WZ-122 Main Battle Tank
| WZ-122 Main Battle Tank | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin | PRC |
| Production history | |
| Number built | Only several prototypes |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | ≤37.5 Tonnes (1970 blueprint)[1] |
| Length | Unknown |
| Width | Unknown |
| Height | Unknown |
| Crew | 4 |
|
| |
| Armor | Unknown |
Main armament | 120 mm tank gun |
Secondary armament | 1 × 12.7 mm AAMG 1 × 7.62 mm MG |
| Engine |
diesel 650–680 hp (in 1970s plan) |
| Suspension |
hydropneumatic suspension (WZ-122A) torsion-bar (WZ-122B) |
The WZ-122 (Chinese: WZ-122主戰坦克) was a main battle tank developed by the People's Republic of China. Its development started in March 1970. After several prototypes were built, the plan was set aside in 1974.[2]
History
After the Zhenbao Island incident (zh:珍寶島事件) in 1969, the PRC decided on the necessity to develop new tank models. These new tanks included WZ-132, WZ-121 (Type 69) and WZ-122, which commenced development in March 1970.
The first prototype designated WZ-122A was finished on 25 September 1970. The tank's cast turret and wheels were of similar design style to Soviet tanks, but also differed to the USSR's tanks in some components such as the suspension.[2] However, this tank was too complex for practical use in China at that time. So, this tank was quickly set aside. In January 1971, another prototype was finished. This prototype used many mature parts, however many issues had been found during the test, which led to its eventual abandonment.[3]
References
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