A small number of Type 62 light tanks remain in service with the People's Liberation Army of China. They are involved in secondary areas, are listed in training units and, as a rule, play the role of "enemy"armored vehicles during exercises.
Picture of a chinese made Type 62 main battle tank of the Sudanese ?? military in maintenance. pic.twitter.com/f31Tfpjixl
— Hammer Of War (@HammerOfWar5) September 18, 2021
Developed in the early 60s, the "sixty-second" weigh 20,500 kg. They are armed with 85-mm Type 62-85TS guns with 47 rounds of ammunition. There is a paired 7.62-mm Type 59T machine gun (a clone of the SGMB) and an anti-aircraft 12.7-mm Type 54 (a copy of the DShKM).
The armor of the forehead of the tower reaches 50 mm, the body-25 mm.
The engine power is 430 hp. The maximum speed on the highway is 70 km / h. The power reserve is 450 km. The crew consists of 4 people.
They tried to modernize the machines, for example, they installed laser rangefinders, more modern night sights, etc. But they are still considered outdated, so there is a systematic replacement with more modern equipment. In particular, the Type 15 is supplied to the troops with much more advanced protection, modern sights, good firepower and high mobility.
It is known that out of 1200 units produced, more than 300 were exported. Some of the countries, such as Albania, which had 35 units, got rid of such equipment long ago. They were also withdrawn from the units in Bangladesh - in this country they are being converted into heavy infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns. The status of similar tanks in the DPRK is also not clear.
At the same time, they continue to be operated in Vietnam, there are more than 160 units in four African countries.
The largest number of such vehicles is in the Sudanese ground forces. About 70 pieces. They practically do not get into the lenses of photo and video cameras, but they are still in service. And, apparently, they are not going to remove them from service yet.
Alexey Moiseev