![]() ![]() The Type 69 was the first Chinese tank to be outfitted with a 100mm smoothbore gun capable of firing APFSDS rounds. The main upgrade in the Type 69 was in its firepower. There was a laser rangefinder on the gun mantlet and a smaller IR light on the commander's hatch, making it the first Chinese tank capable of fighting in the dark. ![]() The fume extractor on the 100mm gun was moved back slightly and there was a large IR light attached to the turret. The Type 69's appearance did not differ much from that of the Type 59. After around a decade of development, the first domestically developed and produced Chinese tank was inducted into the PLA ground forces as the Type 1969 Medium Tank or Type 69 Tank for short. The captured tank was examined and some of its components such as the Soviet Luna IR (infrared) searchlight system, were copied and integrated into the Type 69 prototype. ĭuring the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict, the PLA was able to capture a Soviet T-62 MBT. However, the Cultural Revolution and its resulting chaos further impeded tank development. In 1966, the first prototype rolled off the factory. In 1965, development objectives were finalized and the product was named "WZ121" internally. Sometime after 1960, the PLA tank corps and Fifth Ministry of Machine Building embarked on the development of China's first domestically developed tank. This caused China's domestic tank development to stagnate significantly. History Development of the Type 69 Īfter the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviet Union withdrew its technical staff and support to China's arms industry. The more advanced Type 79 variant was equipped with a 105 mm rifled gun which was also found on the Type 80 tank. Other improvements included a new engine, ballistic computers, and laser rangefinders. Their lineage from the T-54A can be seen through the distinct gap between the first and second road wheels. They were the first indigenously developed main battle tanks by China, although also classified as medium tanks while in development and service. Both were developments of the Type 59 medium tank (a locally produced Soviet T-54A) with technologies derived from T-62. The Type 69 ( Chinese: 69式 pinyin: Liùjiǔ shì) and Type 79 ( Chinese: 79式 pinyin: Qījiǔ shì) are Chinese second generation main battle tanks. ![]()
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