In April 2020, China’s Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group held a ceremony to officially deliver a batch of brand-new VT-4 main battle tanks (or called “Khalid-2” tank by Pakistan). According to foreign reports, these tanks were ordered by the Pakistan Army, with a total of more than 100 vehicles. This also means that the joint efforts of the tank departments of China and Pakistan for more than 20 years have finally achieved a positive result.
Development history of VT-4 tank
According to the Chinese media “Global Times”, after delivering MBT-2000 (Type 90-2), China’s tank industry was eager to meet updated requirements of the old friend, but automatic transmissions and engines are the jewels of the industrial crown. To take them off, it must take long and arduous efforts. Soon after Type 90-2 tank was finalized, the Inner Mongolia group challenged the automatic gearbox technology, which was 90-3, and achieved staged results and accumulated experience for subsequent work.
Soon after the signing of the MBT-2000 tank mass production contract, the formal development of China’s Type 99A main battle tank for the Chinese army was successfully completed, and the technology of 1500 horsepower high-power tank engine and automatic transmission was thoroughly mastered by China. So the corporation moved quickly and developed a brand new power pack based on Type 99A tank’s power system. They first reduced the engine power to 1200 horsepower to extend the service life and reduce the need of engine replacement, which is more suitable for users with limited financial resources such as Pakistan; then the engine was changed from vertical to horizontal so that a shorter and lighter tank body could be adopted. Of course, it is also equipped with an automatic transmission. With the advanced power system, the company completely redesigned the MBT-2000 tank, especially optimized its body structure and armor protection, and equipped it with a new high-performance information-based fire control system and digital battlefield equipment. Besides, it’s also equipped with an air conditioner which is most popular among tropical tank soldiers. And this tank is named VT-4.
The first prototype of VT-4 was successfully developed around 2012. The Pakistani military has always maintained a high degree of concern for this model, and its senior military officers went to China to try its driving and firing many times.
Pakistan acquires VT-4 tank as expected
Due to severe difficulties in the domestic economy, the Pakistani army hadn’t been able to apply for funds to purchase VT-4 tanks from China. Seeing the time pass by day by day, in order not to let the new-generation tank plan soak. The Pakistan Army has adopted an “outflanking” strategy.
It applied for a small number of funds every year to carry out extensive model inspections worldwide. During this period, it was once reported that Pakistan intended to purchase Turkish “Altay” tanks and Ukrainian “Fortress” tanks. But anyone familiar with Sino-Pakistani tank cooperation knows that VT-4 is the only one in the mind of the Pakistani Army. As early as 2017, VT-4 went to Pakistan to conduct a comparative test against the “Fortress” tank. As a result, VT-4 won with a big score. In 2019, there was news in the media that Pakistan officially decided to purchase VT-4 in bulk.
Judging from the real vehicle at the delivery ceremony, the VT-4 obtained by Pakistan is different from the type for the Thai Army. The frontal protection of the Pakistan VT-4 has been further strengthened. This is most likely to respond to the reality of India’s improved tank equipment and anti-tank weapons.
According to foreign media reports, the number of VT-4 purchased by Pakistan in this batch is 100. Although it is far less than the number of India’s T90-S, it has opened up the generation gap in performance and formed a significant quality advantage.
VT-4 tank’s detailed advantages over T-90 tanks
To be specific, the VT-4 tank has “all-around” advantages over the Indian T-90MS in power, firepower, armor, and fire control.
Power system
First of all, from the perspective of the power system of the VT-4 main battle tank, the early VT-4 main battle tank sold to the Royal Thai Army or the Nigerian Army used the VT/E-1 1200 horsepower diesel engine and the matching CH-1000B hydraulic automatic transmission. The travel system adopts high-strength torsion bar suspension, and the power-to-weight ratio of the whole vehicle is about 26 horsepower/ton. The whole set of power and travel device has reasonable structural design, good maintainability and service performance, suitable for the actual use of equipment in third world countries, and good driving experience and off-road capability.
The latest batch of VT-4 sold to the Pakistan Army has been further upgraded in the power system and installed a more powerful 1500-horsepower diesel engine, and the power-to-weight ratio of the whole vehicle is further strengthened. Objectively speaking, the power system of the VT-4 tank sold to Pakistan in this state of the art may have surpassed the ZTZ-99A main battle tank used by the Chinese army. And even among the top battle tanks in the world, this power system is absolutely top-notch, according to analyst Junwu.
In contrast, the T-90MS main battle tank that the Indian Army has not obtained is not satisfactory in terms of power, transmission and travel system. The T-90S main battle tank of the Indian Army still uses the V-84MS diesel engine. On the T-90MS, it was only replaced with V-92S2F (V-93) diesel engine, which has a power of 832Kw (about 1130 horsepower), with a power-to-weight ratio common among the third-generation main battle tanks.
What’s more important is that the T-90MS, like the T-90M of the Russian military’s own version, is still using the oldest hydraulically assisted planetary gearbox in the transmission system. To put it bluntly, the whole system is still inherited consistently from the T-72B’s power and traditional system, not to mention that compared with Pakistan’s latest VT-4, even compared with the early VT4, it appears to be backward.
