ZTQ-15 and PRC Light Tanks

J

jobjed

Captain
Iron Man said:
I don't think the shaded area is armor so much as top armor that is cut away to reveal the inside. A clue is the waviness of the shaded parts meant to convey a 'peeled-back' look. IMO the actual thickness of the non-composite armor is the thin dark-shaded armor that can be seen on the sides and back.
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I based my red border on the thick line where it existed and then extrapolated where it will go after it disappeared. This is the original image;
9DmNRu5.png
 
I

Iron Man

Major
Registered Member
jobjed said:
I based my red border on the thick line where it existed and then extrapolated where it will go after it disappeared. This is the original image;
Click to expand...
What I mean is that I think the armor thickness is more like this:

9DmNRu5.png

This level of thickness should be enough to stop any IFV cannon round against the sides, and with ERA tiles added, can stop MBT HEAT rounds as well.
 
Figaro

Figaro

Senior Member
Registered Member
Chinese light tank article
PLA's new light tank is unveiled
Source
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Editor
Huang Panyue
Time
2017-10-11

Design good for use in south and on China's plateaus, experts say.

China has confirmed the deployment of a new light tank, which observers say will suit combat operations on plateaus.

A photo of the tank on snowy ground is on display at an exposition in the Beijing Exhibition Center, as part of a display showing achievements made by China over the past five years. The caption accompanying the picture says it is a new type of light tank, without giving details.

This is the first time the Chinese military has officially published a picture of the tank.

Almost all of the military equipment on display at the exhibition is in active service with the People's Liberation Army. A number of pictures taken by military enthusiasts and circulated on Chinese defense websites show a row of the new tanks being transported by rail. Those tanks had been painted with a tactical code on the turret - an indication of delivery to the PLA Ground Force.

At a Defense Ministry news briefing in late June, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, ministry spokesman, confirmed that the light tank was being tested at that time on plateaus in the Tibet autonomous region.

Developed by China North Industries Group Corp, the country's biggest maker of land armaments, the light tank is equipped with a hydropneumatic suspension system that ensures good maneuverability and survivability in mountainous regions.

Its main weapon is a 105-mm gun that is able to fire both shells and guided missiles, according to weapons observers, who said the tank's main task is to fight on plateaus even at very low temperatures and that its weight ranges from 25 to 35 metric tons. By comparison, a main battle tank, such as the United States' M1 Abrams and China's Type 99A, weighs up to 65 tons.

Du Wenlong, an equipment researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said the vehicle was designed to operate in China's southern regions and on plateaus.

"The shortage of oxygen on plateaus means its engine must be very powerful and can work well with a limited amount of oxygen," he said. "Similarly, its power, fire control and ammunition systems must have been specially designed for high altitudes."

Ge Lide, a defense technology researcher at PLA National Defense University, said that while the tank falls into the light-duty category, its combat capability is strong, considering its firepower, mobility, defensive features and information capacity.

He noted that the tank would be capable of moving through many kinds of tough terrain and should be able to outperform all other PLA tanks and armored vehicles off-road.

In addition to the domestic version, China has also developed a light tank for export. The VT-5, which China North Industries Group Corp calls the most advanced light tank available in the international market, has a maximum weight of 36 tons, and is armed with a 105-mm rifled tank gun, according to the company.

China developed the Type 62 light tank in the 1960s and had used it in its armored forces in southern regions for more than 50 years until retiring them in 2013.
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O

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
Excellent. NORINCO should also create an urban combat version of the light tank for easy maneuvering on narrow streets. Greatest threats to tanks are helicopters and infantry fired anti-tank missiles. Most tanks fighting in urban areas are sitting ducks without proper infantry support. Been true for almost all conflicts after the Vietnam. Doesn't matter if it's 60+ tonne Merkavas or 42 tonne t-72s. All are equally dead unless APS are used. Put some APS like the newly unveiled GL-5 on this light tank and it's a useful little urban fighting machine. Don't need 125mm against softer targets so firepower is enough especially when a 35 tonne tank can go places and outrange all other MBTs in the world.
 
TerraN_EmpirE

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
There are a number of threats in urban fighting for tanks. not just Helicopters.
First is the 3D environment. Even an APS cannot protect a tank from every angle of attack. Satchel charges on the hull or roof, IEDs from below. And still kill tanks especially thin skinned tanks.
A mobility kill on a tank can be a nightmare by it's self. I mean if a tank is disabled the crew or another tank has to come in and try and save the tank. That means more opportunities for ambush.
Close attack with RPGs can defeat an ASP by not giving it time to react. Or swarming it with such systems can defeat the system by by making it use it's countermeasures up then finishing the job.
Those tight narrow streets are perfect traps for IEDs and ambush.
 
I

Iron Man

Major
Registered Member
I'm still not sure what the actual role of this tank is. If it is meant to serve on plateau environments due to its lighter weight, why not just use a ZBD-04A with its ~24t weight, 100mm rifled gun that can fire ATGMs, upgraded applique armor, and APS? With the additional benefit of being able to carry troops.
 
TerraN_EmpirE

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Iron Man said:
I'm still not sure what the actual role of this tank is. If it is meant to serve on plateau environments due to its lighter weight, why not just use a ZBD-04A with its ~24t weight, 100mm rifled gun that can fire ATGMs, upgraded applique armor, and APS? With the additional benefit of being able to carry troops.
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First the 100mm gun is not a tank gun. it's a lower velocity It could bust a IFV but not a tank. though it could fire ATGMs a tank gun is still more efficient and the 105mm Rifled can double as light Artillery.
Second is the engine. It's more powerful that means it's better suited to the thinner air of higher altitudes. Thin air robs power. The new light tank has double the Hp of the older engines that means that even when the air has robbed it of power it still has plenty of Go.
Plus the Amphibious modifications add dead weight for the higher altitudes.
 
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