Type 99 tank
| Type 99 | |
|---|---|
A Type 99 tank at the China People's Revolution Military Museum in Beijing during the 2007 Our troops towards the sun exhibition.
|
|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | People's Republic of China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2001–present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Norinco |
| Manufacturer | Norinco |
| Number built | 814+ Type99/Type99A |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 54-58 tonnes |
| Length | Hull: 7.7 metres (25 ft) |
| Width | 3.5 metres (11 ft) |
| Height | Hull: 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) |
| Crew | 3 |
|
|
|
| Armor | Exact is classified. Anticipated to be welded turret with applique and modular composite/reactive armor |
|
Main
armament |
125 millimetres (4.9 in) smoothbore gun with ATGM capability |
|
Secondary
armament |
Type 85 cupola heavy machine gun Type 59 7.62 millimetres (0.300 in) coaxial machine gun |
| Engine | Diesel 1,500 hp (1,119 kW) |
| Power/weight | 27.78 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
|
Operational
range |
500 kilometres (310 mi) |
| Speed |
Road: 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) |
Type 85 cupola heavy machine gun
Road: 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph)
The Type 99 (Chinese: 99式; pinyin: Jiǔjiǔshì) or ZTZ99 is a Chinese third generation main battle tank (MBT). The tank entered People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) service in 2001.
In the early 90's China developed one of its second generation design, the Type 90-II prototype series. The Type 90-II was developed by studying the T-72 tank. The Type 90-II's features included a 125mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader, modular composite armor and a centered driver position. While the Type 90-II series ultimately did not enter People's Liberation Army (PLA) service, it saw success as an export tank and was also built under license in Pakistan as the Al-Khalid.
The Type 98 or WZ-123 was China's domestic Type 90-II derivative. It was first seen in rehearsals for the 1999 National Day parade and was officially revealed on 1 October 1999. It sported a distinctive appearance with the hull and crew layout similar to the Russian T-72 but with a welded angular turret more similar to Western designs.
When the tank went into service it was renamed the Type 99. According to military information website Global Security, the Type 99 has a lengthened T-72 hull.
An updated Type 99 model was officially introduced at the 2015 Victory Day Parade as the Type 99A. This variant had previously been used by PLA troops during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) military exercises in 2014. Although the PLA has not distinguished between this variant and older models, some sources have named this latest variant the Type 99A2.
By 2008, 200 Type 98 and Type 99 tanks may have been deployed to the Beijing and Shenyang Military Regions. The Type 99 has seen less deployment than other tanks in PLA service due to cost factors.
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Wikipedia