Chinese 96-A

Blackstone

Brigadier
There was also the issue of Chinese tanks ready to engage the next target but the next target was consistently very slow to be raised up, resulting in multiple time delays.
That was the accusation last time, but what's the excuse this year? The three misses I saw by the Type 96-B had nothing to do with slow raising targets. Some Chinese netzens blamed Russian-provided ammo... love to see proof, but I doubt we'll see it.
 

SinoSoldier

Colonel
According to Henri K., there is a rumor, albeit unconfirmed, that the Russians have requested the PLA to add weight to their ZTZ-96B tanks for the semifinals/finals.
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
According to Henri K., there is a rumor, albeit unconfirmed, that the Russians have requested the PLA to add weight to their ZTZ-96B tanks for the semifinals/finals.
Sounds like Internet urban legend, because China likely furnished specs for their equipment before they were approved for competition.
 

SinoSoldier

Colonel
Sounds like Internet urban legend, because China likely furnished specs for their equipment before they were approved for competition.

It would be quite incomprehensible for the Russians not to have evaluated and confirmed any specifications before the entire competition started, rather than after several key events.

Kind of like how an UFC match would have a weigh-in before the start of the fight, rather than after two rounds.
 

sequ

Captain
Registered Member
In the first rounds, the tanks were shooting HEAT training rounds at static targets from a distance of 1600-1800 meters. All of the rounds had tracers, except for the Chinese ones, which leads me to believe that the Chinese brought their own munition with them.

In the finals which started today, the tanks had to shoot on the move (at very slow speeds 5-10kmph) at static targets at the same range as mentioned above, only this time they used APFSDS training rounds with a much higher velocity and flatter trajectory.
Again the Chinese brought their own munition because of the lack of tracer, only found at the Chinese.

I do not doubt the capabilities of most participating crews to accurately lay the cross-hairs in the center of the target, holding it steady, laser-ranging and firing the gun. I don't doubt the advanced FCS of both the T-72B3(M) and the Type-96B.

The only reason I can come up with for the terrible accuracy, is the 2A46 tank gun and it's Chinese derivative. Compared to their western analogues, they are leagues behind in terms of accuracy. You can see for yourself googling for "120mm L44 accuracy".

I think a Type-59D with its 105mm gun and modern FCS, would do much better in terms of accuracy.
 

visitant

New Member
Registered Member
Sounds like Internet urban legend, because China likely furnished specs for their equipment before they were approved for competition.
20160808222557852.jpg


It actually happened. To be fair, you deserve it when you crashing a promotion party:D

Seriously, the rules Russian host made has becoming more and more absurd, it's turning to a heavy truck racing game now. I really dont mind who gets higher scores, just wish we could see more games simulating actual combat environment.
 

Franklin

Captain
The Type 96B will become the backbone of the PLA armoured forces. And will replace most of the old Type 59 and 69's still serving in the PLA armoured corps. It has much better performance than the earlier Type 96 models and is much cheaper than the Type 99. The Type 96B could be for the PLA armoured corps what the Type 054A is for the PLA Navy.

Type-96B seen as pillar of nation's tank force

China's military is likely to deploy the Type-96B tank as the pillar of its tank fleet,replacing most of its old models, observers said.

Gao Zhuo, a military observer in Shanghai who has close contact with the People's Liberation Army, told China Daily that the excellent capabilities of the Type-96B qualify itto be the backbone of China's tank force.

"The Type-96B is the strongest variant of the Type-96 family and is truly an advanced,third-generation main battle tank," he said. "The PLA will use it to replace the old tankssuch as the Type-59 and Type-69 models."

His remarks came as the Type-96B delivered impressive performances in the ongoingMasters of Automobile and Tank Hardware competition, also known as the Tank Biathlon,at the Alabino training range in Moscow.

The PLA sent several Type-96B tanks to take part in the tank competition, the mostwatched part of the Russia-hosted International Army Games.

The eight-day individual part of the competition, which involved 54 teams from 17countries, ended on Sunday, with the Chinese delegation scoring the highest.

All of the PLA's three teams were to compete in the semifinal that started on Tuesday.

By the end of last year, the Chinese military had more than 7,000 tanks in active service,including about 2,000 Type-96s and Type-96As, as well as about 600 Type-99s and Type-99As, so the majority of the PLA armored force is still equipped with tanks made several decades ago, according to foreign military analysts.

Huang Guozhi, senior editor at Modern Weaponry magazine, said that despite the fact thatType-99 series tanks are more advanced, their high price and limited production capacitymean that it's unrealistic for the PLA to purchase and deploy them on a large scale.

"Therefore, the Type-96B, with a better price and satisfactory capabilities, is veryattractive to the Chinese and foreign militaries. It is the best option for the PLA tomodernize its armored forces," he said.

According to an article posted by China North Industries Group Corp on its WeChat socialmedia account, the Type-96B compared with its predecessors in the Type-96 family has a high-performance 125 mm smoothbore gun, an improved, more powerful engine, newly developed transmission gear and a state-of-the-art fire-control system.

Yu Shuo, a tank researcher in Beijing, said the Type-96B is among the latest achievements by the nation's land arms industry. He suggested that too much emphasis should not be placed on the results of the Tank Biathlon, as the experience gained is more important to the PLA.

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Blackstone

Brigadier
The Type 96B will become the backbone of the PLA armoured forces. And will replace most of the old Type 59 and 69's still serving in the PLA armoured corps. It has much better performance than the earlier Type 96 models and is much cheaper than the Type 99. The Type 96B could be for the PLA armoured corps what the Type 054A is for the PLA Navy.



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Nice article, but the "state of the art" fire control system wasn't in evidence in the Russian Tank Biathlon video.
 
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