Theyr export light tanks have ERA side armor because they are intended to be exported into africa, where guerrila warfare is common place. Also china have wast numbers of tanks and this is probably a cost saving measure. Dunno if china will be ever involved in major war, but if yes, they are probably aming to be on the offensive, learning from soviet cold war tactic + using numbers to cover whole front and advance without need to protect your sides. Hope my opinion will lead to posotive conversation and opinion sharing :)

I think it's mostly money saving for the army, for example, Chinese troops for a long time only get body armor when they get depolyed overseas on UN missions where they expect to be shot at. Currently China probably doesn't expect to use any of those tanks in battle.

One big barrier to destroying Chinese tanks is that you would have to go into a land war on the Chinese mainland. Which you'd have to be lunatic to do. So the tanks are great to do.the job they are needed to do. Train cheaply.

Interesting video. I would not take the absence of add on armour as indicative of what to expect in a conflict however. You have pointed out that the Chinese have the expertise and capability to equip their vehicles with advanced add on armour and active protection systems. I expect that the Chinese army would do the same as most armies that employ armoured vehicles. Additional armour of any sort is added to meet operational requirements. During training It adds unnecessary weight that significantly increases wear and tear to a vehicle. This results in increased operational costs, reduced availability, and a shorter lifespan for the equipment. In the case of explosive reactive armour, it introduces a unwarranted additional element of hazard. If we start to see a massing of Chinese vehicles sporting a full complement of add on it may be cause for serious worry.

I think they designed the needed technologies to better protect the tanks but don't install them because it's too expensive. If war starts however, i bet they have a fast-track plan for quick instalment, maybe even on the field by the troops.

I think the reason is because China does not intend to get involved in any wars where the side protection is necessary. China is preparing for near pier adversaries not insurgent warfare. The only major nation to operate a large number of tanks with side ERA and addon protection as standard really is just Russia and other Eastern European countries. That level of side protection is not necessary in large scale conflicts. We can see that in the Abrams/Leopards and Leclerc. They only receive addon armor when being sent to fight insurgents.

I think China tanks are more like those old school orthodox tanks: They simply don't participate in those urban grinder fights. They are designed for the only purpose to destroy enemy tanks, so side protection in a way is not as necessary while you have to cut weight for more mobility (1500 HP can still be a little limited lol). But still, this is only my guess.

There is a good strategy possibility- to develop side active armor systems and stockpile them, but not mount them to tanks unless you're engaged in a conflict involving your tanks. There is NO reason to actively display the capabilities of your MBT in full battle dress prior to their use in combat. Automatic and passive systems like active armor also don't need to be mounted to fully train your tank crews. I would not think that they would field a MBT without considering all angles for armor. And I can think of a lot of good reasons to not fully dress your tanks when not in combat.

I think China do have an armour package but they have no reason to use it because they aren't at war Yet

China doesn't expect to fight guerilla wars. Their tanks are deployed in areas where large scale armored engagements between professional armies are likely, hence the role of additional side protection is negligible. Most cold war MBTs have terrible side protection, and Chinese tanks take after their design and doctrine. It's only after Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, etc. where countries started to pay extra attention to additional protection from handheld weapons on armored vehicles. Also, most of China isn't actually tank-friendly from a geographical perspective; the PLA tries to put most of its tanks in more open areas (Northeast, Xinjiang, Vietnam border, parts of the Yellow River, Inner Mongolia) or in strongholds close to the Yellow and East China Sea - areas where tanks can exploit their maneuverability and frontal armor. But despite this, it's still a bit naïve on the PLA's part to not equip any tank with side ERA, since Chinese troops may see a lot of close-quarters fighting with armored support. The possibilities of close quarters ambush/hit and run attacks may make the PLA change their minds.

If you can score a hit in the gap between the turret and the main body with an ATGM you'll destroy pretty much any tank out there. That's where they taught us to aim. Also in the rear or try taking out the tracks as a last resort.

China has active defense solutions and options. Pakistan's Chinese imported VT-4 tanks were photographed with side/skirt mounted reactive armor plus extra thick/double-mounted reactive armor mounted on the front. So, additional armor fittings obviously depends on the needs and situations. Retro-fitting any additional armor is no problem given China manufacturing capacity and speed.

When will the Chinese actually use their tanks though? Against India, they can’t bring any heavy armor due to the heavily mountainous border. Against Taiwan, even trying to get light tanks across the strait will prove to be extremely difficult. Hence there doesn’t seem to be a strong use case for the Chinese to have the best protected tanks. Their export variants are a lot better protected these days simply because that is what other countries demand

I think China is focusing on its navy and air force, not too many major upgrades for its army lately.

