ZSD63/PG87

ZSD63/PG87

␗M42

Phòng không T-34

ZSD63/PG87

␗M42

Phòng không T-34

China

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.0	5.0

Class:

SPAA

Research:26 000

Purchase:76 000

Show in game

Description

File:GarageImage ZSD63/PG87.jpg

420px

The ZSD63/PG87, Dual-Barrel AA is a rank III Chinese SPAA with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB) and 5.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Starfighters".

General info

Survivability and armour

Despite its armored box look, one would be hard pressed to call it armored. Almost entirely 8mm thick save for a for the upper front glacis which is 12mm, then compound with near vertical sides the word "armor" would seem to be a joke. Insult to injury is an high mounted open top turret with the crews head exposed on top like pumpkins. If one gets the impression the armor on this tracked box is non existent then I am doing a good job describing this units vulnerability to even rifle caliber machine guns. While you might survive a few glancing shots or pen though the empty rear part plus have 3 spare crew, the best survival tactic is avoid being seen and have cover in front of you to duck behind after unloading a few bursts.

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear
Hull	12 mm	8 mm	8 mm
Turret	8 mm	8 mm	8 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Mobility is excellent across all terrain with a good speed. With 19 hp/ton and it easily accelerates to 60 km/h forward (although disappointing 8 km/h reverse) and the suspension easily handles all kinds of terrain. There are few ground units up to Rank V that can exceed this ones performance offering you ample avoidance or flanking advantages, which is very important for this thin-skinned unit.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	66	10	14	_,___	496	__.__	35.43
Realistic	61	9		_,___	260	__.__	18.57

Armaments

Main armament

The ZSD63/PG87 is arguably the most lethal cannon system at this rank in-game. Firing a staggering 10 rounds per second (600 rpm) at extremely high velocity and with precision which offers almost laser-like point-and-hit ability on a quick turning turret, and you have two of the PG87 (25 mm) to boot! Aircraft are instant confetti under its FI-T rounds. Although AP-T penetration at 100 m is at best 60 mm (500 m is 47 mm), its high fire rate and high velocity allow multiple hits at weak points until a kill shot is made. Lightly armoured units and nearly all ATG are easy targets, medium units should not be too difficult to eliminate either, and even heavy tanks can be disabled by these 25 mm cannons when aimed at vulnerable locations. It's one weakness is an extremely long reload time (30+ seconds), so be highly conservative with your fire control. YES, this monster will be just as effective to Rank 7 as in Rank 2.

Default is a 50/50 mix of AP-T and FI-T. This is marginally acceptable for Anti-air operations, but for anti-tank a pure AP-T load is far better. Recommend start game with AP-T only and switch to 50/50 midway. Adjust load-outs depending on Ranks and who to play with.

.

25 mm PG87 (x2)						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	480 (40)	600	-10°/+90°	±180°	N/A	47.6	__.__	__.__	__.__	67.93	32.5	_.__	_.__	25
Realistic						32.1	__.__	__.__	__.__	45.9

Ammunition

• Default: AP-T · FI-T
• Type 87 AP: AP-T
• Type 87 HE: FI-T

Penetration statistics
Belts	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	63	60	47	35	26	19
Type 87 AP	2	2	2	2	2	2
Type 87 HE	63	60	47	35	26	19

Belt 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 87 AP	AP-T	1050	0.25	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
Type 87 HE	FI-T	1050	0.25	N/A	0.1	19	47°	56°	65°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
6	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Usage in battles

The ZSD63 is an excellent anti-aircraft vehicle, possibly the best Rank 2 SPAA in game and competitive in higher ranks up to Rank 4. The two 25 mm PG87 cannons shred aerial targets and lightly armored ground targets, but rapidly consumes its ammunition. Lacking any predictive aiming system it is best to practice to learn how much lead and spread is needed for best results. It is critical to practice short burst fire disciple, you only have 6 seconds of fire per load, and only 5 reloads. For only AA work the pure FI-T is good but the Default 50/50 FI-T/AP-T is fine. Just remember to have tree cover nearly to duck in for the 30 second reload!

In attacking ground units be extremely cautious and not expose your weak armor. Choose a pure AP (AP-T) load to double chance of penetrating hits and head straight to good ambush spots. Better would be wide flanking maneuvers to attack the week sides when players start spawning lighter armored units. Going wide you will likely encounter other weakly armored units like the popular M24 that is very vulnerable to the 25mm cannons. Know you targets, aim for weak points, fire 1 second bursts, damage, adjust and fire again. The AP round does not have explosive filler so more penetrating hits needed to defeat a tank. Remember it also has Artillery, a very useful spoiler to keep your targets off balance.

Expect to go to allied cap zone more than most vehicles to replenish ammo and possibly another crewman.

This unit demands a higher level of skill and tactical versatility for success, keep your game flexible.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	Type 87 HE
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Type 87 AP
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent firepower against both planes and tanks. Cannons have very high firerate and good traverse. The HE can critically damage lots of aircraft with a few hits, if not destroying it straight away. The AP, with its 63mm penetration, can frontally go through Chi-Nu, M24, Pz.IV F2 and StuG III F, or penetrate the sides of M4 Sherman and Cromwell, which are all very common at 3.7
• Great -10 degrees gun depression allows sneaky shots in hilly terrains
• Excellent terrain handling and maneuverability. Small size allow threading narrow passages.
• High top speed allows it to get to positions in time. It is faster than some medium tanks like the early M4
• Thin armor can lead to some shells over-penetrating without detonation (eg. 122mm)
• Huge gap behind the driving compartment and below the turret can absorb plenty of shells.
• Great gunsight magnification allows easy snipes from long range.

Cons:

• Very poor survivability due to its light armor and open-topped turret. Even the weakest rifle ammunition (7mm) is a real threat.
• Extremely long reload time of 32 seconds makes it vulnerable and defenseless when reloading. It also cannot change belt types quickly due to the reload.
• High profile makes it easier to get spotted and shot at.
• Requires expert fire control since the firerate can empty the magazine quickly and the reload is very long.
• AP is still not enough to penetrate heavy tanks even point blank.

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

• [Devblog] ZSD63: twin-barrel mower

China anti-aircraft vehicles
Radar SPAAG	PGZ09
Gun and Missile SPAAG	PGZ04A
Missile SPAA	Antelope
Other	ZSD63/PG87 · ZSL92 · WZ305
Germany	␗Sd.Kfz.222
North Vietnam	Phòng không T-34
USA	CCKW 353 (M45) · ␗M42
USSR	Tor-M1