PT-76 (China)

This page is about the light tank PT-76 (China). For other versions, see PT-76 (Family).

␗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

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

Description

The PT-76 (плавающий танк, plavayushchiy tank, or ПТ-76) is a Soviet amphibious light tank that went into service in the early 1950s and quickly became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exported to other allies all over the world. As China's southeast coastal area was unrestful in late 1957, and the terrain was harsh with massive water networks and rivers, China was committed to developing an indigenous amphibious tank that would be deployed along the southeast coastal area in the event of future conflict. The development code "Project 211 (Object 211)" was assigned in July 1958, and China purchased the Soviet Union's PT-76 amphibious light tank to acquire the technology. The project underwent numerous revisions before entering production as the Type 63 amphibious light tank. Since an early variant of the PT-76 was imported to China, it lacks the two-plane stabilizer that subsequent variants feature.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the PT-76, as one of the first tanks to be armed with HEAT-FS, has little issue dealing with heavily armoured adversaries at any range. However, due to the restrictions of the main gun's calibre, post-penetration damage can be insufficient, necessitating additional shots. Nonetheless, it is a great asset to the Chinese Army's ground forces, which contributed to the development of the Type 63 amphibious light tank.

General info

Survivability and armour

ESS

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

Armourfront / side / back

Hull13 / 10 / 6

Turret15 / 15 / 15

Crew3 people

Visibility75 %

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 (35°)	6 mm
Cupola	10 mm	10 mm	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 armour 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

Amphibious

The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water

Speedforward / back

AB49 / 8 km/h

RB and SB44 / 7 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight14.0 t

Engine power

AB458 hp

RB and SB240 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB32.7 hp/t

RB and SB17.1 hp/t

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

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 214 → 1 744

RB1 497 → 2 151

SB1 838 → 2 641

Total cost of modifications34 800

67 500

Talisman cost1 300

Crew training39 000

Experts135 000

Aces550

Research Aces390 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

80 / 120 / 160 %

154 / 154 / 154 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 135 Suspension Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 500 105 Brake System Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 500 105 Filters Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 600 230 Transmission Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 500 185 Engine Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 500 185	Improved Parts Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 135 Improved FPE Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 500 105 Crew Replenishment Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 600 230 ESS Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 500 185	Horizontal Drive Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 135 76mm_ussr_AP_53_ammo_pack Research: 1 700 Cost: 3 300 135 Adjustment of Fire Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 500 105 Airstrike Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 500 105 76mm_ussr_HEAT_53_ammo_pack Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 500 105 Elevation Mechanism Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 600 230 Artillery Support Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 500 185 Improved optics Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 500 185

Go for parts and FPE (safety first) and then go for the AP and HEATFS shells so penetrating enemies won't be such a problem anymore. Then go for mobility modifications and then the ESS.

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm D-56T cannon

Ammunition40 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-4° / 31°

76 mm D-56T					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	40	-4°/+31°	±180°	N/A	16.2	22.4	27.2	30.1	32.0	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					10.1	11.9	14.5	16.0	17.0

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
BR-354N	APCR	152	148	129	109	92	78
BR-354	APHE	99	97	89	80	72	65
BK-354M	HEATFS	200	200	200	200	200	200
OF-350M	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10

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%
BR-354N	APCR	950	3.3	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
BR-354	APHE	655	6.5	1.2	14	49.28	47°	60°	65°
BK-354M	HEATFS	700	7	0.05	0.1	550	65°	72°	77°
OF-350M	HE	680	6.2	0.05	0.1	621	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the PT-76 (China)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	39 (+1)	25 (+15)	1 (+39)	No

Machine guns

7.62 mm Type 59 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.62 mm SGMT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,000 (250)	600	N/A	N/A

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). 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
• Easy target for aircraft
• Susceptible to overpressure damage
• Looks very similar to the Soviet PT-76B (gun barrel is slightly different), can be confused for it in Simulator Battles

History

The People's Republic of China (PRC) received a number of PT-76 amphibious light tanks from the Soviet Union in the 1950s.

In 1958, the PLA decided to design an amphibious light tank of their own based off the PT-76. The first prototype, known as the WZ-221 or Type 60, was tested in 1959 and the final design was approved in December 1963. The final design had the factory designation WZ-211 and entered production as the Type 63. Upgraded variants of the Type 63 are still in service with the PLA as of 2021.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the PT-76 (China) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

PT 76 - No Expert Crew Challenge - Napalmratte

Amphibious tanks discusses the PT-76 (China) at 4:38 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Type 63-I

External links

• [Wikipedia] PT-76
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] PT-76 light tank (1952)