Is China's Type-99A a Threat to U.S M1A2 Abrams?
Beijing’s Type 99A, also known as ZTZ-99A, is a homegrown third-generation main battle tank. In addition to modern armor, the vehicle is fitted with a 3rd generation fire control system just like the M1A2. It has advanced navigation and communications systems, active protection, and a lethal gun. But will it be enough to take on the M1A2 Abrams? Let's take a look.
Fire control system
The Type 99A is equipped with a modern fire control system similar to Japans Type-10, where the gun automatically aims and tracks the target, leaving it to the gunner to fire. The commander has an independent panoramic sight with a laser rangefinder and the hunter-killer system. The hunter-killer system is when the commander can select targets for the gunner to engage; once the target has been acquired, the turret will automatically aim at the target for the gunner to engage.
Both the gunner and commander sight is fully stabilized and capable of day/night operations in all weather conditions. It has the BeiDou global positioning system, UHF/VHF radio encrypted communication system, the C4ISR battle management system for coordinated attacks with other unites, and the ST-16 millimeter wave radar suite, designed for friend or foe identification, target acquisition, and the auto tracking for the fire control system mentioned earlier.
Fire-Power
The Type 99A uses an improved ZPT98 125 millimetre smoothbore main gun, with rumors of Beijing upgrading the gun to a 140 millimetre cannon; this will most likely be on the Type 99A2. It is capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT, Frag-HE, and Reflex anti-tank missiles with a range of 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles). The tank uses an autoloader capable of firing 10 rounds per minute and can carry up to 42 rounds with 22 rounds in the autoloader.
It uses the improved DTW-100 and 25 APFSDS munition, which has a dart measuring 720 millimetres long (28 inches) and is made from dense composite materials. It is said to be capable of penetrating 960 millimetres of steel at 1000 meters. However, this happens to be the estimated protection of the M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams turret cheek, which is suspect and most likely not true. But it can most certainly penetrate the M1A2 Abrams gun breech, the turret ring, or the hull.
Protection
The Type-99A has a modular armoured turret that has angled turret cheeks for increased protection with explosive reactive armor, which is said to provide a combined protection of 1000 millimeters. If this is true, that means the M1A2 Abrams can't penetrate it's turret cheek. It has a nuclear-biological-chemical protection system and an automatic fire suppression system.
The turret sides and rear are buffer spaces that are protected by explosive reactive armor; this will only protect against HEAT munitions. The tank is equipped with a soft-kill active protection system called the laser self-defense weapon, or LSDW. When the enemy marks the Type-99 with a laser, the system will automatically alert the crew and search for the enemy's laser. It will then intensify the direct energy beam to fry the enemy's optics, disabling the enemy's weapon station.
Mobility
The Type 99A is powered by a 1500 horsepower diesel engine with a semi-automatic transmission. The tank can travel up to 80 kilometers per hour (49.7 miles per hour) on road and 60 kilometers offroad (37.2 miles per hour) with an operational range of 600 kilometers (300 and 72.8 miles). This means it has a longer range over the M1A2 Abrams and can travel faster. The tank weighs 55 tons, which makes it less likely to get stuck in the mud, and costs 2.5 million dollars each, with over 1300 Type-99 tanks in service.
Conclusion
Considering the Type-99A has a 3rd generation fire control system with similar protection characteristics as the M1A2 Abrams on paper, it would be tough to tell who would win in a head-to-head dual and is most certainly a threat to the Abrams crew. It will all come down to the crew's skill and which tank gets spotted first. If one of the tanks is in the hull-down position, that tank will have the advantage, as both tanks offer similar protection and have similar weak spots. However, theoretically, the US M1A2 Abrams crew would most likely win in a dual, as the Americans have more armored warfare experience with veterans training the Abrams crews.
Негізгі бет Ойындар Is China's Type-99A a Threat to U.S M1A2 Abrams?
Пікірлер: 21