Pakistan Army's VT-4 Main Battle Tank | Updates & Discussions

[Beast]

Comparisons of them plz

PA version has lvl 4 reactive armor version. The best of the 3.

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

PA version has lvl 4 reactive armor version. The best of the 3.

So order is of 300?

 

[Daniel808]

Pakistan is the buyer.
View attachment 627667
Credit to @LKJ86 from Chinese Defence Forum Section


Latest VT4 battle tanks delivered to foreign buyer: report
Source:Globaltimes.cn Published: 2020/4/27 2:24:48

View attachment 627669
A Thai army's newly purchased Chinese-manufactured VT4 main battle tank deploys during a simulated warfare exercise at the Royal Thai Army Cavalry Center in Saraburi Province, Thailand, in 2018. File Photo: IC


China is delivering two customized VT4 main battle tanks to an undisclosed foreign buyer.

Transported by trucks, two VT4 tanks left for their destination following a launch ceremony, Weihutang, military affairs column affiliated with China Central Television, reported on Friday, citing a video released by the Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group under the state-owned China North Industries Group (NORINCO).

The tanks are not the standard VT4 version and instead are equipped with a different turret boost design. The front design features a new explosive reactive armor, Weihutang said.

This upgraded VT4 offers enhancements with extra protection capabilities, the report said, citing military experts.

Further details on the deal have not been released, such as the purchase amount, overall value, and client name.

Also known as the MBT3000, the VT4 is a new generation of made-for-export combat tank designed for the international market, Weihutang said, noting that it is one of the most popular Chinese weapons available and has been sold to Thailand and Nigeria.

The VT4 is equipped with a 125-millimeter smoothbore gun, can fire armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot (APFSDS), high explosive anti-tank cartridges, and missiles with a 5-kilometer range.

Equipped with a China-made 1,200-horsepower diesel-fueled engine and a hydromechanical drive system, the VT4 can travel at a maximum speed of 70 kph and a maximum cross-country speed of 50 kph.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1186834.shtml


Congrats for Pakistan, they get the most latest version of VT-4 MBT



Chinese VT4 tank fitted with FY-IV ERA Explosive Reactive Armour against Tandem Warhead ammunition
POSTED ON FRIDAY, 24 APRIL 2020 15:41


According to new pictures published on April 22, 2020, to the China Defense Blog, the latest version of Chinese-made Main Battle Tank (MBT) VT4 is now protected with new armor ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) Level FY-4 providing protection against Tandem Warhead ammunition. According to our previous analysis, the first version of the VT-4 MBT was fitted with ERA level FY-2.

Chinese VT4 main battle tank with ERA armor Level FY-IV mounted at the front of the hull. (Picture source China Defense Blog)

The VT4 MBT (Main Battle Tank) is now in service with four armed forces in the world including China, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Thailand. The VT4 also called MBT-3000 is a third-generation Main Battle Tank (MBT) designed, developed and manufactured in China by NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation).

The VT4 MBT was unveiled by the Chinese defense industry in November 2019 during the China International Aviation & Aerospace or Zhuhai AirShow. The layout of this tank is very similar to the Russian tank with a crew of three including driver, commander and gunner and the use of an automatic loading system for the main armament.

The main armament of the VT4 / MBT-3000 consists of a 125 mm smoothbore gun fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. It is fed by an automatic loader that holds a total of 22 projectiles and charges which can be loaded at the rate of eight per minute. One 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun is mounted to the right of the main armament, while on the commander's cupola is mounted a remote weapon station armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun that can be used to engage ground and aerial targets.

The hull and turret of the VT4 are of welded steel construction with a layer of composite armor over the front arc. The first version of the tank was fitted with additional ERA (Explosive Reactive armor) Level FY-2 providing protection against HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) and APFSDS (Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) ammunition. According to the latest pictures released on the Internet, the latest variant of the VT4 is now fitted at the front of the hull with ERA armor Level FY-4 providing protection against Tandem Warhead.

Close view of the ERA armor Level FY-IV mounted at the front of the VT4 main battle tank (Picture source China Defense Blog)

Currently, China produces four Level of ERA armour including the FY-I with protection against HEAT ammunition, the FY-II with protection against HEAT, APFSDS ammunition, the FY-III with protection against HEAT, APFSDS and tandem warhead ammunition and the FY-IV providing protection against HEAT, APFSDS and tandem warhead ammunition but with 85 mm thick armour blocks for the FY-IV and only 75 mm for Level III. The ERA armour consists of steel blocks with C4 explosives inside.

Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is explosive reactive armour (ERA), but variants include self-limiting explosive reactive armour (SLERA), non-energetic reactive armour (NERA), non-explosive reactive armour (NxRA), and electric reactive armour.

A high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead is a type of shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate thick tank armor. Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) is a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition used to attack modern vehicle armour. As an armament for main battle tanks, it succeeds armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition, which is still used in small or medium caliber weapon systems.

