Type 59 The Type 59 ( ; industrial designation : WZ - 120 ) main battle tank is a Chinese produced version of the Soviet T - 54A tank , the earliest model of the ubiquitous T - 54 / 55 series . The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959 , with serial production beginning in 1963 . Approximately 9 , 500 of the tanks were produced by the time production ended in 1980 with approximately 5 , 500 serving with the Chinese armed forces . The tank formed the backbone of the Chinese People ' s Liberation Army until early 2000s ( decade ) with an estimated 5 , 000 of the later Type 59 - I and Type 59 - II variants in service in 2002 . The Type 59 was modified several times during its service with the replacement of the 100 mm Type 59 rifled gun with a 105 mm rifled gun . It was also the basis of several later Chinese tank designs including the Type 69 and Type 79 tanks . Description . Essentially the Type 59 is identical to the early production Soviet T - 54As , however there are some key differences . The Type 59 was not originally fitted with the infrared searchlight or main gun stabilization of the T - 54 . The Type 59 has a conventional post - war layout with the fighting compartment at the front , an engine compartment at the rear , and a cast dome - shaped gun turret in the centre of the hull . The hull is welded steel varying in thickness between 99 mm on the front lower glacis to 20 mm on the hull floor . The turret varies from 39 – 100 mm thick . The driver sits in the front left of the hull , and is provided with hatch immediately above his seat , which opens to the left . The driver has two pop - up vision blocks which give coverage ahead and slightly to the right when buttoned up . The commander sits in the turret along with the gunner and loader . The commander ' s hatch is on the turret left , with the gunner sitting forward and below him . The loader sits on the right of the turret and has a hatch above him . The turret has a non - rotating floor , which complicated the crew ' s operations . The turret mounts a rifled 100 mm Type 59 cannon , for which 34 rounds are typically carried . A Type 59T 7 . 62 mm machine gun is mounted coaxially with the main gun . A Type 54 12 . 7 mm anti - aircraft machine gun ( a Chinese copy of the Russian 12 . 7 mm M1938 / 46 DShKM ) is provided above the gunner ' s hatch for which 200 rounds is carried . Additionally a Type 59T 7 . 62 mm bow machine gun is provided for the driver , which fires through a very small hole in the center of the glacis . 3 , 500 rounds of 7 . 62 mm ammunition are normally carried . The turret has a powered traverse mechanism that is probably comparable to the T - 54 traverse mechanism which can rotate the turret through 360 degrees in 21 seconds . Very early models of the Type 59 gun had manual elevation gear , later replaced with a powered system which allowed the gun to be aimed at between + 17 and - 4 degrees ( the average depression for Western tanks is - 10 , which allows for better usage of hull - down tactics ) . Later models added vertical stabilization to make firing on the move practical . An infrared searchlight based night vision system was retrofitted to the tank with infrared periscope for the commander gunner and driver . The tank is powered by a Model 12150L V - 12 liquid cooled diesel engine , which develops 520 horsepower at 2 , 000 rpm . The engine feeds a manual gearbox with five forward and one reverse gear . A total of 815 litres of diesel can be carried internally in the tank , with a further 400 litres carried externally giving a maximum road range of 600 kilometers , or approximately 430 km using only internal fuel . The tank has five road wheels on each side with a prominent gap between the first and second road wheel . The track is driven by a drive sprocket at the rear , with an idler at the front . It is notable that there are no return rollers . The suspension is a torsion bar system . Engine exhaust is on the left fender . Ammunition is stored inside the turret , which increases the odds of a catastrophic secondary explosion should the tank ' s interior be penetrated by enemy fire . Crew survivability is hence low . ( Gelbart 1996 : 16 ) History . After the signing of Sino - Soviet Treaty of Friendship , Alliance , and Mutual Assistance , the Soviets agreed to assist China in building a tank manufacturing facility to manufacture the T - 54 A MBT in 1956 . Initially , the tanks were assembled with Soviet - supplied parts , which were gradually replaced by Chinese - made components . The tank was accepted into service by the PLA in 1959 , and given the designation Type 59 . Over the years , the Type 59 design was enhanced with various domestically developed and western technologies ; When the PLA captured a Soviet T - 62 during the Sino - Soviet border conflict in 1969 , improvements based on the T - 62 were incorporated into the Type 59 design to become the Type 69 MBT . The Type 69 was further upgraded with Western technology and became the Type 79 MBT . The Type 59 was therefore , the first in China ' s first - generation of main battle tanks , the Type 79 being the last . The Type 79 was superseded by the Type 80 second - generation MBT . The Type 59 MBT is also known as WZ - 120 by its manufacturer . Over 10 , 000 were produced between 1959 to mid 1980s . This tank gained worldwide infamy after the " Tank Man " incident in 1989 . The Type 59 , and its successor , the Type 69 , were widely exported , with thousands sold overseas . Today an estimated 5 , 000 Type 59 MBTs remain in PLA inventory , but its being supplemented by the more capable Type 96 and Type 99 MBTs . Combat Service . The Sino - Vietnamese War was the largest usage of tanks to date by the People ' s Liberation Army . China committed nearly 300 Type 59 , Type 62 , and Type 63 tanks into the conflict , of