More pix at source
Posted on 01/09/2015 7:21:13 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
The Chinese army appears to have fielded a brand-new light tank suitable for mountain warfare. New photos depict the diminutive fighting vehicle, which China has reportedly dubbed “ZTQ,” trundling across rough terrain.
The ZTQ, which Beijing apparently developed in order to help defend China’s western land border, is impressive in a lot of ways—and not the least because the U.S. Army, the world’s leading ground combat force, tried and failed for years to acquire a similar vehicle.
More and more, Beijing is matching American military capabilities with new warships, stealth fighters and combat helicopters. The ZTQ represents one military niche where China has actually exceeded the Pentagon’s own accomplishments.
We don’t know much about the ZTQ aside from what we can glean from the few photos, which have circulated in China’s popular Internet military forums for a few years now.
Many of those early pics depict the ZTQs—which seem to pack 105-millimeter main guns—on train cars, apparently heading for China’s mountainous Tibet region. This according to the very attentive China Defense Blog, which routinely reposts the most interesting semi-official photos of Chinese weaponry.
The heaviest main battle tanks can struggle on steep inclines. Moreover, the more complex—and thus heavy—that a tank is, the more it relies on a steady supply of fuel and parts, ideally via paved roads.
Which is to say that an uncomplicated light mountain-warfare tank can be pretty useful. For its own part, the U.S. Army once maintained a force of light tanks for jungle and airborne operations. The 17-ton M-551 Sheridan entered service in the 1960s and saw widespread use in Vietnam.
The Sheridan wasn’t perfect—its gun was awfully unreliable—but it was light enough to avoid getting stuck in the mud like other, heavier tanks. And cargo planes could drop it by parachute, lending paratroopers a degree of firepower they otherwise lacked.
The M-551 left service in 1996. The Army tinkered with a new light tank, the experimental XM-8, but abandoned it in favor of wheeled vehicles such as the Stryker. Wheels are great for traveling swiftly down a paved road, but less useful off-road than tracks are.
Today the Pentagon possesses arguably the world’s best heavy tank—the 70-ton M-1A2SEPv2—but doesn’t have a light tank equal to China’s new ZTQ. To be fair, America isn’t trying to defend a mountainous land border like China is.
But that’s not say the U.S. won’t ever need a light tank that can wage war in the mountains. It’s not hard to imagine American troops someday eyeing the ZTQ with envy.
More pix at source
Abrams knockoff?
No. This is a LIGHT tank.
Form follows function.
ping
It looks like the result of breeding a Soviet PT-76 light tank with an M-1.
A recent article posted on Free Republic said the US is looking for a light tank. The Pentagon is considering foreign made designs. This “tried and failed” verbiage is a bit overstated.
Sheridan had almost no resistance to ATGW. I saw where one had been hit in the Iron Triangle; only the steel parts
remained recognizable in the molten puddle.
Try Leopard 2
The hull is different ,bu the turret is a mirror image.
Thinking the Chinese have no imagination of their own. Thing still looks too large to go mounting climbing though ... thanks all for enlightening me about tanks ...
That weighs 17 tons?Armour must be about an inch thick.
Probably made of cardboard. Looks good, but not functional. Old Confederate trick.
You know, I'd rather they restarted/finished the Crusader project.
But they won't because such would be very effective in a [southern] state being able to close its borders with it's national guard — it would take less than 200 Paladins to provide coverage for the entire US/Mexico border. — Much better to let the governors throw a little PR show (like Rick Perry) for display purposes only.
So with the flashing red light is this this version of Civilian Law Enforcement?
The problem with “Light” tanks, and up-armoured IFV’s, is that they end up being used in roles they were never intended for, mainly the heavy tank.
The evidence of this is rife, from WW2 to today’s Ukraine.
Maybe even less given the Abrams is almost 60 tons...
They got our missile guidance systems the last time a Dim was in the White House. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an Obama connection to these leaps of technology.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.