Type 59- Produced 1958 - 1980
The Type 59 (Chinese industrial designation: WZ120) main battle tank is a Chinese produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, an improvement over the ubiquitous T-54/55.
Al-Zarrar -Produced 1990
54 modifications made to the Type 59 make the Al-Zarrar effectively a new tank.
T-90-
The T-90 is a Russian third-generation main battle tank that is a modernisation of the T-72 (it was originally to be called the T-72BU, later renamed to T-90).
Al-Khalid
The Type 90-II was the basis for MBT-2000,The Type 90-II first revealed in 1992 ,In 2007, a Chinese magazine revealed a new “enhanced third-generation MBT”, which was believed to be a further improved variant of the MBT-2000.
Type 96
Based on the Type 85-III design, the Type 96 entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1997
The Type 85 was further developed into the Type 90--
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MBT-2000 (Al-Khalid) tank based on the Type 90-II with To overcome the shortcomings of the powerplant in earlier Type 90 versions, Ukrainian 6TD diesel was chosen
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In 1995, Norinco developed the Type 85-III prototype with a 1,000-hp diesel engine and explosive reactive armor (ERA), after finally solving the engine problem. After further improvements, including incorporating expertise gained from the Type 90 such as the modular armor design, this version was accepted by the PLA in 1996, and entered service in 1997 as the Type 96.
Type 98/99
Although not expected to be acquired in large numbers due to its high cost compared to the more economical Type 96, it is currently the most advanced MBT fielded by China.