Type 69

Type 69-II
Iraqi Type 69-II captured during the Gulf War
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	China
Service history
In service	1982 – present
Wars	Iran–Iraq War, Gulf War, Iraq War
Production history
Designer	No. 60 Research Institute
Designed	1963 – 1974
Manufacturer	First Inner Mongolia Machinery Factory/Inner-Mongolia First Machine Group Company Limited
Specifications
Weight	36.7 tonnes
Length	6.24 m (Hull)
Width	3.3 m
Height	2.80 m
Crew	4
Armor	203 mm
Main armament	100/105 mm rifled tank gun
Secondary armament	7.62 mm coaxial and bow machine guns, 12.7 mm antiaircraft machine gun
Engine	diesel 580 hp (430 kW)
Power/weight	15.8 hp/tonne
Suspension	torsion-bar
Operational range	440 km
Speed	50 km/h

The Type 69 (Chinese: 69式; pinyin: Liùjiǔ shì) and Type 79 (Chinese: 79式; pinyin: Qījiǔ shì) are Chinese main battle tanks. Both developments of the Type 59 (based on the Soviet T-54A), they were the first main battle tanks developed independently by China. Their lineage can be seen through the distinct gap between the first and second roadwheels. Other improvements included a new engine, ballistic computers, and laser rangefinders. The more advanced Type 79 was equipped with a 105 mm rifled gun, also seen on the later Type 88 tank.

After the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviet Union withdrew its technical staff and support to China's arms industry. China's 617 Factory (Inner-Mongolia First Machine Group Co Ltd) was instructed to improve on the T-54A design (Type 59 MBT) in 1963, and created the Type 69. Improvements include a dual-axis stabilized 100 mm smoothbore gun, a new 580 hp engine, and an IR search light. However, the People's Liberation Army was not satisfied with the version, and it did not enter serial production. Some Western analysts incorrectly identified the Type 69 as a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-55, as opposed to the Type 59 being a copy of the T-54A.

During the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict, the PLA was able to capture a Soviet T-62 MBT. The captured tank was examined, and some of its components, such as the Soviet Luna IR searchlight system, were copied and integrated into the Type 69 design. The Type 69 and Type 79 tanks became the first independently Chinese-developed main battle tank. However, the early version of the Type 69 were only used in limited quantities. The PLA was unsatisfied with the Type 69's performance, but ironically it became one of China's most successful armored vehicle exports. Over 2,000 were sold worldwide in the 1980s.