ZTZ88B

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

ZTZ88B

ZTZ59D1

ZTZ88A

ZTZ88B

ZTZ59D1

ZTZ88A

China

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	9.0	9.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:160 000

Purchase:450 000

Show in game

Description

The ZhuangJia Tanke ZhuZhan 88B(Chinese: ZTZ88B式主战坦克; industry code WZ122E) is one of the WZ122 family of MBT and the first mass-produced variant of the ZTZ80/88 series. The WZ122 series has to trace back to Object 122 (or by its code 122) when Chinese engineers joined a campaign to develop new armored vehicles for PLAGF during late-1960s to early-1970s; although the program was canceled after route changes, one of its prototypes, WZ1225 made it into PLAGF evaluation and later designated as the new PLAGF 2nd generation MBT, thus retained its industry code: WZ122. The tank was first manufactured as the ZTZ80-I for evaluation, as the 3rd generation MBT (Project 784; later renamed WZ123 and ZTZ99) was still in development and the need for new MBTs before the new tanks completed their development, ZTZ80-I fused the hull of ZTZ85 and the turret of ZTZ80-I later joined PLAGF as the ZTZ88B and was first shown during 50th National Day Parade.

Introduced in Update "La Royale" as one of the Chinese MBT line-up, the design recalls many similarities to its successor, ZTZ88A with a longer 105 mm cannon; which oddly comes behind ZTZ88B alphabetically. For players who suffered from the rather slow turret traverse speed and top speed of previous ZTZ59/69 series, ZTZ88B now enjoys better gun laying system and equipped with commander override for the gun, as well as experimental applique armor for extra protection against both kinetic and chemical shells; along side with a new 730 hp engine for better mobility in both direction, ZTZ88B makes a good training vehicle to later 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 %

If players see this tank from afar, they might find a tank that looks exactly like another T-54/55 or Type 59/69 family; but once they fired upon the target or get closer, they will find some significant differences. First, their shot might not penetrate the UFP of ZTZ88B thanks to the (experimental) applique armor and main armor at 68° (versus 60° on T-54 series); secondly, it has 6 road wheels and intergraded FCS channel (daytime, night, LRF) on the left side of turret. The applique armor might not have the best protection against chemical shells versus its Soviet counterparts (T-62M-1 or T-55AM series), however, some short-rod APFSDS even at higher caliber at its tier could score nothing on the UFP (which could provide at most 360 mm RHA equivalent).

But it was also ZTZ88B which marked the reduced side armor of PLAGF tanks: instead of the 80 mm on previous tanks, it has reduced to 60 mm; this gives more chance to autocannons with even APHE shell to penetrate the sides with ease; although the skirt could migrate some penetration, in most cases, any flanking autocannons will have no problem tearing down ZTZ88B. Sometimes angling might help, but do not expect it could literary immune to them.

Another flaw goes to the turret with full CHA armor; while it retained the oval shape turret of Warsaw Pact/ early Chinese designs, at its tier where APFSDS and HEAT are commonplace, they will have no problem penetrating the turret from any angle, causing fatal damages to the crew or turret compartment and effectively disabling ZTZ88B for their own good. So be extra careful on where the turret should turn - sometimes slight angling could bounce some oncoming shots and leaving chances to return-fire. Do remember the crew of 4 and tank's compartments are tightly packed near the center-mass of the tank, chances are the crew will either be knocked-out by penetrated shots and its shrapnel, or by fuel/ammunition detonation onboard.

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

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 the development efforts of Chinese engineers, ZTZ88 series shared the same NORINCO 12V150ZLC engine with 730 hp output; although it is nowhere close to NATO counterparts, it was already a vast improvement to Soviet tanks at its BR, giving it more flexibility on assaults as this could push the tank at up to 57 km/h while having faster acceleration. While the transmission has been upgraded to a planetary gear one, the gear ratio for reverse/first gear is not very satisficing and only gives around 9 km/h reverse speed; in case for a retreat, this could be a major problem as enemy tanks will have no problem chasing ZTZ88B.

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	_,___	1,393	__.__	36.18
Realistic	58	9		_,___	730	__.__	18.96

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 189 → 6 094

RB4 341 → 6 316

SB5 374 → 7 819

Total cost of modifications134 400

225 000

Talisman cost2 400

Crew training130 000

Experts450 000

Aces2 000

Research Aces890 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 200 / 230 %

214 / 214 / 214 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 Suspension Research: 6 400 Cost: 10 000 300 Brake System Research: 6 400 Cost: 10 000 300 Filters Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 Transmission Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 560 Engine Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 560	Improved Parts Research: 2 100 Cost: 11 000 330 Improved FPE Research: 1 900 Cost: 10 000 300 Crew Replenishment Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 Smoke grenade Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 ESS Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 560	Horizontal Drive Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 105mm_TYPE83_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 Adjustment of Fire Research: 6 400 Cost: 10 000 300 Laser rangefinder Research: 6 400 Cost: 10 000 300 Elevation Mechanism Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 105mm_china_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 100 Cost: 11 000 330 Artillery Support Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 560

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

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

Main armament

105 mm 88B-105T 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°

ZTZ88B retained the same caliber yet different named gun to previous ZTZ59D1; although it is named a 88B-105T, the ballistic performance is totally identical on both guns while the major differences go to the turret traverse speed and reload rate. While ZTZ59 series suffered from a slow, hand-cranked like turret and ZTZ69 is slight better, ZTZ88B introduced hydraulic drive for the turret and finally boost its rotation speed to at least 12°/s - a welcomed improvement but still lags behind most NATO tanks of its tier; while the reload rate is at below 10 seconds, not as quickly as NATO tanks with spacious turret, the ammunition by themselves are still sufficient to take down most enemies it might face, but be extra careful on later Soviet MBTs with autoloaders and composite armor. Also it's better to plan ahead and turn the turret to expected points where enemies will show up- ZTZ88B doesn't have the reaction time for a sudden attack.

105 mm 88B-105T					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	__._	__._	__._	__._	__._	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
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
Type-83 HEAT	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
Type-83 HESH	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
Type-83 APDS	APFSDS	337	335	330	322	314	306

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	1,174	11	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°
Type-83 HESH	HESH	732	11.2	0.1	4	4.31	73°	77°	80°
Type-83 APDS	APFSDS	1,455	4.2	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

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

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 86 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 500 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate700 shots/min

Like most Chinese tanks before late 1990s, it retained the Type 54 (DShK) by the commander hatch while the co-axial MG was replaced by Type 86 (PKT); while the ammo pool on the Type 54 is rather low, its caliber can certainly cause some problems for low-flying helicopters or lightly-armored targets.

12.7 mm Type 54
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	500 (50)	600	-5°/+60°	±180°

7.62 mm Type 86
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,500 (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:

• Improved gun handling and reload rate to previous tanks
• Commander override leaves the opportunity for a revenge shot on enemies
• Vastly improved mobility to T-54/55 series
• Composite applique armor for extra protection
• Accurate licensed L7 gun

Cons:

• The turret has no ERA protection, unlike ZTZ59D1
• Fixed 8x gunner optics channel, embarrassing at both short and long range engagements
• Tightly packed interior and crew layout
• Lacks TVD for faster target acquisition
• Relatively slow reverse rate to NATO counterparts

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

• Object 122MT "MC" - The nominal ancestor of WZ122 series MBT
• ZTZ88A (WZ122G) - ZTZ88 with longer ZPL94 cannon

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

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