A diligent copycat is catching up with the teachers of the main Chinese Type 96A combat tank created on the basis of the Soviet T-72.
Photos from the website www.eng.chinamil.com.cn Officially formed in 1949, the PLA initially completely depended on the supply of equipment from the USSR.
This technique was obtained in very large quantities, and soon China began to produce it itself.
In particular, hundreds and thousands of T-34–85 and T-54, PT-76, as well as BTR-40 and BTR-152 tanks were delivered to China. The Chinese did not copy the T-34, the rest of the listed samples of Soviet armored vehicles went into local production under the names, respectively, Tour 59, Tour 60, Tour 55 and Tour 56.
Both armored personnel carriers have left no trace in the history of the Chinese army. The same could be said about the Toure 60 light tank, but on its basis the Chinese Toure 63 was created, also floating, but equipped not with a 76-mm, but with an 85-mm gun. It was in service with both the PLA ground forces and the Marine Corps; more than 1.5 thousand units were produced. Then, on its basis, the Ture 63A tank with a 105-mm cannon was created (at least 300 units were produced) and the Ture 77 floating APC, on the chassis of which the Ture 89 122-mm self-propelled gun was produced. ON the TRACKS</span>, the Chinese Ture 59 copied from the T-54, on the contrary, became the "progenitor", in fact, three families of Chinese tanks and the basis of the Chinese tank fleet until the end of the 1980s (and in fact - until the end of the twentieth century).
Actually, the Tour 59 produced about 10 thousand units, of which about 4.5 thousand were exported. Based on it, the Toure 62 light tank with an 85 mm cannon was created, but unlike the Toure 63 it is not floating. Approximately 1560 units were manufactured.
Apparently, it was on Tour 62 that the main losses of Chinese troops in tanks occurred during the aggression against Vietnam in 1979 (see " What is the treachery of the eastern partner of Moscow, "HBO" from 04/13/18). As for the Tour 59, the Pakistani army lost more than 40 vehicles of this type (including a modified version of the Al-Zarrar) in various wars.
After a complete break with the Soviet Union, China began to improve the Tour 59 on its own. A variant with a new gun (albeit of the same caliber of 100 mm) and some other equipment (the technologies of the Soviet T-62 captured at Damansk were used) was called Tour 69 and entered service with the PLA in a small number (about 150 units).
The modified version of the Tour 69-II became purely export, more than 2.4 thousand cars of this type were delivered abroad. The main buyer was Iraq, which lost more than 200 Tour 69-II in two wars with the United States and in the civil war of 2014-2017, the losses during the Iran-Iraq War are unknown (as well as the losses of Tour 59).
Another direction of development of the Tour 59 was the Tour 59-II with the English 105 mm L7 cannon (more precisely, with its licensed Austrian version) and the Italian fire control system. A modified version of this tank was called the Tour 79 and was adopted by the PLA in the amount of about 300 units.
On the basis of the Tour 79, an experimental Tour 80 was created (only 12 units were produced), and then the export Tour 85-II, which entered service with the armies of Pakistan (produced in this country under license) and Sudan, as well as Tour 88 for its own army (100-200 Tour 88B and about 200 Tour 88A were produced).
In the 1960s, the first Chinese tracked APC Ture 63 (export name YW531) was created, which did not have a direct Soviet or any foreign prototype, although outwardly vaguely resembling the American M113. On its basis, 122-mm self-propelled artillery units (ACS) Tour 63 and Tour 70, 82-mm self-propelled mortar YW304 and 120-mm YW381, 130-mm multiple launch rocket system Tour 70, command and staff vehicle YW701 and other auxiliary vehicles were created.
The development of the Tour 63 was the tracked armored personnel carrier Tour 85 (aka YW531N), which was purely export, as well as Tour 89 (aka ZSD-89, aka WZ534) for the PLA. The only armament of all these armored personnel carriers was a 12.7 mm machine gun. The Iraqi army lost up to 100 Toure 63 and vehicles at its base in the wars with the United States.
From the presence of the Egyptian Armed Forces in the early 1980s, China received a Soviet BMP-1, which it copied under the name Toure 86 (aka ZBD-86, aka WZ501).
Currently, about 600 Tour 59 tanks remain in the regular units of the Chinese army (there are in one or two divisions of the Xinjiang Military District and in five combined arms brigades), about 100 Tour 88A (only in divisions of the Xinjiang Military District), 300-400 BMP Tour 86 (there are in about ten brigades), 200-300 BTR Tour 63 and Tour 89 (available in six brigades). Several thousand more machines of all these types are in reserve parts and connections, as well as in storage.
In the 1980s, the development of wheeled armored personnel carriers began in China, it was here that the country achieved the greatest success and created the largest number of original samples.
However, the first of them, the ZSL-93 (aka WZ523), outwardly strongly resembled the Belgian Sibmas and the South African Ratel, but was considered its own Chinese development. Its variant for police formations is called ZFB-91.
Almost in parallel (also in the early 1980s), a wheeled armored personnel carrier Tour 90 (ZSL-90) was created. Both of these APCs were produced in limited quantities. However, on the basis of the Tour 90, the Tour 92 (aka ZSL-92, aka WZ551) was soon developed, which was produced in mass quantities.
The Tour 92 became the first Chinese armored personnel carrier armed not with a 12.7 mm machine gun, but with a 25 mm cannon (30 mm in the Tour 92B variant). The export version is called VN4. On the basis of the Tour 92, many different combat vehicles have been created, including, for example, carriers of anti-tank missile systems (ATGMs) HJ-73/8/9 (the machine with HJ-9 is called ZSL-02B) or the TY-90 export SAM.
