New Type98/99 MBT thread

[Blitzo]

Due to Russian disinterest in fielding a new generation of tank, not an upgrade of t 72, due to lack of funds and more urgent spending priorities. I say China has the best tank on mainland Asia in type 99. Only one that could be better is the S Korean tank?

The Arjun is just hyped up, sure it could be a good tank, if fielded, but is no revolutionary tank, its based on proven design (leo 2).

Contrary to fanboy's China does not have an unlimited budget, people need to relise that it has other defence priorities such as the Navy and airforce. Since world war 2, airpower has been the decisive factor.

Indeed. Out of the three (navy, air force, army) groups I'd say the air force is the most important. Then the navy.

The Type 96 I think needs to be modified more (to be modified after G variant), to incorporate an APS or the laser countremeasures equipment on the Type 99. I suppose more upgrades to the Type 96 will suffice.

 

[jackbh]

If the airforce can fly around the world, I'd say the Navy is the most important.

 

[adeptitus]

I am really tired of waiting the T-50's and T-60's series tanks to be decommissioned.

I really see the urgent need of these tanks to be replaced with newer tanks like Type 98/99.

Though each of these tanks might cost $2 million USD each, building 200 new ones per year wouldn't cost really much in China's annual budget.. ($400 million USD).

Those T-50's, T-60's series no matter how you upgrade it were really obsolete in any modern standards...

I hope PLA must have taken this into consideration.

You can rebuild T-5X into Heavy APC and Heavy IFV's. Better protection for urban environment.

 

[jackbh]

Do the Chinese plan on using their tanks in urban warfare? Their tanks don't have thick side skirts like some western tanks designed to fight urban warfare. In fact, some of the tanks don't even equip with any side skirts?

 

[Delbert]

I don't think China designed the tanks for urban warfare.

Yes I have considered the priorities. That is why I just suggested additional $400 million USD budget for tanks. Would that amount be a huge burden? Recently China was just proposing a $10 Billion Dollar China-ASEAN emergency funds to help ASEAN cope up with the crisis and continuously spur growth.

These clearly shows that additional $400 million dollars wasn't really a burden for China after all.

 

[yehe]

I think The T98-T99G are just as good as any of the latest western MBTtank frontal armor wise, this can be calculated by the share mount of thickness of the frontal armor of T99G which you can see and measure on pictures of it, if the composite armor is anywhere close to the western MBT armor then the T99g should have a quite capable frontal protection if not plain better.
But side and top protection wise, the western MBT are simply much heavier protected, thus means the T99 is not suited for urban warfare, rather more suited for big frontal co-ordinated group strike warfare.

 

[FriedRiceNSpice]

With the massive amounts of infantry and lighter mechanized units at their disposal, I doubt the PLA will commit their elite tank forces to urban warfare.

The US M1A2 was able to survive in urban situations on the basis of the sheer size and thus huge amounts armor. Even so, those behemoths were not necessarily effective at all in urban combat.

On the other hand, the T-80s, apart from proving completely ineffectual in city battles during the Chechen conflicts, suffered considerable losses at the hands of shaped-charge munitions and RPGs used by Checken guerillas.

Furthermore, I do not think taking cities is high on the PLA's priority list as of now, and for city defense, well trained infantry that know the layout of the battlefield will prove far more tenacious than exposed armor. In a city, armored units cannot exploit their primary advantage which lies in their speed and mobility.

 

[Delbert]

Tanks are never effective on urban warfare.. Not unless you destroy the buildings and civilian structures too, and doesn't care about the civilians at all.

 

[jackbh]

I can understand why tanks are not good with urban warfare, but why are many cuntries upgrading the MBTs with preparation for urban warfare. I'm sure you can name a few tanks that they are preping for urban warfare.

 

[FriedRiceNSpice]

Recently China was just proposing a $10 Billion Dollar China-ASEAN emergency funds to help ASEAN cope up with the crisis and continuously spur growth.

$10 billion to strengthen ties with the strategically important ASEAN nations is money well spent. I'd say that $10 contributes more to improving China's overall strategic position, not to mention economic and political position, far better than a $10 billion spent on purchasing additional weapons for the PLA. China has shown it is far more concerned with the long-term, broad vision, and building better relationships with its neighbors than the short term, narrow scope, and using threat of force as leverage over its neighbors.

I can understand why tanks are not good with urban warfare, but why are many cuntries upgrading the MBTs with preparation for urban warfare. I'm sure you can name a few tanks that they are preping for urban warfare.

Yes, but as I have mentioned earlier using the Abrams as an example, simply adding more and heavier armor to large tanks do make them more survivable, which is one of the primary focuses of all Western armies. However, this does not necessarily make them more effective as their heavy weaponry and mobility are essentially negated in an urban environment.

IMO, heavy tanks used by Western militaries today primarily serve as an intimidation factor, as well as to draw fire away from lighter units. However, the Russian and Chinese militaries with their smaller tanks may not be able to afford the attrition rates to their tank forces that they will most likely face in an urban scenario. Russia took heavy losses to their cream-of-the-crop T-80 forces during the Chechen conflict.