placed shots at its tier. Overall, the ZTZ88A's additional hull armor reduces the likelihood of being destroyed in one shot, but it should not be considered a consistently well-protected tank for advancing straight into enemy fire or peeking out of a hull-down position.

The firepower of the ZTZ88A is certainly sufficient thanks to the longer barrel ZPL94 gun with a variety of shells, faster reload, and improved gun handling over previous PRC tanks; but like many Eastern Bloc/Chinese tanks, it doesn't quite have the reaction time of NATO counterparts and the gunsight is fixed at 8x magnification, so sniping with this gun may be a problem. It also lacks thermal sights from the gunner. Thus, good situational awareness is required.

The ZTZ88A is the earliest non-premium Chinese vehicle with access to the DTB-1 HE-VT round. Players who do not own the T-69 II G or WMA301 may find it a nifty surprise, but there are some limitations to be aware of. It has a considerable explosive content for an anti-air shell but the muzzle velocity of 825 m/s is rather slow by Rank VI standards and it takes 500 m of travel distance to arm. The ZTZ88A also does not have very good vertical elevation angles. With these factors in mind, DTB-1 is best used against helicopters, particularly those that are hovering or moving in straight lines and not paying attention. The laser rangefinder helps immensely for vertical aim adjustment but it is up to the user to provide the proper lead against moving targets.

Overall, the ZTZ88A provides a more mobile and higher firepower alternative for the PLAGF compared to NATO or Soviet counterparts but still has some flaws. It is best used in a more aggressive midfielding role where its significantly better speed compared to the ZTZ59D1, M60A3 TTS, and PTZ89 can be used to rush to objective points and overwatch positions, and its heavier armour and lower profile compared to the PTL02 or WMA301 allows it to survive attacks from IFVs, aircraft, and artillery more easily. DTB-1 gives it some ability to counter early-game helicopter rushes or ATGM helicopters later on. Assess the battlefield to determine if better sniping capabilities, bigger guns, or greater speed are needed on the next spawn. But as one of the most flexible options available in the Chinese lineup at this BR, there is rarely a poor time to bring out the ZTZ88A.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Satisfactory frontal arc protection for its tier, UFP can stop some APFSDS
• Long barrel L7 with a variety of shells at its disposal
• Improved reload and gun handling compared to the ZTZ59D1
• HE-VT shell offers basic anti-air capabilities, especially against helicopters
• Improved engine with a higher output than its predecessors, leading to better agility than ZTZ59D1 and T-69 II G

Cons:

• Tightly packed crew and components
• Poor gun depression and fixed zoom gunsight
• Only has composite armour on the UFP, turret is completely unprotected
• No thermal sights, disadvantaged against thermal-equipped tanks like Type 74G
• No ERA, turret is especially vulnerable to missiles and HEAT shells
• Slow reverse speed can be fatal in some scenarios

History

After the Damansky/Zhenbao Island (珍宝岛) incident where the PLAGF captured a T-62 from the Soviet border guards, they soon realized that the existing ZTZ59s and later WZ121 (ZTZ69) were nowhere near comparable with the masses of the latest Soviet MBTs. The Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (国防科学技术委员会, COSTIND) and Fifth Ministry of Machine Building (第五机械工业部;五机部) accelerated their project coded "Project 2-4" (二四会战; established on 1970/2/4) for a new MBT which would be known as Project 122 (122工程). The project was dropped a few years later after revisions on the development route but this trained new batches of tank designers and engineers for future projects.

Meanwhile, one of the "fail-safe" versions of the designs in Project 122, WZ1225 with the newly-imported 105 mm gun and improved engine, designed by Fang Weixian (方慰先, designer of later ZTZ85, 88, and 96) passed state evaluation and inherited the industrial code WZ122. The later revised design of WZ1225 would become the basis of the later domestically designed ZTZ80 (80式主战坦克) tanks.

The ZTZ88 series was a hybrid of the ZTZ85 (85式主战坦克) which was aimed for export with a redesigned hull and the turret from ZTZ80, aka ZTZ80-I. The ZTZ88A was the improved version with a ZPL94 105 mm gun. What was achieved in ZTZ85 and ZTZ88A would later be used in the new 2nd generation MBT of PLAGF - the ZTZ96 (ZTZ88C). Although it wasn't seen among the tanks at the 1999 National Day parade like its predecessor ZTZ88B was, the ZTZ88A could be seen in pictures from PLA media and they were last seen in large scale during the ongoing Sino-Indo Border Conflicts where numbers of them were deployed near the LAC.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the ZTZ88A from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #296 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the ZTZ88A.

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 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