which 48 were lost to Vietnamese action . The tanks of 42nd Corps as the vanguard force responsible for cutting off the city of Cao Bằng bore the blunt of the losses , advancing only 30 km in 3 days . The poor performance of tanks in this battle was attributed to the mountainous terrain in North Vietnam that was inherently unsuited for mechanized warfare . The light armor on the Type 62 variant also proved inadequate in protection against small anti - tank weapons . Variants . Type 59 . The basic variant , a T - 54A clone without IR searchlight . Entered production in 1957 . Type 59 - I . Improved variant fitted with a Type 69 - II 100 mm rifled gun , as well as a laser rangefinder , hydraulic servo - system , primitive fire - control system , automatic fire suppression system , and rubber track skirt . The Type 59 - I includes several versions with different armour and fire control configurations . Type 59 - II . Manufacturer designation WZ - 120B . Mounts the 105 mm Type 81 rifled gun design provided by Austria ( a copy of the Royal Ordnance L7 ) , distinguished by the fume extractor midway on the barrel , rather than on the muzzle . Other improvements include new radio and fire suppression system . Produced from 1982 to 1985 . Type 59 - IIA . Fitted with thermal sleeve for 105 mm gun and some composite armor . Variants include MBT , command tank , and tank with additional plastic armour , which include : B59G and BW120K . The BW120K is fitted with an indigenously developed 120 mm smoothbore gun comparable in general performance to the Rheinmetall 120 mm gun used on the German Leopard 2 , American M1A1 / A2 Abrams , and other current western main battle tanks . These variants have cannons which reportedly have a muzzle velocity of 1660 m / s and are reportedly able to penetrate ~ 550 mm rolled homogeneous armor at 1500 m . Type 59D . Also known as WZ - 120C . The Type 59D was developed in the 1990s . Instead of replacing all ageing Type 59s in service with newer models , the PLA decided that they should be upgraded with new technologies to meet the requirements for future land battle . The Type 59D is fitted with explosive reactive armour , a new tank gun , passive night vision , and new fire control . The 12150L diesel engine was also replaced by a 580 hp 12150L7 engine . Variants include Type 59D and Type 59D1 . Sudan ' s Military Industry Corporation ( MIC ) may have licensed the T - 59D for domestic production as the Al - Zubair 2 tank . Type 59D tanks are thought to utilize a 105 mm gun reportedly called the Type 83 - I or Type 83A , which reportedly is able to penetrate 460 ~ 510 mm rolled homogeneous armor when using APFSDS ammunition , or ~ 600 mm rolled homogeneous armor when using depleted uranium ammunition . The Type 59D variants are believed to be able to launch anti tank guided missiles , which are believed to be able to penetrate 700 mm rolled homogeneous armor , have a range of 5200 m , and are able to defend against helicopters and UAVs . The Type 59D has armor which is capable of protecting it against a 105 mm shot from 2000 m . Type 59P . Advanced variant built for the export market , with many high - tech components found in modern third - generation tanks . Type 59G . A heavily modernized variant approaching 3rd - generation standards with a new welded turret similar to the Type 96G replacing the original cast turret and a 125mm main gun with semi - automatic loader . In service with PLA and recently ordered by Bangladesh Army . Around 300 Type 59G will be procured and upgraded by the Bangladesh Army . Type 62 Light Tank . In late 1950s , the PLA submitted requirements for a light tank more suitable for operations in China ' s southern region . Development on the new Type 62 tank began in 1958 , which was a scaled - down Type 59 MBT with simplified equipment . The Type 62 light tank entered batch production in 1963 , and approx . 800 were produced by 1978 . The Type 62 light tank weights only 21 tons , and is equipped with a Type 62 - 85TC 85 mm rifled gun , and 3 machine guns . An improved Type 62 - I version was produced with better FCS with laser rangefinder , and turret storage racks for added protection . Other versions based on the Type 62 include the Type 79 recovery vehicle ( prototype only ) and Type 82 earth - mover . The PLA deployed the Type 62 light tank to Vietnam during the 1979 Sino - Vietnam conflict . They found that the thin armor of the Type 62 tank could be penetrated easily by hand - held anti - tank weapons , such as the 40 mm RPG . The Type 62 tank suffered severe losses during the conflict , which convinced the PLA to develop new second - generation MBTs . The Type 62 tank received a major upgrade in 2000 , with new welded turret , vertically stabilized 105 mm rifled gun , fire - control system , night vision device , smoke grenade launchers , and explosive reactive armor ( ERA ) package . Type 69 / 79 . Improved Type 59 MBT built by 617 Factory ( Inner Mongolia First Machine Group Co . Ltd ) . Only saw limited service in the PLA , but was an export success in the 1980s with more than 2 , 000 sold worldwide . See Type 69 / 79 for more info . Type 73 . This armored recovery vehicle is a Type 59 with its turret removed . The vehicle is armed with a single 12 . 7 mm machine gun . This armored recovery vehicle is not believed to have a winch and is limited to towing operations . Foreign variants . United Kingdom . The 105 - mm L7 gun was offered as an upgrade package for owners of the Type 59 . No Type 59s served with British forces . Marconi offered their Marksman anti - aircraft system as a conversion to operators of the Type 59 . The Marksman consisted of a twin 35 mm autocannon system in a turret that could be fitted to most any MBT . Type 59 tanks played an important role during the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 .