![]() 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. Therefore, the ZTZ99A inherits its predecessors’ excellent firepower and combines it with its own upgrades to result in a potent new fighting vehicle, worthy of the top spot in the Chinese ground forces tree.A Chinese-built Type 59, an almost carbon copy of the Soviet T-54. The vehicle still features the familiar ZPT-98 125 mm smoothbore cannon as well as a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a top-mounted high-caliber commander’s machine gun. Unlike its protection and mobility, the ZTZ99A’s firepower however remains virtually unchanged from previous versions. Quite a handy upgrade for intense gun fights, eh? ![]() Furthermore, a new transmission eliminates the poor reverse speed of the older modifications with the ZTZ99A now being capable of reaching up to 34 km/h while going in reverse. ![]() As a result, the vehicle’s power-to-weight ratio increases to an impressive 27.7 hp/t despite the weight increase! As a result, the ZTZ99A actually outmatches its predecessors in terms of mobility, being able to attain a top speed of 75 km/h on paved roads. While the protection upgrade did result in the vehicle gaining roughly 4 tons in weight over its immediate predecessor, this drawback is amply compensated by the ZTZ99A receiving a new 1,500 horsepower diesel engine. ![]()
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