The most famous derivative of the Tour 92 is the self-propelled 120 mm mortar Tour 05 (aka PLL-05), conceptually close to the Russian "Non-SVK". It is also necessary to note the 100-mm PTL-02 assault gun (there is an export version – the 105-mm WMA301 gun).
Currently, the Tour 05 mortars are in service with artillery batteries of combined arms battalions, their total number is 1-1.5 thousand. The Ture 92 APC itself is considered obsolete, however, from 500 to 800 vehicles of this type remain in service with four to five medium brigades. Apparently, the troops still have a certain number of PTL-02 assault guns. There are thousands of Toure 92 and its derivatives in the reserve units.
Since the 1990s, China has moved to the creation of modern armored vehicles, which form the basis of the weapons of the current PLA.
Having received a Soviet T-72 tank from Romania or Iraq, China did not copy it completely, but borrowed the most important feature – a 125-mm cannon with an automatic loader (which reduces the crew to three people).
The first tank with such weapons was the Tour 88C, then renamed the Tour 96.
In the early 2000s, the Tour 96A appeared with enhanced booking and improved equipment. Now tanks of these two types are in service with at least two divisions of the Xinjiang Military District and 17 heavy brigades, their total number is 2-2.5 thousand units.
The development of the Tour 96 was the Tour 99, the most advanced Chinese tank at the moment, having an even more advanced version of the Tour 99A. It is armed with at least 10 heavy brigades, the total number of these tanks in the PLA is 1.1–1.2 thousand, production continues.
At the beginning of the XXI century, the PLA received several types of new infantry fighting vehicles and amphibious assault vehicles (BMP and BMD) at once. A turret from the Soviet BMP-3 (with 100-mm and 30-mm guns) was installed on the ZBD-97 BMP; the machine was released in small quantities. Then this BMP (including the turret with weapons) was improved and began to be produced under the name Tour 04 (ZBD-04, WZ502). Then a variant of the Tour 04A (ZBD-08, WZ502G) was created with enhanced booking, but reduced amphibious capabilities.
Interestingly, the BMP has armor protection from any angle from 14.5 mm bullets and a frontal projection from 30 mm shells, that is, it is designed for combat with Soviet and Russian BMP and armored personnel carriers, and not Western types.
IFVs Tour 04/04A are in service with at least two divisions of the Xinjiang Military District and 19 heavy brigades in a total of more than 2.5 thousand units, the production of Tour 04A continues. On the basis of this machine, the AFT-10 ATGM carrier was created (carries eight HJ-10 ATGMs), and the 122-mm Ture 07 self-propelled gun has a chassis from the Ture 04 BMP. The Chinese Ture 03 BMD (ZBD-03, WZ506) is based on the Soviet BMD-3, it is also equipped with a 30-mm cannon.
It is in service with the PLA Airborne Forces in the amount of 50-100 vehicles.
The most original product of the Chinese military-industrial complex can be considered amphibious BMP Tour 05 (ZBD-05, export version VN18), capable of moving afloat at a speed of up to 15 knots. Equipped with a 30 mm cannon. On its chassis, a variant of the 122-mm self-propelled gun Tour 07B was created, as well as a floating tank ZTD-05 (VN16 in the export version) with a 105-mm cannon.
Machines of this type are equipped with six amphibious brigades of the ground forces (up to 1 thousand ZBD-05, more than 300 ZTD-05) and six marine brigades (up to 500 ZBD-05, up to 170 ZTD-05). Export variants are in service with the Venezuelan Armed Forces.
Recently, the PLA began to receive the Toure 15 light tank (ZTQ-15). Like the ZTD-05, it is equipped with a 105 mm cannon, but it is not floating. Currently, one or two divisions of the Xinjiang Military District and two heavy brigades are in service. Also, apparently, he began to enter the Marine Corps brigades, the total number of these vehicles is already at least 250 units.
The PLA wheeled armored vehicles also continue to develop actively. First of all, we are talking about the Tur 08 APC (aka ZBL-08, the export version is called VN1), equipped with a 30-mm cannon. Based on it, a huge family of wheeled combat and auxiliary vehicles has been created, which replace the Tour 92 and its derivatives in the medium brigades of the ground forces.
In addition to the actual ZBL-08, the structure of these brigades includes 122-mm self-propelled guns Toure 09 (PLL-09) and 105-mm assault guns Toure 11 (ZTL-11), which replace PTL-02, created on the basis of this APC. Now there are about 1 thousand ZTL-11s in 17 medium brigades, and about 100 more in marine brigades. The ZBL-08 itself is armed with at least 11 medium brigades (about 2 thousand vehicles), up to 250 more are available in the Marine Corps.
China is also developing wheeled armored vehicles for police, peacekeeping, and anti-guerrilla operations. First of all, we can mention the ZFB-05 armored car, which is used in the Chinese police and peacekeeping forces and is exported (it can carry both machine-gun and cannon weapons), as well as a purely export VP3 belonging to the MRAP class.
The losses of Chinese-made wheeled vehicles in battles total more than 30 units. The armies of Ethiopia (at least two WZ551, eight YW534), Nigeria (eight VP3), Kenya (six WZ551, two VP3) lost the most of them.
In general, in the development of armored vehicles, the PRC has already reached the forefront in the world both in quantitative and qualitative parameters. Due to huge investments in the development of the armed Forces and industrial potential, these positions will only strengthen.
Alexander Khramchikhin Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.