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WZ-111 heavy tank

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WZ-111 Heavy Tank
WZ-111 hull at the Tank Museum, Beijing
TypeHeavy tank
Place of origin China
Specifications
Mass44 to 46 tonnes (based on the specific variant (none exists as only one single prototype was designed and then built))
Length10.625 m (with the tank gun facing forward)
Width3.3 m
Height2.497 m
Crew4 (The commander, the loader, the gunner and the driver)

Armor80 to 200 mm
Main
armament
122 mm "Y-174" tank gun
Secondary
armament
One 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun
Two 7.62 mm medium machine guns (one co-axial and one mounted on the hull's right-side front)
Engine12-cylinder supercharged diesel engine attached with a radiator
750 HP (or 390 KW)
Power/weight12.5 KW/T
SuspensionTorsion-bar suspension system

The WZ-111 heavy tank (Chinese: WZ-111重型坦克) was a heavy tank that was developed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) during the 1960s but was eventually cancelled in 1966 due to many mechanical problems.

History

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The WZ-111 featured a 780 hp (580 kW) supercharged diesel engine and a torsion bar suspension system. The idler wheels were in front with drive sprockets in the rear. Many of the suspension components were the same type used in Soviet heavy tank designs such as the IS-2.[1]

The first prototype began testing in 1964. This prototype lacked a turret, but was fitted with a steel weight to simulate the actual mass of the turret during testing. Because of many technological problems that surfaced during testing, the design was shelved around 1966.[2][3][4] A WZ-111 tank hull is now displayed at the Tank Museum near Beijing.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "中國60年代重型坦克項目 因發動機不過關而流產". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  2. ^ WZ111研制始末
  3. ^ WZ111重型坦克
  4. ^ 鲜为人知的钢铁巨兽,WZ-111重型坦克