ZTZ99A

This page is about the Chinese MBT ZTZ99A. For other versions, see ZTZ99 (Family).

ZTZ99A

ZTZ99-III

ZTZ99A

ZTZ99-III

China

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
12.0	12.0	12.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:400 000

Purchase:1 080 000

Show in game

Description

The ZhuangJia Tanke ZhuZhan 99A (Chinese: ZTZ99A式主战坦克; industry code WZ1001; erroneously known as ZTZ99A2 before official ratification in the late 2010s) currently serves as the spearhead of the PLAGF armored corps and has been their most advanced tank since the 2010s. The plans for a true 3rd generation MBT emerged during the development of the WZ123 program, as the PLAGF recognized the need for a new tank capable of effectively countering NATO and Russian tanks in the future. This led to the initiation of the WZ1001 program, which aimed to equip the new tank with advanced features such as a new smoothbore gun, FCS, and powerplant by the early 2000s. Through a series of prototype iterations, one particular design from the WZ1001 program emerged as the chosen configuration for the new MBT. It was officially named ZTZ99A and made its first appearance during the VJ Day parade in September 2015. The ZTZ99A has become an iconic piece of equipment for the PLAGF, representing a departure from the low-profile design of previous tanks.

Introduced in Update "Danger Zone", it is the most advanced MBT and the second newest tank (after the ZTQ15) in service with the PLAGF. The ZTZ99A deviates from the Warsaw Pact-style low-profile design, featuring a larger turret and a new powerpack while maintaining similar protection levels to its predecessor, the ZTZ99-III. With its array of new features, players can harness the latest Chinese tank technologies, benefiting from the tank's impressive mobility to effectively engage and eliminate enemy forces.

General info

Survivability and armour

ERA

Effective action against the cumulative ammunition

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

LWS

Notifies about the vehicle's exposure to laser emissions

Self-entrenching equipment

Creation of ramparts and trenches in soft ground

Armourfront / side / back

Hull70 / 50 / 45

Turret85 / 60 / 35

Crew3 people

Visibility75 %

Though it shares the number 99 in its name, the ZTZ99A in fact has very little technological relationship to previous ZTZ99s. The ZTZ99A has a completely new design with a higher overall profile to previous tanks comparable to NATO tanks. It features an arrow-shaped composite armour block and new FY-5 ERA with up to 250 mm KE protection covering the turret. In case of top-down missiles, the new FY-1D1 ERA covering the top of turret can mitigate some of the damage. But as for the hull, since the design requirement was for equivalent protection to previous ZTZ99s, aside from the UFP armour itself, there's only FY-4 covering the UFP as well as the sides of the turret.

Another major difference is that the driver is moved to the right side of the hull (from the enemy's perspective), if opponents aren't able differentiate between the 99A and other 99s, it is very likely that shots hitting the UFP will prove fruitless. To say at least, aside from the headlights on the UFP, LFP and the mantlet, the ZTZ99A will have a better protection at its frontal arc than its predecessors.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, engine vents, optics shield)
• Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet, driver hatch)
• Rubber-fabric screens (side skirts)
• Structural steel (slat armour)
• Wood (log at rear of the hull)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 mm (70°) Upper glacis 60 + 20 mm (54°) Lower glacis 30 mm (12°) Driver hatch	80 mm Top 20 mm (28°) Bottom	45 mm (0°, 47°) 10 mm (0°, 65°) Engine vent	30 mm (88°) 20 mm Rear
Turret	20 mm (23°, 68°) Turret cheeks 40-310 mm (26°, 70°) Gun mantlet	50-60 + 10 mm 130 mm Turret ring	35 mm	30 mm 50 mm Rear 20 mm Optics shield
Cupola	30 mm (89°)

Composite armour	Frontal effective protection
Hull	Upper glacis (ERA counted): 550-900 mm Kinetic / 750-1600 mm Chemical
Turret	Turret cheeks (ERA counted): 750-1000 mm Kinetic / 1200-1700 mm Chemical Upper gun mantlet (ERA counted): 500-650 mm Kinetic / 600-1200 mm Chemical Lower Gun mantlet: 200-550 mm Kinetic / 300-600 mm Chemical

