The Type 64 (TL64, ) is the designation of two distinct Cold War-era light tank projects of the

Republic of China Armed Forces The Republic of China Armed Forces (ROC Armed Forces) are the armed forces of the Republic of China (ROC), once based in mainland China and currently in its remaining jurisdictions which include the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu ...

, in service from 1975. One being a hybrid of the

M42 Duster The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," is an American armored light air-defense gun built for the United States Army from 1952 until December 1960, in service until 1988. Production of this vehicle was performed by the ...

and

M18 Hellcat The M18 Hellcat (officially designated the 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 or M18 GMC) is a tank destroyer that was used by the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War. A top speed of up to was attained by keeping armor to a minim ...

and the other an indigenous copy of the

M41 Walker Bulldog The M41 Walker Bulldog, officially 76-mm Gun Tank, M41, was an American light tank developed for armed reconnaissance purposes. It was produced by Cadillac between 1951 and 1954 and marketed successfully to the United States Army as a replaceme ...

, both Type 64s were intended as a cavalry tank to complement the existing M41 light tanks and to support the heavier and more-powerful M48 Patton medium tanks already in service with the ROCA.

Description and history

Type 64 Hybrid

The original Type 64 hybrid tank project involved the construction of tanks made from parts of dismantled American tanks provided by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The Type 64 is essentially a

hull with an

turret on top with a 76mm gun. The M18s were originally decommissioned tanks supplied to the ROC Armed Forces during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

and later, whilst the hulls were surplus M42 hulls ordered and shipped to the island of Taiwan. Compartments over the track guards for spare Bofors gun barrels were replaced with storage boxes of the stock M41 tank. A total of one battalion worth of conversions were made.

Type 64 Prototype

The Type 64 Prototype or Type 64 Experimental was a locally upgraded version of the

with improved fire controls, 530 horsepower Napco 8V-71T diesel engine, ANVRC-7 radio, mounted T57 7.62mm GPMG, and applique turret armor and sideskirts made from traditional cast and high-hardness tungsten alloy steel. Development began in the year Minguo 64 (1975), hence the name. The tank is comparable in design to the M41 series of American tanks, which already proved itself reasonably capable of holding its own against the threat of Type 59 and

T-55A The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...

tanks during the Vietnam War, but has an improved electrical system. The hull had an all-welded steel construction that incorporates a high-strength alloy steel and was manufactured using advanced welding techniques, providing adequate protection from small arms and cannon fire. The all-cast turret housed three crew members and has the same layout as the M41, with modifications to suit the shorter stature of local tank crews. On the hull, an additional layer of laminated, high-strength alloy steel armour plate was welded and bolted on; this provided additional protection against

HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...

and APDS projectiles. The 76mm rifled gun used on the Type 64 was manufactured locally in Taiwan. A 7.62mm co-axial machinegun was mounted with the main gun, whilst a .50 M2 HB machinegun intended for firing upon aircraft is mounted at the commander's station. The tank had an improved fire control system, and ammunition was stored in a similar manner to the M41A2 and M41A3. A total of 14 pre-production tanks and 25 first-series tanks were ordered to be constructed at the 201 Factory, with the last tank completed in 1979. This variant did not enter further mass-production although those already built were later modified to include laser rangefinders, ballistic computers and passive night vision equipment developed by the National Sun Yat-Sen Research Institute.

Operators

*: Over 50 tanks were assembled.

References

*彭懷恩, (1986). "台灣軍事備忘錄: 中華民國軍力總剖析, 1986-87". 彭懷恩. *風雲論壇, (1984). "透視台灣防禦". 風雲論壇社. {{Cold War tanks, style=wide Armoured fighting vehicles of the Republic of China Military vehicles introduced in the 1970s Light tanks of the Cold War