Type 59

The Chinese Type 59 Main Battle Tank is a Chinese produced version of the ubiquitous Soviet T-54A tank. The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959, with serial production beginning in 1963. Approximately 9,500 of the tanks were produced by the time production ended in 1980 with approximately 5,500 serving with the Chinese armed forces. The tank formed the backbone of the Chinese People's Liberation Army until early 2000s with an estimated 5,000 of the later Type 59-I and Type 59-II variants in service in 2002.

The Type 59 was modified several times during its service with the replacement of the 100mm Type 59 rifled gun with a 105mm rifled gun. It was also the basis of several later Chinese tank designs including the Type 69 and Type 79 tanks.

History
After the signing of Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance, the Soviets agreed to assist China in building a tank manufacturing facility to manufacture the T-54A MBT in 1956. Initially, the tanks were assembled with Soviet-supplied parts, which were gradually replaced by Chinese-made components. The tank was accepted into service by the PLA in 1959,[1] and given the designation Type 59.

The Type 59 MBT represented China's first-generation tank development. Over the years, it was upgraded with various domestic and western technologies. When the PLA captured a Soviet T-62 from the Sino-Soviet border conflict in 1969, improvements based on the T-62 were incorporated into the T-59 design to become the Type 69 MBT, which was further upgraded with western technology and became the Type 79 MBT. The Type 59 was the beginning of China's first-generation MBT, and the Type 79 last, superseded by the Type 80 second-generation MBT.

The Type 59 MBT is also known as WZ-120 by its manufacturer name. It was produced in great numbers from 1959 to mid 1980s,[1] totaling over 10,000. The Type 59, and its successor, the Type 69, were widely exported, with thousands sold. Today an estimated 5,000 Type 59 MBT's remain in PLA inventory, but is used primarily for training and support roles. The Type 59-series are being replaced by the more capable Type 96 and Type 99 MBTs.

Cyber Nations
The Type 59 is the average strength tank of Cyber Nations. It ranks above the T-34 but below the Challenger 2.

Technology Level

To obtain the Type 59 yopur nation needs a technology level of 14 or over.