The eight-day individual part of the competition, which involved 54 teams from 17 countries, ended on Sunday, with the Chinese delegation scoring the highest.Īll of the PLA's three teams were to compete in the semifinal that started yesterday.īy the end of last year, the Chinese military had more than 7,000 tanks in active service, including about 2,000 Type-96s and Type-96As, as well as about 600 Type-99s and Type-99As, so the majority of the PLA armoured force is still equipped with tanks made several decades ago, according to foreign military analysts. The PLA sent several Type-96B tanks to take part in the tank competition, the most watched part of the Russia-hosted International Army Games. His remarks came as the Type-96B delivered impressive performances in the ongoing Masters of Automobile and Tank Hardware competition, also known as the Tank Biathlon, at the Alabino training range in Moscow, the Daily reported. The PLA will use it to replace the old tanks such as the Type-59 and Type-69 models. 'The Type-96B is the strongest variant of the Type-96 family and is truly an advanced, third-generation main battle tank,' he said. Gao Zhuo, a military observer in Shanghai who has close contacts with the People's Liberation Army, told state-run China Daily that the excellent capabilities of the Type-96B qualify it to be the backbone of China's tank force. Beijing: Rapidly modernising its military, China plans to make its third generation battle tank, the Type-96B as the pillar of its tank fleet, replacing most of its old models, official media reported on Wednesday.

Chinese type-96b main battle tank