ZTZ-99
| 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 (Type 99) 2011–present (Type 99A) |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Norinco |
| Manufacturer | Norinco |
| Produced | 1998–2001 (Type 98) 2001–2011 (Type 99) 2007–present (Type 99A) |
| No. built | approx. 1000+ Type99/Type99A |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 54 tonnes (type 99), 58 tonnes (Type 99A) |
| Length | Hull: 7.7 metres (25 ft) |
| Width | Hull: 3.5 metres (11 ft) |
| Height | Hull: 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) |
| Crew | 3 |
|
|
|
| Armor | Classified. Anticipated to be welded turret with applique and modular composite/reactive armor |
|
Main
armament |
125 mm ZPT-98 smoothbore gun capable of firing ATGMs |
|
Secondary
armament |
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 suspension |
|
Operational
range |
500 kilometres (310 mi) |
| Speed |
Road: 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) |
Road: 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph)
(Type 99A)
The Type 99 (Chinese: 99式; pinyin: Jiǔjiǔshì) or ZTZ99 is a Chinese third generation main battle tank (MBT). Debuted in 1999, the Type 99 main battle tanks was officially unveiled as China's first mass produced third generation main battle tank.
The tank entered People's Liberation Army (PLA) service in 2001. The vehicle was a replacement to the aging Type 88 introduced in the late 1980s. The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) is the sole operator of the Type 99. Three main versions of the Type 99 have been deployed, the Type 98 prototype, Type 99, and Type 99A.
The development of the domestic 3rd generation MBT was started in 1989, under China's eighth five-year plan. In the early 90's China produced one of its second generation prototypes, the Type 90-II series. The Type 90-II was designed by studying the T-72 tank. The chassis was to be based on the T-72's hull but with Chinese subsystems. The Type 90-II had 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 PLA service, it saw success as an export tank and was 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.
An improved version was shortly produced and was named the Type 98G or Type 99. The Type 99 sported the same hull that was based on the T-72 like its previous iterations but with wedge shaped applique armor on its turret.
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Wikipedia