The VT-4 (), also known as the MBT-3000, is a Chinese

third generation Third generation may refer to: * ''Third Generation'' (album), a 1982 album by Hiroshima * ''The Third Generation'' (1920 film), an American drama film directed by Henry Kolker * ''The Third Generation'' (1979 film), a West German black comedy b ...

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...

built by Norinco for overseas export.

Development

During the development of Type 90-II/Al-Khalid (also known as MBT-2000) in the 1980s, the gearbox and engine were originally imported from Germany, but this plan was shelved due to the Western arms embargo. The

powertrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

instead was sourced from Ukraine, the same for most Chinese export vehicles at the time. China eventually developed domestic powertrains, which led to the creation of the MBT-3000 program for export customers. MBT-3000 was the successor of the Type-90II (MBT-2000) export tank. The MBT-3000 project later named as VT-4 began development in 2009 as a co-operation with First Inner Mongolia Machinery Factory and other companies. The MBT-3000 concept debuted at the 2012

Eurosatory Eurosatory is the largest international defence and security exhibition for land and airland that is held every two years in the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with ...

. The tank was subsequently shown at the 2014 Norinco Armor Day and the 10th

China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () or Zhuhai Airshow (), is the largest airshow and aerospace trade expo in China. It has been held in even years in Zhuhai, Guangdong since 1996. Hist ...

as the VT-4.

Design

The VT-4 shares many subsystems technology and features from other latest Chinese main battle tanks such as Type 96B and Type 99A. Key examples are an automatic transmission system, 125mm smoothbore cannon, muzzle reference system, FY-4 ERA, carousel style autoloader, and overall geometry.

Armament

The VT-4 has a 125mm smoothbore cannon capable of firing

APFSDS Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), long dart penetrator, or simply dart ammunition, is a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition used to attack modern vehicle armour. As an armament for main battle tanks, it succeeds A ...

, HESH,

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 HE rounds and guided missiles. There is also a

remote weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), or remote weapon station (RWS), also known as a remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated weaponized system often equipped with fire-control system for light and medium-caliber weapons which ca ...

on the turret armed with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The fire control system has hunter-killer capabilities, laser rangefinder, panoramic sight, and a third-generation thermal imaging system. According to the chief designer, the APFSDS used by VT-4 can reach 700mm penetration which is enough to penetrate any armoured target, although the distance in which 700mm of penetration was achieved was not disclosed.

Protection

The tank is protected by dual-layer protection consisting of

composite armor Composite armour is a type of vehicle armour consisting of layers of different material such as metals, plastics, ceramics or air. Most composite armours are lighter than their all-metal equivalent, but instead occupy a larger volume for the sam ...

and FY-4

explosive reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic ener ...

. According to the chief designer Feng Yibai, the frontal protection force is equivalent to 500mm homogeneous steel armor, and the explosive reaction armor is around 700mm. Although not the best protection on the market it's been said that this level of protection is sufficient for the needs of developing nations. The front turret has wedge-shaped armor similar to other contemporary Chinese MBT's and the hull sides have conventional metal sideskirts. The tank can be equipped with a ′hardkill′ active protection system designated GL5, defensive grenade launchers and a laser warning device. The vehicle also has an

IFF In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (shortened as "iff") is a biconditional logical connective between statements, where either both statements are true or both are false. The connective is bicon ...

system, NBC protection, explosion-suppression system, fire-extinguishing system and air conditioning.

Mobility

According to Norinco, the VT-4 uses a locally produced 1,300 hp diesel engine with

torsion bar suspension A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end term ...

and an integrated hydraulic transmission system. Steering and acceleration is handled by a steering wheel and automatic gear transmission. VT-4 is also capable of neutral steering.

Command and control

The tank is also integrated with digital communications systems for tank-tank communication and communication between commanders.

Variants

;MBT-3000: Prototype. ;VT-4: Production model. ;VT-4A1: Improved model with a modified turret. The new turret features radar panels, repositioned grenade dischargers, new hard-kill active protection system and a launcher for small attack drones.

Operators

*Vehicles delivered to the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. History Formation The Nigerian ...

in April 2020. *300 VT-4 tanks will be delivered to the Pakistan army by 2023 along with an option for 160 more in accordance to the 2017 deal. *The

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...

has 38 VT-4 in service, with the first 28 delivered in October 2017. The deal, thought to be valued at about US$150 million, included an option to buy a further 153 vehicles. In April 2017, the Royal Thai Army ordered an additional 10 VT-4 main battle tanks from China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) worth US$58 million that was delivered as of early 2019.

References

External links

CCTV news footage of VT-4 driving past obstacles
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Main battle tanks of China Post–Cold War main battle tanks Tanks with autoloaders Military vehicles introduced in the 2010s Norinco