"China new main battle tank using stealth technologies." Topic

"According to a Chinese military blog, Chinese army could launch the development of new main battle tank (MBT) using stealth technologies. It could be the fourth generation of Chinese MBT incorporates various domestic and western technologies. China has now the ability to develop a tank that rivals the western designs in speed, electronics, fire power and armour.

According to our first analysis of drawing published on Internet, the rear side of the turret could be equipped with carousel automatic loader to increase the rate of fire and reduce the crew from 4 to 3 soldiers.

The overall layout of the new Chinese stealth main battle tank (MBT) is similar to the M1 Abrams with the driver's compartment at the front, two-man turret in the centre and engine and transmission at the rear…"

Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Seem to use the word 'could' a lot.

Nice, like the cammo!

Wow, China can now design a tank the US have had for over 20 years. I guess the auto-loader is to combat the effects of the one-child policy.

Khurasan should make a 15mm Grav version.

What ?!?! I don't see anything in the pictures ?!??!?

That giant red star doesn't seem too stealthy. Might as well paint a bulls-eye on it.

Yeah…super stealthy…until the engine turns on and it starts rolling on those tracks….

Looks an awful lot like the MBT-70!

Sounds a lot like the MBT-70 design brief, too. Autoloader, exotic gun/Missile launcher, reduced crew…

I'm not sure how many antitank weapons are radar-guided.

I also like the cammo! (smile).

Amicalement
Armand

Yeah, reminded me of the MBT-70 too … I had the 1/48 scale Aurora model in my youth …

How useful is 'stealth' for a tank? The Poles announced theirs earlier this year TMP link but no other nations have been developing 'stealth' for AFV's that I'm aware of.

It's stealthy if it's never actually built and just exists as a photo on the internet – no one will ever be able to see it in the field!

And…how effective have autoloaders turned out to be? Particularly when your past experience is with the T series.

So the Chinese have finally stolen enough technology to build a tank as great as a 50 year old American failure. Is that supposed to impress us or make us laugh?

The Leclerc has an auto-loader. Yes CS, I should have said, the Chinese can now build a tank the US rejected 50 years ago!

Autoloader, exotic gun/Missile launcher, reduced crew…

How is this American MBT70 specific?

The Russians have done this since 1960s with T-64/-70/80/90 series. In fact they're defining features of Russian tank design paradigm.

I suspect Chinese are far more influenced by Soviet/Russian experiences here than American ones. And the last 2 Chinese tanks have all had 3 man crew, autoloader and 125mm ATGM capable gun (Type 96 and Type 98/99). And the 125mm ATGM capable gun and autoloader is based on Soviet designs and fires Russian designed AT-11.

Interestingly enough the Chinese have gone for a two tier system like Soviets did with T-62/64 and T-72/80.

On the upside for the US, performance will probably be closer to a T-80/-90 or upgraded T-72 than an M1A2. :P

I'm not sure how many antitank weapons are radar-guided.

Not many, considering the ease with which any modern air force can deploy HARM missiles. Lighting off a radar would be about as unstealthy as wrapping the entire tank in neon lights and cowbells.

Whoops that was meant to be T-72 not T-70.

Javelin98

Some SADARM type bomblets used their own microwave radar to identify a target whilst in the parachute phase.

We said it looked like an MBT-70, Thomas … chill out …

I would have said it looks more like the Russian Black Eagle.
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@Fred: to me, it looks like an MBT70 turret on a Russian hull.

As far as radar stealth goes, I'm not sure there's an achievable way to stealth something against millimeter-wave radar. I mean, MMWR is just below far infrared thermal imagers in terms of wavelengths, so you're talking behavior more like light or heat than radar.