Type 99

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Type 99
Type 99 in the Beijing Military Museum (2007) [1] [2]

Type 99 in the Beijing Military Museum (2007)
General properties
crew 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader) / with automatic loader 3 (commander, driver, gunner)
length 11.0 m (including pipe overhang)
width 3.4 m
height 2.2 m
Dimensions 54 t
Armor and armament
Armor Composite armor
Main armament 1 × 125 mm smoothbore cannon
Secondary armament 1 × 12.7 mm machine gun (deck structure) and

1 × 7.62mm machine gun (coaxial with main cannon)

agility
drive Diesel engine
1500 HP (1100 kW)
suspension Torsion bar
Top speed 80 km / h
Power / weight 20.4 kW / t (27.8 PS / t)
Range 450 km, 600 km with external fuel tanks

The Type 99 (also known as the ZTZ-99 or WZ-123 ) is a Chinese main battle tank . It was first presented to the public in 1999 and is manufactured by Norinco .

history

The development work that eventually led to the Type 99 began in the late 1970s. The Type 99 is the upgraded version of the Type 98 (in China Type 99, while the Type 99 is officially called Type 99A). The Type 98 was not put into service, but only tested by the army of the People's Liberation Army . The Type 99A has thicker armor on the turret and on the front of the hull (it is assumed that it is reactive armor ). The Type 98 weighed 49.5 t and had a 1,200 hp engine; the Type 99 weighs around 54 t and has a diesel engine with 1,500 hp.

The Type 99A2 has been tested intensively since 2007 and was released for mass production and commissioning at the end of 2009. The Type 99A2 has improved turret armor and a slightly modified hull; the front lights are rectangular in shape and are located further forward. The commander's vision device looks very similar to that of a Leclerc or M1 Abrams .

construction

The Type 99 combines elements of the western tank turret design and the Russian hull design. The hull is strongly reminiscent of the Soviet T-72 , although the hull of the Type 98/99 is one meter longer. If the turret of the Type 98 looked like a "mini version" of the American M1 Abrams, the turret of the Type 99 is more reminiscent of that of the German Leopard 2A5 .

Armament

The main weapon is a 125 mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader that can fire both normal projectiles and laser- guided anti - tank guided missiles . The Type 99 also has a 12.7 mm machine gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun mounted axially parallel to the main cannon.

Behind the left hatch on the tower there is a laser that can detect an enemy targeting and disrupt or even damage the optics / electronics of attacking tanks or helicopters. There are twelve 81 mm smoke grenade launchers on the tower .

  • Type 99

  • Type 99A

Web links

Commons : Type 99 tanks  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Type 99 Main Battle Tank ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) at globalsecurity.org
  2. ↑ a b ZTZ99 (Type 99) Main Battle Tank ( Memento from August 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) at sinodefence.com