China will use upgraded Type 96A main battle tank for Tank Biathlon 2016 competition in Russia TASS 11307161

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China will use upgraded Type 96A main battle tank for Tank Biathlon 2016 competition in Russia.
The upgraded Chinese Type 96A main battle tanks (MBT) are going to participate in the Tank Biathlon 2016 competition, according to Russian defense analysts and local sources. The Type 96A was showed for the first time to the public, during the military parade at Beijing in 2009.
     
The upgraded Chinese Type 96A also called ZTZ96A main battle tanks (MBT) are going to participate in the Tank Biathlon 2016 competition, according to Russian defense analysts and local sources. The Type 96A was showed for the first time to the public, during the military parade at Beijing in 2009. Chinese army Type 96A ZTZ-96A MBT at Tank Biathlon 2015 in Russia.
     
China has dispatched at least five upgraded Type 96A main battle tanks to take part in the Tank Biathlon 2016, a source in Russian defense industry said. "I know that the People`s Republic of China has sent at least five modernized Type 96A MBTs to compete for the prizes during the Army Games 2016. Russia`s T-72B3 tanks are going to face with a robust rival at the Tank Biathlon 2016 show," the source said.

The specifications of the upgraded Type 96A MBT are classified. The tank is supposed to have received new side skirts with explosive reactive armour (ERA) bricks, reinforced tracks and light road wheels. The upgraded Type 96A is planned to be equipped with a remote controlled weapon station (RCWS). The vehicle has received new engine compartment (EC) that is identical to the EC of Chinese VT-4 export-oriented MBT. The upgraded Type 96A is reported to be powered by an advanced diesel engine (1,300 h.p.). It has retained the turret of the basic Type 96A MBT equipped with an improved ventilation system. The new tank has received advanced fire control system (FCS), improved sensors and multimode communication suite.

According to Chinese media outlets, the upgraded Type 96A MBTs have already entered the service with the tank units of the People`s Liberation Army (PLA).

In basic configuration, the Type 96A MBT has a combat weight of 42.5 t, a crew of 3 tankers, a full length of 10,280 mm, a road speed of 65 km/h, an operational range of 400 km and a power-to-weight ratio of 23.5 h.p./t. The tank has received 125mm smoothbore ZPT-98 tank gun (a non-licensed copy of Russian 2A46M gun) integrated with autoloader. Type 96A is powered by a 1,000-h.p. diesel engine. The MBT is protected by composite armour with integrated ERA bricks.

According to Russian defense analysts, the tank may pose a threat to the leadership of Russian Armed Forces` T-72B3 or T-72B3M (M stands for upgraded, Modernizirovanny) MBTs during the Tank Biathlon 2016 competition. The failures of poor-quality diesel engine and soft tracks resulted in the defeat of the Chinese team at the Tank Biathlon 2015, when the Asian country held the third position. The integration of the new power plant and reinforced heavy tracks may turn the tide back, Russian defense analysts point out.