History[]
The Norinco Type 62 (Chinese: 62式; pinyin: Liù'èr shì) is a Chinese light tank developed in the early 1960's and is based on the Chinese Type 59 medium tank with a reduced main gun caliber, lighter armour, and a smaller suite of electronics and other equipment to help reduce weight. The Type 62 is retired from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces, but is still in use with other nations. It had recently been upgraded to modern standards and to provide the PLA with a dedicated light tank. It is also known under its industrial designation, WZ132. The Type 62 saw action in several wars, the Vietnam War and the Sino-Vietnamese War.
The Type 62 has also been exported widely. Foreign nations which field, or have fielded, the Type 62 include North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo, Mali, Albania and Sudan.
Ingame[]
The Type 62 is the first Chinese tank in the tree (although the Type 59 is the default starter for players in the Asia region) and stands as a representation of the rest of the tree. Unlike most of the starter tanks and true to its real life counterpart the Type 62 once upgraded can go into lvl 32+ matches meaning it can meet tough adversaries which it may not be adapted to deal with. The Type 62 is often mistaken ingame with the Type 59 as they both look exactly the same the main difference though is that it has a white gun cover and more detailed curvature on the turret. The Type 62's light armor is adequate, enough against low level tanks but it can't withstand against higher level tanks. Yet the survivability of the vehicle is moderate due to the large health pool allowing it to withstand multiple shots. The gun of the Type 62 carries the effectiveness of the vehicle as it can do heavy damage on vehicles of equal levels. Overall the Type 62 is a good starter for the Chinese tech tree and is worth picking up and upgrading.
Pros and Cons[]
Pros
- Good top speed
- Quick reload
- Gun is able to deal high damage
- Plentiful Health Pool
Cons
- Poor armor
- No APDS