Meng Military Models 1/35 PLA ZTZ96B Main Battle Tank Kit
The Type 96 relies on the same modernized drive train of the previous Type 80/85/88 made of six lightweight road wheels each with its own independent torsion arm, and shock absorbers are placed in addition on the two front and one rear road wheels suspension set. The drive sprocket, idler, return rollers and tracks are unchanged. Like the previous models, the whole drivetrain is protected by rubber skirts (six panels) to defeat RPGs.
The Type 96 tank was powered by the 12150ZL type V-12 cylinder water-cooled turbocharged diesel engine rated at 537 kilowatts (730 hp) at 2200 rpm. This power unit is derived from late 1980s western (East German) designs but no technical improvement was available when the west put a ban on technology transfers after 1989. The Type 96 series could have been upgraded with the Domestic 85-III experimental 1,000 horsepower diesel but the latter was conceived for the export of foreign trade market and did not corresponds to Chinese PLA own specifications based on a wide range of climatic diversity.
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