The third generation of Norinco’s T-99 main battle tank family revealed in 1999, the T-99A, was first revealed by Chinese sources in early 2011. Also called the T-99A2, it was featured prominently in the September 2014 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) ‘Peace Mission’ exercises. Its distinctive feature is a sharp, wedge-shaped turret that makes extensive use of second-generation composite and reactive armor plus the use of a second-generation laser countermeasures system. Weighing about 50 tons, it is armed with a 125 mm, auto-stabilised, auto-loading main gun that Chinese media revealed may be capable of firing 8 rounds a minute and is armed with gun-launched anti-tank missiles. Featuring new digital communications, one of the tank’s designers has stated that the T-99A has not reached desired reliability levels.
