The Type 96 is Chinese third-generation main battle tank (MBT). Based on the Type 85-III design, the Type 96 entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1997. As of 2005, an estimated 1,500 Type 96 tanks are currently in service with the PLA.
Generally speaking, PLA's tank development can be divided into three generations. The first generation is a version of the Soviet T-54A and its derivatives, produced in China as the Type 59 and Type 69/79. The second-generation main battle tank started with the Type 80, which further branched into the Type 88 and Type 96, developed in parallel by different institutes but all funded by China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). The Third-generation started with the developmental Type 98, to be heavily modified to yield the latest Type 99 tank.
In 1995, Norinco developed the Type 85-III prototype with a 1,000-hp diesel engine and explosive reactive armor (ERA), after finally solving the engine problem. After further improvements, including incorporating expertise gained from the Type 90 such as the modular armor design, this version was accepted by the PLA in 1996, and entered service in 1997 as the Type 96. Production of the Type 88 stopped when the Type 96 became available, and the Type 96 was mass-produced in larger numbers than the Type 88, though sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Type 88C.
In comparison to the Type 85 and Type 88, the Type 96 features a more powerful engine, improved electronics and a western-style turret. Recent photos suggest the Type 96 was heavily modified with add-on armor modules and explosive reactive armor, similar to the Type 99's. Its internal electronics may also have been upgraded to Type 99 standard.
Currently an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 are in service with the People's Liberation Army, and production is likely to continue. Similarly to the Soviet Union's two-tank strategy with the basic T-72 and higher-technology T-64 and T-80, the Type 96 is likely to become the standardized main battle tank in service with the PLA throughout the decade, while the more advanced and expensive Type 99 is reserved for its elite units.| Type 96 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  People's Republic of China |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | First Inner Mongolia Machinery Factory |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 42.8 tonnes |
| Length | 10.28 m |
| Width | 3.45 m |
| Height | 2.30 m |
| Crew | 3 |
| | |
| Armor | Classified (later models are fitted with armour modules and ERA plates) |
| Main armament | 125 mm smoothbore gun |
| Secondary armament | 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun 12.7 mm air-defence machine gun |
| Engine | diesel 1000 hp (750 kW) |
| Power/weight | 21 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Operational range | 450 km, 600 km with external fuel |
| Speed | 70 km/h |
