WZ-111 heavy tank

The WZ-111 heavy tank (Chinese: WZ-111重型坦克) was a heavy tank that was developed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) during the 1960s but was eventually cancelled in 1966 due to many mechanical problems.

WZ-111 Heavy Tank
WZ-111 hull at the Tank Museum, Beijing
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	China
Specifications
Mass	44 to 46 tons (based on a specific variant as none was finished, beside a single prototype)
Length	10.625 m (with the gun facing forward)
Width	3.3 m
Height	2.497 m
Crew	4 (The commander, the loader, the gunner and the driver)
Armor	80 to 200 mm
Main armament	122 mm "Y-174" main gun
Secondary armament	1 x 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun 2 x 7.62 mm medium machine guns (one co-axial and one mounted on the hull's right-side front)
Engine	12-cylinder supercharged diesel engine attached with a radiator 750 HP (or 390 kW)
Power/weight	12.5 kW/t
Suspension	Torsion-bar suspension system

History

The WZ-111 featured a 780 hp (580 kW) supercharged diesel engine and a torsion bar suspension system. The idler wheels were in front with drive sprockets in the rear. Many of the suspension components were the same type used in Soviet heavy tank designs such as the IS-2.^[1]

The first prototype testing phase began in 1964. This prototype lacked a turret, but was fitted with a steel weight to simulate the actual mass of the turret during the tests. Because of many technological problems that surfaced during testing, the design was shelved around 1966.^[2][3][4] A WZ-111 tank hull is now displayed at the Tank Museum near Beijing.

See also

• WZ-132
• Type 69