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Description

Type: Main battle tank
Weight: 69.3 tonnes
Width: 4 m
Crew: 3 (driver, commander, gunner)
Armor: High-hardness steel and tungsten reinforced composite armor, add-on armor modules
Engine: Liquid-cooled diesel engine
2,800 hp
Suspension: Torsion bar
Speed: 78 km/h
The Type 04-136-100 is an advanced main battle tank developed by Yongsheng Heavy Machinery Industries. First tested in early 2011 and commissioned in late 2012, it is a modernized derivative of the Type 04-136 main battle tank that features significantly improved armor protection, a modified chassis, and upgraded electronics.

The tank is armed with the Type 1140-136 136mm electrothermal-chemical smoothbore gun, a 14.5mm coaxial heavy machine gun, and either a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or a 14.5mm heavy anti-aircraft machine gun. The main gun has up to 42 rounds onboard and is capable of firing a variety of ammunition types including APFSDS, HEAT, HE-Frag, DU projectiles, as well as precision guided munitions. A bustle-mounted autoloader efficiently streamlines and speeds up the loading process of the main gun. The 14.5mm coaxial heavy machine gun is placed near the left-side of the ETC smoothbore gun while the 12.7mm heavy machine gun/14.5mm heavy anti-aircraft machine gun is mounted on a remote weapon station, which is placed on the left side of the turret, and is operated by the commander.

A sophisticated computerized fire control system aboard the tank can be operated independently by the gunner or the commander, and can offer real time integrated imaging from all of the tank's sensors and sights. The gunner's all-weather day/night, stabilized, electro-optical primary sight is located on the front-right of the turret roof while the commander has a stabilized panoramic sight that is placed on the centre-right of the turret. The tank's computerized onboard information processing system collects information from vehicle navigation (Inertia/satellite), observation systems and sensors, processing it in the computer and displaying it on the commander's display, giving the ability of real-time command and beyond-visual-range target engaging. Meteorological sensors, crosswind analyzers, thermographic optics and image intensifiers give greater visibility and battlefield awareness while the combination of the gunner's primary sight and the commander's stabilized panoramic sight allows the tank to operate in a hunter-killer mode. The fire-control system uses data from the fire-control computer to compute a firing solution for the gunner. The ballistic solution generated ensures a high hit percentage. An extremely high frequency radar system, which is placed around the turret, is capable of operating as a Missile Approach Warning System, which allows the tank's computer to triangulate the incoming projectiles and immediately warn the crew and fire off smoke grenades that blocks any optical, infrared and radar signatures. The radar system has four small antennas in total, with each antenna placed on the corner of the turret roof.

The chassis of the Type 04-136-100 is a modified derivative of the Type 04-136 chassis. The hull is divided into three sealed compartments separated from each other, defined along the longitudinal axis by vertical armored plates. The fuel tanks are placed in the side compartments while in the central compartment is the equipment associated with the fighting compartment. The crew of the Type 04-136-100 are located in the hull of the tank below the level of the tower, with the driver located in the front-right, the commander on the right side of the turret and the gunner on the left side of the turret. There are three crew hatches, with two on the turret housing for the commander and gunner, and one on the front-right of the hull for the driver. An emergency escape hatch is located on the hull floor behind the driver. The commander and gunner are both equipped with adjustable seats that have two positions: stowed and deployed. When transferring the seat in the deployed position, the commander and gunner are below the turret, while in the stowed position, the commander and gunner are located in the turret. From the fuel compartments, vertical armored hull plates are covered with slabs of anti-radiation material, and from the driver's compartment and the fighting compartment, plates of ballistic material is used.

The armor of the Type 04-136-100 is made of spaced, multi-layered composite armor formed by spacing multiple layers of ceramics, plastic composites and kevlar, reinforced with high-hardness steel and tungsten sandwiched between the layers of the armor. For additional protection, the hull is fitted with armored side skirts while wedge-shaped, high-hardness steel and tungsten reinforced add-on armor modules are placed on the turret front and frontal area of the sides and were designed to defeat hollow-charge explosives from reaching the base armor, and cause kinetic-energy penetrators to change direction, eroding them in the process. The turret consists of two symmetrically-placed sections rigidly attached to a common base. The compartments are spaced to each other and coaxially arranges the inner and outer sidewalls. The hull floor is strengthened to defeat mines and similar explosives, while the driver's seat is suspended from the hull roof, enhancing protection for the driver. The inside of both hull and turret is lined with a synthetic fabric made of boron compound in order to reduce penetrating radiation. The crew is supplied clean air via an extensive air filter system. A slight over-pressure prevents entry of contamination via bearings and joints. An automatic fire suppression system is programmed to detect and put out any internal fires that may occur, and atmospheric sensors alert the crew if the tank enters a hazardous environment. Radar-absorbent material is used for reducing the infrared, thermal, and radar band signatures of the tank.

Photo courtesy of original author. I do NOT own this image.

