- Yes
- No
TL;DR: Type 62 upgraded with slat armour, rubber sideskirts, a gunshield for the 12.7mm, and a laser rangefinder for the main cannon
History
The Type 62 (ZTQ62) was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as a light tank designed to operate in terrain the heavier Type 59 MBTs couldn’t, particularly around southern China. Work on a light tank began in 1956, and two separate competitor designs were made. The 16-tonne design was called 59-16, and a 24-tonne design was called 131. The 131 was further developed into the 132 (132 (1959) and 132 (1960) / 132A). After tests and some design changes, the vehicle entered production and service as the Type 62 in 1963. Production ended in 1982, with a total of 1,560 vehicles produced.
- Type 62
In December 1978, Vietnamese forces launched a full-scale invasion of Cambodia — then called Democratic Kampuchea — following years of conflict between the two nations, with the aim of toppling the Khmer Rouge. Just a month later in January 1979, Vietnamese forces had reached the capital, Phnom Penh. China had supported the Khmer Rouge, and saw Vietnam as threatening its interests in the region. As such, in February 1979, Chinese forces invaded Vietnam (Sino-Vietnamese War), and quickly captured a few cities on the border. However, the war was brief, and was over just under a month later.
Following lessons learned from the war, particularly regarding the Type 62’s thin armour and vulnerability to infantry and anti-tank weapons like RPGs, a fairly extensive upgrade program was pursued in the early 1980s. It involved fitting the Type 62 with additional armour — slat armour across the turret and rubber side skirts along the hull —, a laser rangefinder (some Type 62s were sporadically given laser rangefinders during the war), and a gunshield around the roof-mounted 12.7mm HMG, as well as a host of other more minor improvements. The official designation of this vehicle (if it ever received one) is unclear — ‘Type 62-I’ is used widely online but appears to not be official, as is ‘Type 62 Gai’ in Chinese spaces. I’ve used Type 62 (Late) here, which seems to be equally as valid.
- Type 62 during the Sino-Vietnamese war, equipped with a laser rangefinder. Notably, the laser rangefinder on these vehicles is a different model, with a more rounded design.
An unknown number were modified. The upgrades were not completely consistent — the sideskirts, for instance, are rarely seen and appear to be absent on some vehicles. Most, if not all, of these vehicles have since been ‘de-modified’, primarily removing the additional armour. Some of them have kept the laser rangefinder and gunshield, and have been seen in training exercises (before they were all pulled from service in 2013), and in museums/on display.
- Examples of demodified Type 62 (Late), retaining the laser rangefinder and gunshield
Characteristics
The Type 62 (Late) is armed with the 85mm Type 63 cannon. It can fire a range of rounds, including APCBC, HEAT-FS, and HE. Type 56 APCBC penetrates 164mm @ 0° @ 10m, and Type 56 HEAT-FS penetrates 300mm @ 0° @ 10m. It could also fire the DJW85 APFSDS round, penetrating 227mm @ 0° @ 10m. 47 rounds are carried. The vehicle also has a laser rangefinder for the main cannon. A 12.7mm Type 54 HMG is fitted on the roof, with a gunshield all around, protecting the crew member from small-arms fire (although this isn’t relevant for the game), with 500 rounds of ammunition. The vehicle also has a coaxial 7.62mm Type 59 MG, with 2000 rounds of ammunition.
The Type 62 (Late) is better protected than the base Type 62 model, but is still fairly weak. The base hull armour is 35mm across the UFP, 25mm along the sides, and 15mm along the rear. It also has rubber side skirts, although their effectiveness in-game would be limited. The turret is slightly better protected, at 50mm frontally, 35mm along the sides, and 32mm at the rear. Slat armour is mounted along the sides and rear, which should protect it from (particularly low-calibre) HEAT shells.
- Two late model Type 62s, without the rubber side skirts
The Type 62 (Late) has no mobility upgrades over the base Type 62. It has a 430hp engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 60km/h. The base version weighs 21t, but the weight of the upgraded version is unclear, likely around ~22t. This slightly decreases its power-to-weight ratio from 20.5 to 19.5hp/t, but overall will likely remain very manoeuvrable.
- Type 62 (Late) blueprint
Conclusion
The Type 62 (Late) would be a great addition to the Chinese tree, improving on the (already quite good) Type 62 in at least one major way with the addition of the laser rangefinder. It would improve on the ‘ZTS63’ (Type 63-II) in a few ways, primarily in terms of armour, and would likely sit at a BR of 7.7 or 8.0 (Rank V), potentially being foldered with the ZTS63 instead of the ZBD86 due to their similarities.
Specifications
Armament
- 85mm Type 63
- Unstabilised
- 47 rounds
- Type 56 APCBC
- 164mm at 0° at 10m
- DJW85 APFSDS
- 227mm at 0° at 10m
- Type 56 HEAT-FS
- 300mm at 0° at 10m
- Type 56 HE
- 19mm at 0° at 10m
- 1x 12.7mm Type 54
- 1x 7.62mm Type 59
- Laser rangefinder
Armour
- Turret
- 50 / 35 / 32mm + slat armour across sides and rear
- Hull
- 35 / 25 / 15mm + rubber sideskirts
Mobility
- Speed
- 60km/h
- Weight
- ~22t (estimated)
- Engine power
- 430hp, 19.5hp/t
Other
- Crew
- 4
Images
Spoiler
- ‘Demodified’ without armour
Sources