Tandem warheads are effective against reactive armour, which is designed to protect an armoured vehicle (mostly tanks) against anti-tank ammunition, missiles and rocket. The first stage of the weapon is typically a weak charge that either pierces the reactive armour of the target without detonating it leaving a channel through the reactive armour so that the second warhead may pass unimpeded, or simply detonating the armour plates causing the timing of the counter-explosion to fail. The second detonation from the same projectile attacks the same location as the first detonation where the reactive armour has been compromised. Since the regular armour plating is often the only defence remaining, the main charge (second detonation) has an increased likelihood of penetrating the armour.

Chinese-made ERA armour level (Picture source Twitter)

https://www.armyrecognition.com/wea...armour_against_tandem_warhead_ammunition.html

@Syed Hammad Ahmed
You guys get Level FY-4 ERA, meanwhile Thailand and Nigeria buy Level FY-2 ERA version.

That's obvious from the outside, don't know about the inside

 

[Beast]

So order is of 300?

Rumour is this quantity but nothing confirmed yet. Another description is this initial order is also trying to convince and open up middle east client market. PA maybe will have a share tank fleet with Arabs coalition.

 

[PanzerKiel]

You'll be surprised.....a whole formation is being renewed!!!

@Syed Hammad Ahmed

So order is of 300?

A bit less, a small bit.

 

[zhxy]

So order is of 300?

I think Pakistan will buy 300 GL-5 APS systems, the number of 300 VT-4s is too big

 

[StormBreaker]

Rumour is this quantity but nothing confirmed yet. Another description is this initial order is also trying to convince and open up middle east client market. PA maybe will have a share tank fleet with Arabs coalition.

Could you shed some light on the Nigeria order ?

When was it ordered, Quantity and How many have been delivered and when was first delivery ?

 

[Ark_Angel]

Am sure you don't what happened to VT4 engine during its trial in the desert. You'll be surprised.

Captain Saab, don’t try to jump the gun and please don’t mislead the young new members here. I am sure you weren’t the one who was doing the trials of VT-4 at KPT. You are just narrating or pointing to an incident that happened in the first set of field trials. And the Engine Seizure happened with Oplot. The second set of field trials proved VT-4 to be an extremely durable machine.
And for the rest of the members here who have been tagged as Think Tanks, Professionals etc: Don’t argue without getting an up to date information from your sources in the concerned quarters. Verify and then argue it will help your reputation and the reputation of the forum as well.
These VT-4s are coming along with 296 more. Period.
If people don’t believe me here, no worries but time will prove it correct and then I hope to see all these professionals and Think Tanks on the forum demoted to just being normal,regular members and fix a criteria for awarding such titles in order to maintain the credibility of the forum and its professionals.

 

[Beast]

Could you shed some light on the Nigeria order ?

When was it ordered, Quantity and How many have been delivered and when was first delivery ?

Nigeria order so far we know is the first batch of 17 armour/tank has delivered. There will be subsequent 2nd batch and third batch. I suspect all depend Nigeria whether they release the fund first.

 

[StormBreaker]

Nigeria order so far we know is the first batch has delivered. There will be subsequent 2nd batch and third batch. I suspect all depend Nigeria whether they release the fund first.

Quantity?

 

[Beast]

Quantity?

@LKJ86 For this , I think he will have a better idea for Nigeria order.

 

[PanzerKiel]

Captain Saab, don’t try to jump the gun and please don’t mislead the young new members here. I am sure you weren’t the one who was doing the trials of VT-4 at KPT. You are just narrating or pointing to an incident that happened in the first set of field trials. And the Engine Seizure happened with Oplot. The second set of field trials proved VT-4 to be an extremely durable machine.
And for the rest of the members here who have been tagged as Think Tanks, Professionals etc: Don’t argue without getting an up to date information from your sources in the concerned quarters. Verify and then argue it will help your reputation and the reputation of the forum as well.

Atleast am not a Captain. Try not to jump the gun yourself either.

Glad to know you are able to read my intentions of misleading others.

One of the officers of that particular unit which conducted the trial is also sitting with me right now. We, as a unit, have seen the trials of the KPT ourselves as well.

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

300 GL-5 APS systems

I need this type of systems atleast in AKs and Upgraded T80s of PA

 

[PanzerKiel]

If people don’t believe me here, no worries but time will prove it correct and then I hope to see all these professionals and Think Tanks on the forum demoted to just being normal,regular members and fix a criteria for awarding such titles in order to maintain the credibility of the forum and its professionals.

Good luck to you then. God speed.

Captain Saab

Lolz. I was not even a Captain once you joined this forum.

 

[HRK]

That can always be done, but then it also has to potential to de-rail a topic as well. Banda karey tau kia karey. Personally, in the greater interest of the thread and forum, i keep quiet. Truth always comes out anyway.

@Bilal Khan 777 approche is fine in this case he give rebuttal and then go silence on posts countering his info .... sensible readers could then themselves decide which POV should be consider more authentic ....

@messiach is also one such member who have fine tuned this approach further ....