79 Series medium-sized tanks
China adopted 105 mm rifled tank cannons in the 1980s. Using these guns and Western fire control technologies, China designed the 79 Series tanks based on the model of 69ⅡSeries. The 79 Series debuted in the National Day parade in 1984.
The 79 Series tank weighed 36.8 tonnes and carried four people. It can move at maximum speed of 50 km/h to a maximum range of 430 kilometers. The structure was similar to that of the 59 Series and 69 Series. It used a computerized fire control system and reacted in less than 10 seconds. The gunner was equipped with a low-light-level night vision sight; the tank commander had a low-light-level night vision viewer; and the driver a low-light-level night vision device. The devices were second-generation passive night vision models, enabling the 79 Series to fight more effectively at night.
The tank was flanked with skirtboards and had a canister and booster fan defense system. Its automatic fire-extinguishing and explosion-suppressing systems can detect fires within 10 milliseconds and extinguish a fire in 60 milliseconds. It can produce a smokescreen for concealment on the battlefield.
The 79 Series tank
