PLA Next Generation Main Battle Tank

latenlazy · 2025-08-21T03:54:02-0400

leibowitz said:
I concur with the argument that the new MBT is well suited for a Taiwan campaign, but given the limited role the PLAGF would play in such a campaign, wouldn't there be other theaters that this tank is more likely to fight in?

For instance - how would this tank do vs the Indian Army at 2km engagement ranges in Aksai Chin, or vs insurgents in a hypothetical Chinese intervention in Myanmar?

Eh I’m arguing that the new MBT is pretty irrelevant to the Taiwan campaign. For other engagements please review what I’ve already shared about thinking in terms of changes in maneuver doctrine.

latenlazy said:
This is my initial view on the matter as well. If a good share of offensive capabilities is offloaded to networked close air support assets then ground fighting might increasingly favor tank forces that can be transported more quickly and execute faster maneuvers. After all a critical dimension of advantage in systems centric warfare is speed.

Even if this is the case though I do think that ground forces still need a heavy tank to *hold* positions, so there probably should be a heavy tank in the works as well, though the number of different tank types in the future force structure might be changing if what we’re seeing with this new light/medium tank in fact reflects a change in thinking about tank warfare doctrine.

latenlazy said:
I don’t think of this as indexing on drone warfare in Ukraine so much as adapting to new technological and tactical contexts. The point of the argument isn’t to only to depend on light tanks, but rather how a different kind of light tank might fit into the context of new thinking on broader ground warfare doctrine. The thinking is organized not around counteracting the prevalence of drones but around how to leverage available new capabilities to best achieve the primary objectives of ground warfare (which is generate maneuver advantages to take and then hold territory). This new tank needs to be seen in the context of other potential future platforms around it. If the thesis for the thinking behind this tank is correct this is but one piece in a whole system of new ground warfare doctrine. That at least would be the case for this tank being the primary mainstay of the future tank force (which to be clear we don’t in fact know to be the case currently).

FriedRiceNSpice · 2025-08-21T03:56:18-0400

tamsen_ikard said:
That's like shooting a bullet to catch a bullet. The reaction time is so small that likelihood of the APS missing is high.

Yes, its doable but extremely hard. I am sure it can easily be overwhelmed with multiple simultanous shots and can even miss single shots in certain angles and concealed shots.

APS was literally invented to counter these exact types of threats.

Tomboy · 2025-08-21T03:59:46-0400

tamsen_ikard said:
Better than what Type 59,69, 79, 89 and 96 is doing. All of these models still in active service. That is the main reason for upgrade. Making existing system better and more capable. Could these new tanks still lose against Heavy T-90 from India?

Yes, if India can bring them in and put the force in such a way that PLA tanks are forced to face Indian tanks head on. Again, PLA tactics should be such that this scenario is unlikely. Ideal scenario is PLA drones, Artillery and air power destroying Indian tanks.

And if tanks still face threats and destruction, unmanned turret will provide better survivability for the crew, which means that crew can come back with another tank.

I wouldn't be so sure if T-90A or even T-90M would easily win even in a head-on fight, this thing has good armor unlike what some people claim also this tank has a better gun with a better shell and presumably a much faster autoloader. Along with much better sensors and mobility with possible IR and radar signature reduction. This tank should still easily win against last gen tanks even in a pure tank on tank battle.

FriedRiceNSpice · 2025-08-21T04:02:14-0400

leibowitz said:
For instance - how would this tank do vs the Indian Army at 2km engagement ranges in Aksai Chin, or vs insurgents in a hypothetical Chinese intervention in Myanmar?

India lacks the infrastructure and logistics capabilities to support any meaningful armored force in the region. Not only does the PLA enjoy a massive advantage in relevant infrastructure in the region and logistics capabilities, the terrain on the Indian side of the border is far more challenging when it comes to developing transportation infrastructure. Any existing supply and transport infrastructure on the Indian side would be extremely vulnerable to interdiction by the PLAAF. Once Indian forces have been cut off from their supply lines, mop up would be trivial.

nimitz123 · 2025-08-21T04:42:31-0400

I really don't think the MBT like type 99 would be even in the first or second wave of Taiwan invasion. Heavy tank are meant to fight in vast, flat European plain where mostly there's no strongpoint. However, most of Taiwan are surbuban terrain, with require agile. Besides, there's also the matter of logistics. I doubt most bridge in Taiwan, except highway bridge, can bare a MBT. And MBT takes place of more suitable assets on ferry. MBT in Taiwan is really a show of force. MBT will only reserved for Korean theatre, SEA theatre and may be Siberian theatre but that's very unlikey, where they can delivery them close to theatre in advance without the use of ferry and there's a plain for them to maximize their capability

Tomboy · 2025-08-21T04:51:30-0400

The tank with lower armor module removed? Seems like even the lower part of the hull could be decently well armored.

The source is unsurprisingly War Thunder Forum.

Tomboy · 2025-08-21T04:58:23-0400

Someone made some estimate on how thick the lower part of the armor could be (The green line between the two red lines).

Also from the same guy on War Thunder Forums

tankphobia · 2025-08-21T06:28:10-0400

tamsen_ikard said:
Better than what Type 59,69, 79, 89 and 96 is doing. All of these models still in active service. That is the main reason for upgrade. Making existing system better and more capable. Could these new tanks still lose against Heavy T-90 from India?

Yes, if India can bring them in and put the force in such a way that PLA tanks are forced to face Indian tanks head on. Again, PLA tactics should be such that this scenario is unlikely. Ideal scenario is PLA drones, Artillery and air power destroying Indian tanks.

And if tanks still face threats and destruction, unmanned turret will provide better survivability for the crew, which means that crew can come back with another tank.

The area of contention between India and China is open and mountainous, horrible tank country. It'll mostly devolve into a drone/air war. Someone must have profoundly messed up to see T-90s and Chinese mbts see direct combat against each other. Look at Rus/Ukr, while tactics can't be directly taken at face value, the danger zone is something like 15km from line of contact. I don't see a way where armour can make contact without first getting smashed by long ranged fires.

kane72 · 2025-08-21T06:56:07-0400

Tomboy said:
View attachment 158797
It's a 10 cylinder engine and apparently it's also a family of engine using the same tech which is currently used in many vehicles. I suspect the entire new lineup of vehicle feature engines from this family.