Type 62 Light Tank (1963)
The Chinese Type 62 light tank became a lighter armed and armored version of the Type 59 main battle tank.
The four-man system is armed with a relatively small caliber 85mm gun (some have been fitted with laser rangefinders) and self-defense machine guns in the form of two pintle-mounted 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns (the latter for anti-aircraft defense and manned by the loader) and a fixed co-axial 7.62mm machine gun mount. Smoke screening is accomplished - like most other early Chinese tank endeavors - by injecting raw diesel fuel into the exhaust system. Later improved production models make use of smoke grenade dischargers mounted onto the turret.
The vehicle sports armor thickness from 15mm to 50mm, the latter along the turret facings. The turret (originally cast then welded plate) is rounded and oblong while the hull sports angled surfaces. The tracks run along the five road wheels to a side. Suspension is of the torsion bar variety. Primary armament is the Type 62-85TC rifled main gun of 85mm caliber. Forty-seven 85mm projectiles are afforded to the weapon. Power is supplied by a single 12150L-3 V-12 liquid-cooled diesel engine of 430 horsepower at 1,800rpm allowing for speeds of up to 60 km/h on road and 35 km/h cross country.
The NORINCO tank was produced at 674 Factory and production ran from 1963 until 1989. The Type 62 saw combat in the 1959-1975 Vietnam War and the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.
As with most other armor systems the world over, the Type 62 chassis has been featured in a variety of other battlefield implements including an armored recovery vehicle, an engineering vehicle and an armored personnel carrier.
Several hundred Type 62s remain in service with China, these being modernized types of their original production forms. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
Type 62
Light Tank
Country of Origin: China
Manufacturer: NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation) - China
Initial Year of Service: 1963
Production: 2,454
Focus Model: Type 62
Crew: 4
Overall Length: 25.92ft (7.90m)
Width: 9.38ft (2.86m)
Height: 7.38ft (2.25m)
Weight: 23.1 US Short Tons (21,000kg; 46,297lbs)
Powerplant: 1 x Liquid-cooled diesel engine generating 430hp @ 1,800rpm.
Maximum Speed: 37mph (60 km/h)
Maximum Range: 311 miles (500 km)
NBC Protection: None
Nightvision: Optional
Armament:
1 x 85mm main gun
1 x 12.7mm machine gun
1 x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
1 x 7.62mm machine gun
Ammunition:
47 x 85mm projectiles
1,250 x 12.7mm ammunition
1,750 x 7.62mm ammunition
Variants:
Type 59-16 - Prototype Designation
Type 62 (WZ132) - Base production model
Type 62 (APC) - Armored Personnel Carrier conversion.
Type 62 (engineer) - Battlefield Engineering Vehicle.
Type 62 (ARV) - Armored Recovery Vehicle
Type 62 (SPG) - Self-Propelled Gun conversion.
Type 62-I (WZ132-1) - Upgraded Type 62; 85mm 85TC rifled main gun; shielded 12.7mm gun installation; external laser range finder.
Type 62-I (late) - hull side skirts; turret storage racks.
Type 62G - Improved Type 62; welded flate-plate turret; inproved armor protection; 8 x smoke grenade dischargers; night vision; fire-control system.
Type 70 - Rebuilt Type 62 models; improved fire control system; subtle revisions; improvements from previous Type 62 models.
Type 79 - Proposed Armored Recovery Vehicle
GJT 211 - Bulldozer conversion model
Type 82 / GSL 131 - Mine Clearing Vechicle based on the GJT 211.
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