1 x 14.5 mm anti-air machine gun 1 x 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine
diesel
Suspension
Torsion bar
Operational range
500 km
Maximum speed
60 km/h on paved road 10 km/h in water
The Model 1981 "Shin'heung"[1] (Rise), in western countries known as the PT-85, is a North Korean amphibious light tank. It is built for the needs of their army, with around 500 examples operated.[2] The Model 1981 "Shin'heung is based on the lengthened VTT-323 APC chassis, and although the turret appears similar to PT-76, the PT-85 has a higher horseshoe-shaped turret, with an 85 mm gun and hatches similar to those of a T-54.[2] The US Department of Defence calls it the M-1985.[3]
Model 1981 "Shin'heung" upgrades
Right side of a T-62 tank showing the large L-2 Luna IR spotlight similar to the upgraded PT-85 tank
Early examples of the Model 1981 "Shin'heung" tank have shown a 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 "Sagger") anti-tank guided missile installed on top of the turret directly above the main gun, and with two lights on the front of either side of the hull.[2] In recent parades, the Model 1981 "Shin'heung" has been observed with a large IR projector (possibly a reverse engineered copy of a L-2 Luna IR spotlight[4] on the turret, linked to the gun with a brace for elevation, as on the Soviet T-55/62 tanks.[2]
The arrangement of the lights on the hull has also changed: there are three lights on the right side of the front glacis (two black ones and one white), plus one on the left side plate; sometimes some of these lights are omitted.[2] The AT-3 "Sagger" missile is also now absent on the PT-85; it's unclear if these new or upgraded variants can be armed with that missile, and if so where the launcher would be installed.[2] Its also possible that the tank was never able to fire the missile and it was only mounted to parade tanks to confuse observers.[3]
In 2015, Model 1981 "Shin'heung" tanks in parades have also been observed with a Manpad SAM installed on the rear of the turret, as well as three smoke mortars on each side of the turret.[2]
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