The WZ-1224 is a Tier 6 premium Main Battle Tank under Zhang Feng's dealership.
History[ | ]
Class: Main Battle Tank (Prototype)
Developed: late 1970s
Service: N/A
Vehicles Built: 1
Operators: N/A
Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, China increasingly began to recognize the drawbacks and flaws of their Soviet-based tank designs, many of which (like the Type 69) were simply upgraded versions of the now-obsolete Type 59. To produce modern and competitive designs, Chinese tank developers worked in two directions. The first was simply to continue improving existing designs. The other was to develop a brand new indigenous tank that would be different from anything previously built in China. One of the attempts at the latter was the WZ-1224.
The WZ-1224 (a factory designation) was a unique design, originally intended to replace the Type 59, although other sources claim it was simply a technology demonstration built to advance certain elements of Chinese armor engineering. Development started in the late 1970s and at least one prototype was built. Unlike previous Chinese tanks that were heavily influenced by Soviet designs, the WZ-1224 carried many elements present in western armored vehicles. The vehicle had a low silhouette but the turret was welded instead of cast and the armament consisted of an indigenously-developed experimental 120mm smoothbore cannon designed with the help of Western components imported from Israel.
In the end, the novelties have proven to be this tank’s downfall. The automatic loading mechanism development was unsuccessful, and the gun didn’t perform as well as it was hoped for, not to mention that the turret was quite complicated (and expensive) to produce. Following unsuccessful trials in early 1980, a modified version of this tank with a simpler cast turret called the WZ-1226 was built. Two prototypes of this new tank were built and tested in 1981, each with a different engine. Unfortunately these trials too were unsuccessful. The Chinese military came to the conclusion that even with the cast turret the design was fundamentally flawed and the project was completely cancelled soon after the trials ended. The 120mm gun development continued and an advanced variant of the 120mm smoothbore was later used on the PTZ-89 Tank Destroyer.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120mm 120-I APFSDS | APFSDS | Stock | 570 | 630[note 1] mm | 1650 m/s | 7.40 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 120mm 120-I HE | HE | Stock | 850[note 2] | 40 mm | 980 m/s | 7.40 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 120mm 120-I HEAT-MP | HEAT-MP | Stock | 680[note 3] | 690 mm | 1140 m/s | 7.40 s | ||
| ||||||||
| 7.62mm AP | AP | Stock | 8 | 18[note 4] mm | 855 m/s | 5.00 s | ||
| ||||||||
Upgrades[ | ]
Armor[ | ]
| XP Cost | Credit Cost | Hull Armor |
Hull Composition |
Turret Armor |
Turret Composition |
ERA Name | ERA Penetration Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | Stock | 535 mm (vs AP) 860 mm (vs HEAT) |
Composite | 985 mm (vs AP) 1885 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120mm Type 71 Smoothbore Cannon | Stock | Stock | 1.96 s | 7.40 s | ||
Stats:
Ammo:
120mm 120-I APFSDS 120mm 120-I HE 120mm 120-I HEAT-MP 7.62mm AP | ||||||
Engine[ | ]
| Name | XP Cost | Credit Cost | Max Speed | Reverse Speed | Forward Acceleration |
Hull Traverse | Fire Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTU MB 8V331 TC41 910 hp Diesel Engine | Stock | Stock | 65 km/h | 22 km/h | 4.70 s (0 to 32 km/h) 21.85 s (0 to Max Speed) |
36.28° | 8 % |
Parts[ | ]
| Name | XP Cost | Credit Cost | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Type 84G Smoke Grenades |
Stock | Stock | Comes with 8 charges Takes 25s to recharge Duration: 10s |
|
 Improved Gun Stabilizer |
Stock | Stock | Overall accuracy while moving is improved by 20% | |
 Improved Gunner Optics |
Stock | Stock | Accuracy is improved by 10% | |
Upgraded Fire Control System Sensors |
Stock | Stock | Reduces the accuracy penalties for firing and traversing the hull. | |
 Stock Tracks |
Stock | Stock | Mobility (Light Terrain): 88.4% Mobility (Heavy Terrain): 73.8% |