T-90M has a BR of 12.7 while ZTZ-99A has a BR of 12.3 why is this the case when the ZTZ-99A is better?
Protection
The T-90M has better amour / survivability (in theory). As its lower front plate is smaller, it is still as easy target to hit. The gun breech area is also roughly the same. The turret itself is a bit better protected but the upper hull is pretty weak. however getting to my next point there is something a player can do help with survivability.
I will also quickly address the side armor. The T-90M has superior side protection. But in practice it doesn’t mean much as it cant really stop anything for fighting against.
Maneuverability
This is where the ZTZ-99A shines. The engine is 1500hp compeered to the T-90M with 1130hp. This means the ZTZ-99A is able to accelerate a quicker. The ZTZ-99A has a top speed 75 km/h while the T-90M has a top speed of 60 km/h. This means the ZTZ-99A can get to better spots on the map and reposition itself faster the T-90M can.
The ZTZ-99A also has a reverse speed of 34 km/h compeered to the T-90M with a 4 km/h reverse speed (which is terrible) The ZTZ-99A can push rather aggressively and still be able to fall back to cover if needed. Meanwhile a T-90M struggles to go back a few meters behind a hill. This means T-90M has to be very carful about their positioning as the cant move back quickly.
Combine the two
Trying to hit a moving target is a lot harder than trying to hit a stationary target. This works well for the ZTZ-99A as its able to move around very fast and change its direction. This makes the slightly easier weak spots now a lot harder to hit. While the T-90M cant move around as much making the weak spots easier to hit. This of course comes down to player knowledge and skills, rather than the tank itself. But these tanks are at top tier so there’s no excuse for player skill issues.
What BR should the T-90M have?
I think the T-90M should go down to BR 12.3 at least, maybe even 12.0 the tank isn’t that good, people just don’t know what to do when facing it. Compered to the T-80BVM at lest its no where near as good and shouldn’t be 12.7. Just look at what Soviet players are using at top tier. Its the T-80s not the T-90 / T-72.
