Recently, the Bangladesh Ministry of Defense officially announced that its army has ordered VT5 light tanks for a whole regiment from China, and these tanks will soon enter the Bangladesh Defense Forces for service
It is known that the total number of VT5 in a Bangladesh regiment would reach 44, which is a huge expenditure for the country. And it is worth mentioning that this also set a record for simultaneous export of a new type of Chinese tank in its first batch of service, which also proves the performance of this type of light tank.
In fact, VT5 tank should be included in the category of medium tanks instead of light-weight ones. After all, its total combat weight has exceeded 35 tons under full load and is deeply relative to China’s Type 15 light tank. VT5 mainly emphasizes the plateau combat environment, with special emphasis on maneuverability. Its horse-to-weight ratio far exceeds the current advanced third-generation main battle tank, with extremely good maneuverability on plateaus.
In terms of firepower, VT5 did not use low-bore pressure guns with the same caliber as Western countries, but further tapped the potential of 105mm rifled cannons. By using a sub-caliber rear wing with a large aspect ratio to stabilize the shelled armor-piercing projectile, it has firepower comparable to three generations of main battle tanks. Due to its small volume of the 105 mm rifled gun, it also greatly saves turret space. So the firepower of VT5 tank isn’t compromised.
In terms of protective performance, VT5 is also considered extremely comprehensive. It can be judged by the vertical angle of the main armor that it may use advanced Chobham armor, which greatly increases the anti-penetration performance of the armor, and can also carry advanced explosive reactive armors. The new-type explosive reactive armor can weaken the penetration of the armor-piercing projectile by nearly 30%, and also greatly enhance the ability of VT5 tank’s anti-armor projectile.
In general, VT5 tank’s protection level reaches that of the early three generations of main battle tanks in the West and even exceeds it. This is a remarkable achievement. Obviously, in the plateau combat environment, VT5 can fully suppress India’s most advanced T90 main battle tank in terms of mobility, protection ability and firepower. And it’s rumored that Pakistan also wants to purchase this advanced light tank from China.