Firepower system
Secondly, judging from the firepower system of the VT-4 tank, whether for the early VT-4 sold to the Royal Thai Army and the Nigerian Army, or for the later VT-4 sold to the Pakistan Army, the firepower system is relatively consistent: It consists of a ZPT-98A 125mm tank gun plus a comprehensive remote control weapon station.
In the tank main gun power, the type ZPT-98A main gun of VT-4 tank can use export-version BTA-4 125mm APFSDS, which can ensure the basic level of RHA600mm at 2000 meters, and also may further optimize the armor-piercing efficiency of the armor-piercing body in the face of heavy explosive counter or composite armored main battle tanks. At the same time, as the RHA600mm/2000m is actually the level of the Chinese army ten years ago, if China provides the Pakistan Army with a more advanced three-phase APFSDS (tail stabilized armor-piercing shell), then the armor-piercing capability of the main gun of the VT-4 tank could be invincible in entire South Asia and even the Middle East.
In contrast, although the main gun system of the T-90MS has also been upgraded from the famous old gun 2A46M to 2A46M-5, and the ammunition used has finally changed from 3БM42/44 to 3VBM22 (using 3БM59″ Lead-1″ type armor-piercing body), and the RHA at a distance of 2000 meters finally reached the level of 600mm.
But first of all, it’s hard to say whether the Russian military’s own version of the 3БM59 can be provided to the Indian Army. Maybe the Indian Army is still using the 3БM44 “mango bomb” that has seriously lagged behind. The armor-piercing ability may only stay at 500mm/RHA. Secondly, even if the Russian army provided the 3БM59 APFSDS to the Indian Army, it is estimated to be an export-version of “Lead-2”, which is at best comparable to the BTA-4 type China sold.
Therefore, all things considered, the VT-4 is at least on par with, and probably better than, the T-90MS in terms of basic firepower data such as penetration of the tank’s main gun.
Armor protection
Thirdly, in terms of the comparison of tank armors, it was revealed that in the early design goals of the VT-4 main battle tank, the protection capability of the VT-4 main battle tank is required to be basically the same as that of the type 99 tank first-stage modification, which means “equivalent to 600mm anti-piercing”.
It is worth noting that this data is only the data after the turret base armor or the early FY-2 explosive anti-armor was installed, and it does not represent the final design level of the VT-4 main battle tank. After all, on the one hand, the final design configuration of the VT-4 main battle tank and the early design configuration may not be the same thing. On the other hand, the VT-4 main battle tank sold to Pakistan has already upgraded the early FY-2 reactive armor to the more advanced FY-4 heavy-duty composite explosive reaction. After so many upgrades, the protection level of the VT-4 main battle tank is close to or even more than the type 99 tank second-stage modification, and some may be comparable to the ZTZ-99A main battle tank.
As for the T-90MS of the Indian Army, there is not enough evidence to prove its penetration resistance and breaking resistance. In addition, the T-90MS is also equipped with a “relic” explosion reaction, so let’s put the protective performance of the two at the same level here for the time being.
Fire control information system
Finally, as for the fire control and information system, the VT-4 main battle tank and the T-90MS main battle tank are both equipped with a “hunting-destroying” fire control system. The former is similar to the Chinese army’s ZTZ-99A main battle tank. The entire fire control system consists of an anti-stabilization fire control system under the gunner, a peripheral mirror with an independent thermal imaging channel, an automatic tracking system, a fire control computer and an ammunition selector and other components. Since the latest version of VT-4 is actually released later than ZTZ-99A, some performances of the fire control systems actually exceed that of ZTZ-99A.
The T-90MS is equipped with the “Viburnum” integrated fire control system. This system consists of the commander’s “Pine-U” sighting system and the gunner’s “Eagle Eye” day and night sight. The independent thermal imaging camera observation channel (in doubt), the night recognition distance has been increased to about 3,300 meters. The whole set of equipment is cross-linked by 1B528-2 tactical computer and 1B216-2 ammunition selector to form a complete “hunting-destroying” system.
It seems that the two are equal in fire control system performance, however, VT-4 has certain advantages in fire control and information systems compared to T-90MS. After all, even the Russian military’s own version of T-90M is only equipped with a “tactical information distribution” system. The entire battalion needs to distribute the received fire control data under the unified command of the battalion command tank T-90MK, which is at best half a set of “inter-vehicle information interaction system”. The Indian Army’s T-90MS is a simplified version of the T-90M, coupled with the Indian Army’s messy combat informationization and automation construction, it is doubtful whether this half of the inter-vehicle information system can perform its intended role.
In contrast, the VT-4 tank is equipped with a full set of an inter-vehicle information interaction system, which far exceeds the T-90MS in the tank’s information combat capability. Such a technical advantage may bring great benefits in wartime. The tactical advantage, of course, is that the Pakistani army can get technical assistance from China.
This puts the Indian tank forces in a very awkward position. No matter the self-developed “Arjun II” or the T90-MS that Russia can offer, they are no match for VT-4. The latest Russian model T-14 Armata is not only far from entering service, but its performance has not been verified. This situation will allow the two sides to live together peacefully for a longer period of time, so that farmers in the Punjab area can work with peace of mind and provide endless food for the people of both countries.