PLA Next Generation Main Battle Tank
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it's not , it doesn't have a high piched whine , more of a low piched rumbble, gas trubine sounds like a jet engine.
for comparison
Also , PLA probably isn't going to field a gas turbine in 2020s the same reason the US next genration of tank isn't going to be gas trubine.
There was this period in the 80s to 90s that gas turbine offers a lighter and smaller powerpack for a given output power.
Also it had more torque at lower rpm , meaning turbine offered a better acceleration.
But diesel engine imporved quite a bit since then , and we are moving to a age of hybrid power solutions which increase the torque.
Since the next genration of tank need much more electricity because of more sensors on the platform.
Most army would pick either diesel +batteries or turbine + batteries .
This however is still an ungoing engineering debate which will have a better balance of power, weight , size and maintenance.
But since China didn't really put point in the gas turbine for land vehicle tech tree ,it makes more sense for PLA to stay with diesel engine given it is more mature and familiar for the PLA.
AES100-based gas turbine tank engine technological demonstrator has been tested in 2020
There is even a concept of gas turbine hybrid system
Of course, this is still some distance from practical application, but the PLA absolutely possesses some technological capabilities.
There is even a concept of gas turbine hybrid system
Of course, this is still some distance from practical application, but the PLA absolutely possesses some technological capabilities.
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If the first prototype become operational in 2020 then it missed it's window to be included in the new tank , military procurement program time table is long , the new tank probably had it's system selected in the 2015-2016.
Since it would be wise to avoid feature creep , meaning while you are developing the tank you keep adding new stuff that originally wasn't planned for, that how you get overtime and overbuget programs that can't deliver on time .
Or they might just have two engines? There could be a need for two engines with such a power hungry tank. And having two engines that are both mature have there upsides.
Not an efficent solution , most likely the gas trubine program is it's own program with the goal of developing the know how of making a gas turbine, basicly exploring an option.
Sure if decided they can take the test the gas turbine on the new tank too , maybe they already have tested it.
But you would not want to make 2 version of the same tank with different engines , also I have doubt that PLA will want gas turbine from a logistics view , PLA ground froces beside the aviation don't have in it's inventory aviation fuel .
Not that big of a deal plus a gas turbine can be desined to run on diesel, but it is worth considering.
In theory, in practice whenever PLAGF do exercise with Russians they immediately ask to tap into that helicopter avgas for their T-80U because it's better for their turbines.
exactly , multifule can be said for the AGT1500 used on the M1 , it can doesn't mean it is perfered , the tank has different horsepower when running on different fuels , also switching to a different fuel isn't a button press , as far I understand it take somewhere like few hours for each tank , the engine needs to be re-tuned.
That why the US army never really did try to run M1 on anything beside jet fule , cause switching fuel for a whole battalion of tanks might take days.