As ppl already pointed out, they (or even our own M1A2s) don't mount armor packages unless the need arise. I'd like to point out one other thing - those blocks are not ERAs, they're modular composite blocks. There's no such thing as irregular shaped and sized ERAs - they would affect reactive explosive characteristics.

Perhaps this signals a highly great power oriented mentality for these tanks. Unlike export variants where side protection is given more concern.

Perhaps they simply don’t mount the era because they have no need to? Like maybe they have all the side protection but they are just not attached untill the need arises.

I would take the export version as an example of what china would do during a war. I.e. fit ERA side skirts etc. No point in having it on prior is there? Gives potential enemies insight and could result in damage during training

Depends on the intended enemies. These tanks are more likely equipped to fight major powers, so the added armor won't make any actual difference. Kind of like not wearing expensive and heavy medieval armor to a modern gun fight.

So I'm wondering if something like a 20 or 30mm AP round would penetrate the whole way through the side armor? I'm talking about something like the 20mm vulcan with a tungsten core.

Oh no, our Strategic Fooling Department had failed its job.

I see nearly 40 years of anti terrorist/guerrila warfare really change their tactic and weapon design in the west. But remember, China never had any of these wars nor it intends to fight one, fighting in a urban environment where your tank can get hit from all sides is the very thing China tries to avoid, they have seen how even American and Russian failed in this. Sure they can upgrade their tank with ERA, mount expensive optic on their infantry rifles, but once they fight like American in Afghanistan or Russian in Chechnya, they will lose like American and Russian.

Frist time seeing your channel,it's all bout tanks that's badass👍

Can't wait to apply this newfound knowledge, good tutorial! :D

I believe this would change in the case of war. No need to mount extra weight onto a tank for training purposes.

Cost cutting. A large number of tanks are essential but at the same time very low on the priority list for China.

I think you may be missing the point that hardkill and ERA tends to 'deter' friendly infantry support.

It's not for a War. It's only for a Parade to show how vast their Armoured Division.

Man, I'm a blue collar worker in a big Western country city centre. If I ever meet a Chinese tank in battle, *something has REALLY gone wrong*.

The onion division can beat the us, Russian, and Chinese military with little to no effort

Well it's good to know their consistent!

Have ever wondered why do their sideskirts have one small square hole on eachs? Yes, those are created to attach the armor package, they can attach either cage or era blocks on them. They just don't put them due to inconvenience.

Maybe the Chinese tanks would get fitted with ERA if they would go into an actually "hot “ conflict 😉

Would the lack of side armor be something that could be modularly added if it was needed? Have an entire variant ready to go that could allow ERA to be added rapidly to vehicles that might need it. This really screams of being a peace time cost saving measure that could be quickly modified and scaled up if it needed to be.

The "armor" on the backside of the turret is not armor, it's a thin sheet of metal for storage. If you simply look carefully at the left side of the turret at 2:20 you can see it's an empty sheet of metal. So yes there is only side protection near the front, and that makes a lot of sense.

In an urban setting molotovs can be especially crippling because they can be dropped from rooftops or upper stories above armored vehicles where exhaust systems usually lead out to suck air into the engine

Modern warfares are systematical, and informative wars are fought before everything. In other words, you wanna beat Chinese tanks, go for China air force first. You wanna beat the Chinese air force, go get informatics first, etc.

Just call in bob semple, there job done

I don't think that the tank weak points was major issue when you get the air superiority... PLA tank forces were mostly utilize in large scale wars (some tank used in extreme terrains or environment), rarely use in urban due to (Mostly) Rocket (Artillery) forces and Air force perform a clean sweeping any military units or position at priority first wave combat... And even having tank enter the urban warfare, the tank were rather became as infantry mobile assault guns (See the Infantry-Tank collaboration tactics)...

Thank you I will use this information to good use! 🤗

When is a RedEffect making a infantry anti-tank weapon tier list? 😆

Will be very useful in the future Will share with my friends

I think its going to be a bigger problem if they do start putting ERA on the tanks, which would imply combat readiness. Export VT5s have additional armor because they are combat ready. Kind of like how medieval knights dont do their daily training in full armor either.

Hi Red effect. I think when the real war start Type99 will start putting on side armor. Now in the peace time PLA think it is a waste of resource

RedEffect's community is such a breath of fresh air from western "chinabad", most everyone is rational and loves tanks

Thanks, this will come in handy one day.

