A full-scale replica of a ZTZ-99 tank, a main battle tank of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in an industrial exhibition in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. (Photo : Reuters)
China’s Type 99 main battle tank used by the People’s Liberation Army has been ranked as third among nine of the world’s most powerful tanks, according to Focus, a magazine based in Munich, Germany.
The magazine said in an article on April 30 that a modern tank must be capable of facing enemy attacks from different directions. Taking from the experience of battling insurgencies in Iran and Afghanistan, modern tanks must also be able to engage enemies in an urban setting, the article said.
According to the article, Germany's Leopard 2 topped the list as the best modern tank. The German tank is armed with 120-mm Rheinmetall L55 smoothbore gun and two 7.62-mm MG3A1 machine guns.
Next in the list as second rank in the world is the U.S. Army's M1A2 Abrams, a strong tank with depleted uranium mesh-reinforced composite armor which protects its crew from majority of munitions.
Further, the Abrams's turret can rotate 360 degrees in just nine seconds and its M1A2 can reload its 120-mm L/44 M256A1 smoothbore gun in only two seconds. The tank can also deflect and disorientate anti-tank missiles by releasing flares, smoke and chaff decoys.
Third in the list is China's Type 99, which was recognized as the world's third most powerful tank. The PLA tank is armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun. It also has a liquid-cooled diesel engine with 1,500 horsepower.
Next in the list of the most powerful tanks in the world is Britain's Challenger II, followed by Israel's Merkava 4, Russia's T-90, France's AMX-13, then Japan's Type 90 and South Korea's K2.
The list was based on tank maneuver abilities, firepower and defense mechanism features.
