PLA Next Generation Main Battle Tank

I'm still curious about what this chassis displayed in the 201 Institute advertising video is. Engine in the rear, with 7 road wheels. The video also said that it could reach 80km/h. So probably a 7-roadwheel testbed? Or even a prototype chassis for the 4th gen? Seems to me that it's almost impossible that it's something besides a tank.

RichardGao said:

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I'm still curious about what this chassis displayed in the 201 Institute advertising video is. Engine in the rear, with 7 road wheels. The video also said that it could reach 80km/h. So probably a 7-roadwheel testbed? Or even a prototype chassis for the 4th gen? Seems to me that it's almost impossible that it's something besides a tank.

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This chassis is basically confirmed to be a 2-crew tank after analyzing dozens of sources.

But is that a “Tank” or a Tank?
A lot of people translate the term “Tank” informally, to some a “Tank” is any armored vehicle tracked or wheeled. Where to others a “Tank” only refers to a vehicle tracked with a high velocity Large caliber main gun and heavy armor.
now is it a tank? No it’s a demonstrator for a chassis and drive that could become the heart of a future “Tank” proper.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

But is that a “Tank” or a Tank?
A lot of people translate the term “Tank” informally, to some a “Tank” is any armored vehicle tracked or wheeled. Where to others a “Tank” only refers to a vehicle tracked with a high velocity Large caliber main gun and heavy armor.
now is it a tank? No it’s a demonstrator for a chassis and drive that could become the heart of a future “Tank” proper.

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I‘ve actually found an artist's impression of a 2-crew tank from an official magazine which bears a lot similarity to this chassis. What I mean is that it is basically sure to be a chassis for a 2-crew tank prototype, instead of being actually the tank itself. Meanwhile I could still be wrong that it maybe is just a chassis for some other kind of heavy vehicle, perhaps one for field air defense. But I also mentioned that such probabilities have their reasons to be crossed out and therefore a tank chassis is still most probable.

According to the Weibo poster, the PLA is actively exploring man-machine interfaces that greatly increase tank crews' situational awareness. Helmet-mounted displays are also being looked into.

The tracks on the 7 wheel test bed shown above seems fairly narrow. This suggest the vehicle is lighter than might be expected of a 60+ ton main battle tank, unless the Chinese are going light with their next generation tank.

Richard Santos said:

The tracks on the 7 wheel test bed shown above seems fairly narrow. This suggest the vehicle is lighter than might be expected of a 60+ ton main battle tank, unless the Chinese are going light with their next generation tank.

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It's just a proof of concept.

Skywatcher said:

It's just a proof of concept.

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Wouldnt they try to simulate expected weight to carry?

TK3600 said:

Wouldnt they try to simulate expected weight to carry?

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Honestly, I don't see any weight simulators on the testbed, so I'd assume its more of a drive train/propulsion proof of concept.

my take on the photo is this is a test rig for the entire running gear. The hydraulic lines connected to each roller set under the track seems to enable to the roller to be pressed up into the vehicle to actively simulate suspension articulation the vehicle will undergo when running across rough terrain at speed. the chassis is probably bolted down. the simulated ground press up hydraulically to work the suspension, rather than the vehicle weight pressing down down to work the suspension.

so this suggest the narrow tracks is part of the characteristic of the running gear being tested, not an artifact of corner cutting during tests.

so this suggests to me the chassis is for an lighter vehicle. either the chinese decides the next generation tank will be much lighter, or this is for a new APC or MICV.