WZ-132 light tank () was a Chinese
light tank
A light tank is a Tank classification, tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller with thinner vehicle armour, armor and a less powerful tank gun, main gun, tailored for ...
which was developed between the 1960s and 1970s. Its development lasted for more than ten years before it was set aside, ultimately proving too technical to be brought into production.
Design and development
During the 1960s and 70s, in what became known as the
Sino-Soviet split
The Sino-Soviet split was the gradual worsening of relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during the Cold War. This was primarily caused by divergences that arose from their ...
, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union became extremely tense. In competition with Soviet tank designers, the Chinese developed several tanks including the
Type 59,
Type 62
The Norinco Type 62 () is a Chinese light tank developed in the early 1960s, based on the Chinese Type 59 with a reduced main gun calibre, lighter armour and a smaller suite of electronics and other equipment to help reduce weight. Bearing ...
, and
Type 63 variants. The WZ-132 was also designed around this time; however, its technical indicators were too high for China at that time to produce it in large numbers and as a result, its specifications were changed several times before the design was set aside in 1975.
[Foss, p. 771.]
The vehicle was long, including its gun, and by 1973 weighed . It was high and wide. With a crew of four – commander, loader, gunner, driver – the vehicle's primary armament consisted of a single 100 mm (4 in)
smoothbore gun
A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. T ...
, with a single 12.7 mm (0.5 in)
machine gun and two 7.62 mm (0.3 in) machine guns as secondary weapons. At least two other vehicles were equipped with different weapons, with one tank sporting a 85mm smoothbore gun, and another having a 76.2mm gun as its main armament with an alleged autoloader that was never completed. It had a
power-to-weight ratio
Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...
of 18 kW/t and was capable of achieving a speed of on road, with a range of . The vehicle used
torsion bar
A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end ...
suspension.
Towards the end stage of development, the WZ-132 incorporated a new fire control system including a ballistic computer and a two-plane stabilizer, as well as an image intensifier and laser rangefinder for the gunner. The late-stage prototypes also received an infrared searchlight and respective infrared night vision devices for the commander and the driver.
See also
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WZ-111
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Type 69
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Type 62
The Norinco Type 62 () is a Chinese light tank developed in the early 1960s, based on the Chinese Type 59 with a reduced main gun calibre, lighter armour and a smaller suite of electronics and other equipment to help reduce weight. Bearing ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
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Light tanks of the People's Republic of China
Light tanks of the Cold War
Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s