5 best Chinese tanks in War Thunder

The Chinese tank tree in War Thunder may be one of the smaller tech trees, but it includes several extremely strong vehicles. At the starting BRs, the Chinese tree consists of tanks from three other tech trees: the USA, Japan, and the USSR. Starting from the mid-tier, the tech tree starts to get authentic Chinese-made vehicles. The top-tier tanks are very similar to Russian ones in layout, but their mobility is a bit better.

In this article, we will check out the five best Chinese tanks in this premier vehicle combat MMO.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer. We have not taken into account premium or event vehicles.

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What are the five best Chinese tanks in War Thunder?

1) Type 62

The Type 62 in War Thunder (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

The Type 62 is a Rank IV, Battle Rating 6.7 light tank in War Thunder. It is extremely light and mobile. The turret traverse is slow, but its speed can get it out of a fight pretty quickly. However, the armor is virtually nonexistent as it cannot stop most shells that would be fired at it.

This light tank is equipped with an 85 mm Type 63 cannon, which can fire a variety of shells. It can fire APCR, APHE, and HE, as well as HEAT-FS rounds. The HEAT-FS can penetrate up to 300 mm of armor, which is extremely effective for its BR.

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2) Type 69

The Type 69 is an early Chinese MBT (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

Type 69 is an early MBT in the Chinese ground tree that sits at Rank V, BR 8.0. It is very similar to the Russian T-55 MBT. Although, it has a slow turret traverse speed but has decent mobility and armor. The upper front plate can bounce most conventional rounds and also HEAT-FS and APDS if angled.

The tank is equipped with a 100 mm Type 69 cannon that is stabilized and comes with a default APFSDS round that can penetrate up to 291 mm of armor, which is pretty decent at its BR. It also gets access to a HEAT-FS shell with 390 mm of penetration, which is very effective as well.

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3) AFT09

The AFT09 is a wheeled ATGM launcher (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

The AFT09 is a tank destroyer that sits at Rank VI, BR 9.0. It is on a wheeled chassis, making it extremely fast and mobile. On the other hand, it virtually has no armor. It is extremely similar to the MEPHISTO in the French ground tree but with much better firepower.

This tank destroyer is equipped with a missile launcher that can launch four ATGMs in quick succession. The ATGM that the AFT09 gets is the HJ-9, which has a tandem warhead and can penetrate up to 1200 mm of armor, making it much better than its French counterpart. Also, it gets access to a thermal sight for its gunner.

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4) ZTZ99A

The ZTZ99A in War Thunder (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

The ZTZ99A is one of the three top-tier MBTs in the Chinese tree. It sits at Rank VIII, BR 11.7. The overall layout of the tank is similar to the top-tier Russian T-series MBTs, but the Chinese ones have slightly better mobility. The difference in mobility is mainly in the reverse speed.

This MBT has a maximum reverse speed of 34 kmph, while the best Russian reverse speed is just 11 kmph. This makes the Chinese one able to disengage from a fight effectively. Also, the overall armor holds up well against other MBTs that it faces.

The ZTZ99A is equipped with a 125 mm Type 99A cannon, which can fire ATGMs along with other top-tier rounds. The overall firepower of the tank is very good, and it also gets access to thermal sights for both the commander and the gunner.

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Also check out: Best Squadron vehicles in War Thunder

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5) VT4A1

The VT4A1 gets access to hardkill APS (Image via Gaijin Entertainment)

The VT4A1 is another top-tier MBT in the tech tree that sits at Rank VIII, BR 11.7. It is very similar to the ZTZ99A in almost all aspects. However, the reverse speed is slower, reaching a maximum of 17 kmph.

On top of good armor, the VT4A1 has an added layer of protection. This comes in the form of hardkill active protection systems in the tank. The APS can stop four missiles coming towards the tank before it needs to be replenished. This makes the VT4A1 one of the very few tanks that have hardkill APS in War Thunder.

The cannon that is equipped on the tank is the 125 mm ZPT98. However, the overall firepower of the VT4A1 is the same as that of the ZTZ99A.

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Check out more on War Thunder:

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