Why does this nation have the most outrageous BR rankings and no one speaks about them? Type 87 RCV (P), higher BR than the BTR, the Wiesel, the RATEL 20 EVEN. THE EXACT SAME GUN, ZERO thermals like the Wiesel, a larger vertical profile than the BTR AND the Ratel, It’s APDS is a joke that cannot pen american medium tanks. The ammo the ratel has, and the APDS the Wiesel and Type 87 get are effectively the same, you engage the exact same tanks because neither belt has enough pen to do anything even point blank.
Then you get to the production version of it and it’s the same ranking as the Type 89 which gets ATGMs, thermals, a stab, a main gun that can frontally kill MBT’s, and the same spotting mechanic, and a drone. It exclusively fights fully stabilized, thermal tanks with APFSDS, your engine is louder than a T-55/T-72/ INSERT TANK HERE, so you will be pinpoint located on the other side of the map by some autist. So, why are these things such high BR when every other nation that gets vehicles adjacent to it do not get screwed so hard.
Funny enough, that production RCV was at the same BR as Prototype. Actually, its mostly because Production variant has APFSDS with fast fire rate and good mobility. But is it justified? Ah, idk. Like, there is VBC(PT2) that has better armor, stab, thermals, recon UAV and literally the same mobility. And it stands 0.3 BR higher. Idk if br of VBC justified, but i dont think that having all of this are only values only for 0.3 br.
I skipped the Prototype, but it does have a full stab, that’s a pretty sizable advantage over the comparable tanks you listed. The speed is nothing to sniff at either.
As for the Production, it does look weak, and is very weak until you get the APFSDS. But good lord the damage you can do with a good flank. You can rip through just about anything side on, and many light tanks frontally as well. If you can use the speed to get yourself into a good position, you can shred through entire flanks. It’s especially powerful late game, where enemies are spread out and you can more easily dash through their lines and show up on their side. The VBC is a good comparison, being larger but stabilizer (And with thermals) at 0.3 BR higher, and that’s fair. Honestly, the gun is stable enough on the move (And the belts big enough) that the full stabilizer isn’t nearly as crucial as on other tanks.
Also, the Type 89 isn’t as rosy as you think it is. It’s probably the most consistently nerfed vehicle in the entire game at this point. The slower rate of fire on the main gun makes it less useful for flanking (As does the awful shell by shell reload), and the ATGMs are borderline unusable at this point. They spiral after launch, only aligning with the sight after about 400m and burning all of their energy, and the wobble that kills ATGMs sets in not long after.
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Biggest downside of RCV is its crampness and almost non-existing armor (sides can be penetrated by coaxial MGs point-blank). And the thing is… That its much less effective at lower brs, where tanks have more armor all around their hull and not only in their front. Like, the only problematic enemies for RCV are soviet MBTs and MBTs at 10.0+ BR (cause you cant front pen any MBT at this br), but actually you still shred their sides. So Type 87, being vehicle with speed and BRRRRRT as main gun absolutely stuck in the paradox. Its too effective agains early and middle cold war vehicles, so its being brought up by BRs, but its actually really ineffective agaisnt Late-WW2 machines.