 PLA Type 98 Main Battle Tank Source: www.globalsecurity.org |
 PLA Type 90 APC Source: www.globalsecurity.org |
 PLA Type 90 MICV Source: www.fas.org |
NEWTOWN, Conn. - On 19 July 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense released its annual report to Congress on the status of military power in the People's Republic of China. In its report, "The Military Power of the People's Republic of China, 2005," the Office of the Secretary of Defense concludes that, "the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is modernizing its forces, emphasizing preparations to fight and win short-duration, high-intensity conflicts along China's periphery." The report further notes that, "PLA modernization has accelerated since the mid-to-late 1990s in response to central leadership demands to develop military options for Taiwan scenarios."
The U.S. DoD report discusses the PLA force modernization effort as primarily a reaction to lesson learned in observing recent U.S. military actions - especially Operation Desert Storm (1991), Operation Enduring Freedom (2001-present), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present) - and the ongoing U.S. Force Transformation initiative. Yet, while the report concentrates on PLA force modernization in terms of strategic assets (air, naval, air defense, and precision strike/missile) and an improved C4I architecture, it fails to directly address a major aspect of PLA force modernization - the standardization of PLA mechanized forces around a single first-line main battle tank and a modern family of tracked armored fighting vehicles. Such an omission in this report is particularly glaring, in that the report makes particular note of PLA reaction to U.S. and British ground combat operations during the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. OIF has clearly demonstrated the continuing combat effectiveness of the main battle tank and the light tracked vehicle on the modern battlefield. For proof of this assertion, one need only ask the survivors of the late Iraqi Army who faced the onslaught of the U.S. 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized) during its Thunder Run to Baghdad in March 2003.
Further, in one of the appendices to the report, the OSD presents a table depicting the military balance of opposing ground forces along the Taiwan Strait. Even a cursory analysis of the data in this table indicates the U.S. Department of Defense believes that the PLA currently maintains about 40 percent of its main battle tank assets and about 20 percent of its mechanized infantry forces in the vicinity of the Taiwan Straits. Given the vast amount of territory the PLA must defend, this disposition of mechanized forces clearly indicates that the PLA's strategic focus on Taiwan involves far more than light infantry and expeditionary forces.
Despite the wide variety of Chinese-made tanks still available and in service, new production is now effectively limited to the Type 98 main battle tank for PLA procurement. The only other active tank program, the Type 85-IIM, is now in its final year of production. The PLA reportedly intends to standardize its main battle tank fleet around the Type 98. The projected serial production run of the Type 98 for PLA requirements will make the Type 98 program one of the three most prolific tank production programs in the international main battle tank market throughout the forecast period. Over the next decade, the Forecast International Weapons Group expects combined production of Pakistan's Al-Khalid, Russia's T-90, and the Type 98 will likely account for nearly 43 percent of all new tank production worldwide.
The Chinese began development of project WZ123 in 1989; low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Type 98 commenced in 1998. Resembling a T-72 with a new-design turret, the Type 98 mounts the same 125mm ordnance as the Type 85-III. However, the Type 98 reportedly features a much more advanced fire control suite. The Type 98 is clearly the most sophisticated main battle tank to enter PLA service. The Type 98 exhibits a conventional T-72-style interior layout. The driver sits in the center-front of the hull; the powerplant and gearbox mount in the rear of the hull. The driver's station features a single-piece hatch cover and an adjustable seat suspended from the compartment roof. The driver uses three periscopes for driving; the middle periscope is interchangeable with a passive night-vision device. In the two-man turret, the commander sits to the right of the ordnance; the gunner sits to the left. The commander's station features a single-piece hatch cover, five observation periscopes, and a stabilized 360° day/night panoramic sight with a laser rangefinder. The commander's station also features a pintle-mounted 12.7x107mm heavy machine gun on the turret roof. The gunner's station features a single-piece hatch cover and a roof-mounted stabilized day/night sight with a laser rangefinder.
The Type 98 mounts an active defense system, using a high-powered laser to directly attack weapon optics as well as the enemy gunner. The turret-mounted system is integrated with a laser warning device through the tank's fire control suite. Available images of the Type 98 indicate that the laser weapon can be elevated for use against rotary-wing aircraft. The turret of the Type 98 is significantly larger than that of earlier Chinese tanks - exhibiting a lengthened forward arc, possibly to enhance the level of protection. The Type 98 features a power-to-weight ratio that compares favorably with other modern tanks.
