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Welcome to the suggestion for the Type 59-II, an upgrade of the venerable Type 59. The primary upgrade made to this vehicle is the 105 mm ZPL81 rifled gun, a derivative of the famous L7 gun. This vehicle was actually a part of the initial planned tree for Chinese ground forces, but unfortunately is not in-game, thus this suggestion. If you have any corrections or additional pictures, or just want to discuss the Type 59-II, feel free!
History
A Type 59-I, notable for its laser rangefinder, circa 1980s.
The Type 59 was the start of China’s tank industry, and provided a basis for a large number of tanks used even to this day. At the end of the day though, it was still a licensed copy of the Soviet T-54A, and by the 1970s, its design had hit a dead end. In the interim, a new variant, notably equipped with a laser rangefinder was created, known as the Type 59-I. However, during this time, the relationship between China and Western countries began to improve significantly. Not only did this ease tensions, but it also allowed China to have access to Western technology. Due to this, China was able to import and produce the British 105 mm L7A3 tank gun from Austria, allowing a new range of modern ammunition to be potentially be used in future Chinese vehicles.
Type 59-IIs during the 35th National Day Parade in Beijing, 1984.
With the introduction of the L7 gun to China, it was decided to upgrade the Type 59 fleet, improving firepower significantly over the older 100 mm D-10 / Type 59 gun. Besides the main gun change, it was decided to add replace the older A-220 radio with a newer VRC-8000 radio system. Under the factory designation WZ120B, two upgraded Type 59s were produced in March of 1980, one of which was a command variant. Following testing going through April 1981, the vehicle received a few changes based on the results of the tests, such as the addition of an automatic fire suppression system. After this, the WZ120B entered small scale production, and its design would be finalized in 1984 as the Type 59-II.
Since then, the vehicle has become somewhat infamous as the tank seen at the Tiananmen Square Protests in 1989, including the famous ‘Tank Man’ photo. The Type 59-IIs produced were largely upgraded to ZTZ59D standard, and eventually replaced by more modern designs such as the ZTZ96 and ZTZ99, however a number have seen small scale use as OpFor tanks in People’s Liberation Army exercises. Ultimately, the Type 59-II rejuvenated the Type 59 family, and was one of the first vehicles in China to introduce Western components, and today can be considered the beginning of a new era in Chinese tank evolution.
A Type 59-II at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution, 2008.
Specifications
Crew: 4
Length: 6.04 m (hull length)
Width: 3.27 m
Height: 2.59 m
Main armament: 105 mm ZPL81 rifled gun (38 rounds)
Secondary armament: 2× 7.62 mm Type 59T & 12.7 mm Type 54
Engine: 520 hp Model 12150L V-12 liquid-cooled diesel engine
Maximum speed: 50 km/h
Sources
- Chinese Tanks & AFVs 1950 - Present, Page 26, Martin J Dougherty
- 中國 59式 中型戰車 WZ-132
- 59-2式中型坦克 - 搜狗百科
- https://dzen.ru/a/Y96MzqEGKinSzPSR
- Средний танк Тип 59 (Type 59)
