TS034 PLA MAIN BATTLE TANK ZTZ96B

The ZTZ-96 or Type 96 is a modern Chinese Main Battle Tank. The first prototypes of the vehicle were probably created in the early 1990s, and serial production started in 1996 or 1997 continues to this day. To date (2018), 1,500-2,500 tanks of this type have been produced. The ZTZ-96 is powered by a 1000 HP diesel engine. The vehicle is armed with a single 125mm tank gun, a license-free copy of the Russian 2A46 cannon. In addition, the tank's armament consists of 2 machine guns: cal. 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm. The ZTZ-96 was created as a successor to the Type 85 tank. The Chinese designers set themselves the goal of the ZTZ-96 to create a machine that would be able to match Russian designs like the T-80U or T-80UD. To shorten the work, many components from the Type 85 tank were used. However, a few new elements were added: first of all, a slightly modernized gun, better FCS (fire control system) and improved armor. Probably a more powerful engine was also used, which improved the mobility of the car in the field. A significant modification of the ZTZ-96 car is the ZTZ-96G version, which received much better reactive armor and an SKO with thermal imaging cameras. It is commonly believed that the ZTZ-96 is currently the main battle tank of the PRC army.