Interview with the designers of the Chinese MBT
An article published on military.china.com by an online writer named Shu Zhongxing in December 2009 was about a sensational interview with the general designer of the Type 99 tank Zhu Yusheng on the TV show "Great Masters" on CCTV10. P.2 revised this text, which, as it seems to us, may be of some interest. Shu's own reasoning has been omitted as much as possible, and his quotes from Zhu Yusheng and his deputy have been preserved.
Zhu Yusheng's performance on the Great Masters program caused a stir and controversy among Chinese and foreign military enthusiasts. To put it simply, the designer bluntly stated that in terms of the three most important indicators of combat potential - mobility, firepower and security, the Type 99 tank ranks first in the world. In the eyes of the general designer, in the ranking of the 10 best tanks in the world, the real leaders are the Chinese Type 99, the American M1A1 / M1A2 Abrams and the German Leopard 2, and the rest do not even deserve a mention. And among these top three tanks, the Type 99 could have triumphed over the Abrams and Leopard in first place.
The General Designer says that the Type 99 program was launched in the 1980s. and then the Central Military Council set the task of only reaching parity with the world's third-generation armored vehicles. "We ourselves thought we could, of course, achieve a balance, but what is the use if in fact our task is to smash them completely?" Thus, the level of development, which was originally laid by the general designer, surpassed both the level of the third generation of Western tanks and the requirements of the Central Military Commission.
It used to be unofficially considered that the Type 99 is the first in Asia and without question is among the five best tanks in the world, but now it turns out that these estimates were too conservative and the Type 99 is the best tank in the world! Here are the reasons.
According to the designers of the Type 99 tank, there was a serious debate at the stage of choosing weapons, whether to use a 120-mm or 125-mm cannon, many of the participants in the discussion objected to using the same gun as on the T-72. But in fact, according to Yusheng, Western technology was worse than Russian technology in terms of tank guns. The 120mm cannon has a propellant charge of 9.8 liters, the Chinese 125mm cannon has a 13.4 liter propellant charge. Tests have shown that the Chinese 125mm cannon is, of course, more powerful than the 120mm cannons.
Deputy General Designer Wang Zhezhong proudly says the Type 99 tanks are entirely Chinese-designed. If we talk about the firepower of this tank, then a 125-mm smoothbore gun, when using a projectile with a tungsten alloy core with a tail stabilizer, is capable of penetrating more than 850 mm of homogeneous armor at a distance of 2000 m, and with the use of special alloy penetrators - more than 960 mm. If we talk about the tank's fire control system, then the world-leading hunter-killer fire control system is used. Its important feature is that the tank commander can control weapons in addition to the gunner - including shooting, target tracking, target designation, etc.
Wang Zhezhong said that the American MBT M1A2 Abrams cannon with 2000 m penetrates 810 mm of armor, Leopard 2A6 about 900 mm, Japanese Type 90 650 mm, so there is no doubt about leadership in technical characteristics.
As for security, to provide protection against missiles, the Type 99 tank has not only reactive armor, but also two other trump cards. First of all, it is the world's first laser suppression system for enemy scopes. It is installed in the sight of the tank and moves in sync with the weaponry. The point is to observe the enemy while staying out of his field of vision. On the newest versions of the Type 99 tank, a laser optical suppression, blinding and jamming device is located at the rear of the turret. The maximum range of its use is 4000 m. The system, consisting of a control computer, a laser installation and a jammer, is usually installed on a rotating platform in the left rear part of the tower; the gunner and tank commander can control the system. According to estimates, the maximum laser power is about 100 MJ, which makes it possible to damage the retina of the enemy's eyes and disable his optoelectronics at a distance of more than 2000 m.
The system has two operating modes. In passive mode, it determines the position of the enemy by means of a detection device and marks the position of the target with weak laser radiation. Then, at the command of the computer, the intensity of the radiation rises sharply and it “becomes hard”. In active mode, the system first scans the terrain in search of a target, then, upon detecting enemy observation and sighting devices, automatically opens fire to destroy them.
According to Chinese designers, although the United States and Russia have developed laser weapons systems for a long time, work on installing them on tanks is undergoing testing. In China, the technology of laser suppression systems for the sight is already ready and takes the leading place in the world.
