Type 79

## Crew

* Commander
* Driver
* Gunner
* Loader

The **Type 79** is a Tier 3 progression Main Battle Tank under Zhang Feng's dealership.

## History

Class: Main Battle Tank

Developed: 1981-1983

Service: 1986+

Vehicles Built: 300-800 (sources vary)

Operators: China

The Type 79 Main Battle Tank is the ultimate mass-produced evolution of the Type 69. The Type 79 MBT starts where the Type 69 left off. In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, a significant improvement to the relationships between China and the United States of America took place, which gave the former the access to many western technologies. One of the top items on the Chinese shopping list was the famous British Royal Ordnance 105mm L7 rifled tank cannon. Widely used by NATO in one form or another, it was a weapon to be reckoned with, completely outclassing the old generation of Soviet T-54/55 Main Battle Tanks. Naturally, since the Type 59 and Type 69 both were based on the Type 59 MBT, which in turn was a T-54A copy, the Chinese were very keen on obtaining the weapon for themselves and to arm their tanks with something similar.

And so, in the late 1970s, they managed to set up a bogus Austrian trade company and purchase at least one of these guns for themselves. This approach would not work for the much closely guarded 120mm smoothbore but for the time being, the Chinese were satisfied. The gun was wrapped up, shipped to China and promptly examined and copied by the Chinese experts from NORINCO. The result was a weapon called Type 83 rifled cannon, roughly comparable in performance to the L7. It was immediately integrated into the Type 69-II MBT, resulting in a variant called Type 69-III. Apart from the gun, the vehicle remained mostly the same, including its steel-only armor.

Three prototypes were built and tested between 1981 and 1984. The tests were successful and proved that the vehicle was ready for mass-production, which started in 1984. It appeared in public for the first time on October 1, 1984 during the 35th National Day of the People's Republic of China military parade in Beijing but it took fourteen more months before the tank was formally accepted in service in January 1986 under the name of Type 79. Unlike the Type 69-II, the Type 79 was not exported and was produced in limited number for domestic use. It was never widespread, however, and the production numbers are estimated to be between 300 and 800 vehicles, some of which remain in service to this day, used mostly by reserve units.

## Vehicle Traits

* Armored: This vehicle's armor can withstand a lot of punishment, allowing it to survive even serious firefights.
* HESH Rounds: This vehicle can fire special Squash Head rounds. These are extremely effective against angled armor that is typical for Soviet tanks.

## Upgrades

### Armor

Type 79 Stock Armor
 This MBT features basic sheet armor without any advanced components, making it vulnerable to HEAT shells and ATGMs.

### Weapon

**Stats:**

* **Depression/Elevation**: -6.0° / 18.0°

### Engine

 NORINCO 12150L-7BWA 580 hp Diesel Engine

## Footnotes

1. ↑ 430 mm at 150m;
323 mm at 500m
2. ↑ 505 mm at 150m;
379 mm at 500m
3. ↑ 18 mm at 100m;
9 mm at 1000m

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