The Chinese People's Liberation Army, that isn’t for the people and never liberates anyone, has a massive tank fleet that traces its lineage to the Soviet T-54 and T-72 tanks, but the recent iterations have taken a path of their own. The oldest Chinese tanks in widespread PLA service are the pure T-55A derivatives Type 69 and Type 79. While these tanks are actively being phased out from service, they may still be encountered in remote areas and as replacements in a high attrition scenario.These share the 5 pairs of road wheels with spacing between the pairs increasing towards the front of the vehicle and a small rounded turret, typical for the Soviet tank designs. Both also have a rectangular exhaust port on the left side of the vehicle. The largest external difference between the Type 69 and Type 79 is the cannon. The Type 69 uses the Soviet 100mm gun that has its bore evacuator positioned at the tip of its barrel, just like a T-55. The Type 79 on the other hand is equipped with a...
News and analysis from security and warfare related topics with the focus mostly on Russia and Scandinavia. Occasional de-tours to the current hot spots around the world can be expected. -Petri Mäkelä