Type 89 / PTZ-89 120mm self-propelled anti-tank gun
China developed a large-caliber anti-tank weapon, the 89-type anti-tank artillery, by combining the technology of the 120 mm smoothbore gun and the 83-type 152 mm self-propelled howitzer chassis. In 1989, the Chinese armed forces were handed over the first batch of 20 self-propelled guns. Soon 80 machines were built, after which their assembly stopped. The Type 89 tank destroyers were distributed among the anti-tank battalions of several tank divisions. Each battalion uses 18 self-propelled guns. After the 1990s, the Type 89 anti-tank artillery was successively equipped with artillery brigades of the three northern armies. Each brigade had an anti-tank battalion, and each battalion was equipped with 18 Type 89 anti-tank guns with a caliber of 120 mm. Many years later, with the continuous improvement and entry of China's Type 96 and Type 99 main battle tanks, the historical role of Type 89 has basically been completed. In general, the 89-type production volume is not large, only equipped with Chinese artillery units.
During the Second World War, several major countries that participated in the war were equipped with artillery that exceeded the calibre of the mainstream tank guns at the time. They became anti-tank self-propelled guns (or tank destroyers), which specialized in hunting and killing the enemy tanks. In the early 1970s and late 1970s, China had twice conducted research and development of a new generation of main tanks. The first was WZ-122, and the second was WZ-1224/1226 with Leopard II technology; and these two bold new tank attempts were accompanied by a core weapon, that is, the development of the 120mm high-pressure smoothbore tank gun. The first priority is to counter the Soviet T-72 and other new tanks. . The early 120mm smoothbore gun system of WZ-122 was developed by China itself. It was limited by the backward design and technology.
The Rhinemetall Rh-120-44 120mm 44-caliber smoothbore gun was undoubtedly the most advanced and powerful tank gun of the same period, and it is the equipment that China dreamed of to suppress Soviet armored forces. In the spring of 1977, the Fifth Ministry of Machinery and a dozen related units launched a preliminary demonstration of the 120mm high-bore pressure smoothbore gun. Although the research and development of the 120mm tank gun and supporting ammunition went smoothly, the development of the WZ-1226 tank was cancelled when it was about to enter the design finalization stage in the late 1970s. For a number of reasons, in the early 1980s, the command of the Chinese armed forces came to the conclusion that the prospects for 125 mm caliber tank guns were very promising. The Chinese military received a Soviet T-72 tank from one of the Middle Eastern countries and studied it carefully. The result of this study was the instruction to copy the this tank.
In order to avoid the painstaking end of the 120mm smoothbore gun that was developed so hard, the 447 factory responsible for production took the initiative to integrate this gun on the Type 321 chassis of the Type 83 152mm self-propelled gun, and launched an anti-tank self-propelled gun. The first prototype was completed in 1984.
The People's Liberation Army's first tracked self-propelled anti-tank gun, mounting a 120mm smooth-bore gun, the 89-type self-propelled anti-tank gun began to be developed in 1967. From the political friction between China and the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, it gradually developed into border armed friction in the northeast and Xinjiang in the 1960s, to the outbreak of the medium-speed Zhenbao Island war in March 1969. Throughout the 1960s, the People’s Liberation Army was forced to respond to the pressure of the Soviet Army’s armored assault operations on China’s "Three Norths" (Northeast, North, and Northwest).
In addition, the research and development projects of a variety of anti-armor weapons including 120mm anti-tank guns have been established. At that time, the main anti-tank weapons equipped by our army, such as 75mm recoilless guns, 85mm cannons, and 56-type rocket launchers, could not effectively penetrate the frontal armor of the Soviet T-62 main battle tank. Undoubtedly, once the Soviet armored torrent in the battle of Zhenbao Island and subsequent large-scale armored raids on China's "Three Norths" area, regardless of political consequences, the Chinese army was equipped with all armored technical weapons and anti-armor firearms, and it would not be able to mechanize and mechanize Soviet armored forces. The infantry carried out an effective counterattack. This situation made the Central Military Commission determined to develop a new type of main battle tank, a variety of caliber anti-tank artillery and anti-tank missile technology.
