An important piece of news was revealed recently in the “National Defense Military” program of CCTV. The improved Type 03 airborne combat vehicle currently in service of the People’s Liberation Army is undergoing a fire control system modification test. If the test goes well, this type of airborne vehicle will have the ability to shoot while on the move, and immediately enter the mass production stage.
Type 03 airborne combat vehicle is the key equipment for the transformation and construction of Chinese airborne forces. In 2005, this type of tank made its debut in the Sino-Russian military exercise. In 2009, it was publicly displayed to the world at the 60th anniversary of the National Day parade. Its service marked China’s airborne troops’ shift to full mechanization and has greatly improved the combat capabilities of the airborne troops.
According to the military magazine Ordnance Science and Technology, Professor Shan Dongsheng from a certain teaching and research section of the Chinese Army Armored Forces Academy, after more than ten years of hard work, finally solved the problem of shooting between infantry fighting vehicles and airborne combat vehicles and successfully developed a new type of digital stabilizer for the fire control system. Compared with the traditional image stabilization fire control system, the price of the new system is greatly reduced, but it can achieve high accuracy. And the performance of existing equipment can be greatly improved, thereby increasing the combat effectiveness of the equipment.
In 2015, this new fire control system had been carried out on the Type 08 infantry fighting vehicle for mapping target experiments, achieving 5 hits out of 5 shots in 15 km vehicle speed shooting; 5 out of 5 in 20 km; and 4 out of 5 in 25 km. In 2018, the system successfully passed the final identification test, filling a number of gaps in this field. Front-line troops tactical instructors feedback that the system effectively improves the shooting accuracy, stability and battlefield survivability of infantry fighting vehicles. Faced with the achievement, Shan Dongsheng did not stop the pace of progress, he devoted himself to the transformation of some airborne infantry fighting vehicle.
Judging from the screens reported by CCTV, the improved Type 03 airborne tank has a photoelectric device added to the root of the gun barrel, which should be related to this digital fire control system. In addition, two antennas are installed on the turret of the improved Type 03 airborne combat vehicle, which is very similar to the antennas of the airborne wheeled combat vehicle. It should be to improve the information level of the combat vehicle and enhance the joint combat capability of the combat vehicle.