It can also be equipped with a Chinese-made active protection system. The tank is made of standard steel but is fitted with explosive reactive armor blocks on its turret and sides. It has a top speed of 43 mph on paved roads and 25 mph off-road. Its secondary armament comprises a remotely operated 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. Its 105 mm rifled gun is equipped with an autoloader and it has an ammo capacity of 38 rounds. China’s military is believed to have about 500 in service. The Type 15 reportedly entered service in 2018, though it first appeared publicly as an in-service tank in 2020 during the military parade for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Weighing in at 33 tons to 36 tons, depending on its load, the Type 15 is considerably lighter than China’s 41-ton Type 96 tank and 55-ton Type 99 tank and less than half as heavy as recent versions of the US-made M1 Abrams. Unveiled in 2016, the Type 15 - also known as the ZTQ-15 - is billed as a lighter, cheaper alternative to heavier, more complex tanks produced by Russia or Western countries. The Type 15Ĭhina has coped with these issues by deploying its Type 15 light tank, one of the few modern light tanks produced in the 21st century. Heavier vehicles also had trouble with the terrain.ĭespite the difficulties for armored vehicles, neither side is willing to deploy troops to the area without them, largely because of the important role tanks still play on the battlefield. The low air pressure at those altitudes hindered the performance of tank engines, and freezing temperatures forced soldiers to turn their armored vehicles on for up to 30 minutes every two or three hours to prevent engine components from freezing. This was proved in 20, when, as a result of a deadly border clash in Ladakh that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers, both countries deployed armored units to parts of the Himalayas with altitudes of 11,000 feet and higher.
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