China delivered 44 VT-5 Light tanks to Bangladesh
MD UN NAZMUS
SAKIB KHAN: Bangladesh received a delivery of 1 regiment VT-5 tanks from China
recently which was ordered last year. More 150 tanks will be in order soon.
VT-5 was chosen over Kaplan-MT Tank(jointly developed by Indonesia and Turkey)
and the Korean K-21 light tank.
VT-5 Tank is
highly suitable to Bangladesh's geography and a modern highly capable Tank.
According to some reports, it can outperform India's heavyweight T-90 tanks in
terms of mobility, maneuverability, armor, and firepower. The tank is very
suitable For the low-lying riverine geography
of Bangladesh. Due to its lightweight and powerful engine with low oxygen
requirement can perform excellent also in hilly areas of Bangladesh. For these
reasons, the Bangladesh army emphasizes Light Tanks instead of Heavyweight Main
Battle Tank(MBT).
Bangladesh
and China are only users of VT-5 tanks. VT-5 is a Type-15 tank developed by
Norinco. PLA ground force(Chinese Armed force) use the ZQT-15 version of it.
But it is reported on Chinese media that Bangladesh's VT-5 is modified according
to the Bangladesh army's requirement and considered a better version than PLA's
ZQT-15. Apart from Form 44, VT-5 Bangladesh Army operates 44+ MBT 2000, 58 Type
69 tanks, 174 Durjoy MBT(more 300 will be added).
Armament
VT-5 uses a
new 105mm rifled gun, which is superior to the Type 94 105mm guns fitted on
Type 88 and Type 59 tanks. The VT-5 can hold 38 rounds of 105mm shells and is
capable of effectively penetrating the armor of most main battle tanks in use
by various South and Southwestern Asian countries when launching armor-piercing
shells. It can also fire-new advanced tungsten alloy armor-piercing
fin-stabilized discarding sabots (APFSDS) capable of penetrating 500 mm (20 in)
of armored steel at 2,000 meters (1.2 mi).
Features
The VT-5
tank is equipped with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN)
protection, an autoloader mechanism with ammunition stored in the turret
bustle, air conditioning system, command, and control equipment, commander's
panoramic sight, gunner's thermal imaging sight, laser rangefinder, advanced
ballistic computer, a tactical command system, and a navigation system that
includes inertial navigation system (INS) and satellite communications.
Mobility
Due to its
lightweight(36 tons), the new VT-5 tank can be airlifted as well as para dropped
by military cargo aircraft.
News source-
Author
Tianjin University
Publicity and Publication Secretary, BCYSA
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