China set to field World's Most Powerful Tank

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | 12 April 2003 | Jon Dougherty

[swaimh]

China has made substantial advances in some areas of its ground and naval forces, including upgrades to tanks and armor, laser systems and anti-submarine warfare.

Jane's Defense Weekly, a respected Britain-based military journal, said the People's Liberation Army is set to deploy a new main battle tank, or MBT, that, when fielded, will become the most powerful of its kind in the world.

The magazine said the tank will feature a huge 152 mm main gun with an automatic loader that, when coupled with a new advanced aiming system, will enable the tank to fire on the move with high first-hit-first-kill capability.

The U.S. military's M1A2 Abrams MBT, which is generally considered one of the world's best tanks, features only a 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun, developed by Rheinmetall GmbH of Germany. It, too, can fire while in motion and has a high first-shot capability.

[Dataman]

Every time China announces some upgrade or advance in military technology, the whole world will be wondering how much of it was thanks to Chung Wong Foo Clinton.

[dirtboy]

We'll see how fast this tank is. Speed kills.

[Poohbah]

Why does this thing remind me of the German Maus?

[Yardstick]

The U.S. military's M1A2 Abrams MBT, which is generally considered one of the world's best tanks, features only a 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun

I never would have guessed this. I would have thought for sure the barrel would have been rifled. Is this typical of tank guns? How about the big guns on battleships -- are they rifled?

[Poohbah]

I never would have guessed this. I would have thought for sure the barrel would have been rifled. Is this typical of tank guns? How about the big guns on battleships -- are they rifled?

Battleship guns are rifled.

Tank guns are smoothbores, because spin lessens the accuracy of long-rod penetrators (they use fins for stabilization) and the penetration of HEAT rounds.

[aegiscg47]

Yes it has a 152mm gun, but the fire control, armor, and training is severely lacking. Couple that with the fact that they have no experience in large scale operational maneuvers and this article means very little.

[RightWhale]

I would have thought for sure the barrel would have been rifled

Just a guess: if such a large cannon were rifled, the torque on firing would bend something.

[AppyPappy]

Like the Russians, it all sounds good on paper.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Automatic loader, big shells, 3 man crew .....

Nice.

If the Chinese can keep it running. Maintained. Crewed. Electronics up and running.

(Har. Har. Har. Har.)

Wonder where they copied the (US-classified) armor?

(Not that Clinton would have sold them THAT technology, would he/she/they?)

[SJSAMPLE]

They went to a smoothebore (from the rifled 105mm cannon) for a variety of reasons;
1. Less fouling. Lands and grooves (rifling) attracts fouling which varies pressure and accuracy. It's also easier to clean a smoothebore. The 120mm will generally clean itself with the proper bore evacuator.
2. Ammunition variety. Just as with a rifle, grooves are cut for specific ranges of ammunition (projectile length), as the rate of the twist required to stabliize a round varies depending on the length (not weight) of the round. With the 120mm, spin is imparted by the projectile itself, so a wide variety of ammunition can be accomodated. This is probably the most important reason for the smoothebore.

[r9etb]

Heyyyyy, waitaminnit!!!!

Didn't the Russians just announce that they were developing the most powerful tank?

Who's next?!? Bhutan?

[appeal2]

My tank's bigger than your tank.

[grapeape]

The smoothbore design is not necessary anymore because of the type of ammo used. People could spend a whole day explaining it. No this is not the type of gun used on a Battleship. They are rifled also.

[Poohbah]

With the 120mm, spin is imparted by the projectile itself

Correction: the projectile STABILIZES itself with fins, not via spin (unlike the Clintons)

[MattinNJ]

After the Warthogs eat a column of these moving dumplings, will they be hungry an hour later?

[Larry Lucido]

Assuming the ChiComs could produce any number of these, do they have the capability to deploy and support them in any theatre of consequence? Perhaps they would be useful in an invasion of N. Korea.

[RightWhale]

a huge 152 mm main gun

What targets need such a huge gun? The crew will certainly enjoy firing this, and will probably be ready to fire it a second time in a few days.

[DarthVader]

The M1A2 Abrams has a gun mount which can accept the Rheinmetal 150 mm smoothbore which is superior to the Chinese 152 mm gun. It could turn the new Rice burner into scrap metal quick.

[bmwcyle]