Type 96 (MBT)

History

With decades of experience in owning and operating Soviet-Russian main battle tanks, it is only natural that the Chinese military complex began to design, develop and manufacture its own domestic tanks. NORINCO (North Industries Corporation) introduced the second Type 85 Universal Main Battle Tank in 1988.

Much experience has been accumulated during its development cycle, and further development of the series has encouraged Chinese engineers to further develop their skills. Ultimately, the Type 85 was modified into the Type 90 prototype series, and while not selected for series production by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), it was the basis for the joint venture and locally produced Pakistani MBT-2000, perhaps better known as the main battle Tank "Al-Khalid".

China continued to develop the Type 85 to produce the improved Type 88 series, which received significant service in 1988. Production of the type continued until 1995, with around 450 examples built.

The Chinese then flew their Type 85 and produced the "Type 85-III" pilot vehicle, with many additions to improve its battlefield quality. This included the installation of a more reliable and powerful 1.000 diesel engine. Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks have been added to key skins for enhanced protection. In this revised form, the Type 85 was successfully evaluated and officially entered the Chinese Army's inventory, named "Type 96".

Despite its designation, the Type 96 was not used on the front lines until 1997. The arrival of the newer, more modern, and more powerful Type 96 also ended any further production of the aforementioned Type 88 series - the Type 96 essentially replaced the PLA's battlefield-capable Type 88. Production of the Type 96 itself is estimated at 2,500 units and is said to be still in progress at the time of writing.

The Type 96 is expected to form a large part of the PLA's mechanized forces and lead significant progress, while being supported by the more expensive, more complex and more capable 125m armed Type 99 main battle tank system. The Type 96 main battle tank is produced by the Inner Mongolia First Machinery Factory.

The

Type 96 is a 47-ton behemoth designed to fight against other current second-generation main battle tanks in the world. It is armed with a 125mm smoothbore main gun and is defended by a turret-mounted 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun and a coaxially mounted 7.62mm general purpose anti-infantry machine gun. To this day, armor protection is still classified, although it is called modular and uses ERA blocks to improve point defense. Like other indigenous Chinese tank designs, the Type 96 follows the lines of Soviet and Russian tank products in both form and function, which is to be expected given the once close defense relationship between the two countries.

Powered by a 1,000 hp diesel engine, the Type 96 offers a road speed of 70 km/h and an internal fuel range of 450 km. If desired, external fuel storage can be installed to increase the range to 600 km. The vehicle is suspended on a torsion bar system for strong off-road performance.

Overall, the Type 96 is a traditional design. The vehicle has six twin tire wheels on one side of the track. The upper part of the court is protected by a serrated armor skirt for basic point defense. The glacis board is tilted well until it is almost level.

The driver sits in the front left of the fuselage, and the engine is housed in a compartment at the rear of the design. The turret, mounted in the front center hustle of the fuselage, is flat in nature, making it visually more difficult to capture and engage targets, especially in low-lying foliage. The main gun protrudes slightly from the turret with a smoke vent in the middle. The turret design has a well-sloped fairing for excellent ballistic defense.

The heavy machine was mounted on a heavy bracket on top of the turret, offset to the right of the commander's dome. Two rows of six smoke grenade launchers were mounted on each side of the turret and could be used to protect the tank's advance if necessary. The crew quarters are only three people, as the mechanical autoloader is used to manage the ammunition depot.

The crew consists of the driver, tank commander and gunner - in Western tank types the loading function is almost always performed by a manual loader, while the Soviets/Russians have been using automatic loaders for a long time.

Bangladesh has shown some interest in buying the Type 96, although the current action is focused on China as the only Type 96 operator in the world (since the Sudan upgrade).

The improved Type 96B was unveiled in 2016 and participated in the regional International Army Games hosted by Russia. This variant features state-of-the-art digital communications, situational awareness and sensors. A new ventilation system was also developed.

Overall, the vehicle retains its basic form and function. Possible upgrades to drivetrain, wheels and suspension.

The Type 96 MBT series was the main vanguard of the PLA's tank formations - although the more advanced and powerful (but expensive) Type 99 MBT series emerged (detailed elsewhere on this site).

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

40 x 125mm projectile.

2,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

500x12.7mm ammo.

12 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes