Type 69
Contents
Description
The Type 69 is a rank V Chinese medium tank with a battle rating of 8.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".
At first glance, the Type 69 looks reminiscent of the preceding Type 59. Closer inspection reveals it to be quite an interesting tank. It can be visual differentiated from similar vehicles by the placement of the IR spotlight directly above the gun mantlet (Soviet tanks place the spotlight off to the side), a laser rangefinder next to it, and a unique fume extractor located near the tip of the barrel. It can be thought of as a cross between the Soviet T-55A and T-62. Like the former, it boasts improved mobility and gun handling from the original Type 59/T-54, and like the latter, it has a smoothbore gun firing HEAT-FS and APFSDS rounds. As the product of the PRC's first foray into indigenous technologies, it also boasts night vision and laser rangefinder systems.
General info
Survivability and armour
The armor layout of the Type 69 is virtually identical to the Type 59 and T-54 (1951), with a rounded turret made of cast homogeneous armor and a highly sloped front glacis. While the frontal protection is good in terms of raw values, the Type 69 will face many tanks with powerful subcaliber/HEAT rounds that can penetrate its armor with ease. That said, it confers some resistance to the APHE rounds fired by contemporary Soviet tanks like the T-54/55.
Mobility
Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.
Armaments
Main armament
The Type 69 is armed with a 100mm Type 69 smoothbore cannon equipped with a two-plane stabilizer, capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT-FS, and HE rounds.
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack | |||||
| 10m | 100m | 500m | 1000m | 1500m | 2000m | ||
| 1-72-85 | APFSDS | 220 | 213 | 193 | 173 | 156 | 140 |
| Type 1973 | HEATFS | 390 | 390 | 390 | 390 | 390 | 390 |
| 1-71-74 | HE | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity in m/s |
Projectile Mass in kg |
Fuse delay
in m: |
Fuse sensitivity
in mm: |
Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent): |
Normalization At 30° from horizontal: |
Ricochet: | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| 1-72-85 | APFSDS | 1,505 | 4.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ??? | 76° | 77° | 78° |
| Type 1973 | HEATFS | 1,000 | 10.05 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1180 | +0° | 65° | 72° | 75° |
| 1-71-74 | HE | 900 | 15.00 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1300 | +0° | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Machine guns
A 7.62mm SGMT machine gun is mounted coaxially with the main gun and a 12.7 DShK heavy machine gun is mounted on the loader's cupola.
Usage in battles
The Type 69 is somewhat paradoxical. Its laser rangefinder and smoothbore cannon may suggest that it is a good sniper, but the terrible penetration of its 1-72-85 APFSDS (worse than many APHE rounds), which also drops off significantly with range, can make this difficult against moderately or heavily armored opponents at longer distances. Meanwhile its two-plane stabilizer, improved engine, and faster turret rotation speed are more suitable for an offensive role, though it lacks the APHE enjoyed by the comparable T-55A for instant knockouts.
Terrible APFSDS is still APFSDS, and it enjoys better angled performance and post-penetration damage than many APDS rounds commonly used at its rank. It is effective against lightly armored opponents like the Leopard I and can still be used against enemy T-55s or T-62s when fired at the upper glacis at closer distances. When fighting more resilient targets, such as those that are hull down with good turret armor, the Type 1973 HEAT-FS is a better choice. Identical in performance to the T-55A's 3BK17M, it can penetrate virtually any opponent not equipped with composite or reactive armor. While not as easy to use as the APFSDS due to its lower velocity and propensity for detonating on bushes/fences, its high penetration and ability to hull-break light targets are very welcome. Finally, a 1-71-74 HE round is available, but with only 1.3 kg of explosive mass and 17mm of penetration, it is ineffective against all but the most lightly armored vehicles. It is better to take the HEAT-FS instead since it is far more useful and almost as good for hull breaking.
It should be noted that the post-penetration damage of the APFSDS and HEAT-FS is somewhat punctual, so effort should be taken to aim for ammo racks or catch as many crew members as possible in the line of fire. This is especially important since the Type 69's reload is rather sluggish and a crippled target could retreat or retaliate before a follow up shot is ready.
Mobility wise, the Type 69 is about the same as the T-55A. While not agonizing, it certainly won't be the first tank to arrive on the battlefield. Note that the reverse speed of -7 km/h is rather poor and it lacks neutral steering, so be careful about overextending.
Overall the Type 69 is a versatile tank, having tools for most situations at hand and no major weaknesses, though conversely it is not exceptional in any regard. It is best used as a flexible combatant, capable of flanking, pushing aggressively, or sniping when the situation needs it as long as the appropriate ammunition is chosen for the situation. Caution should be paid to its substandard mobility and sometimes finicky ammunition.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- One of the earliest tanks in the game with APFSDS rounds
- Has a two-plane stabilizer
- Access to night vision and a laser rangefinder
- Improved engine, turret rotation speed, and ammunition capacity compared to the Type 59
- Top mounted heavy machine gun is useful against aircraft
- Wet ammo storage
Cons:
- APFSDS has poor penetration (lowest in the game), inferior in flat pen to the preceding 100mm APDS
- Does not have access to APHE
- Armour is identical to the Type 59, does not hold up very well at its rank
- Can be confused for Soviet tanks at a quick glance
History
After the Sino-Soviet split, the People's Republic of China was no longer able to receive military technical help from the Soviet Union. The Type 59, a licensed copy of the T-54A, was the the most advanced medium tank available to the PLA, but after a few years it became apparent that upgrades were necessary to keep up with the rapidly advancing technology of the time. The PLA ordered the development of a new "Type 69" tank in 1963 and the first prototype was manufactured in 1966; however, the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 and the ensuing purges impeded further development of the tank. The early Type 69 featured a smoothbore cannon, IR searchlight, laser rangefinder, and a new engine.
After the capture of a Soviet T-62, the latest Soviet technology was examined, copied, and implemented into the Type 69, creating the Type 69-I variant. During this time the smoothbore gun was found to be rather unsatisfactory, and Type 69 tanks in Chinese service were often refitted with the same 100mm rifled gun as the Type 59. Further development continued through the 1980s, culminating in the Type 79 series, which incorporated a new 105mm gun and numerous Western technologies.
The Type 69 series saw relatively limited service with the PLA but were more popular on the export market, purchased by countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Modified Type 69 tanks were still in the inventory of the Iraqi Army during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though by this point they were no match for modern MBTs.
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the tank;
- 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 |
