WZ-111
The WZ-111 was a prototype for a Chinese heavy tank from the 1960s that never reached series production . It was the only heavy tank designed and built in China.
history
After Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949, it received extensive support and armament from the Soviet Union in the years that followed. China also received numerous heavy IS-2 and IS-3 tanks. When Josef Stalin died in 1953, relations between the two countries deteriorated until, around 1959, the Sino-Soviet rift broke out. As a result, China no longer had any Soviet military aid available, which meant that the original ideas of replacing the now obsolete IS-2 and IS-3 tanks with the newer T-10 were no longer feasible. China started numerous programs to develop its own heavy tank, including Projects 110, 111, 112 and 113. While the other programs never got beyond the drawing board stage, Project 111 resulted in the WZ-111. The hull of the WZ-111 was completed in 1964, the tower was simulated with a dummy. Technically, the vehicle was strongly based on the Soviet models: The shape of the hull was reminiscent of the T-10, the transmission was taken from the IS-3 and the diesel engine was also an unlicensed version of the Soviet W-11 with 520 hp. Numerous problems were identified during the test drives, which is why further development of the WZ-111 was discontinued in 1966.
Technical specifications
- Weight: 46 t
- Length: 10.63 m
- Width: 3.30 m
- Height: 2.50 m
- Crew: 4
- Armor: 80 to 200 mm
- Armament: 122-mm cannon Y174 (not realized)
- Engine: 12-cylinder diesel engine (520 hp)