Is China's Type-99A a Threat to U.S M1A2 Abrams?

Is China's Type-99A a Threat to U.S M1A2 Abrams?
Beijing’s Type 99A, also known as ZTZ-99A, is a homegrown third-generation main battle tank. In addition to modern armor, the vehicle is fitted with a 3rd generation fire control system just like the M1A2. It has advanced navigation and communications systems, active protection, and a lethal gun. But will it be enough to take on the M1A2 Abrams? Let's take a look.
Fire control system
The Type 99A is equipped with a modern fire control system similar to Japans Type-10, where the gun automatically aims and tracks the target, leaving it to the gunner to fire. The commander has an independent panoramic sight with a laser rangefinder and the hunter-killer system. The hunter-killer system is when the commander can select targets for the gunner to engage; once the target has been acquired, the turret will automatically aim at the target for the gunner to engage.
Both the gunner and commander sight is fully stabilized and capable of day/night operations in all weather conditions. It has the BeiDou global positioning system, UHF/VHF radio encrypted communication system, the C4ISR battle management system for coordinated attacks with other unites, and the ST-16 millimeter wave radar suite, designed for friend or foe identification, target acquisition, and the auto tracking for the fire control system mentioned earlier.
Fire-Power
The Type 99A uses an improved ZPT98 125 millimetre smoothbore main gun, with rumors of Beijing upgrading the gun to a 140 millimetre cannon; this will most likely be on the Type 99A2. It is capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT, Frag-HE, and Reflex anti-tank missiles with a range of 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles). The tank uses an autoloader capable of firing 10 rounds per minute and can carry up to 42 rounds with 22 rounds in the autoloader.
It uses the improved DTW-100 and 25 APFSDS munition, which has a dart measuring 720 millimetres long (28 inches) and is made from dense composite materials. It is said to be capable of penetrating 960 millimetres of steel at 1000 meters. However, this happens to be the estimated protection of the M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams turret cheek, which is suspect and most likely not true. But it can most certainly penetrate the M1A2 Abrams gun breech, the turret ring, or the hull.
Protection
The Type-99A has a modular armoured turret that has angled turret cheeks for increased protection with explosive reactive armor, which is said to provide a combined protection of 1000 millimeters. If this is true, that means the M1A2 Abrams can't penetrate it's turret cheek. It has a nuclear-biological-chemical protection system and an automatic fire suppression system.
The turret sides and rear are buffer spaces that are protected by explosive reactive armor; this will only protect against HEAT munitions. The tank is equipped with a soft-kill active protection system called the laser self-defense weapon, or LSDW. When the enemy marks the Type-99 with a laser, the system will automatically alert the crew and search for the enemy's laser. It will then intensify the direct energy beam to fry the enemy's optics, disabling the enemy's weapon station.
Mobility
The Type 99A is powered by a 1500 horsepower diesel engine with a semi-automatic transmission. The tank can travel up to 80 kilometers per hour (49.7 miles per hour) on road and 60 kilometers offroad (37.2 miles per hour) with an operational range of 600 kilometers (300 and 72.8 miles). This means it has a longer range over the M1A2 Abrams and can travel faster. The tank weighs 55 tons, which makes it less likely to get stuck in the mud, and costs 2.5 million dollars each, with over 1300 Type-99 tanks in service.
Conclusion
Considering the Type-99A has a 3rd generation fire control system with similar protection characteristics as the M1A2 Abrams on paper, it would be tough to tell who would win in a head-to-head dual and is most certainly a threat to the Abrams crew. It will all come down to the crew's skill and which tank gets spotted first. If one of the tanks is in the hull-down position, that tank will have the advantage, as both tanks offer similar protection and have similar weak spots. However, theoretically, the US M1A2 Abrams crew would most likely win in a dual, as the Americans have more armored warfare experience with veterans training the Abrams crews.

[@JamesEhler]

Crew protection and survivability is important as well. With an auto loader, if the type 99 is hit and penetrated, that turret will likely pop right off like a t-72 and the whole crew wiped out. Unlike the Abrams.

[@MidwaySpoon-xd6kl]

1:37 Well, that round on the war thunder example is no longer used by any country (at least is not used by modern tanks like the Type-99), i think is from early WW2. Modern tanks use a better Heat-Fs round

[@GUNNERHEATTANK]

Yes true, I couldnt find the fin stabilized heat projectiles

[@MidwaySpoon-xd6kl]

@@GUNNERHEATTANK i don't blame you for that, just see the modifications in modern tanks and you will find it :)

[@Ronin_Bushido.]

моменты из игры War thunder

[@davidwalters9462]

It is a totally nonsense comparison. Tank vs Tank is non existent or have you not been paying attention to what is going on in Ukraine?? The question is, a tank when facing *multiple* opponents armed with IFV with anti-tank weapons, other MBTs and *drones* not to mention ATGM shoulder filed. THAT is the only question to poise.

[@Hellfox777]

The question still remains. Yes, there hasn't been a LOT of tank-on-tank, but it's not completely absent from battle.

[@threesixtysafari2115]

This entire comparison is useless. Countries to the west with tanks are Japan, Australia and the USA are all across large bodies of water. China is not an expeditionary military and doesn't have logistics to transport the Type-99 anywhere. Their fighting doctrine is entirely defensive fighting within China. The USA is an expeditionary military and fights all of it's wars across the oceans but the USA will not invade China because it doesn't want or need to. The USA would fight China with naval and air power. So why does China have the type-99? A deterrence against countries to the east with tanks, Russia and India ,which can go over land into China. Do a comparison against the tanks of those countries.

[@DavidMichael-bi3jw]

You are severely underestimating the Chinese, they have a higher industrial output over America, yes the US have technology, but China has output, they can build 30 000 type-99 tanks per month, plus they have hypersonic missiles and a larger navy. The US can only dream of those numbers. You are useless, attacking good videos with your useless ignorant comments.

[@stefphoenix9642]

the only war won by China this last 150 years was the civilian war in 1949, chines haves no experience of modern war, ZTZ 99 is a kind of T-72 T-90 and it haves the same autocooking autoloader, chines army is just a paper army

[@weallbrothersandsisters]

Any tank is a threat to that old tin can Abrams nowadays. The american main battle tank has almost not changed since the 1980s. Even russia did some major upgrades to their T-series

[@rasmussabroe4122]

Say you no nothing about armored warfare without saying you know absolutely nothing about armored warfare🤣🤣

[@ieat10kittens94]

Me after lobotomy:

[@trickslies844]

congrats that is some top notch trolling, you almost got me

[@rasmussabroe4122]

@@trickslies844 read up on M1, M1A1, M1A2 etc.. almost everything but the hull has changed.

[@ВикторПетров-я1в]

Абрамс очень сильно поменялся с тех времён, изучите вопрос. Но проблемы есть, особенно с весом. Поэтому они ведут работы над более лёгким вариантом нового танка.