M1989 SPAA

ChieftainWarrior · January 17, 2024, 8:35am

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North Korea sub-tree in China
United Korea tree
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M1989 SPAA

Unknown official name

Brief History
North Korea has a surprisingly long history of tank and AFV production, with some of their most recent developments being very interesting. During the Korean War, and for a couple decades after, North Korea relied on Soviet hand-me-downs, namely T-34s and their derivatives, T-55s, etc. In the 70s, the DPRK started development of their first MBTs based on their copy of the T-62 (Ch’ŏnma), which have continually been upgraded to this day.

To support MBTs and the rest of their armed forces, North Korea experimented with a number of SPAAs, starting with primitive trucks with machine guns placed on top (like the Soviet GAZ SPAAs), but reaching fully functional indigenous SPAAs beginning in the 70s. At some point in this period, North Korea received a couple ZSU-23-4s from the Soviet Union, which formed the basis for 2 separate SPAAs. The first was the M1985, which mounted dual 57mm autocannons (as on the ZSU-57-2) in a new turret on the ZSU-23-4 chassis. And, shortly after the development of the M1985, the M1989 was born, which retained a number of similarities to the Shilka.

Characteristics
Instead of 4x 23mm guns as on the ZSU-23-4, the M1989 mounts 2x AK-230 30mm guns. These guns were obtained from Soviet ships imported in the 60s – such as the Osa- and Shershen-classes. One of these is already in game as the Pr. 206. It is unknown how, if at all, the guns were modified to fit into the tank, such as if the 500-round belt was shortened (presumably). These guns are assisted by the MR-104 ‘Drum Tilt’ pulse-only radar system. The turret is different but still a similar shape to that of the Shilka.

The hull of the M1989 is a copy of the ZSU-23-4’s, although there are a few minor differences. There is different side stowage, different tracks, and potentially a slightly altered upper-front plate angle. However, none of this matters in game, as the hull is already weakly armoured, and won’t stop much above machine guns.

Conclusion
This vehicle would be a great mid/high-tier indigenous SPAA for a North Korean sub-tree. It would have better gun performance and similar mobility to the ZSU-23-4 at 8.0, but with slightly less RoF and still a primitive radar (worse than that of the Shilka), so I think the same BR of 8.0 would be good.

Specifications
Armament

Dual AK-230 30mm
- HEF
  - 3mm at 10m, 1060/s
- AP-T
  - 68mm at 10m, 1060/s
- HEF-I
  - 3mm at 10m, 1060m/s
MR-104 Radar
- 10,000m/100m Maximum/Minimum Tracking Range
- ±155° Azimuth Tracking Angle
- 0°/+80° Elevation Tracking Angle