XT3 Cao

XT3A1 "Peace Maker"

**Role**
Main battle tank

**Place of origin**
Vietnam

**Service history**

**In service**
1984-present

**Used by**
Vietnam
Australia
Bangladesh
Indonesia
New Zealand
Pakistan
Poland
South Africa
Thailand
Canada

**Wars**
Indonesian invasion of East Timor
Papua conflict
Persian Gulf War (1991)
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan

**Production history**

**Designer**
Minh Defence Dynamics

**Designed**
1981-83

**Manufacturer**
Minh Ground Defence

**Unit cost**
₫5.3 million (initial driveaway cost)

**Produced**
1983-present

**No. built**
3,640

**Variants**
XT3
XT3A1
XT3A2
XT3A2 NMD v2
XT3A2 NMD v3

**Specifications**

**Mass**
 64 t (63 long tons; 71 short tons)
75 t (74 long tons; 83 short tons) with combat armour modules

**Length**
8.3 m (27 ft 3 in)
13.50 m (44 ft 3 in) gun forward

**Width**
 3.65 m (12 ft)

**Height**
2.49 m (8 ft 2 in)

**Crew**
 4 (commander, gunner, loader–operator, driver)

**Elevation**
+22° / -12

**Traverse**
10.2 seconds/360 degrees

**Armour**
Composite armor

**Main armament**
120 mm L/44 M256 smoothbore gun (44 rounds)

**Secondary armament**
1 × 0.50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2HB heavy machine gun with 900 rounds or 1 x 7.62 mm (.308 in) M240 machine guns with 10,400 rounds

**Engine**
NTDD BTA2244 turbine engine

**Power/weight**
18.4

**Transmission**
RAE DT 360 Mk 2

**Suspension**
Torsion bar suspension

**Ground clearance**
0.48 m (1 ft 6 in)

**Fuel capacity**
1,592 litres (350 imp gal; 421 US gal)

**Operational range**
550 km (340 mi) on-road
250 km (160 mi) off-road on internal fuel

**Maximum speed**
38 mph (on-road)
28 mph (off-road)

The **Minh XT3 Cao** (MoD designation "Project 78") is a third generation Vietnamese main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the Republic of Vietnam, several SEATO nations, South Africa, Indonesia, Poland, and Canada.

It was designed by Minh Ground Defence, a land-based division of Minh Defence Systems as a private venture in 1978, after former Chief of the Joint General Staff General Cao Văn Viên recommended the development of an indigenous tank instead of relying solely on the United States supply of M60s MBTs.

The XT3 Cao has a crew of four. The main armament is a 120 mm L/44 M256 smoothbore gun capable of 44 rounds. Fifty rounds of ammunition are carried for the main armament, alongside 10,400 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition for the tank's secondary weapons: a L94A1 EX-34 chain gun mounted coaxially, and a L37A2 (GPMG) machine gun or 0.50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2HB heavy machine gun with 900 rounds. The turret and hull are protected with second generation Chobham armour, also known as Dorchester. Powered by a NTDD BTA2244 turbin diesel engine, the tank has a range of 550 kilometres (340 mi) and maximum road speed of 61 kilometres per hour (38 mph).

In June 1983, the Vietnamese MoD ordered 270 vehicles, followed by a further 2,000 in 1987; these were delivered between 1994 and 2011. The XT3 Cao eventually completely replaced the M60 in Vietnamese service by 1994. The tank entered operational service with the Vietnamese Army in 1984 with 52 delivered. And has since been used in Indonesia, Afghanistan and Iraq. To date, the only time a tank has been destroyed during operations was by fire caused by an electrical issue with the first-generation XT3 Cao.

XT3 Cao export model tanks were first ordered by South Africa in the 1998 with delivery of 54 vehicles being completed in 2002. Indonesia fields a fleet of 900, the largest foreign operator of the XT3 Cao, both of indigenous and export models first leased in 1991.

Since the XT3 Cao entered service in 1984, various upgrades have sought to improve its protection, mobility, and lethality.