The
Al-Zubair 2 is a main battle tank based to the Chinese Type-59D, an
upgrade version of the Type-59
MBT. This tank is manufactured in Sudan under license by the MIC (Military
Industry Corporation of Sudan) for domestic production. The first production
of Type-59 started in 1958 and the tank enters in services with the
Chinese army in 1959. The Type-59D was developed in the 1990s to meet
the requirements of the Chinese army and answer against the new threats
of modern battlefield. The Type-59D includes many improvements as new
gun, fire control and observation systems.
|
| Armament |
The main
armament of the Al-Zubair 2 consists of a 105mm smoothbore
gun which can fire APFSDS (Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized,
Discarding Sabot), HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) and HE
(High-Explosive) ammunitions. The 105 mm rifled tank gun is
similar to the Western L7 105mm and is fitted with a fume
extractor and thermal sleeve. The secondary armaments are
a roof-mounted 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun and a 7.62mm
coaxial machine gun mounted to the right of the main armament.
Four smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on each side of
the turret.
|
| Design
and protection |
| The
all-welded steel hull of the Al-Zubair 2 is divided into three
main compartments: driver's at the front, fighting in the centre
and the engine and transmission at the rear. The driver is seated
at the front of the tank on the left and is provided with a
single-piece hatch cover that swings to the left. There are
two day periscopes provided forward of this hatch, one of which
can be replaced by an infra-red periscope. The commander is
seated on the left of the turret, with the gunner on the same
side but in a more forward position. The Al-Zubair 2 is protected
with composite armour at the front of the hull and with explosive
reactive armour mounted each side of the turret. With this package,
the tank is protected against the kinetic armour-piercing round
and HEAT ammunitions. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle
is able to withstand a fire by 105mm APFSDS round at a distance
of 2,000m. The rear part and side of the turret are fitted with
baskets to carry equipment and tools. |
| Propulsion |
The
Al-Zubair 2 is motorized wit a Diesel water-cooled engine developing
720 hp. The torsion bar suspension of Al-Zubair 2 consists of
each side with five single rubber-tyred roadwheels with a distinct
gap between the first and second roadwheels. The drive sprocket
is at the rear and the idler at the front. The uppart part of
the suspension is protected by armour plates. The Al-Zubair
2 can run at a maximum road speed of 57 km/h with a maximum
cruising range of 350 km. The tank can cross a trench of 2.7m,
climb a vertical obstacle of 0.8m, negotiate a gradient of 60%
and a side slope of 30%
|
| Accessories |
The
Al-Zubair 2 is equipped with a firing control system including
ballistic computer with laser range finder and stabilized images
display. All the optics of the tank are laser protected. Standard
equipment of the Al-Zubair 2 includes thermal imager night vision
for the gunner and driver and NBC protection system. The tank
is also fitted with an automatic fire and explosion suppression
system.
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| |
| Specifications |
 Back
to top |
Armament |
| One
105mm smoothbore gun
one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
one 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun |
Country
users |
| ? |
Designer
Country |
| Sudan
|
Accessories |
| Automatic
fire control system, ballistic computer, laser
range finder,thermal night vision, automatic
fire and explosion suppression system.
|
Crew |
4 |
|
Armor |
| Protection
against small arms and shell splinters. Composite
armour at the front and ERA on the turret.
a |
Weight |
37,000 kg |
Speed |
57
km/h maximum road speed |
Range |
350
km
a
a
|
Dimensions |
Length:
9.97 m; Width: 3.39 m; Height: 2.4 m |
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