This is the blog of China defense, where professional analysts and serious defense enthusiasts share findings on a rising military power.
Monday, May 03, 2010
PLA being cheap again.
Buying a few APCs won't kill your budget. Together with their high-profile and slow reaction time, "tank-riders" were perfect sniper targets during the 1979 Sino-Vietnam war. A lesson seems to have forgotten.
Actually, these are the latest passive defense against anti-tank rockets and missiles. It is also an active defense against infantry. It gives the tank a 360 degree protection. It effectively intercepts an anti-tank missile by preemptively detonating the warhead inches to a feet away from the armor.
4 comments:
The angle of the photo shot makes it difficult to determine the tank being used.
My guess is that its an older model Type-59 from the position of the fume extractor - near the end of the barrel.
The use of tanks as transport for infantry is a classic Soviet practice, adopted by the PLA.
There are certainly a lot of infantrymen on those tanks - meaning they're hitching a ride during the units approach march into battle.
They seem to be carrying bags containing satchel charges or tubes of some sort.
On the other hand, these may not be combat infantry but engineering troops on their way to help in the recent earthquake.
They would have to make do with whatever transport is available and can cross difficult terrain without roads or with damaged roads.
Tanks make good all-terrain vehicles.
The last picture shows what appears to be sacks of wood on top of the tanks' engine bay.
This suggests that these are NOT maneuvers or combat training but a rescue or and aid mission.
Actually, these are the latest passive defense against anti-tank rockets and missiles. It is also an active defense against infantry. It gives the tank a 360 degree protection. It effectively intercepts an anti-tank missile by preemptively detonating the warhead inches to a feet away from the armor.
Duskylim
Type 62 light tanks and combat engineers on a combat training.
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