A new hybrid-powered testbed variant of the Chinese Type 99A main battle tank has begun field testing, with the vehicle integrating diesel and electric propulsion with the promise to revolutionise many aspects of its performance. The system is reported to have significantly reduced the vehicle’s acoustic signature, accelerated torque delivery, and provided much greater support for potential future energy-intensive onboard systems such as electronic warfare systems and directed energy weapons. The new propulsion system is also expected to provide an unprecedentedly long range, easing the burden on logistics by achieving far greater levels of fuel efficiency. A further benefit is the new engine’s greater optimisation for operations at high altitudes, where the thin air can reduce the efficiency of internal combustion engines. The tank’s development is expected to leverage China’s world leading electric vehicle industry, which has emerged entirely in a league of its own in terms of both output and sophistication. High-energy storage and thermal management technologies from the civilian industry has long been seen to have the potential to provide tremendous benefits for Chinese armoured warfare capabilities.
China is expected to lead the world in operationalising hybrid and eventually fully electric main battle tanks, with South Korea following by seeking to develop a hydrogen-only propulsion system for its K3 main battle tank by the 2040, and to field a hybrid diesel and hydrogen powered variant of the vehicle as a stopgap in the 2030s. The two East Asian countries are considered the world leaders in the capabilities of their tank industries, with Western producers having failed to move on from modernising Cold War era designs while their vehicles have recent demonstrated multiple serious deficiencies. Although Russia led the world in the field in the Soviet era, it has also failed to operationalise a clean sheet post-Soviet tank design, with its ambitious T-14 program having suffered tremendous delays. While all other tank producers have just a single class of main battle tank in production, China currently produces five separate tank classes, including the Type 99A which equips elite units, its cheaper counterpart the Type 96B, the much lighter Type 15 built for mountain and amphibious warfare, the VT-4 which is produced for export, and derivatives of the early Cold War era Type 59 such as the Al Kafil-1 produced for the Iraqi Army.
China is expected to lead the world in the development of a heavily automated next generation tank class with a two man crew, down from the three man crews of current Chinese, Korean and Russia tanks, and the four man crews of U.S. and German tanks. Chinese state media outlet CCTV in 2022 teased the unveiling of a never before seen fourth generation battle tank which would achieve unprecedented levels of automation and crew protection. A prototype of a new lightweight tank fitting this description was seen from mid-2024. The Type 099A is currently the country’s most capable tank class, and first entered service in 2011. Approximately 350 Type 99A tanks are thought to have been produced, and at 55 tons they are considerably heavier than the 43 ton Type 96 or than competing Russian or South Korean designs. Relatively little is known regarding its capabilities, in part due to secrecy surrounding the program and the lack of efforts to market it for export. It is known that the tank uses a 1500hp engine and has superior armour protection to other Chinese vehicles, including a turret with arrow shaped applique armour, composite panels, spaced modular armour and a JD-3 infra red jammer. The highly positive assessments of the VT-4 tank which have been made by foreign operators, however, indicate that the Chinese tank industry is operating at the cutting edge. Integration of a new propulsion is system is expected to lead to the emergence of a distinct new variant of the Type 99 tank, and may also accelerate work on the development of a clean sheet next generation successor to the design.