In terms of sheer numbers, the Type 90 APC and the Type 90 MICV of the People's Republic of China represent the most significant new-production light tracked vehicles during the forecast period. As the PLA standardizes its mechanized forces around the Type 90 APC and MICV, we expect that combined production of these two vehicles will account for over 47 percent of all new light tracked vehicle production worldwide through 2014.
Serial production of the Type 90 armored personnel carrier is ongoing for PLA requirements. The production lines for the Type 85 and Type YW 534 armored personnel carriers are dormant, available for new orders. The PLA is in the process of standardizing its active armored personnel carrier inventory around the basic Type 90 design. Throughout the coming ten-year forecast period, the existing Type 85 and YW 534 vehicles will fill an increasingly secondary role in the PLA, as more Type 90 vehicles enter service. As PLA requirements continue to dominate Type 90 production, we do not expect to see the China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) offer the Type 90 on the international market during the forecast period In all likelihood, the older retired Type 63 and Type 77 armored personnel carriers will probably not appear in any significant quantities on the international market, as these vehicles are essentially worn out from years of PLA service. The Forecast International Weapons Group expects to see Type 90 production significantly exceed that of any other Chinese armored personnel carrier, with a production run of over 4,000 vehicles during the forecast period.
The PLA is currently standardizing its active armored personnel carrier inventory around the Type 90 family of vehicles. To date, the Chinese have developed 11 variants of this design. The Type 90, also known as the YW 535, shares some components with the earlier Type 85. However, the Type 90 features a lower, wider hull and improved automotive components. The vehicle can mount two different engine options. The Type 90 exhibits a conventional interior layout. The driver sits in the left-front of the hull; the engine compartment occupies the right-front. The driver's station features a single-piece hatch cover and three day periscopes; the center periscope is interchangeable with a passive night vision device. The driver employs a yoke-type steering wheel for directional control. The commander's cupola and a shielded, pintle-mounted 12.7x107mm Type 54 machine gun mount at the center of the hull. In addition, four smoke grenade launchers mount on each side of the hull.
In the rear troop compartment, a large side-swinging rear door (hinged on the right) provides primary troop access/egress. Four roof-mounted hatch covers (two forward circular hatches; two rearward rectangular hatches) provide secondary access/egress. The troop compartment features three firing ports with periscopes along each side of the hull. The Type 90 is fully amphibious, employing its tracks for water propulsion. The diesel fuel tanks mount externally, on either side of the rear troop door.
Serial production of the Type 90 mechanized infantry combat vehicle is also ongoing for PLA requirements. The production lines for all other MICV models are dormant. As with its armored personnel carrier inventory, the PLA is in the process of standardizing its active mechanized infantry combat vehicle inventory around the Type 90. As PLA requirements continue to dominate Type 90 production, we do not expect to see NORINCO offer the Type 90 MICV on the international market during the forecast period. In all likelihood, the older retired YW 307 and YW 309 vehicles will probably not appear in any significant quantities on the international market, as these vehicles - like their armored personnel carrier counterparts - are essentially worn out from years of PLA service. The PLA mechanized infantry combat vehicle programs clearly parallel PLA armored personnel carrier programs, with the Type 90 family of tracked vehicles emerging as the design basis for the entire PLA mechanized force structure. As with the Type 90 armored personnel carrier, the Forecast International Weapons Group expects to see Type 90 mechanized infantry combat vehicle production significantly exceed that of any other Chinese MICV, with a production run of nearly 3,000 vehicles during the forecast period.
The Type 90 MICV is the latest mechanized infantry combat vehicle developed by the People's Republic of China. As a member of the Type 90 family of vehicles, this vehicle features a stretched version of the basic Type 90 APC chassis and the more powerful of the two available Type 90 engine options. The Type 90 MICV mounts a two-man turret, which can accommodate a variety of 23mm, 25mm, or 30mm ordnance. Technical data, including photographs, concerning this vehicle remain scarce. Various accounts indicate the Type 90 MICV generally resembles the Russian BMP-2.
In failing to even mention the Type 98 main battle tank, the Type 90 armored personnel carrier, and the Type 90 mechanized infantry combat vehicle in the 2005 report, the Office of the Secretary of Defense fails to address a major feature of PLA force modernization, which has implications far beyond the PLA's current strategic focus on Taiwan. Indeed, the Type 98 tank program and the Type 90 APC and MICV programs will continue to have a significant impact on the international market throughout the coming ten-year forecast period.
|