According to the general designer of the tank, none of the anti-tank missiles used are now capable of overcoming its passive protection; in combination with active protection, it makes no sense to even mention the defeat of the tank. The active protection system using a computer determines the optimal distance to the projectile flying up to the tank, after which it fires a protective charge. Its deviation from the threat does not exceed a meter, and destruction is guaranteed within this radius. The system does not need human control. Search, target tracking and aiming are carried out automatically. This technology has not yet been noticed abroad.
General Designer Zhu Yusheng openly said that the thickness of the armor of the Type 99 turret in the frontal projection reaches 700 mm, the hull - 500-600 mm, taking into account the installation of the new reactive armor on the turret and the hull, it can reach 1000-1200 mm. For the American M1A2 Abrams, this figure is 600-700 mm, for the Leopard 2A6 580 mm, for the Japanese Type 90, 500-600 mm. Thus, the armor protection of the Chinese tank and its western competitors is approximately on the same level.
If we consider the complex of active and passive protection, then the author of Type 99 proposes to recognize that his brainchild takes the first place in the world in terms of protection thanks to two active protection systems.
In terms of mobility, the Type 99, despite lagging behind in some areas, as a whole has reached an advanced world level.
Wang Zhezhong says the tank uses a 1,200-horsepower "cold-type" turbocharged diesel engine. sec., allowing the tank to accelerate to 32 km / h in 12 seconds. The lag in engine technology turned the engine into a weak link in the Type 99 tank, but according to the general designer, the measures taken made it possible to compensate for this shortcoming. Zhu Yusheng says that in the opinion of many, if the M1A2 Abrams has a 1500 hp engine. with., then 1500 liters. with. - this is the modern level. This is an erroneous opinion, the designer believes, the mobility of a tank depends primarily on its power density. The M1A2 Abrams has 23.8 liters. with. per tonne, while the Type 99 has a slightly higher power density. As a result, mobility is on the same level, and the Chinese have less fuel consumption. In addition, the burden on logistics services is significantly reduced. Thus, the Type 99 does not lag behind in mobility, consumes less fuel and thus has a greater range.
Wang Zhezhong admits that the industry of Western countries has a solid foundation, the level of engine building is high, and the reliability and power of engines and transmissions are also high. Now there is some lag behind Abrams and Leopard 2A6, but when the development of a new domestic tank diesel engine with a capacity of 1500 hp is completed. with., this lag will be reduced.
Zhu Yusheng notes that the Type 99 has a low silhouette - it is 400 mm lower than the Leopard 2A6 and 200 mm lower than the M1A2. This improves survival by reducing the area of the affected projection. Reducing the silhouette of a tank is not an easy task, requiring a very compact arrangement of mechanisms. The USA wanted to reduce the silhouette of the M1A2 Abrams, but could not, since the engine and transmission are so high. The hull of the Type 99 tank is integral, many parts can be dismantled and replaced. Thus, not only was it possible to reduce the weight, but also to create a reserve for further modernization.
Although the tank is lower than the M1, its chassis is higher than that of the American tank, which contributes to increased mobility and maneuverability in difficult terrain. Thus, in terms of mobility, the Type 99 roughly corresponds to the Leopard 2A6 and M1A2 Abrams.
Wang Zhezhong noted that it was not easy to reach today's cutting-edge level in Chinese tank building - this is the result of the work of three generations of people. “We must be focused on the demands of the war of the future, we must not slavishly follow other people's tendencies, because otherwise we will be doomed to lag behind. What doubts can there be that the Type 99 is one of the three best tanks in the world?"
Clause 2 is ashamed: until now, in the editorial office, we were sure that only in our Palestinians they use the wording “has no analogues in the world” and its derivatives in a mode of operation in areas - until all living things in the affected area lose the ability to perceive information without bias about weapons of Russian design. Now, of course, the grand prix in the nomination "wunderwaffe of the 21st century" goes to the Chinese comrades.
The Analytical Department of P.2 pondered for a long time whether there was anything in the world in which the masterpiece Type 99 could be imperfect. We came to the conclusion that it makes sense for Chinese designers to introduce literally one innovation into the design - and the world is guaranteed to gasp and freeze in awe.
In our opinion, the tank must be equipped with catapult seats for the crew and, optionally, for the landing. The mere thought that China is able to take care of its tankers the way the rest of the world only cares about military pilots can paralyze the will of almost any enemy.
