New Type98/99 MBT thread

muddie

Junior Member
Supposedly something new. The rear looks different.

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Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but can a truck like that with its long unsupported edge actually carry a 50 ton MBT?
It kind of looks like a movie prop or model.
 

duskylim

Junior Member
VIP Professional
Why make a movie prop so heavy that it requires a heavy vehicle's transporter in the 1st place - 99% of all props are made of wood, no need for the transporter - expensive to hire just for a wooden prop - I don't know any movie that would make a prop from metal - very, very expensive - even if made from the cheapest material - mild steel.

Look at the 2nd picture, there is a chain block attached to a towing lug at the back of the tank, and its been tensioned - just like you would to secure a piece of heavy equipment.

Now lets see, if the tank is around 50 tons, its supported by 4 pairs of wheels in the back and another 4 pairs in front, which makes for 8+8 wheels or 16 wheels all-in-all.

So the load per wheel is around 3.125 tons per wheel - not an unreasonable load for a heavy truck.

This type of heavy transporter is exactly the type of vehicle needed to move around armor.

I think this is a new model of the MBT-2000 or the Type 96 family.
 

plawolf

Lieutenant General
Why make a movie prop so heavy that it requires a heavy vehicle's transporter in the 1st place - 99% of all props are made of wood, no need for the transporter - expensive to hire just for a wooden prop - I don't know any movie that would make a prop from metal - very, very expensive - even if made from the cheapest material - mild steel.

Look at the 2nd picture, there is a chain block attached to a towing lug at the back of the tank, and its been tensioned - just like you would to secure a piece of heavy equipment.

Now lets see, if the tank is around 50 tons, its supported by 4 pairs of wheels in the back and another 4 pairs in front, which makes for 8+8 wheels or 16 wheels all-in-all.

So the load per wheel is around 3.125 tons per wheel - not an unreasonable load for a heavy truck.

This type of heavy transporter is exactly the type of vehicle needed to move around armor.

I think this is a new model of the MBT-2000 or the Type 96 family.

There is that Chinese company responsible for prop Type 96, 99 and Leo IIs on similar flatbeds in China that caused a stir a while back. Their props are way more than just scenery. The tanks were perfectly capable of moving under their own power.

As for movies, well surely you are aware of the amounts of money even average Hollywood flicks cost these days! And believe me, they do use real metals when they feel like they need to. Just try and find some vids of the bonus material from Real Steal where they talked about building real life examples of the robots in that movie. And they did it even for robots that had like a 2 second shot in the entire film!

Never underestimate just how much detail or how much money directors want.

To me, this looks like another one of the companies models (I cannot seem to find the link to the company someone posted a while back, so if anyone could help me out here I would much appreciated it).

If it was real military, I would have expected a real military tank transporter instead of a civilian heavy vehicles transporter as shown here.

Also, as far as I am aware, all modern tank transporters designed or rated to carry modern day monster MBTs have supporting wheels directly under the part of the truck where the tank is to sit.

When you have 50-60+ tons of MBT sitting on something for a long time, you really want it to have as much support as you can manage.
 

duskylim

Junior Member
VIP Professional
Not to be too snide, but these are definitely NOT more movie props.

I believe the PLA is engaged in acquiring new models of tanks and these are the low rate initial production or working prototypes.

The tanks in the latest pictures are not the same model as in the last 2 we saw before on the trucks - making me believe these are the replacements for the Type 99 (or its latest incarnation), while the earlier tank on the truck (probably much lighter) are the replacements for the Type 96.

This is very interesting.
 

duskylim

Junior Member
VIP Professional
Not to be too snide, but these are definitely NOT more movie props.

I believe the PLA is engaged in acquiring new models of tanks and these are the low rate initial production or working prototypes.

The tanks in the latest pictures are not the same model as in the last 2 we saw before on the trucks - making me believe these are the replacements for the Type 99 (or its latest incarnation), while the earlier tank on the truck (probably much lighter) are the replacements for the Type 96.

This is very interesting.
 

Insignius

Junior Member
BBS claim that these are the long awaited light tanks replacing the obsolete Type 62/ZTQ62 used in the southern units.

It is armed with a 105mm gun and is comparable to the cancelled US M8 Buford light tank/armoured gun system.
 

kwaigonegin

Colonel
Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but can a truck like that with its long unsupported edge actually carry a 50 ton MBT?
It kind of looks like a movie prop or model.

I don;t think this is a prop.. I also don't think this is a 50 tons + MBT. Much lighter and with less armor etc... This could be a variant of a medium size tank perhaps?
 

muddie

Junior Member
I don't think China will invest in light tanks, Type 96s are probably the lightest China will go. There is simply no role for light tanks. The role of light tanks are taken up by APCs, FSV, CFVs, etc.
 
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