After procuring only 200 examples by the Beijing MR, the PLA posted its MBT replacement cycle until the more advanced Type 88 becomes available.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Rare photos of Type 69II in PLA service.
While the Type69 Main Battle Tank enjoyed success with the international market during the 1980s, (over two thousand were exported to both sides during of the Iran-Iraqi war), it failed to met PLA's requirements.
After procuring only 200 examples by the Beijing MR, the PLA posted its MBT replacement cycle until the more advanced Type 88 becomes available.
After procuring only 200 examples by the Beijing MR, the PLA posted its MBT replacement cycle until the more advanced Type 88 becomes available.
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The T-59x, T-69x, and T-79x, are all older model tanks based on the Soviet T-54/55 series.
Unlike the Soviets, who stuck with the original 100 mm D-10 gun, the Chinese adapted a British gun, the Vickers-Armstrong L-7 series of 105 mm tank guns.
This has created something of a logistical problem for the Chinese armored corps - that of having 2 dissimilar tank guns with different spare parts and ammunition.
In training and sighting too, the older Soviet-type gun uses a simple panoramic telescope (pantel) and rangefinder whereas the L7 would have a much better computer-aided, fire-control system, altogether a more formidable opponent.
This would make it difficult for the up-gunned models to serve in the same units as the basic models.
Overall, all these tanks are still obsolete although useful.
The low production and inventory of the T-69x and T-79x makes it even more difficult to service and maintain these units.
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