Object 122MT "MC"

Object 122MT "MC"

Object 122MT "MC"

China

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.7	8.7	8.7

Class:

SQUADRON

Medium tank

Research:400 000

Purchase:450 000

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Description

The Object 122 Medium Tank "Mechanical Controls" is a squadron rank VI Chinese medium tank with a battle rating of 8.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update "Danger Zone".

Also known to the Chinese community as the 三机样车 ("triple-mechanical" prototype; mechanical suspension, transmission and control), it was the Chinese attempt to build new MBT during the heat of Sino-Soviet conflicts with their latest technology available. This version of 122MT introduced the very first 120 mm smoothbore gun in the world as well as a new ATGM welded onto the turret for extra firepower, as well as sporting their latest FCS with laser rangefinder and new diesel engine.

General info

Survivability and armour

ESS

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

Armourfront / side / back

Hull100 / 80 / 45

Turret214 / 165 / 65

Crew4 people

Visibility83 %

At longer distance, 122TM looks exactly like any other Warsaw Pact or Chinese tanks in early Cold War with its iconic oval shape cast turret and sloped chassis; but in 122TM's case, it has higher slope angle at 67° that gives it more protection against late APCBC shells, while the turret itself is slight thinner than T-54s/Type 59. The sides look somewhat similar to a Leopard 1 with sloped plates that gives 122TM slightly higher protection on the sides, but the lower plate is the same 80 mm flat, it could stop autocannons from a distance (around 500m and above), but do not expect it can do miracle at close quarter brawling.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 mm (67°) UFP 80 mm (60°) LFP	5 mm (49°)+ 80 mm Top 80 mm Bottom	30 mm (25°)	30 mm
Turret	214 mm Turret front (Volumetric) ___mm Gun mantlet	165 mm (Volumetric)	65 mm (Volumetric)	30 mm
Cupola	30 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB62 / 9 km/h

RB and SB56 / 8 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight37.5 t

Engine power

AB1 240 hp

RB and SB650 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB33.1 hp/t

RB and SB17.3 hp/t

An important aspect of 122TM is the overall upgrade on mobility, therefore Weifang Diesel developed a new 8V160 engine for the tank with higher output at 650 hp; it might not sound much against NATO tanks, but its design also makes sure the overall mobility is sufficient to move around at higher acceleration against Warsaw Pact tanks- which is the main enemy proposed by the engineers.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 484 → 6 187

RB4 879 → 6 733

SB6 235 → 8 604

Total cost of modifications132 000

225 000

Talisman cost2 400

Crew training130 000

Experts450 000

Aces2 000

Research Aces890 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 200 / 240 %

214 / 214 / 214 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 320 Suspension Research: 8 000 Cost: 13 000 360 Brake System Research: 8 000 Cost: 13 000 360 Filters Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 530 Transmission Research: 7 700 Cost: 12 000 340 Engine Research: 7 700 Cost: 12 000 340	Improved Parts Research: 2 100 Cost: 11 000 320 Improved FPE Research: 2 400 Cost: 13 000 360 Crew Replenishment Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 530 ESS Research: 7 700 Cost: 12 000 340	Horizontal Drive Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 320 120mm_china_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 320 Adjustment of Fire Research: 8 000 Cost: 13 000 360 Elevation Mechanism Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 530 Artillery Support Research: 7 700 Cost: 12 000 340 120mm_china_HEAT_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 700 Cost: 12 000 340 Laser rangefinder Research: 7 700 Cost: 12 000 340

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

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

Main armament

120mm Cannon Type 71

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition40 rounds

First-order14 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

12.0 → 9.2 s

Vertical guidance-6° / 18°

Based on the 115 mm U-5TS gun captured on Soviet T-62, Chinese engineers up-gunned the cannon into a stabilized 120 mm smoothbore cannon with automatic ballistic solution thanks to its laser rangefinder; although the overall gun handling is similar to a WZ120 (Type 59) or a T-62, the larger cannon with varieties of shells will make sure it can make short work of enemies at its tier.

