- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #108
i would like to suggest an actual Chinese SPAA for the mid-Rank of the tree (the Type 65 is likely to be exclusively a Vietnamese modification) the 301.
Odd name. The 301型自行高炮 (301 anti-aircraft cannon) was simply a project number for this tank. it never had the official service designation. but could be named SPAA 301 or Project 301 (like the Russian prototype). other unofficial name could be Type 62 AA
the 301 was a SPAA based on the Type 62 light tank. the tank was armed of a twin 37mm Type 65 gun in an open-top turret. The tank was supposed to be a mobile AA gun carrier as China had an exclusively static AA gun. the choice of using type 62 as the platform was an economical and logistic choice as well as efficient. Type 62 was widely used in China and proven good for the service. the wide use of the chassis allows a standardised logistic (no need of new parts to be provided to the units for maintenance). the chassis was also a compact and mobile platform for the SPAA. the only need was to have a good turret. the turret was designed with simplicity. wanted to be a compact equivalent of the ZSU-57-2 turret. there is a relation to see between the 301 and the Type 80 SPAA. Type 80 was a Chinese version of the ZSU-57-2 on the Type 59 chassis. Type 62 was a down-scaled version of the Type 59. The 301 was a lighter version of the Type 80 just like the Type 62 was a downscale version of the Type 59.
the project starting in 1966, went through 3 stages of the prototype and the final stage 3 prototype was nearly ready for production. the project was cancelled in 1981 as Type 80 was in service.
the 301 never left the prototype stage as in 1981, the Chinese had established (after a serial cultural purge and change of direction) that such SPAAG was unfit for the Chinese army. the Type 80 SPAA was entering into production and the Type 88 SPAA was under development. the need for a light and mobile SPAA to go in the wetland of southern China and the mountainous land of western China was considered unneeded. especially since the Type 80 could, but less comfortably, still be used in those areas.
Firepower
the firepower of this tank is just as interesting as the Phòng không T-34. in fact it is identical. the tank features the same 37mm Type 65 auto-cannon which are based on the russian 61-K. the elevation makes it quite comfortable to fight aircraft and the rotation speed will not be lacking. the fire rate is also decent. if needed to fight ground targets, the guns can deal some decent penetration which allows you to penetrate some tanks.
Mobility
the tank mobility will be pretty good. at least when going forward. based on a Chinese light tank, it will be capable of reaching a speed of 60 km/h quite easily due to the lightweight and powerful engine. weighting approximately 22 tons, it is powered by a 500 hp engine which gives it a power/weight of 23.81 hp tonnes. this will make it accelerate pretty fast and often reach 50-55 km/h even off-road.
Protection
the tank protection is not that great. from the Phòng không T-34 you lose a bit of protection. the chassis is more lightly protected and the turret also seems to have thinner armour. however, the crew is more covered by the turret armour and the vehicle is having a smaller size. this makes it a slightly bit better to protect and hide. the crew include 5 men of which 4 are in the turret.
Sources
- https://baike.baidu.com/item/301自行高炮
- wemp.app - This website is for sale! - wemp Resources and Information.
- https://kknews.cc/zh-cn/military/eyx5gen.html
- http://wot.17173.com/content/08032023/144634424.shtml
- 中国88式双37自行高炮再现身 其到底是不是失败者？|自行高炮|速射炮|中国陆军_新浪军事_新浪网
- https://i.ifeng.com/c/8Z8z5iD1CB8
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Warthunder/comments/cybot1/chinas_low_tier_ctrl_cv_problem_can_be_fixed/