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.
That thing is a rolling coffin.
It has a torsion suspension (unguarded) which makes it easy to stop in place. It has “sweet spots” between wheels that are soft not to mention it has it’s ridiculous design as though it could deflect anti-armor missiles; it only channels blasts. This thing (as another freeper noted) is propaganda. Being a former anti-armor Marine, this thing has me salivating; it is an easy “take” leaving me much of my “supply” left over for serious engagements.
You do know Crusader was a horribly flawed concept, right? The gun was fully automated and in the event of a misfeed or other problem, the crew could NOT get access to the gun to correct the problem. In the event of automation failure, the gun could NOT be loaded by humans, even if they had been able to get access.
I hadn't heard that.
Automation is good; but no manuals (especially in warfighting equipment) is bad.
My experience was with the Paladin, as my unit was FA. (I wasn't a crew-member though.)
The Leopard is one hell of a good tank.
Try well over 70 for the M1A2-SEPv2 with TUSK II and CROW fitted.
light tank.... we have stuff like that don’t we?
see #27
Of course, one response to light tanks is a tank destroyer.
That’s not a light tank, that’s an infantry fighting vehicle with a big gun, like the Soviet BMP.
That’s ok, we SPEND MORE MONEY than China and Russia combined, so that GUARANTEES that we’ll win WW3.
Light tank = light armor.
One good hit from an RPG and she’s probably done for.
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle weighs over 30 tons. It has a 25mm chain gun.
So is that a Leopard tank?
It’s a variant of the Leopard 2.
The wheel pattern is different,but if that isn’t what they attempted to copy i’d be amazed.
It is the Tank i would copy if i needed too.
The Norinco Tanks of old where out of the stone age, so this must be “An incredible achievement for the Peoples Republic”.
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