The original model had a combat weight of 54 tons, and this is increased to 58 tons in the latest Type 99A2 version.
The Type 99 has a length of 11 metres (36 feet), a width of 3.5 (11 feet) and a height of 2.4 metres (8 feet). This MBT has a unique blend of Western and Soviet/Russian features. Whilst still seen as vast improvements over earlier models and incorporating many Western features and equipment, the leadership of the PLA realised the need for a more state-of-the-art design of tank better able to survive in a modern combat environment. Read More V-2 – The 90 Year Old Engine Used From the T-34 to the T-90MĬhina had a few MBTs in this period, namely the Type 85 and Type 88. Fast-moving Abrams and Challenger tanks easily destroying hundreds of T-72s belonging to the Iraqi Army and the Republican Guard, without suffering a single combat loss to enemy fire deeply disturbed Chinese military thinkers. The First Persian Gulf War of 1991 profoundly shocked the leadership of the PLA on many levels, particularly in the field of modern mechanised warfare. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the design and manufacture of main battle tanks (MBTs), culminating in the debut of the formidable Type 99 third-generation MBT in 2001. A Chinese-built Type 59, an almost carbon copy of the Soviet T-54.
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