Thanks man I'm gonna need this

Oh jee thanks RedEffect. Now the Chinese know how to improve their tanks! 😥

The real reason is that PLA’s army establishment goal is aimed at confrontation between major powers, or aimed at his only imaginary enemy: the US army (in fact, this has been the case since the Iraq War, pla has never seriously considered a full-scale military confrontation with India or Japan) . The military conflict between major powers is a system confrontation, not a single weapon confrontation. A weapon needs to play its specific role, rather than being designed to be strong and versatile. For example, the performance of the Tomahawk missile itself are not good ( Low speed, non-stealth, low mobility), but relying on the US Navy's extensive global deployment, as well as a large number of mature and reliable vertical launch devices, and a detailed and comprehensive satellite geographic information system, the combat effectiveness of the Tomahawk is unparalleled. China’s tank design ideas are somewhat similar. The People’s Liberation Army attaches great importance to battlefield informatization and electromagnetic countermeasures. They believe that if they do not take electromagnetic control of a certain area, then it is meaningless to send armored troops. Tanks only need to perform in certain scenarios and some parts of the role is enough. The combat environment of ztz99a is set to have strong battlefield information support. Various reconnaissance communication systems such as drones will clearly calibrate various threats and targets, so the tank does not need comprehensive/side protection. , He only needs to face the threat with the hardest shield. So you saw such a strange design, but there are also benefits. On the one hand, the cost is lower. On the other hand, the 99a's combat weight is about 56 tons, but it is equipped with a 1500 horsepower engine. It may be the most fast MBT. .

That you for this information I will use this in later years

Very cool. So when's the demo? Can't wait to see op do this!

It's simple, domestic tanks are cheap and needed in numbers, export need to compete with better western tanks and try to offer similar features for less.

I think that destroying a single tank is probably possible no matter how well protected it is! But destroying a tank division that's going in with 100s of tanks and supporting vehicles is a different story! Chinese building anything, from infrastructure to hypersonic missiles, I have no doubt that they'll adopt faster than the invading forces! Besides Art of War is Chinese bestseller and they show only what they want you to see!

Don't you think accessories like ERA panels could have been easily put on when the situation comes?

I love how this information is so casually available on the internet lol

Side mounted armor makes track maintenance a HUGE pain. Dismounting live ERA blocks is not only slow and tedious but also dangerous. This is why they don't bother with it. For export, it's something that the customer wants for a peace of mind, so they add it for them.

"All warfare is based on deception." -Sun Tsu, The Art of War They probably have the side-armor for actual war uses stored away like NATO countries have with several systems, you don't want to show all your cards.

Just a guess but I think if China widened their tanks it would throw a wrench into their transportation setups. That and the fact that their armed forces prioritize looking good statistically on paper.

Good work comrade! The Strategic Fool You Agency needs you!

i guess chinses mbt dont fight in urban warfare where rpg/anti tank launcher are common, maybe they just focuss on number so the enemy will think about it if the fight they Chinese tank face to face and yeah, why a chines export light tank have a better protection? I'm just going to guess, this is probably just to attract buyers in their sales market, as we know some of their neighboring countries have an interest in buying chinese light tanks.

5:33 - "Why is the export tank better protected than the domestic?" Because China's domestic tanks aren't expected to face RPGs/ATGMs from Chinese citizens they are running over.

Great work Sir thank you

I love your channel! Since I was a kid, I love tanks, subs battleships, I used to build them as model my dad was in the military so he would teach me different stuff ... I want to ask you a question? Or anyone out there... which country has the strongest, fastest basically number one tank ?

You can say that the overall "combat-readiness" of the PLA ground force is pretty low. Most Chinese equipment is at the "bare-minimum" configuration. When the situation escalates, PLA usually loads the equipment to a more sophisticated configuration. This logic applies to stuff like body armor, air-to-air missiles, and ofc ERAs for tanks. Like Chinese soldiers are not issued with armored plates if they are not serving on the borderlines. However, most of the armored vehicles sent to the Taiwan-front recently were seen to be loaded with ERAs everywhere and configured very differently compared to those vehicles we saw on parades and training. I think this explains why China chooses to load the export versions of the tanks with full protection but doesn't do the same to the domestic tanks; Going cheap is the way. As cheap as possible.

Could you do a video on the PT-91 Twardy tanks used by the Polish Army, along with its unique exported variant, PT-91M Pendekar tank used by the Malaysian Army? Love your vids, alot of insights of modern MBT's!

Vt5 and vt-4 tanks are already using Zl-5 APS system..

That air gap on the side of the turret IS protection. Hend held, shaped charge weapons, like RPGs, are defeated by that gap. The plazma jet, looses focus in the gap.

Is this whole series about teaching guerilla fighters how to destroy MBTs? Chinese tanks are designed to fight the Russian Army, and they are not guerillas with RPGs my pal.

Most common us ATGM TOW 2 should not have a problem with laser anti missle System of the 99 because it’s steered by cable from the origin point. It doesn’t steer itself.

