Photos of the Chinese Armed Forces

[no_name]

It seems that these armour vehicles can create smoke screen through their exhauses. There is a pic of type 99 doing similar thing:

another one

Compared to the normal black smoke when it just started accelerating:

Apparently this is made by spraying oil on the hot exhaust tubes.
I wonder if this technique is designed to spread out the tank's IR signature making it hard for IR based weapon to achieve a lock on.

I guess it might also be helpful if you are trying to affect the aim of any possibly enemy tanks from behind, both visually and via infrared.

 

[no_name]

^^^ Infact the US seems to have a dedicated smoke generating vehicle:

M58A3 Wolf Smoke Generator Carrier

Some pics from mp.net:

M113 and variants

 

[cloneman]

It seems that these armour vehicles can create smoke screen through their exhauses. There is a pic of type 99 doing similar thing:

another one

Compared to the normal black smoke when it just started accelerating:

Apparently this is made by spraying oil on the hot exhaust tubes.
I wonder if this technique is designed to spread out the tank's IR signature making it hard for IR based weapon to achieve a lock on.

I guess it might also be helpful if you are trying to affect the aim of any possibly enemy tanks from behind, both visually and via infrared.

Interesting obeservation,but I doubt it since the Type 99 MBT has the standard smoke generater which lies on the flanker sides of the main gun.Look at the picture below which is a standard smoke generation process.The smoke geneater"s tubes flanking the gun are empety.On your picture the generaters tubes are still closed,I dont know if there is an urgent protocol as you mentioned that the engine to generate some smoke when the standard generaters run out.

 

[no_name]

My guess is that this process is used to hide an entire tank column rather than individual tanks. It may be that only a few units in a tank column is in charged for this purpose.

In other words this method is used on purpose to hide unit movements from the enemy prior to discovery, whereas the smoke launchers carried is used as a counter measure after a unit is discovered.

Smoke generators

Very large or sustained smoke screens are produced by a smoke generator. This machine heats a volatile material (typically oil or an oil based mixture) to evaporate it, then mixes the vapor with cool external air at a controlled rate so it condenses to a mist with a controlled droplet size. Cruder designs simply boiled waste oil over a heater, while more sophisticated ones sprayed a specially formulated oily composition ("fog oil") through nozzles onto a heated plate. Choice of a suitable oil, and careful control of cooling rate, can produce droplet sizes close to the ideal size for Mie scattering of visible light. This produces a very effective obscuration per weight of material used. This screen can then be sustained as long as the generator is supplied with oil, and—especially if a number of generators are used—the screen can build up to a considerable size. One 50 gallon drum of fog oil can obscure 60 miles (97 km) of land in 15 minutes.

Whilst producing very large amounts of smoke relatively cheaply, these generators have a number of disadvantages. They are much slower to respond than pyrotechnic sources, and require a valuable piece of equipment to be sited at the point of emission of the smoke. They are also relatively heavy and not readily portable, which is a significant problem if the wind shifts. To overcome this latter problem they may be used in fixed posts widely dispersed over the battlefield, or else mounted on specially adapted vehicles. An example of the latter is the M56 Coyote generator.

Many armoured fighting vehicles can create smoke screens in a similar way, generally by injecting diesel fuel onto the hot exhaust.

 

[houshanghai]

 

[Akasa]

There is a rumor that a much upgraded variant called the Type 99KM has been built. It apparently has an upgraded JD-4 active protection system, a 2100 hp engine, 155 mm smoothbore gun capable of firing next generation kinetic rounds, and much more.

It is apparently much heavier than the Type 99A2. The first batch of 200 is apparently being produced.

 

[S10]

There is a rumor that a much upgraded variant called the Type 99KM has been built. It apparently has an upgraded JD-4 active protection system, a 2100 hp engine, 155 mm smoothbore gun capable of firing next generation kinetic rounds, and much more.

It is apparently much heavier than the Type 99A2. The first batch of 200 is apparently being produced.

It's this one.

The active defence system is right, but the part on engine and gun is wrong. They used a 1500hp instead of the 1200hp engine on older Type 99, and the gun is still 125mm. However, bore pressure and the rounds have improved, leading to greater penetration. The armor has also been upgraded.

 

[Akasa]

It's this one.

The active defence system is right, but the part on engine and gun is wrong. They used a 1500hp instead of the 1200hp engine on older Type 99, and the gun is still 125mm. However, bore pressure and the rounds have improved, leading to greater penetration. The armor has also been upgraded.

That's the Type 99A2.

Are you sure this is the same thing as the rumored Type 99KM?

 

[S10]

That's the Type 99A2.

Are you sure this is the same thing as the rumored Type 99KM?

This is the one in development. It's been confirmed by both 红外 and M1A1 on CD.

Looks butt ugly to me.

 

[Akasa]

This is the one in development. It's been confirmed by both 红外 and M1A1 on CD.

Looks butt ugly to me.

