A VT-4 principal battle tank has for the primary time appeared in Bangladesh Army camouflage, fuelling hypothesis {that a} contract for the sale of the autos has already been signed. The tank in query seems to be a modernised variant integrating the brand new GL-5 hard-kill energetic safety system, which has not been procured by different purchasers. The VT-4 is produced solely for export, and has been acquired in vital numbers by Pakistan and Thailand whereas additionally being evaluated by Algeria. The tank makes use of composite armour and FY-4 explosive reactive armour for cover, which reportedly present an equal of roughly 700mm of safety. The autos are anticipated to interchange the over 100 Bangladesh Army Sort-59 tanks, which have been produced in the course of the Chilly Warfare as enhanced derivatives of the Soviet T-55 design.
The Bangladesh Army’s total operational fleet of over 250 principal battle tanks consists of Chinese language equipped autos, together with the Sort 59, its up to date variant the Sort 69, in addition to China’s first-class of tank developed particularly for export the Sort 90 II which was produced from the 2000s. Extra lately, the Bangladesh Army in 2022 procured VT-5 gentle tanks, in any other case generally known as the Sort 15, which made it the one international operator of the category, with the autos anticipated to interchange the older Sort 62 gentle tanks in service. The VT-5 was developed with amphibious operations and operations in mountainous terrain in thoughts, and supplies Chinese language forces with a definite benefit working within the Himalayan border areas with India. Procuring a modernised variant of the VT-4 will present Bangladesh with essentially the most succesful class of principal battle tank in South or Southeast Asia, with energetic safety techniques being a comparatively new know-how that has but to proliferate broadly within the area.
The VT-4’s 125mm principal gun is appropriate with a variety of superior specialised munitions, with penetrative anti-armour rounds are regarded as among the many most succesful on the planet. Though not as succesful because the heavier Sort 99A relied on by China’s most elite armoured models, the VT-4 makes use of most of the similar applied sciences and isn’t solely considerably less expensive to acquire, however can be reportedly a lot simpler to take care of and function. With Russia having beforehand been by far the world’s best tank exporter, the nation’s restricted capability to proceed exports on account of the Russian-Ukrainain Warfare has supplied new alternatives for the VT-4 particularly to realize vital market share overseas. The Bangladesh Armed Forces are reported to be contemplating procuring a variety of different Chinese language techniques, together with each J-10C and JF-17 Block 3 ‘4+ era’ fighter plane.
