Chinese Next Generation Main Battle Tank
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Force has unveiled a next generation main battle tank, with footage published on social media showing both the new vehicle and a new infantry fighting vehicle based on the same chassis. Both vehicles are expected to be formally unveiled at an upcoming military parade on Long Peace Street in Beijing on September 3, with the tank standing out for its use of reinforced dynamic protection across its hull and turret. The design appears to have a layered defensive capability and to prioritise crew survivability, with its weapons station being remotely operated, while it appears to use the new GL6 active protection system which continuously monitors the surrounding by radar to automatically deploy protective munitions for interception of any incoming threats. Although Russia was the first to unveil similarly ambitious next generation tank and armoured fighting vehicle designs in 2015, namely the T-14 tank and T-15 fighting vehicle, the limitations of the county’s defence sector and industrial base in the post-Soviet era have prevented these from becoming operational, leaving their futures in serious question. With the Western world having similarly failed to operationalise a post-Cold War tank design, this has allowed China and neighbouring South Korea to gain a lead.
Chinese Next Generation Main Battle Tank
Chinese tanks were notably years ahead of their Russian and Western counterparts in introducing active protection systems, while the country’s defence sector has brought four clean sheet post-Cold War tank designs into service over the last three decades, compared to none at all in Russia or the West. This has placed it in a strong position to widen its lead with the latest tank program. Although China’s ground forces have received less funding for equipment modernisation than the Navy or Air Force, due to the geographic nature of the primary threats posed to Chinese security by the country’s Western adversaries, the rate of modernisation has nevertheless been among the fastest in the world.
Chinese Next Generation Main Battle Tank
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