120 mm 122TM					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	40	-6°/+18°	±180°	Two-plane	__._	__._	__._	__._	__._	12.0	_.__	_.__	_.__
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
120-I	APFSDS	285	279	263	243	222	202
120-HE	HE	33	33	33	33	33	33
120-II	APFSDS	350	347	322	300	283	270
120-HEAT	HEATFS	440	440	440	440	440	440

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%
120-I	APFSDS	1610	4.3	N/A			72°	76°	78°
120-HE	HE	940	16.5	N/A	0.1	2760	79°	80°	81°
120-II	APFSDS	1610	4.3	N/A			76°	77°	80°
120-HEAT	HEATFS	1000	15	0.052	0.1	1750	65°	72°	77°

Thanks to its higher gun pressure and the development of new shells, 122MT also has a few varieties of shells at disposal.

120-I is among one of the stock shells for the tank, due to the fact that it was a steel core dart and statically similar to Soviet 3BM4, although being labeled an APFSDS, it might sometimes have problem facing tanks with rounded hull such as American M48 Patton series or Object 279; but in most cases it is sufficient to defeat most tanks at its tier.

120-HE is another stock shell for it as well, although the caliber might sound tempting and does has slightly higher mass and penetration from 3OF11, but the explosive content and penetration also means that only light vehicles or SPAAG will have a bad day facing this HE shell; well-armored targets are likely immune to it unless being hit from gun ports (overpressure) while some NATO tanks also have chances of being blasted by the shell from the roof.

The first researchable shell is the 120-II, a tungsten rod APFSDS; thanks to its tungsten core, it has higher flat penetration from its stock counterpart and performs similarly in terms of damage but also trades sloped penetration; it will have problem facing Soviet tanks at uptier.

The final shell awaits the 120-HEAT, performs similarly to 3BK4 but at slightly higher velocity and mass; but like many HEATFS of the era, it might face ERA or composite armor and do very little on them, as well as its jet stream doesn't have as much spalling as darts. Optionally this can replace HE shells and take it as a way to defeat light vehicles.

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	35 (+5)	33 (+7)	31 (+9)	25 (+15)	1 (+39)	No

Additional armament

302 Anti-tank Missile

Ammunition4 rounds

Vertical guidance-6° / 25°

Flight speed220 m/s

Range3 000 m

Fire on the moveup to 5 km/h

A unique feature of 122MT is the 2 pairs of 302 ATGMs welded onto the turret; as the ancestor of the later HJ-8 missiles, although it might not have the highest penetration and speed among ATGMs at its tier, 4 ATGMs can make sure most enemies will not have the chance to retaliate or in case players do not feel confident with its gun.

302 ATGM
Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer
4	-6°/+25°	±180°	N/A

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
302 Anti-tank Missile	ATGM	480	480	480	480	480	480

Missile details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Range (m)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
302 Anti-tank Missile	ATGM	250	3000	11.2	0.05	0.1	1960	80°	82°	90°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	Visual discrepancy
4	No

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)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

Although it has a slightly different DShK (Type 54) design with an anti-aircraft reticle, the overall performance of it is identical to any other DShK which is good for gunning down light vehicles or helicopters that get too close.

12.7 mm DShK
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	500 (50)	600	-10°/+60°	±180°

7.62 mm SGMT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (250)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful 120mm APFSDS can frontally penetrate common foes (eg. M60, T-55, Leopard 1)
• 4 ATGM are a very useful backup (or primary) armament to finish off enemies
• Slightly better frontal protection than T-55/62, making angling a more effective tactic
• Low profile, harder to get spotted & hit
• Has a range of useful protective features like 12.7mm HMG and ESS.
• Access to laser rangefinder and 2-plane stabiliser for effective target acquisition

Cons:

• Awful reverse speed of -7 km/h, can sometimes put the player in a fatal situation
• While cannon and missiles are powerful, they still cannot penetrate well armoured tanks like T-55AM
• Insufficient gun depression
• Long reload, can be dangerous if the player fails to one-shot target
• No thermal imaging, a disadvantage in night battles against more advanced tanks like Leopard A1A1
• No ERA or composite armour, will get easily penetrated by HEAT (eg. M551, M901)
• 120-II APFSDS doesn't offer any substantial upgrade, trading worse angled penetration for a slightly more flat penetration

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] Squadron vehicles: Object 122TM

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

Squadron ground vehicles
USA	M901 · M1A1 AIM
Germany	Leopard 2 PL
USSR	BMP-2M · T-80UK
Britain	Bhishma TWMP
Japan	RCV (P)
China	Object 122MT "MC"
France	CV 9035NL
Sweden	T 80 U
Israel	Magach 6B Gal