Type 69 (tank)

Type 69
Chinese Type 69 in the People's Liberation Army Tank Museum
General properties
crew	4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
length	9.125 m
width	2.4 m
height	3.27 m
Dimensions	36.5 to 36.7 t (combat weight, different depending on the version)
Armor and armament
Armor	to 203 mm of armored steel, are more recent version with reactive armor fitted
Main armament	Rifled 100 mm cannon (Type 69-II) or rifled 105 mm cannon (Type 79) or 100 mm smoothbore cannon (Type 69)
Secondary armament	2 × 7.62 mm MG (coaxial) 1 × 12.7 mm FlaMG
agility
drive	12-cylinder diesel engine 12150L-7BW 582 PS (Type 69-II) or 730 PS (Type 79)
suspension	Torsion bar
Top speed	Max. 50 km / h (road), 22 to 27 km / h (terrain)
Power / weight
Range	420 km (Type 69-II) or 360 to 400 km (Type 79)

The Type 69 (alternative designation WZ121 ) is a main battle tank manufactured in the People's Republic of China , which was developed from the Type 59 tank model in the 1960s and was still in the service of various armed forces to a considerable extent in the 2010s.

Development history

The first in-house development of the People's Liberation Army was the Type 59 , a license production of the Soviet T-54 A. The tank was built by Norinco at Factory 617 in Baotou , Inner Mongolia . The factory was built with Soviet support as part of the 1950 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Aid Agreement . Since then, the company has become the most important Chinese manufacturer of military equipment.

The factory 617 started in 1963 with the development of a successor to the Type 59, but made little progress at first, because technical difficulties and disturbances caused by the Cultural Revolution, the end of the 1960s were caused. Chinese engineers also had the opportunity to examine what was then the most modern tank model in the Soviet Union, the T-62 , which was taken over on an island in the Ussuri River during the armed conflict between the Chinese and Soviet forces in March 1969 . Various components of the T-62, including the night vision technology, were copied and integrated into the Type 69. Finally, series production took place in the 1970s.

As relations between the PRC and the “ West ” improved increasingly in the 1980s, Norinco was given the opportunity to incorporate western armor technology into the Type 69. A Sino- British cooperation project led to the introduction of the Type 69-III, which was later named Type 79. The type 79 was a copy of the UK 105 mm gun L7 and a fire control system of Marconi Electronic Systems equipped. The Type 79 was exported and taken over by the People's Liberation Army in the 1980s .

Versions and variants

Chinese versions

• Type 69 : Prototype , based on the hull of the Type 59. It is propelled by a 580 HP diesel engine, the main armament is a 100 mm smooth barrel cannon . The prototype is also equipped with an IR spotlight and a laser range finder .
• Type 69-I : Prototype incorporating technologies from the captured Soviet T-62 main battle tank.
• Type 69-IIA : The main armament consists of a 100 mm smooth-barreled cannon with an improved fire control system and more modern optical systems.
• Type 69-IIB / C : Command tank with extensive radio equipment and field telephone .
• Type 653 : armored recovery vehicle with crane and dozer blade.
• Type 69-III , Type 79 or WZ-121D : An improved Type 69-II with western technology, which could be obtained before the Tian'anmen massacre and in the course of the opening of the PRC to the west . In the People's Liberation Army only the name Type 79 was used. In 1981 the first prototype was modified according to the specifications of the Type 69-III, two prototypes were built in 1983. The Type 79 went into series production in 1984 and was shown to the public at the parade for the 35th anniversary of the PRC in 1984. The overall improved equipment includes additional reactive tank tiles .
• GCZ-110 : Pioneer tank from the 1990s, the hull of which comes from the Type 79, but the undercarriage was taken from the more modern Type 96 Main Battle Tank .
• GSL-130 or WZ763 : Mine clearing tank equipped with special clearing equipment and rocket-powered mine clearing cords .

Iraqi versions

• Type 69-QM : This Iraqi version is derived from the Type 69-II and was produced from 1986 to 1988 and was called the T-55B in the Iraqi army. The armor has been reinforced in some places, the armament consists of a 100 mm cannon and, in some vehicles, a 60 mm mortar .
• Type 69-QM1 : A Type 69-II equipped with a 105mm cannon (NATO standard) and a laser rangefinder. This version was produced from 1984 to 1988.
• Type 69-QM2 : A Type 69-II equipped with a 125mm (L80, Warsaw Pact standard ) cannon and a laser range finder. This version was produced from 1986 to 1991.

Bangladeshi version

• Type 69-IIG : The main weapon is the 105 mm drawn barrel type 83A , which is a copy of the Royal Ordnance L7. Further improvements include an improved fire control system , a semi-automatic loading mechanism and reactive armor plates from Chinese production as well as a more powerful diesel engine (850 hp).

Users

Bangladeshi Type 69 IIG with reactive armor

•  People's Republic of China : All versions and variants in use.
•  Bangladesh : 100 Type 69I and Type 69II and Type 69IIG main battle tanks preserved in the 1990s.
•  Iran : 500 copies of the Type 69II survived in the 1980s.
•  Iraq : 1500 Type 69I and Type 69II received in the 1980s and various own versions built, such as Type 69QM. Most recently used on a larger scale in the Battle of Naziriya in 2003.
•  Myanmar : 80 Type 69I and Type 69II survived in the 1990s.
•  Pakistan : 250 Type 69I and Type 69II as well as the Type 69IIP and Type 69IIMP versions bought in since the 1990s.
•  Sri Lanka : 20 tanks in use.
•  Thailand : A total of 59 Type 69II survived from 1987 to 1989. The local name is Type 30 .
•  Zimbabwe : Ten Type 69IIs preserved in the 1980s.

literature

• David Miller, Christopher F. Foss , Horst W. Laumanns (eds.): Modern combat weapons. 3rd edition, special edition, Stocker-Schmid Verlag AG, Dietikon (Switzerland) 1998, ISBN 3-7276-7092-4 . (German translation; English original title: Modern land combat. )

Web links

Commons : Type 69  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Description on GlobalSecurity.org (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Type 69/79 Main Battle Tank (English)
2. ↑ Type 69 Main Battle Tank (English)
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Type 59 / Type 69 / VT-3 (English)
4. ↑ GCZ-110 United States Army Training and Doctrine Command: Chinese Engineer Vehicle (English)
5. ↑ Jane's Information Group: Bridging the gaps: China works to boost combat engineer capabilities (2017) (English)
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} SIPRI - Trade Registers China (English)
7. ↑ Army-guide.com: Type 69 (English)