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Wdll · #**566** November 8th, 2016, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkSheppard

New tank unveiled by the Chinese.

DISCLAIMER: This is an export tank (hence the VT-5 designation). There's no guarantee that this tank will actually enter service with the PLA(N) as the Chinese Arms industry is very much like the British Arms industry in the 1900s-1960s; where you had Vickers and other private manufacturers developing and selling platforms on their own that were just as advanced (or more) than the ones in actual UK service.

http://www.janes.com/article/65060/n...ightweight-mbt

Quote:

NORINCO details VT5 lightweight MBT

Christopher F Foss, Hong Kong - IHS Jane's International Defence Review
01 November 2016

The Chinese VT5 lightweight MBT has a combat weight of between 33 and 36 tonnes depending on its armour package. It is powered by a 1,000 hp diesel engine. Source: Christopher F Foss

China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) debuted its VT5 lightweight main battle tank (MBT) at Airshow China 2016 in Zhuhai.

The VT5 has been developed specifically for the export market and has a combat weight of between 33 and 36 tonnes, depending on the armour package fitted and measures 9.20 m (gun forward) in length, by 3.30 m (with side skirts) in width, and 2.50 m (turret roof) in height.

The baseline hull and turret is all-welded steel armour to which a modular protection package can be fitted depending on the end user's operational requirements. This can include advanced composite armour, explosive reactive armour (ERA), or a mix of the two.

The example being shown at Airshow China is also fitted with bar/slat armour on the turret sides and either side of the hull. This provides a higher level of protection against rocket-propelled grenades and similar weapons fitted with a single high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead.

Survivability is also enhanced by its compact design and low profile, when compared to the latest generation of MBTs.

The VT5's layout is conventional with the driver at the front, turret in the middle, and compact powerpack at the rear.

The two-person turret has the gunner on the left and the commander on the right. Both are provided with stabilised day/thermal sights incorporating a laser rangefinder, and individual roof hatches. The commander has a panoramic sight which allows hunter/killer target engagements to take.

According to NORINCO the computerised fire-control system (FCS) enables stationary and moving targets to be engaged out to a range of at least 3,000 m. The main armament comprises a 105 mm rifled gun which is fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. This is fed by a bustle-mounted automatic loader with the empty cartridge cases being ejected outside the turret bustle at the rear.

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http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/china...ntain-warfare/

Quote:

China’s biggest developer and manufacturer of land armaments, China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO), has for the first time publicly displayed an export version of a new lightweight main battle tank (MBT), dubbed VT5, at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuha, IHS Jane’s reports.

According to IHS Jane’s, the new MBT has a combat weight of between 33 to 36 tons, a relatively light weight in comparison to other MBTS such as the 43-ton ZTZ-96 (See: “Meet the ‘Backbone’ of China’s Deadly New Tank Force”). The tank’s weight indicates that it could be used for mountain warfare operations to operate in terrains that are inaccessible to heavier MBTs. Like most other light tanks, the VT5 will most likely be used for reconnaissance and infantry support operations.

The tank can reportedly be fitted with advanced composite armor and explosive reactive armor. “The example being shown at Airshow China is also fitted with bar/slat armor on the turret sides and either side of the hull. This provides a higher level of protection against rocket-propelled grenades and similar weapons fitted with a single high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead,” according to IHS Jane’s.

The tank is purportedly armed with a 105 millimeter gun fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. Similar to guns on other Chinese MBTs, the VT-5’s gun may also be capable of firing laser-guided anti-tank missiles, next to kinetic energy penetrators and high-explosive anti-tank warheads. Furthermore, the VT5 is equipped with a state-of-the-art fire control system and features an autoloader like all Chinese tank designs.

The VT5 purportedly is a variant of the so-called ZTQ light tank, pictures of which first emerged in 2010. There is little public information available on the ZTQ tank and it is unclear whether the MBT has already been inducted into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) or not. The tank is/will likely be deployed along China’s western border including Tibet. It unclear how many ZTQ are and will be in service with the PLA. Some sources indicate that the PLA intends to field as many as 300.

As I reported elsewhere, China has allegedly also produced a new variant of the third-generation ZTZ-96 MBT, the ZTZ-96B. This new tank participated in this year’s International Army Games, organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense, and held this summer near Moscow. The Type 96 MBT series is the mainstay of the PLA’s tank force with more than 2,500 Type 96 MBTs estimated to be in service with the Chinese military.

The VT-5 and ZTQ light tanks appear to be a downsized version of the VT-4/MBT-3000. The VT-4 is based on the Soviet-era T-72 tank design and armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun. In comparison to the VT-4, the VT-5 will likely boost weaker armor and a less powerful main gun as well as engines.

Is it just me, or it looks a bit like a taller CV90?