Live firing of the VT-3 tank in Africa was shown on video

Exercises involving Chinese-made VT-3 tanks (also known as Type 59G) were recently conducted by the Chadian ground forces.

Information about the acquisition of these combat vehicles by the military department of this country was made public at the end of April last year, when they were first seen on the streets of the capital - N'Djamena.

Interestingly, the details of the transaction are still unknown, for example, how many such tanks were actually delivered.

Therefore, now all reference books speak only about the presence in the armed forces of six dozen old Soviet T-55s and thirty wheeled 100-mm PTL02 fire support vehicles (export designation WMA301) of NORINCO Corporation.

Chad became the second African country after Tanzania to receive such a modification of the Type 59. The tanks that were in service with the People's Liberation Army after their decommissioning are not disposed of, but are thoroughly modernized and offered to those who, due to financial difficulties, cannot order new-built equipment.

The "fifty-ninth" uses many technical solutions previously successfully tested on the Type 96A, including a smooth-bore 125 mm gun and an improved fire control system with the installation of a thermal imaging channel possible at the request of the customer. However, the loading remains semi-automatic, and the number of crew, respectively, is four people.

The main armor is reinforced with dynamic protection, covering not only the frontal projections of the hull and turret, but also the sides of the latter. The engine power is 730 hp. The maximum speed on the highway is 50 km/h. The power reserve is 450 km.

Alexey Moiseev