Explosive reactive armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Roof
Hull	Upper glacis: FY-4 (67°, 70°, 81°): 140 mm Kinetic/ 450 mm Chemical	N/A
Turret	Upper turret cheeks, gun mantlet: FY-5 (67°, 70°, 81°): 250 mm Kinetic / 600 mm Chemical Lower turret cheeks: FY-5 (22-26°): 250 mm Kinetic / 600 mm Chemical	Front: FY-5 (3°): 250 mm Kinetic / 600 mm Chemical Slat armour: FY-4: 50 mm Kinetic / 350 mm Chemical	FY-1D1 (89°): 30 mm Kinetic / 300 mm Chemical

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, tracks, and underbody are 20 mm thick.
• Side skirts are 8 mm thick, and slat armour on the turret sides and rear is 10 mm thick.
• There is a 5 mm thick internal RHA screen separating the crew compartment from the engine compartment.
• A log placed at the rear of the hull is 100 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB84 / 38 km/h

RB and SB76 / 35 km/h

Number of gears12 forward

6 back

Weight55.0 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB52.0 hp/t

RB and SB27.3 hp/t

The efforts of Chinese armoured vehicle designers in the first decade of 21st century have finally ripened - ZTZ99A sports a new powerpack consists of the NORINCO Shaanxi 12V150HB-1 diesel engine and CH1000 transmission. With 1500 hp power output when spaded and having a DCT transmission, it is the fastest MBT in the game at 75 km/h and has a -34 km/h reverse; unprecedented for any Warsaw Pact or Chinese tank. The new transmission also makes ZTZ99A a huge but nimble tank in terms of its turning radius, and vastly improves its reaction time to enemies or in case of a quick retreat.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	84	38	55	2,325	2,862	42.27	52.04
Realistic	76	35		1,327	1,500	24.13	27.27

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 235 → 6 932

RB4 112 → 6 731

SB5 208 → 8 525

Total cost of modifications282 700

471 000

Talisman cost3 100

Crew training310 000

Experts1 080 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces1 280 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 210 %

250 / 250 / 250 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 Suspension Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Brake System Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Filters Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 Transmission Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Engine Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360	Improved Parts Research: 4 500 Cost: 23 000 390 Dozer Blade Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 Improved FPE Research: 4 200 Cost: 22 000 360 Crew Replenishment Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 NVD Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 ESS Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Smoke grenade Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360	Horizontal Drive Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 Adjustment of Fire Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 LWS/LR Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Elevation Mechanism Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 125mm_china_ATGM_ammo_pack Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 390 Artillery Support Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 125mm_china_DTW_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 125mm_china_HE_VT_ammo_pack Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

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

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

125 mm Type 99A cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Autoloader

Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader

Ammunition39 rounds

First-order22 rounds

Reload7.1 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 13°

The new ZPT99A gun on ZTZ99A is similar to previous ZPT98 gun, both gun share very similar characteristics with high muzzle velocity, straight ballistics, and feature an autoloader. Although the turret traverse speed hinders some of its combat capabilities, it is certainly an improvement to previous tanks.

125 mm Type 99A					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Autoloader
Arcade	39	-5°/+13°	±180°	Two-plane	36.2	50.1	60.8	67.2	71.5	7.10
Realistic					22.6	26.6	32.3	35.7	38.0

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
DTP-125	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
DTB-125	HE	45	45	45	45	45	45
125-I	APFSDS	466	464	458	450	442	434
DTC10-125	APFSDS	577	575	566	555	544	533
GP125	ATGM (tandem)	850	850	850	850	850	850
DTB12-125	HE-VT*	43	43	43	43	43	43

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%
DTP-125	HEATFS	905	18	0.05	0.1	2.62	65°	72°	77°
DTB-125	HE	850	23	0.3	0.1	5.46	79°	80°	81°
125-I	APFSDS	1,730	4.02	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
DTC10-125	APFSDS	1,770	4.85	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Missile details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Range (m)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
GP125	ATGM (tandem)	445	5,000	17.2	0.4	0.01	5.72	80°	82°	90°

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%
DTB12-125	HE-VT*	850	23.2	0.3	0.1	500	7	5.3	79°	80°	81°

DTP-125; HEATFS - The stock DTP-125 HEAT-FS round has the typical penetration of 480 mm shared by Western MBTs with 120 mm guns, but this is not enough to deal with tanks with composite armour, which are the norm at top tiers. The post-penetration damage is also disappointing. Only use it as an interim shell before APFSDS is unlocked. With 2.19 kg of explosive mass, it is sometimes capable of knocking out light targets like SPAAs and light tanks with overpressure damage, so keep an eye out for those.

