Last updated on February 19th, 2019 at 08:54 pm
China’s Type 62 light tank was based on the Type 59 main battle tank.
The Type 62 light tank was designed to be lighter than the Type 59 MBT, so that the Type 62 would be easier to operate in the rugged terrain that exists in southern China.
NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation) began developing the Type 62 light tank in 1958.
The tank entered service in 1963.
The overall combat weight of the Type 62 light tank is just 21 tons (21,000kg).
Maximum armor thickness on the Type 62 light tank is only 1.97 inches (50mm),
The 520hp engine on the Type 59 MBT was replaced by a lighter 430hp engine on the Type 62 light tank.
The wheels and tracks of the Type 62 light tank are lighter than those of the Type 59 main battle tank.
The Type 62 light tank has a torsion bar suspension with five pairs of road wheels. The idler is in the front and the drive sprocket is in the back.
On the Type 62 light tank, the 3.94 inch (100mm) main gun of the Type 59 MBT has been replaced with a lighter 3.35 inch (85mm) gun.
Secondary armament on the Type 62 light tank consists of a 0.3 inch (7.62mm) coaxial machine gun, a 0.3 inch (7.62mm) gun that is fixed to the glacis plate and a 0.5 inch (12.7mm) anti-aircraft gun.
The Type 62 light tank can create a smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into the exhaust.
Later models of the Type 62 have a laser rangefinder over the main gun.
A four-man crew – driver, commander, gunner and loader – operates the Type 62 light tank.
The layout is the same as on the Type 59 MBT.
The driver sits at the front left of the tank. The commander and gunner sit in the left of the turret and the loader sits in the right of the turret.
The engine and transmission are in the rear of the tank.
The Type 62 light tank does not have NBC protection.
The Type 62 light tank saw combat during the in the Vietnam War and during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese war.
Production of the Type 62 light tank is believed to have ended in 1989.
However, the Type 62 light tank is still used by China’s Army and Marines.
The Type 62 light tank is also in service with North Korea, Vietnam, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Albania.
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Type 62 Light |
|---|---|
| Active: | 1963 |
| Crew: | 4 |
| Weight: | 21 tons (21,000kg) |
| Length: | 18ft 2in (5.55m),25ft 11in (7.9m) with gun forwards |
| Height: | 7ft 4in (2.25m) |
| Width: | 9ft 4in (2.86m) |
| Weapons: | Main – 3.35in (85mm) gun, Secondary – 2 x 0.3 inch (7.62mm) machine guns, one coaxial, one at the bow; 0.5 inch (12.7mm) anti-aircraft gun |
| Armor | Maximum – 1.97in (50mm) |
| Engine: | Liquid-cooled diesel, 430hp |
| Speed: | 37 mph (60kph) |
| Range: | 310 miles (500 km) |