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Welcome to the suggestion post for the Yi-Tian Air Defense System! The Yitian Air Defense System is one of China’s many modifications of the WZ-551 chassis, the very same chassis the PTL02 and WMA301 use. This variant, however, incorporates 8 TY-90 missiles and a 12.7mm W85 machine gun. It is comparable to other systems based on wheeled chassis, such as the American AN/TWQ-1 Avenger, or the Japanese Type 93. In War Thunder, the Yitian ADS would provide China with a SAM vehicle that is mobile and can quickly move to different positions, while keeping the skies clear so heavier armor can advance without worrying about enemy aircraft. This would be able to reach out further than most of the current Chinese anti-aircraft vehicles can, meaning aircraft can be intercepted before they get too close. The TY-90 is already (in)famous for its ability to shoot down aircraft, so having a ground asset like this would be invaluable for the teams the Yitian is on.
History
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By the 1980s, many nations were beginning, or already had, adopted wheeled APCs. During this period, China’s only wheeled APC was the WZ-523, usually relegated to reconnaissance roles. But in 1984, a vehicle initially designated Type 90 appeared at the National Day of the People’s Republic of China parade. The vehicle was unfortunately not as good as one might have thought though. It had issues at higher altitudes, and perhaps most severely, the engine was underpowered. Two years later, the Type 92 was unveiled to the public. It fixed many of the issues with the Type 90 APC, and was adopted in Chinese service in large numbers in a wide variety of variants.
A basic and early variant of the WZ-551, featuring a 12.7mm machine gun
For those familiar with French vehicles, you may wonder if the Chinese simply made a French VAB with 6 wheels. This isn’t the case though, and many defense analysts were quick to point out the vehicle’s similarities with the VAB. But since entering service, a number of investigations have been done and revealed that though there is some influence from the VAB, the WZ-551 has different dimensions, weight, and overall statistics.
As mentioned, the WZ-551 has been used for a number of variants. These include things from IFVs, ambulances, ATGM carriers, fire support vehicles, self-propelled gun mortar vehicles, and many more. However, one of the more curious and unique looking ones is the Yitian Air Defense System. This vehicle was first unveiled to the Chinese public in 2005, under the name YT ADS, meaning Yi-Tian, 倚天 in Chinese, Air Defense System. This vehicle mounts TY-90 missiles on the chassis of the WZ-551, and was designed to address some of the shortcomings of the previous Lie-Shou ADS, which uses TY-90 missiles, but on the back of a Dongfeng EQ2050. Not only does the Yitian have radar and missiles all in one package, it has smoke grenade launchers, greater radar range, much better armor protection, and amphibious capabilities. They even threw in a machine gun!
A TY-90 missile on display at the 2008 Zhuhai Airshow.
The Yitian’s primary function is to fire off TY-90 missiles. These missiles are fire and forget, and the radar is capable of tracking an aircraft up to about 18 km. Also included in the electronics of this vehicle is a thermal imager, automatic target tracking device and laser rangefinder, which help in tracking air targets. Reloading the missiles has to be done manually, and none are carried in the vehicle. The radar antenna is placed on the roof, and can be folded as seen below.
A Yitian ADS, ready to ignore your silly flares.
There are 3 crew members on board the Yitian ADS, the driver, commander, and the air defense system operator. The driver sits at the front of the vehicle, while the commander sits next to him. The gunner is seated in a turret in the rear area of the vehicle, in order to operate the missile guidance systems. In the event an enemy on the ground gets too close, the vehicle has a 12.7mm W85 machine gun above the driver’s hatch, as well as two 4-barreled smoke launchers. Mobility is provided by an air-cooled diesel engine, the Deutz BF8L413F, producing 320 hp. This propels the vehicle up to 100 km/h on road, with a range of up to 800 km. The vehicle can swim on water, but will be extremely limited due to the extra weight of the missile system.
Specifications
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General Specifications
- Crew: 3
- Mass: 15.8 tonnes
- Length: 6.63 m
- Width: 2.80 m
- Crew: 3 + 9 passengers
- Armor: 8-15mm welded steel
- Main armament: 8x TY-90 missiles
- Secondary armament: 12.7mm W85 heavy machine gun
- Smoke: 3x Smoke dischargers
- Engine: BF8L413F 8-cylinder, turbo-charged, air-cooled diesel, 320 hp
- Suspension: Independent wheel
- Operational range: 800 km
- Speed: 85 km/h
Missile specifications
- Length: 1862 mm
- Diameter: 90 mm
- Weight: 20 kg
- Maximum launch range: 6 km
- Max overload: 20 g
- Max flight range: 2.0 m
- Single kill probability: 0.8
- Launch mode: Rail or container
Sources
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