Take out train tracks, fuel ammo and new tanks are usually transported by rail. Air drops are time consuming and expensive. Find them when parked and plug the barrels with liquid aluminum or lead. Tracks are a target always.

You see them now without the add ons. War breaks out, the plates, cages, and reactive come out of the warehouses.

What gave this dude the courage to think he is "smarter" than the Chinese tank designer? 😂

Meanwhile the general staff at Taiwanese army headquarters : “Write that down ! Write that down! “

I wounder how would all the different shapes of ERA affect logistics.

Pretty sure the reason we dont see their tanks with any extra protection on them is most likely do to the fact that they arent in war time with anyone. No need to dress up the tank for just a simple drill at 4P.M. in the afternoon that last 40 mins and everyone goes back to the barracks and clean their equipment.

i was expecting comments from War Thunder Veterans but see none xD

As an Indian infantryman , this helped me a lot . Thanks , the tanks we are facing now we know their weak points . I have konkurs atgm

you guys are the best - I love you

People saying that it is cost effective, could be equiped when the war is on and stuffs are not wrong. But the thing is, I don't see any hard point / mounts where the ERA could be placed on the side of the tank. Correct me if I'm wrong "I'm not an engineer" but to do that "placing ERA on the side mounts" they'll need some mountings and stuff. Oh and another thing that I saw from the comment regarding China not fighting any urban warfare style of war is wrong because a few decades ago they were invading Vietnam and.. yeah.. that did not go so well for them..

Thanks, i feel prepared for WW3 now. :)

so taiwans tow missles are more than enough for the chinese tanks and their m1a2t tanks are also more than enough

Like any other modern tank: shoot at centre mass from the flank with multiple projectiles until it starts burning.

Thanks my friend

Thank you so much sir😊. You really made my day. One day, Indian Army and US Army will make these tanks into metal scrap. Love from India 🇮🇳.

Bro, your social credit score is going to take serious damage from this.

Is there possibility that era and other protection only be added in times of war? Probably to save cost and having confidence on production capacity.

I'm an old Cavalry Trooper, the easiest way to disable any tank is so simple, a couple of plastic bags. Now you've got to get close but in combat your already dead. Just fill the intake with plastic bags and it will stop running. Also with an armor piercing round out of a 50 cal shoot the bore evacuator one died it will lock back out of battery and cannot be fired.

The simple answer is cost, in all likely scenarios where China might go to war, China simply doesn't need mass armor, there is no realistic scenarios where China's tank force would meet enemy armor in open plain, the only possible opponent is Russia, but China and Russia is on very good terms. The most likely scenario, being over Taiwan, where the opponent is poorly equipped and trained. especially their obsolete tanks, the need for superior armor is not that urgent. what will win the war over Taiwan is the air force, navy and marines/ infantry for urban warfare Even scenarios against India, heavy MBTs aren't that useful in mountainous areas, also keep in mind, despite the hordes of indian media fanning the flames, the border situation is nowhere near high enough for a war, none of the 2 sides even use firearms, let alone tanks. But the Type-15 light MBT are designed to be used in the Tibetan plateau where large MBTs would struggle to move at speed. The funding for the PLA today are mostly going into the Air Force and Navy, Even the Amphibious Brigades of the Army are being transferred to the Navy to serve as Marine Brigades

-10000 Social Credit

GUYS I NEED HELP!!!... I once saw type of gun mount on an armored vehicle which is not remote controlled but its like set in such a way that commander doesnt have to expose himself to fire that...has probably like wired trigger of some kind... I saw a video quite a while ago but cant find it... If anyone got any lead.. Plz reply

Does this apply in Squad?

-69,420 social credit Angry Winnie the Pooh noises

69420- social credit. Lol

Perhaps the turret ERA is spaced to prevent damage to the turret from the ERA explosion. Perhaps they plan to put rocks behind the ERA as an improvised field expedient.

If you have a bulletproof vest, do you need to wear it all the time

I think in the future, most Taiwanese will watch this video 😂

You loose 999.999.999 social credits for revealing non existant weakness points of the Glorious pla armored corpse .

I am not an expert at all but if you can destroy the actual tracks of the tank it will be rendered immobile?Just like lasers don't work in the rain.

I think they do have side protection, , but the panels tend to break and fall off and then they get lost, and then the officer gets fired if not cut for organs. So, I think, they do the only reasonable thing. Take the side panels off, lock them in a warehouse and only put them on back again for parades, inventory check or in case of emergency,

I am here to inform you that giving good advice has resulted in +500 social credit points. However, we decided that you were too critical of our glorious designs, so we will add -20000 social credit points. Thank you, have a nice day.