I believe the tank you are referring to is in fact the Type 99A2. Development started several years back and it has supposedly entered service in 2009.

Type 99A2:

Clearly, the one you are referring to (the Type 99A2) can not match the M1A3 or the Leopard 2A7.

The tank I'm referring to (the Type 99KM) is supposed to be the next generation (fourth generation) variant of the Type 99. It supposedly will have drastic changes and will probably rival the M1A3 and Leopard 2A7.

 

[mhb56]

When is the Type 99KM coming?

 

[S10]

I believe the tank you are referring to is in fact the Type 99A2. Development started several years back and it has supposedly entered service in 2009.

Type 99A2:

Clearly, the one you are referring to (the Type 99A2) can not match the M1A3 or the Leopard 2A7.

The tank I'm referring to (the Type 99KM) is supposed to be the next generation (fourth generation) variant of the Type 99. It supposedly will have drastic changes and will probably rival the M1A3 and Leopard 2A7.

LOL! Where the hell do you get all these crappy fantasy ideas? Type 99A2 cannot match M1A3 or Leopard 2A7? Stop making statements you are not qualified to make.

Quit reading wikipedia and actually spend time talking with people that work in the industry. 7071020, 猎杀m1a1and 红外6904 are the tank experts, either served in military or work for the factories. All regularly post on CD as moderators. Type 99A2 has only been issued in limited numbers to armor units for trials, and there is no further plan to develop a new tank. Firepower and protection of Type 99A2 exceeds all of China's neighbor's tanks. There is no pressing need for new generation tank. Almost every country is upgrading their existing models, China included.

Also, Leopard 2's armor is not very highly regarded.

"红外6904 : 再过些年土鳖陆军就要淘汰大量的老旧坦克了，完成改革以后可能只会保留2000-3000辆左右的主战坦克，个人认为，现有的96a和99大改能够满足使用需求，重新开发一款坦克的可能性很小了"

 

[Akasa]

LOL! Where the hell do you get all these crappy fantasy ideas? Type 99A2 cannot match M1A3 or Leopard 2A7? Stop making statements you are not qualified to make.

Quit reading wikipedia and actually spend time talking with people that work in the industry. 7071020, 猎杀m1a1and 红外6904 are the tank experts, either served in military or work for the factories. All regularly post on CD as moderators. Type 99A2 has only been issued in limited numbers to armor units for trials, and there is no further plan to develop a new tank. Firepower and protection of Type 99A2 exceeds all of China's neighbor's tanks. There is no pressing need for new generation tank. Almost every country is upgrading their existing models, China included.

Also, Leopard 2's armor is not very highly regarded.

"红外6904 : 再过些年土鳖陆军就要淘汰大量的老旧坦克了，完成改革以后可能只会保留2000-3000辆左右的主战坦克，个人认为，现有的96a和99大改能够满足使用需求，重新开发一款坦克的可能性很小了"

And I'm sure you realize that Japan now has a Type 10 tank, right? And what about South Korea's K2 tank?

And I was referring to the M1A3 and Leopard 2A7, both of which are ones in development. Are you sure you can say that the Type 99A2 can match or beat them with confidence?


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reported that China is developing a next generation tank called the CSU-152. It supposedly uses depleted uranium armor and testing has supposedly begun in 2003. is a very reliable source and many users have to pay in order to get the full subscription.

Here is a report: http://articles..com/articles/-Armour-and-Artillery/Chinese-CSU-152-MBT-China.html

I do believe that China is developing a next generation tank mainly from this and the fact that China's neighbors and other countries are doing so as well.

 

[S10]

And I'm sure you realize that Japan now has a Type 10 tank, right? And what about South Korea's K2 tank?

And I was referring to the M1A3 and Leopard 2A7, both of which are ones in development. Are you sure you can say that the Type 99A2 can match or beat them with confidence?

Sigh~

New tank does not mean better. It boils down to composition of armor and penetration of the main gun. Germany, Japan and S. Korea do not have access to the latest ceramic armor that China, United States, Russia and Britain has. In the case of S. Korea, they even resorted to using special purpose rubber. 猎杀m1a1 had posted about them long ago, so yes I do have confidence in his words. PLA is very satisfied with the performance of Type 99A2.

Let me put it this way, in the opinion of those experts I've mentioned, China has surpassed Russia in tank armor and gun development.

 

[Akasa]

Sigh~

New tank does not mean better. It boils down to composition of armor and penetration of the main gun. Germany, Japan and S. Korea do not have access to the latest ceramic armor that China, United States, Russia and Britain has. In the case of S. Korea, they even resorted to using special purpose rubber. 猎杀m1a1 had posted about them long ago, so yes I do have confidence in his words. PLA is very satisfied with the performance of Type 99A2.

Let me put it this way, in the opinion of those experts I've mentioned, China has surpassed Russia in tank armor and gun development.

Ceramic armor? I thought the Type 99A2 was using aluminum oxide (Al2O3) armor.