DTB-125; HE - The stock DTB-125 HE shell is one of the strongest of any top-rank MBT. It can actually cause more damage to MBTs than the HEAT-FS round if fired at turret rings, hull roofs, and turret cupolas, due to overpressure damage. Well placed impacts have a good chance of transmitting the shockwave into the crew compartment and knocking the target out instantly, even against the toughest MBTs like the Strv 122A. It helps to keep a few HE rounds around even after APFSDS is unlocked as they excel at causing pressure damage to light targets.

125-I APFSDS - The 125-I APFSDS round is a tier 1 modification. Though it first appeared on the ZTZ96, it is still used by the latest ZTZ99A and eases the stock grind considerably. It has very similar flat penetration and superior angled penetration to the 3BM42 "Mango" round used by Soviet tanks and can penetrate most contemporary opponents through at least the lower front plate and gun breech.

DTC10-125 APFSDS - Waiting as a tier 4 modification is the DTC10-125 APFSDS round, a high mass and high velocity shell with only slightly worse performance compared to 3BM60 on the T-80BVM. This will be the go-to round for the ZTZ99A and most targets at the rank are unlikely to withstand a penetrating shot from this shell.

GP125; ATGM (tandem) - The ZTZ99A also has access to the GP125 tandem ATGM, which performs identically to its Soviet counterpart. If players find their darts are not effective against well-armoured targets, the sufficient velocity and penetration can ruin the day of such vehicles, as well as helicopters if they don't evade the incoming missile.

DTB12-125; HE-VT* - DTB12-125 is also available as a tier 4 modification; this is one of the few HE-VT shells available for a top-tier MBT. This shell turns ZTZ99A into a 125 mm anti-aircraft gun thanks to its generous explosive filler, any aircraft that are within its 7 m trigger radius will not have a good day. Although it has lesser explosive content, the VT fuse is not triggered by ground vehicles so it can serve as an alternative for the stock HE-FS as well.

Ammo racks

Full ammo	Ammo type	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
39	Projectiles Propellants	37 (+2) 39 (+0)	34 (+5) 38 (+1)	31 (+8) 37 (+2)	27 (+12) 28 (+11)	23 (+16) 26 (+13)	1 (+38) 23 (+16)	N/A 1 (+38)	No

Like its predecessors, to ensure the best survivability, only bring 23 shells at your disposal (22 in autoloader and 1 preloaded shell); any more shells will have to be moved into the autoloader before being able to fire and significantly increase the risk of ammunition cook-off in case of any penetrating shots.

Machine guns

12.7 mm QJC88A machine gun

Ammunition600 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reload5.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

Vertical guidance-6° / 85°

5.8 mm QJT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reload8.0 s

Fire rate801 shots/min

12.7 mm QJC88A
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	600 (150)	600	-6°/+85°	±180°

5.8 mm QJT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,600 (200)	801	-	-

Usage in battles

As the spearhead of the current PLAGF armoured corps, thanks to the vastly improved mobility compared to its predecessors and new technologies intergrated onto ZTZ99A, it has better handling than its predecessors and is comparable to NATO vehicles in terms of its power-to-weight ratio and top speed. The newly designed tank also has very similar protection to its predecessors while parts of its turrets are replaced by brand new FY-5 ERA blocks and the top is covered by FY-1DA ERA blocks, improving its survivability against top-down attacks. However, the mantlet is still lightly protected compared to other MBTs at its rank, a penetrating shot is now even more likely to cause a breech knockout or even lethal damage to the gun crews. In terms of the hull, although it was remarked to have the protection of a ZTZ99 and the driver has been moved to the left side, the age-old problem of a huge LPF and less protected area over the driver can certainly ruin a player's day at top tier. So it is better to keep the ZTZ99A away from heated battlefields or make sure to cover the LFP and mantlet as much as possible. In case of complicated terrains, either avoid them or quickly dig for cover with the dozer blade modification.

