Type 99 | |
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![]() Type 99A tank at Theme Exhibition of the 90th Anniversary of Chinese People's Liberation Army | |
Type | Main battle tank |
Place of origin | China |
Service history | |
In service | 2001 (Type 99) 2011–present (Type 99A) |
Used by | See Operators |
Production history | |
Designer | Norinco |
Manufacturer | Norinco |
Unit cost | $2.5 million[1] |
Produced | 1998–2001 (Type 98) 2001–2011 (Type 99) 2007–present (Type 99A) |
No. built | 1,300[2] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 51 tonnes (Type 98) 55 tonnes (Type 99A) |
Length | Hull: 7.6 metres (25 ft) Gun forward: 11 metres (36 ft)[3] |
Width | Hull: 3.7 metres (12 ft)[4] |
Height | Hull: 2.35 metres (7.7 ft)[4] |
Crew | 3 (commander, driver, gunner)[5] |
Armor | Classified. Anticipated to be welded turret with applique and modular composite/reactive armor Upper Frontal Plate: 750-900mm vs APFSDS & 1,300-1,600mm vs HEAT Turret: 800-1,000mm vs APFSDS & 1200-1,500mm vs HEAT |
Main armament | 125mm ZPT-98 smoothbore gun (42 Rounds; autoloader) |
Secondary armament | QJC-88 heavy machine gun[5] Type 86 coaxial machine gun |
Engine | 150HB liquid-cooled V12 twin-turbo diesel 33.9 litre 1,500 hp (1,119 kW) |
Power/weight | 27.78 hp/tonne |
Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
Operational range | 600 kilometres (370 mi)–650 kilometres (400 mi) |
Maximum speed | Road: 76 kilometres per hour (47 mph) (Type 99A) Off-road: 54 kilometres per hour (34 mph) |
The Type 99 (Chinese: 99式主战坦克; pinyin: Jiǔjiǔshì Zhǔzhàn Tǎnkè) or ZTZ-99 is a Chinese third generation main battle tank (MBT).[6] The vehicle was a replacement for the aging Type 88 introduced in the late 1980s. The Type 99 MBT was China's first mass-produced third-generation main battle tank. Combining modular composite armour and tandem-charge defeating ERA, 125 mm smoothbore gun with ATGM-capability, high mobility, digital systems and optics, the Type 99 represents a shift towards rapid modernization by the PLA.
The Type 99 is based on the Soviet T-72 chassis.[7] The tank entered People's Liberation Army (PLA) service in 2001.[6] The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) is the sole operator of the Type 99. Three main versions of the Type 99 have been deployed: the Type 98 prototype, Type 99 and the Type 99A. The Type 99 forms the core of China’s modern maneuver combat capabilities, with over 1,300 tanks built for the past two decades.[2]
The Type 99 represents the cutting-edge of currently deployed People's Liberation Army tanks ... though it has not been widely proliferated throughout China's armed forces due to its prodigious price tag of $2,500,000 per unit.