- Yes
- No
- North Korean sub-tree in China
- United Korea tech tree
- Other
- I said no
Brief History
North Korea, despite what some may think, has a surprisingly large variety of tanks and other AFVs. In particular, their indigenous variants and developments of the Soviet T-62 are incredibly interesting, and would fit nicely into the game. North Korea adopted the T-62 as their MBT in the 70s, replacing their antiquated T-34s and T-55s (although over 2000 T-55s are still in service in 2023). They obtained T-62s from 2 sources – directly importing them from the USSR, as well as producing them under license/reverse-engineering them. These were designated Ch’ŏnma (roughly meaning ‘Pegasus’) [note: some sources refer to these tanks as ‘Ch’ŏnma-Ho XYZ’ but the -Ho suffix is something made up by the US DoD].
The Ch’ŏnma went through a variety of different upgrades and modifications, ranging from glorified 1960s-era T-62s to effectively completely new vehicles in some of the later variants. The Ch’ŏnma-216 (also known as P’okp’ung-Ho II, although this designation is entirely fictitious) was first spotted in October 2010, and is by far the best variant of the Ch’ŏnma. Multiple sub-variants have since been produced, but this suggestion focuses on the first variant, initially seen in 2010.
Characteristics
The Ch’ŏnma-216 was based on the previous Ch’ŏnma-215 (suggestion on the forums here). Compared to the Ch’ŏnma-215, the Ch’ŏnma-216 has slightly altered smoke grenade positions, slightly different turret applique shape, and a slightly different engine deck and rear fenders, along with other even more minor changes.
The base turret armour is the same as that of the Ch’ŏnma-215, reaching levels comparable to that of the T-72M (~600mm), see image below.
Spoiler
It is possible that a new engine (1000-1100hp) was developed for this tank, but I find it unlikely. Its sights may also have been upgraded to those found on the early T-72s, as North Korea acquired a T-72 Ural during the development of this variant (hence the much improved turret armour).
Some sources claim this variant mounted a North Korean 125mm 2A46 copy, but I find this highly unlikely. When compared to prior variants, there are no visual indicators that this is the case.
Compared to the base T-62/Ch’ŏnma, the Ch’ŏnma-216 incorporated a lot of the prior upgrades, such as:
- A new welded turret, first seen on the Ch’ŏnma-98
- It is elongated, which might suggest a turret bustle/a larger first-stage ammo rack
- Side-skirts, smoke launchers and a laser rangefinder, seen on various prior variants
- A new engine (750hp), as on Ch’ŏnma-98 OR a new 1000-1100hp engine
It likely retains the same (hull) armour layout and armament of the base T-62, but probably uses some of the better 115mm APFSDS (such as 3BM21 or 3BM28), likely without GL-ATGMs however.
Conclusion
The Ch’ŏnma-216 would be a really cool vehicle for a future North Korean sub-tree. The 2010 variant doesn’t improve on the Ch’ŏnma-215 in any combat characteristics, hence I suggest it is added at the same BR and foldered with the 215, to provide a back-up with the same characteristics. It could also be given 3BM36 APFSDS and placed at a higher BR because of that, but I think the later variants would do better with this round.
Specifications
Armament
- 115mm U-5TS
- Stabilised
- 3BM21 APFSDS
- 3BM28 APFSDS
- 3BM36 APFSDS
- 3BK15M HEAT-FS
- 3OF27 HE
- Laser rangefinder
- NVDS/Thermals
- NVDs confirmed, thermals likely but not confirmed
Armour
- Hull
- Front - 100mm at 59º
- Sides - 80mm at 0º
- Rear - 45mm at 2º
- Turret
- Front - 214-240mm + Unknown add-on armour thickness, better than Soviet ‘BDD’ (65-85mm)
- Sides - Unknown, likely similar to regular T-62 (115-196mm)
- Rear - Unknown, likely similar to regular T-62 (65mm)
Mobility
- Speed
- Unknown, likely still roughly +55/-9 km/h
- Weight
- Unknown, likely ~44t
- Engine power
- 750hp, ~17hp/t
- OR 1000-1100hp, ~22.7-25hp/t
Images
Sources