Description

Type: Main battle tank
Weight: 69.3 tonnes
Width: 4 m
Crew: 3 (driver, commander, gunner)
Armor: High-hardness steel and tungsten reinforced composite armor, add-on armor modules
Engine: Liquid-cooled diesel engine
2,800 hp
Suspension: Torsion bar
Speed: 78 km/h
The Type 04-136-100 is an advanced main battle tank developed by Yongsheng Heavy Machinery Industries. First tested in early 2011 and commissioned in late 2012, it is a modernized derivative of the Type 04-136 main battle tank that features significantly improved armor protection, a modified chassis, and upgraded electronics.

The tank is armed with the Type 1140-136 136mm electrothermal-chemical smoothbore gun, a 14.5mm coaxial heavy machine gun, and either a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or a 14.5mm heavy anti-aircraft machine gun. The main gun has up to 42 rounds onboard and is capable of firing a variety of ammunition types including APFSDS, HEAT, HE-Frag, DU projectiles, as well as precision guided munitions. A bustle-mounted autoloader efficiently streamlines and speeds up the loading process of the main gun. The 14.5mm coaxial heavy machine gun is placed near the left-side of the ETC smoothbore gun while the 12.7mm heavy machine gun/14.5mm heavy anti-aircraft machine gun is mounted on a remote weapon station, which is placed on the left side of the turret, and is operated by the commander.

A sophisticated computerized fire control system aboard the tank can be operated independently by the gunner or the commander, and can offer real time integrated imaging from all of the tank's sensors and sights. The gunner's all-weather day/night, stabilized, electro-optical primary sight is located on the front-right of the turret roof while the commander has a stabilized panoramic sight that is placed on the centre-right of the turret. The tank's computerized onboard information processing system collects information from vehicle navigation (Inertia/satellite), observation systems and sensors, processing it in the computer and displaying it on the commander's display, giving the ability of real-time command and beyond-visual-range target engaging. Meteorological sensors, crosswind analyzers, thermographic optics and image intensifiers give greater visibility and battlefield awareness while the combination of the gunner's primary sight and the commander's stabilized panoramic sight allows the tank to operate in a hunter-killer mode. The fire-control system uses data from the fire-control computer to compute a firing solution for the gunner. The ballistic solution generated ensures a high hit percentage. An extremely high frequency radar system, which is placed around the turret, is capable of operating as a Missile Approach Warning System, which allows the tank's computer to triangulate the incoming projectiles and immediately warn the crew and fire off smoke grenades that blocks any optical, infrared and radar signatures. The radar system has four small antennas in total, with each antenna placed on the corner of the turret roof.

The chassis of the Type 04-136-100 is a modified derivative of the Type 04-136 chassis. The hull is divided into three sealed compartments separated from each other, defined along the longitudinal axis by vertical armored plates. The fuel tanks are placed in the side compartments while in the central compartment is the equipment associated with the fighting compartment. The crew of the Type 04-136-100 are located in the hull of the tank below the level of the tower, with the driver located in the front-right, the commander on the right side of the turret and the gunner on the left side of the turret. There are three crew hatches, with two on the turret housing for the commander and gunner, and one on the front-right of the hull for the driver. An emergency escape hatch is located on the hull floor behind the driver. The commander and gunner are both equipped with adjustable seats that have two positions: stowed and deployed. When transferring the seat in the deployed position, the commander and gunner are below the turret, while in the stowed position, the commander and gunner are located in the turret. From the fuel compartments, vertical armored hull plates are covered with slabs of anti-radiation material, and from the driver's compartment and the fighting compartment, plates of ballistic material is used.

The armor of the Type 04-136-100 is made of spaced, multi-layered composite armor formed by spacing multiple layers of ceramics, plastic composites and kevlar, reinforced with high-hardness steel and tungsten sandwiched between the layers of the armor. For additional protection, the hull is fitted with armored side skirts while wedge-shaped, high-hardness steel and tungsten reinforced add-on armor modules are placed on the turret front and frontal area of the sides and were designed to defeat hollow-charge explosives from reaching the base armor, and cause kinetic-energy penetrators to change direction, eroding them in the process. The turret consists of two symmetrically-placed sections rigidly attached to a common base. The compartments are spaced to each other and coaxially arranges the inner and outer sidewalls. The hull floor is strengthened to defeat mines and similar explosives, while the driver's seat is suspended from the hull roof, enhancing protection for the driver. The inside of both hull and turret is lined with a synthetic fabric made of boron compound in order to reduce penetrating radiation. The crew is supplied clean air via an extensive air filter system. A slight over-pressure prevents entry of contamination via bearings and joints. An automatic fire suppression system is programmed to detect and put out any internal fires that may occur, and atmospheric sensors alert the crew if the tank enters a hazardous environment. Radar-absorbent material is used for reducing the infrared, thermal, and radar band signatures of the tank.

Photo courtesy of original author. I do NOT own this image.