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VT-4
VT-4
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	China
Service history
In service	2017–present
Used by	See § Operators
Wars	War against the Islamic State Boko Haram insurgency; ;
Production history
Designer	Norinco
Manufacturer	Norinco; Heavy Industries Taxila
Unit cost	$4.9 million
Produced	2017–present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	52 tonnes (57 short tons)
Length	10.10 m (33.1 ft)
Width	3.44 m (11.3 ft)
Height	2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew	3 (commander, driver, gunner)
Armour	composite armour and Explosive reactive armour (ERA)
Main; armament	ZPT-98A 125 mm (4.9 in) smoothbore gun, 38 rounds (22 in the autoloader)
Secondary; armament	1 × RWS 12.7 mm (0.50 in) AA HMG; 1 × 7.62 mm (0.300 in) coaxial MG
Engine	VT/E1 V12 diesel engine; 1,200 hp (895 kW) at 2,300 rpm
Power/weight	23 hp/tonne
Transmission	Ch1000B automatic (6 FWD/2 REV)
Suspension	torsion bars
Ground clearance	43 cm (1 ft 4.93 in)
Operational; range	500 km (310 mi)
Maximum speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The VT-4 (Chinese: VT-4主战坦克; pinyin: VT-4 zhǔzhàn tǎnkè), also known as the MBT-3000,^[2] is a Chinese modernized main battle tank built by Norinco for overseas export.^[3]

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 abandoned due to a Western arms embargo. The powertrain instead was sourced from Ukraine, the same for most Chinese export vehicles at the time.^[4]

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.^[3] The MBT-3000 project later named as VT-4 began development in 2009 as a co-operation with the First Inner Mongolia Machinery Factory and other companies.^[3]

The MBT-3000 concept debuted at the 2012 Eurosatory.^[5] The tank was subsequently shown at the 2014 Norinco Armour Day^[6] and the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition 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, 125 mm smoothbore cannon, muzzle reference system, FY-4 ERA, carousel-style autoloader, and overall geometry.^[3]

Armament

The VT-4 has a ZPT-98A 125 mm smoothbore gun capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT and HE rounds and gun-launched anti-tank guided missiles. There is also a remote controlled weapon station on the turret armed with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The fire-control system has a panoramic sight with hunter-killer capabilities. The gunner sight features a laser rangefinder and a Thales Catherine-FC thermal imager.

Protection

The tank is protected by dual-layer protection consisting of composite armour and FY-4 explosive reactive armour.^[7] According to the chief designer Feng Yibai, the frontal protection force is equivalent to 500 mm homogeneous steel armour, and the explosive reactive armour is around 700 mm.^[3] The front turret has wedge-shaped armour similar to other contemporary Chinese MBT's and the hull sides have conventional metal sideskirts. The VT-4A1 variant is equipped with a 'hardkill' active protection system designated GL5, defensive grenade launchers and a laser warning device.^[3] The vehicle also has an IFF system, NBC protection, explosion-suppression system, fire-extinguishing system and air conditioning.^{[citation needed]}

Mobility

According to Norinco, the VT-4 uses a locally produced 1,200 hp (895 kW) VT/E1 diesel engine with torsion bar suspension and an Ch1000B automatic transmission.^[3]^[8]^[9]^[10] Steering and acceleration is handled by a steering wheel and automatic gear transmission.^[3] VT-4 is also capable of neutral steering.

Command and control

The tank is also integrated with digital communications systems for tank to tank communication and communication between commanders.^[3]

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.^[11]
Haider MBT: Locally assembled Pakistani variant.
VN20: Heavy infantry fighting vehicle.