Type 90 Main Battle Tank
Type 90-II/A/M Main Battle Tank
MBT-2000 Main Battle Tank
The existence of the Type 90 MBT was first revealed in late 1991. The Type 90 was an outgrowth of the Type 85 MBT design and weighed roughly 48 tons, had a 125 mm smooth bore gun and a crew of 3. The Type 90 demonstrated a conventional design with the driver's compartment in the front, the turret in the center, and the power pack in the rear.
The PLA concluded in the 1970s that a new main battle tank was needed to defend against a potential Soviet invasion that would have been backed by the T-72. China procured an unknown number of T-72s in the late 1970s and used knowledge gained from studying the T-72 to design its new MBT, using the hull design of the T-72 and 120mm smoothbore gun and advanced fire control system, both imported from the West. Sanctions following the Tiananmen Square Massacre blocked the sale of these items to China.
The initial Type 90 apparently did not meet the PLA's performance expectations during trials in China, and subsequently a major effort was initiated to improve the design.
The Type 90-II demonstrated several design improvements in at least three areas of main battle tank design including armor, mobility, and fire-power.
The turret and hull were reported to be all-welded steel armor which also has an additional composite armor added over the frontal arc. The composite armor was reported to be modular allowing for easy removal in the event that a module was damaged or better armor became available.
The main armament of the Type 90, a smooth bore 125 mm gun is fitted with a fume extractor and a thermal sleeve. The gun is fed by an automatic loader and can fire HEAT, HE-FRAG, and APFSDS. The gun is also capable of firing the 9M119 Refleks guided missile.
The turret has a sloping front with vertical sides with smoke grenade launchers mounted halfway along turret side, and a large stowage basket at rear. The 12.7 mm AA MG is on right side of turret roof, while the gunner's stabilized sights are on left, front of turret roof. The commander's stabilized, independant sight is on right front of turret roof. A 7.62 mm MG is coaxial with the 125 mm gun.
The computerized fire control system includes a stabilized rangefinder sight, computer, commander's control panel, passive thermal imaging, laser rangefinder, crosswind sensor, tilt sensor and angular velocity sensor. This allows the Type 90 MBT to engage moving targets under both day and night conditions.
The suspension has six large unevenly spaced road wheels, support rollers, idler front, drive sprocket rear. It was unclear what the power plant of the Type 90 was, as 4 powerplants were known to have been tested, including two supplied by the Perkins Engine Company, both comprising of a 1,200hp CV-12 Condor diesel (found on the Challenger 1 and 2 MBTs), coupled to a French SESM ESM 500 automatic transmission (as installed in the Leclerc MBT).
In 1999 during the 50th anniversary military parade, the Chinese displayed a probable laser-based, anti-tank guided missile countermeasure on its Type 90-II tanks. Also displayed in 1999 were Type 98 tanks, a development of the Type 90 series. The design work done on the Type 90 directly led to the Type 98 and Type 99 tanks.
Pakistan was licenced to produce the Type 90-II under a contract signed in May 1990. The Pakistani model of the Chinese Type 90-II was also known as the MBT-2000 and was given the local name Al-Khalid. An improved variant of the MBT-2000, which also has a 14.5mm machine gun in place of the standard 12.7mm machine gun, as well as an improved armor suite, similar to those subsequently fitted to the Type 98/99 series of tanks, was revealed in 2007. The MBT-2000 was shorter in overall length suggesting a shift in general engine compartment arrangement
The Al Khalid was said to have been fitted with a Ukranian 6TD powerpack (also referred to as Type 90-IIM). This came after the initial plan to fit a 1,500 hp French diesel (also referred to as Type 90-IIA) was canceled because of French participation in the arms embargo following the Pakistani nuclear test.
