PT-76 (China)

␗PT-76

␗M18 GMC

␗PT-76

␗M18 GMC

China

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.0	5.0

Class:

Light tank

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Description

The ␗PT-76 is a rank III Chinese light tank with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	10 mm (80°) Top 13 mm (44°) Bottom	13 mm Top 10 mm Bottom	6 mm (1°) Top 6 mm (46°) Bottom	6 mm
Turret	15 mm (32-35°) Turret front 15 mm (19-32°) Gun mantlet	15 mm (35°)	15 mm (34-35°)	6 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	10 mm	6 mm

Notes:

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

Almost every tank in the game will be able to destroy the PT-76 with relative ease due to its ultra-thin armour. Avoid tanks with access to heavy machine guns on their turrets such as most American tanks, the IS-2 1944, etc. This vehicle has next to no armor due to its amphibious abilities and can be easily destroyed even by machine guns.

Also, keep well clear of enemy SPAA. 12.7 mm guns and above will absolutely wreck this tank. In particular, the Wirbelwind is a significant threat. It has good penetration at range and will literally saturate the vehicle with autocannon shells. Just a short burst from the quad 20 mm guns will finish the PT-76 off.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	49	8	14	372	458	26.57	32.71
Realistic	44	7		212	240	15.14	17.14

Armaments

Main armament

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: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Advise about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.

Additional armament

Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.

Machine guns

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.

Usage in battles

Since the PT-76 doesn't have much armour, avoid directly confronting enemy tanks. In order to defeat heavy/medium tanks, watch them and fire when they are not aiming or focusing on you. Use the light tank's manoeuvrability and fire rate to deliver pin-point hits onto the enemy's flanks, then retreat back in to cover before they can get a fix on the firing location. The PT-76 is also helpful in scouting enemy positions for its allies so they can bring in more firepower. As previously mentioned, this tank does not have the armour nor the crew to take on enemies head-on, so try to remain stealthy. It functions great as a scout tank in Simulator Battles.

While the PT-76 has amphibious capabilities, it is not necessary to use them all the time. Keep in mind that the PT-76 can only go about 10 km/h in the water, so utilize the ability to travel on land as well. Instead, use the water to make an escape or take a shortcut. As an example, drive into the water if an enemy has spotted you, and take cover behind an off-shore rock. Driving through a river to flank the enemy is also possible if a bridge is not nearby. Take caution that reversing in the water is slow, if not nonexistent, which may get the PT-76 stuck if driven into an obstacle. Also make sure to check the map, as some maps like Eastern Europe have rivers with no way to get back onto land, or at least not many.

Otherwise, avoid directly confronting an enemy. Instead, take cover and scout. Another good tactic to use is watching the enemy - find a spot where they can't engage you and watch them. Wait for the right moment; when the enemy is reloading, aiming somewhere else, not noticing the PT-76, is attacking an ally, etc, quickly check to make sure no other enemy can target you and send a shell towards your enemy! Try to snipe at the enemy, but make sure to avoid all enemy fire, as all tanks can penetrate the PT-76's armour (even the GAZ-AAA (4M) technically has enough penetration to get through the tank's rear armour!).

The amphibious capabilities are a huge helper to the vehicle, allowing it to reach unusual sniper areas that vehicles without said capabilities could not reach (e.g. hiding behind the rocks near the jetty on Normandy). The incredible stabiliser also allows the PT-76 to simply sit in the water and blast away at enemies without them even realizing where the shots are from. Make sure to relocate after knocking out enemies or being spotted, however, as they will know the PT-76's location and likely broadcast it to other players, most often resulting in the PT-76 being destroyed.

The HEAT-FS shell is powerful in terms of penetration, but the post-penetration damage is lacking compared to other Soviet shells. Not to say that the BK-350M is weak (It's actually quite amazing for a HEAT shell), but oftentimes, 2 or more shots will be needed to destroy an enemy, particularly the more spacey vehicles like the Tiger 1 and Panther. It would be wise, therefore, to look up crew and module locations on enemy vehicles in order to make your shots as lethal as possible.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good mobility, amphibious
• Powerful HEAT-FS round
• Has access to Scouting
• Low profile
• Much better gun elevation/depression speed than the Soviet PT-76B

Cons:

• Lacks the two-plane stabilizer of the Soviet PT-76B, hard to fire on the move or in water
• Very poor armour, vulnerable to heavy machine gunfire
• Stock APCR round has disappointing angled performance and post-penetration damage
• Slow reload
• Easy target for aircraft
• Can be hull-broken
• Looks very similar to the Soviet PT-76B (gun barrel is slightly different), can be confused for it in Simulator Battles

History

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Media

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See also

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• 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;
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