In the firepower department, ZTZ99A also comes with a wide variety of shells; the darts, although having somewhat below average penetration, are overall still sufficient enough to knock-out most western vehicles aside from Strv 122; when facing Russians though, in case players are not confident in the darts, the GP125 tandem ATGM is an alternative to melt through Russian MBTs. While both HE shells seemed similar, the stock DTB-125 is still among the most hard-hitting HE shell at top tier while the new DTB12-125 is a VT shell, meaning that any aircraft that comes close to its 7 m triggering range will have a very bad day thanks to its explosive content. So bringing a variety of shells is viable to make the ZTZ99A more versatile or sometimes have the capability to deliver a last-ditch strike back.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great manoeuvrability
  • Very high top speed for an MBT
  • -34 km/h reverse speed, vastly improving its odds to retreat
  • Dual-flow transmission and shorter chassis enables a tighter turning radius
• Powerful guns with variety of shells ranging from darts up to ATGM
• Very similar sturdy protection to its predecessors
• Faster horizontal traverse speed for the gun

Cons:

• Still suffers from a huge LFP and insufficient mantlet protection
• Has the infamous "NATO hump" that hinders firing arc at rear angles
• Insufficient vertical traverse speed in case of a sudden strike
• Thin side armour, can be penetrated by IFVs and aircraft
• Relatively large profile compared to previous PLAGF tanks
• DTC10-125 has somewhat low penetration for a top tier shell

History

As the previous WZ123/ZTZ99 program had been certified, the Central Military Commission only deemed ZTZ99s as the placeholder before their ultimate aim - a 3rd generation MBT - was achieved. Soon after the first batches of ZTZ99-III rolled off the production line, the new designer, Mao Ming (毛明) of Institute 201 took over from his mentor Zhu Yusheng (祝榆生) and started on his new design of MBT - WZ1001.

The earliest known prototypes consisted of 3 WZ1001s which had different designs: the first was based on a ZTZ99, installing a brand new turret and reworking the rear side of the chassis to fit a new power pack; the second one looked similar to what the certified WZ1001 would be; while the third installed an experimental 125 mm L/54 gun based on the former. These prototypes were first spotted in 2006 and their efforts for a new tank were then certified in 2010, thus named ZTZ10 then ZTZ99A due to unknown reasons.

The earliest batches of the pre-production run ZTZ99As were spotted in the early 2010s equipping an experimental millimeter-wave IFF radar, known simply as New MBT (新型主战坦克) or by the erroneous name ZTZ99A2 (or 99大改) to observers. The debate of the name settled down when it was first shown during the 70th V-J Day Parade in Beijing as the TJ1XX column during the parade; as later batches started to be manufactured in 2016, those in 90th PLA Day Parade at Zhurihe Base (朱日和基地; a Fort Owen-like exercise ground for PLA troops) and during the 70th National Day Parade had slightly different designs with the removal of the aforementioned MMW radar.

Devblog

The ZTZ99A is a further development of the ZTZ99 MBT, already familiar to seasoned War Thunder tankers and fans of Chinese ground vehicles in the game. However, despite sharing a common chassis, the ZTZ99A can be considered a completely new vehicle thanks to a near complete overhaul of its design, particularly concerning its turret. Unlike previous variants, the ZTZ99A features a new arrow-shaped turret, fitted with state-of-the-art ERA and composite armour, capable of defeating even tandem charge chemical rounds.

While the protection upgrade did result in the vehicle gaining roughly 4 tons in weight over its immediate predecessor, this drawback is amply compensated by the ZTZ99A receiving a new 1,500 horsepower diesel engine. As a result, the vehicle's power-to-weight ratio increases to an impressive 27.7 hp/t despite the weight increase! As a result, the ZTZ99A actually outmatches its predecessors in terms of mobility, being able to attain a top speed of 75 km/h on paved roads. Furthermore, a new transmission eliminates the poor reverse speed of the older modifications with the ZTZ99A now being capable of reaching up to 34 km/h while going in reverse. Quite a handy upgrade for intense gun fights, eh?

Unlike its protection and mobility, the ZTZ99A's firepower however remains virtually unchanged from previous versions. The vehicle still features the familiar ZPT-98 125 mm smoothbore cannon as well as a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a top-mounted high-caliber commander's machine gun. Therefore, the ZTZ99A inherits its predecessors' excellent firepower and combines it with its own upgrades to result in a potent new fighting vehicle, worthy of the top spot in the Chinese ground forces tree.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the ZTZ99A from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #308 - Metal Beasts section at 00:24 discusses the ZTZ99A.

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] ZTZ99A: Roaring Tiger

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