This article is about the Tier 6 progression MBT. For the Tier 7 special premium MBT, see Type 90. |
The Type 90-II is a Tier 6 progression Main Battle Tank under Zhang Feng's dealership.
History[ | ]
Class: Main Battle Tank (Prototype)
Developed: 1990-1991
Service: N/A
Vehicles Built: 1
Operators: N/A
The Type 90-II Chinese Main Battle Tank prototype is a rather interesting piece of Chinese machinery, built, unlike many of the previous Chinese vehicles, from scratch instead of by upgrading some older, obsolete design. For one, the Type 90 MBT was not an evolution of the Type 85, although it used the same weapon system. It was basically a new attempt for a third generation tank based on the lessons learned from a T-72 that the Chinese had acquired earlier in the 1980s from Romania. While the whole vehicle had the typical Chinese shapes of the late 1980s and 1990s (when China moved away from the classic cast turrets and replaced them with welded ones), the suspension is different from that of the Type 85 series and can be traced back to the abovementioned T-72.
Secondly, the Type 90 was built for export, specifically to Pakistan. In other words, it was not designed as a third generation MBT for Chinese use, that role eventually fell to Type 96 and Type 99 MBTs. The 1991 Type 90-II prototype, developed by NORINCO, weighed 48 tons and had a crew of three. It was basically a mash-up of older Chinese technologies from Type 80 and Type 85 MBTs and Soviet upgrades. It was armed with a copy of the Soviet 125mm 2A46 smoothbore called Type 83. Some sources claim that the vehicle could also fire gun-launched guided missiles, specifically a copy of the Soviet 9K119 Refleks system.
The base armor of the vehicle was from steel but layers of composite were added to the turret and hull front. The exact protection levels are not known but are assumed to be roughly the same as a base T-72 model. The engine choice was somewhat unique. Instead of powering their new creation with a standard Chinese engine of the era, the Chinese offered a wide scale of imported engines and transmissions for the vehicle with the baseline being the Ukrainian 6TD diesel from Kharkov producing some 1200hp.
The Pakistanis apparently didn’t like first prototype all too much but, instead, became more involved in the vehicle development, which eventually led to an improved version called Type 90-IIM, more commonly known under the name MBT-2000. Pakistan purchased and mass-produced MBT-2000 from 2001 under the name of Al-Khalid but this MBT is so different from the original Type 90-II that it cannot be counted as a variant thereof. While several hundred MBT-2000s were produced, the Type 90-II itself remained a prototype vehicle only.
Vehicle Traits[ | ]
- Armored: This vehicle's armor can withstand a lot of punishment, allowing it to survive even serious firefights.
- Heavy Weapon: This vehicle carries one of the largest weapons around with significantly increased damage per shot.
Ammunition[ | ]
Ammo Name |
Ammo Type |
XP Cost | Damage | Penetration | Velocity | Reload Time |
More Info | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
125mm Type IDU AP | APFSDS | Stock | 600 | 645[note 1] mm | 1750 m/s | 8.60 s | ||
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125mm 125-II APFSDS | APFSDS | 27,065 | 630 | 695[note 2] mm | 1750 m/s | 8.60 s | ||
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125mm 125-HE-I HE | HE | Stock | 945[note 3] | 45 mm | 850 m/s | 8.60 s | ||
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125mm BTJ-IM HEAT | HEAT | 21,470 | 810 | 820 mm | 905 m/s | 8.60 s | ||
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GP125 ATGM | ATGM | 25,665 | 720[note 4] | 850 mm | 300 m/s | 8.60 s | ||
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7.62mm AP | AP | Stock | 8 | 18[note 5] mm | 855 m/s | 5.00 s | ||
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Upgrades[ | ]
Armor[ | ]
XP Cost | Credit Cost | Hull Armor |
Hull Composition |
Turret Armor |
Turret Composition |
ERA Name | ERA Penetration Reduction |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stock | Stock | 590 mm (vs AP) 780 mm (vs HEAT) |
Composite | 840 mm (vs AP) 1255 mm (vs HEAT) |
Steel Layers with Air Gaps | N/A | N/A vs AP N/A vs HEAT |
This MBT's front is protected by composite armor. Composite armor consists of combined layers of steel and other material and offers excellent protection against HEAT shells and ATGMs. Its steel sides and rear are considerably more vulnerable. |
Weapon[ | ]
Name | XP Cost | Credit Cost | Aim Time | Reload Time | More Info | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
125mm WA321A Smoothbore Cannon | Stock | Stock | 2.13 s | 8.60 s | ||
Stats:
Ammo:
125mm Type IDU AP 125mm 125-II APFSDS 125mm 125-HE-I HE 125mm BTJ-IM HEAT GP125 ATGM 7.62mm AP |