The low-pressure 120mm anti-tank gun project was established in 1967 (only for the rebound of the artillery, and for the development and integration of vehicles). After the Sino-Soviet Zhenbao Island battle in March 1969, it was considered that the anti-armor capability was insufficient and began Re-research and develop comprehensive efficiency enhancements based on the original plan.
From 1972 to 1978, the 120mm anti-tank gun made great breakthroughs in the development of artillery barrels, high chamber pressure, and anti-tank ammunition. The original plan was to match the 120mm caliber anti-tank gun to the 122 project "three-liquid" tank. However, the "Great Leap Forward" type of research and development has a high technical starting point, and the overall reliability cannot meet the needs of the PLA in an actual combat environment.
After the 122 series "three-liquid" tank prototype was cancelled, the 120mm anti-tank gun was a "cannon without vehicle" state. Even if the 120mm anti-tank gun is technically calibrated and finalized, it may be abolished by the overall project. Immediately, the research and development project team successfully "integrated" the 120mm self-propelled anti-tank gun into another Type 321 universal crawler vehicle (the Type 83 152mm self-propelled howitzer vehicle). In the end, the high-pressure 120mm anti-tank gun with a muzzle velocity of nearly 1800m/s was finalized in 1990, and mass production began and became the standard armored technical weapon of the People's Liberation Army.
The Ministry of Weaponry finally determined that the Type 89 120mm self-propelled anti-tank gun adopts the Type 321 vehicle, which is equipped with the more advanced "two-way stable" sighting system at the same time, and introduces "firepower first", "mobile second" and "protection third". Technical and tactical strategies, mass production and equipment of the army's armored units and main battle tanks for coordinated operations began.
The Type 89 120mm self-propelled anti-tank gun gloriously participated in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1999. It used to play the role of carrying on the armored technical weapons of the People's Liberation Army (effectively making up for the poor performance and insufficient number of Type 59, Type 69, Type 79 and Type 80 main battle tanks) before the latest Type 96 and Type 99 main battle tanks were put into service. The Type 89 120mm self-propelled anti-tank gun has been gradually retired from active equipment since 2008.
Although the Type 89 120mm self-propelled anti-tank gun was gradually withdrawn from the PLA's equipment system, during its 20 years of service, the improvement of its technical and tactical performance has never stopped. This also provides the best verification and practical foundation for the development, service, and technical and tactical expansion of all subsequent wheeled vehicle-mounted guns.
The People's Liberation Army's armored forces have begun to phase out their tank destroyers, as they now rely on weapons that are more powerful and effective, such as anti-tank missiles and attack helicopters. In November 2015 PLA Daily, the Chinese military's flagship newspaper, published a photo showing a line of 18 self-propelled guns traveling out of a military base of the PLA Shenyang Military Command's 39th Group Army. A ceremony was held by the army's artillery regiment on Nov 3 to mark the guns' withdrawal after 24 years in active service, according to the newspaper.
Though PLA Daily did not identify the weapon, military experts said it was the Type-89 tank destroyer and that it is being replaced with missiles and helicopters. "It was brought into service by the PLA around the early 1990s to close the loopholes in the PLA's anti-tank capability that existed in the 1970s and 1980s," he said. "Thanks to the past 20 years of modernization, our armored forces have acquired a large number of advanced tanks equipped with large-caliber, powerful guns, which means specialized tank destroyers such as the Type-89 will no longer be needed," he said.
The PLA had been gradually replacing tank destroyers with HJ-10 anti-tank missiles and WZ-10 and WZ-19 attack helicopters at the group army level, according to reports. "Anti-tank missiles and helicopters represent the trend of anti-tank warfare. They can form a three-dimensional anti-tank firepower network," Wang said. China displayed HJ-10 missiles, and WZ-10 and WZ-19 attack helicopters at the 03 September 2015 parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Xing Li'nan, a military commentator for China.com, suggested the PLA could export the retired Type-89 tank destroyers to other nations, especially developing countries, after upgrading their armor and engines.
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