ZTQ-15 and PRC Light Tanks

Figaro

Senior Member
Registered Member
The most fanboyish comment I've read in a long time.
I'm sorry but how? The top armor of the tank can be easily penetrated by projectiles and explosive firearms. This is a valley we are talking about. What do you have a hard time understanding?
 

Inst

Captain
When you're running a 105mm for weight reasons, and you don't expect to face MBTs all day, you're better off using ATGMs that can be fired through the main gun for the task. So Refleks-type gun-missiles intended to top-attack and penetrate MBTs works better than going to 120mm, even if you end up sacrificing rate of fire.
 

Inst

Captain
Here's one slight problem:

The HJ-10 / AFT-10 seems to be a highly capable anti-tank missile. But its diameter is around 170mm; i.e, it can't be shoved into a 105mm gun. This implies that ZTQ-15s will have to externally mount them, or have the anti-tank missiles be handled by escorting tank destroyers and attack helicopters.

So the ZTQ-15 now has a distinct anti-armor vulnerability, one that would be absolutely fatal if it were facing M1s, but thankfully for the ZTQ-15s, it's facing T-90s.

In the terrain that it intends to fight in, at least, it can also see escort by Z-10s to conduct anti-armor missions. Then we'll see exactly how effective tank-hunting helicopters are for the role they aim to conduct.
 

Inst

Captain
You do realise that there are dedicated tank gun launched ATGMs right? Or do you seriously think people just shove regular ATGMs up tank gun barrels and shoot them off potato gun style?!

Prove they exist. There's been no talk at all about gun-launched ATGMs from the ZTQ-15's 105mm barrel. Even if they do exist, I have to question their penetration and lethality compared to an APFSDS from the T-90's 120mm.

Given the circumstances on the border, I'd see as more critical a combination of SPG long-range ATGMs and Z-10s once the air defense has been shelled to pieces.
 

The Observer

Junior Member
Registered Member
Prove they exist. There's been no talk at all about gun-launched ATGMs from the ZTQ-15's 105mm barrel. Even if they do exist, I have to question their penetration and lethality compared to an APFSDS from the T-90's 120mm.

Given the circumstances on the border, I'd see as more critical a combination of SPG long-range ATGMs and Z-10s once the air defense has been shelled to pieces.

I partially agree. The gun-launched missile is good and all, but I believe most if not all of them are of direct attack laser guided variety, not top attack. Knowing that, the current Chinese 105mm gun-launched missile might extend the engagement range, but it most likely still won't be able to handle targets the 105mm APFSDS can't handle, mainly due to lower penetration caused by missile diameter limit (105mm/under). If they want to rely on gun-launched missile for hardier targets, missile with top attack profile is the way to go. That not only help bypass the strongest armor faced by direct attack missiles, but also most if not all APS in the market today.
 

plawolf

Lieutenant General
Prove they exist. There's been no talk at all about gun-launched ATGMs from the ZTQ-15's 105mm barrel. Even if they do exist, I have to question their penetration and lethality compared to an APFSDS from the T-90's 120mm.

Given the circumstances on the border, I'd see as more critical a combination of SPG long-range ATGMs and Z-10s once the air defense has been shelled to pieces.

These have been around since at least 2005. There was even a thread about it in this very forum.


Links are dead, but it took literally 2 minutes of searching to find something more recent

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More Details on Gun Launched Missile

Norinco revealed a marketing brochure for its 105mm gun launched missile. It is a modified copy of the Russian Bastion gun launched anti-tank missile. Norinco explained the missile is theirs to sell as the original co-production contract only pertained to 100 of the 100mm Russian version of this missile. Norinco apparently owns the 105mm modification. Like the Bastion, it has a 5km range. It also has a penetration measured in "RHA 650mm with ERA," meaning it can penetrate 650mm of hard armor after penetrating outer explosive reactive armor. This missile arms the new IFV and the highly modified T-59D tank, which been entering several units in the last few years.

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This link even have a picture.
 
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