[Would you like to see this in-game?]
- Yes
- No
0
voters
NORINCO ZTZ99B - Reborn for the information age
Hello everyone, Today I’m gonna suggest a very modern Chinese MBT : ZTZ-99B, hope you’ll like it!
First of all:
- I’m still an amateur so please feel free to share more Information and / or correct me if something is wrong
- Follow the forum rules while discussing
- Please, keep distance from Political discussions.
- Since it’s a very modern MBT and information on it is limited and often unclear, the accuracy of the information provided cannot be guaranteed. Also, this topic doesn’t represent any official point of view.
Basic Background
Spoiler
The ZTZ-99B is the latest production iteration of the ZTZ-99 family. It was publicly unveiled on 3 September 2025 at the parade in Beijing, leading the Ground Assault formation of 22 vehicles arranged in an arrowhead. The formation was drawn mainly from a combined-arms brigade of the PLA 82nd Group Army — the first motorized, mechanized and digitized formation in the PLA.
According to the official Xinhua description, the 99B was developed from the 99A “through technical integration and functional expansion,” significantly improving its capabilities for integrated joint operations under informatized conditions, multi-target firepower strikes, mobility in complex terrain, and sustained crew operations in severe weather. It is a real, in-service vehicle, not a prototype or paper project.
The ZTZ-99B Overall
Spoiler
The ZTZ-99B retains the well-proven Type 99A layout: a welded arrow-shaped turret with modular composite armour and ERA, an autoloading 125 mm smoothbore gun and a three-man crew.
The ZTZ-99B is equipped with an autoloading 125 mm cannon, which is capable of firing multiple munitions including APFSDS, HEAT-FS and HE-FS. Besides, ZTZ-99B uses a remote-controlled 12.7mm machine gun and a 5.8mm Coaxial Machine Gun. ZTZ-99B’s Optics are fully refined with a newly designed commander’s panoramic sight and gunner’s main sight.Chinese military media widely report them as third-generation thermal imaging sights with an updated fire-control computer and improved weather/sensor inputs.
Before the parade, a ZTZ-99A prototype fitted with the GL-6 hard-kill active protection system was photographed; the system consists of two APS launchers paired with four fire-control radars. The vehicles shown in the parade itself appear to have been fitted without the APS, but production examples fitted with it have been observed, confirming the possibility of APS installation on the ZTZ-99B.
99A with GL6 APS
According to Chinese official media, the ZTZ-99B is equipped with upgraded information systems, data-sharing links and a reported 360° situational-awareness sensor suite, continuing the 99A’s C4ISR architecture with newer components.
The engine deck and running gear remain visually very close to the 99A. On a military program called “LiJian” posted by CCTV, 99B are described as capable of fast and consistent maneuver on high altitude compared to 99A. Chinese online media report an upgraded engine (150HB-2, around 1,800 hp, with high-altitude output of roughly 1,500 hp at 5,300 m - not confirmed) and an optimised torsion-bar/hydraulic suspension. West reporting (SCMP, Hindustan Times) indicates the type is intended for high-altitude operations, e.g. alongside the Type 15 in the Himalayas, which fits the official emphasis on complex-terrain mobility.
Differences Between ZTZ-99B and ZTZ-99A
Spoiler
Since the ZTZ-99B is a relatively new vehicle and its unclassified data and specifications are relatively rare, in this part I will use officially released pictures to clarify the differences between the 99B and 99A (focusing on changes relevant to the 99B’s in-game performance) and explain its niche in War Thunder.
- Commander’s armament on ZTZ-99B is remotely controlled instead of manually controlled on 99A. According to Chinese officials, this RWS has independent optical sensors and thermals Which gives 99B better situation awareness and an increased level of intelligence.
remote-controlled machine gun on 99B
remote-controlled machine gun on 99B
machine gun on 99A
- The Gunner’s scope has no significant differences on 99B and 99A, however, there’s still some slight changes between two lens if you look at them closely. The structure inside the scope has slight differences between these two tanks. however, these changes are not confirmed because the lack of Close-up shots on 99B’s scope and the scope structure are different even on different batches of 99A. Hope there will be more pics in the future which will clarify this question for us. But for now, considered 99B’s upgrade on commander’s sight, it’s highly possible for the 99B to have a gunner’s sight upgrade.
gunner’s sight on 99B
gunner’s sight on 99A
gunner’s sight on 99A
- The most visible difference between the two tanks is the commander’s panoramic sight. The ZTZ-99A carries the earlier-generation unit: a taller, faceted drum-shaped housing mounted on a prominent cylindrical pedestal, with its optical apertures arranged on the front face of the head. The ZTZ-99B mounts a completely redesigned commander’s sight — a squatter, angular box-shaped housing with a single large optical window and a low, flush-mounted base that sits close to the turret roof. Chinese military media widely describe the new unit as a third-generation thermal imaging panoramic sight with updated electronics, and its integration with the 99B’s 360° situational-awareness sensors is one of the quickest recognition cues between the two vehicles.
commander’s sight on 99B
commander’s sight on 99A
- As for the 99B’s niche in War Thunder, from my perspective it would occupy a position in the Chinese tree similar to the M1A2C’s role in the US tree. Better optics, thermals, mobility and spall liners would make the 99B a much better tank than the 99A. Adding the ZTZ-99B and the ZTZ-99A (GL-6) would be comparable to adding the M1A2C and the M1A2 (Trophy-VM). This would greatly improve the top-tier experience for Chinese tree players with minimal development effort.
Specifications
- Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner)
- Combat weight: ~55 t (estimated, Type 99A basis)
- Length: ~11 m (gun forward); hull ~7.3 m
- Width: ~3.4 m
- Height: ~2.4 m
- Main armament: 125 mm smoothbore gun (ZPT-98 family) with carousel autoloader
- Secondary armament: 12.7 mm remote-controlled weapon station; 7.62 mm coaxial MG
- Ammunition: APFSDS, HEAT, HE-Frag; gun-launched ATGM capable;
- Engine: 1,500 hp class diesel (Type 99A basis); media-reported ~1,800 hp upgrade unconfirmed
- Maximum speed: ~75 km/h (road)
- Operational range: ~500 km
- Fire control: updated FCS, commander panoramic sight and gunner sight (reported 3rd-generation thermal), laser rangefinder
Sources
- Xinhua - official 99B description (3 Sep 2025)
- Asian Military Review - PLA ground forces show plenty of punch in Beijing parade
- Wikipedia - Type 99 tank (variants and specifications)
- Bulgarian Military - China shows ZTZ-99B tank with 2x APS launchers and 4x radars
- CNR - 99B factory acceptance live-fire test
- NetEase - 99B external changes at the parade (Chinese)
- CCTV - Live-Fire Test Revealed for the First Time! How Capable Is China's New Tank?
Performance figures marked unconfirmed above are from Chinese media and have not been officially verified.
