China's VT4 tank sputters at Zhuhai air show, sparking doubts
During the Zhuhai Air Show, an incident did not present the VT4 tank favourably. This vehicle, one of the latest models of its kind produced in China, suffered a significant malfunction. From the perspective of the local engineers, the most concerning aspect is that this isn't the first such incident.
Scenes from the Zhuhai Air Show (the largest Chinese trade fair for military and civilian aircraft and armaments) are being widely commented on by Asian and some Western media. It was quickly recalled that a similar event occurred in 2016, when another Chinese tank, the Type-96B, experienced a failure during the Tank Biathlon competition.
VT4 malfunction during the show
This time, the damage to reputation and finances may be greater because the VT4 tank is a design the Chinese have produced with foreign markets in mind. So far, these tanks have been sold to Nigeria, Pakistan, and Thailand. The Defence Blog portal suggests, however, that another failure of the Chinese tank at an international event underscores questions about the reliability of armoured vehicles produced in China.
"The Chinese main battle tank VT4 broke down and stopped during a dynamic march at the Zhuhai show, remaining stationary until the end of the show. The malfunction occurred during a prestigious demonstration of the tank's capabilities, but mechanical problems immobilised it. Chinese tanks have always had reliability issues," was written on the Defence News Nigeria profile on the platform X.
A tank China aimed to expand its influence with
The VT4 is a third-generation main battle tank produced since 2017 by the Chinese company Norinco. There are still high hopes for it, especially the VT4A1 version, which, as Łukasz Michalik, a journalist at Wirtualna Polska, explained, boasts several interesting features.
The VT4A1 is equipped with the GL5 Active Protection System and enhanced protection against loitering ammunition. The offensive capabilities of this Chinese machine are primarily due to a 125mm cannon with an autoloader holding 22 rounds. A remotely controlled weapon station with a heavy machine gun is also mounted on top of the turret. This tank weighs about 58 tonnes, but it is reportedly able to reach up to 69 km/h, at least according to its designers.
