The Type 59 (Chinese: 59式; pinyin: Wǔ jiǔ shì; industrial designation: WZ-120) main battle tank is a Chinese-produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, an early model of the ubiquitous T-54/55 series. The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959, with serial production beginning in 1963.

For years, the Type 59 was the backbone of the Chinese Army. Not only it was the biggest PLA tank production so far, spanning until 1985 with nearly ten thousand models and many variants, but also the very basis of several other MBTs, like the light Type 62, the Type 69 and Type 79.

Apr 18, 2021 · Here’s What You Need to Remember: When the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed on October 1, 1949, the Gongchen Tank served as the lead armored vehicle in the military parade in Tiananmen...

The Type 59G Durjoy, sometimes known as Type 59G, [1] is a highly modernized version of the Chinese Type 59 tank for the Bangladesh Army. The Bangladesh Army's old Type 59 tanks were upgraded similarly to Type 59G standard at 902 Central Workshop of the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory with Chinese assistance.

1 day ago · French project for T-55 tank modernization, designated T59 / Open-source archive photo None of these concepts secured buyers in the 2000s. As a result, the only publicly available material on the T-72 with the T21 turret is the said model photo from Eurosatory 2000, courtesy of Armada website, and a few renderings of the proposed vehicle.

Feb 8, 2025 · The Type 59 was powered by a Model 12150L V-12 liquid-cooled engine that produced 520 hp. This gave the tank a top speed of 31 mph and an unrefueled range of 280 miles on internal tanks. The torsion bar suspension offered a fairly smooth ride.

The Type 59 (Chinese: 59式; pinyin: Wǔjiǔ shì; industrial designation: WZ-120) main battle tank is a Chinese produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, the earliest model of the ubiquitous T-54/55 series.

The Type 59 is an early Cold War era main battle tank of Chinese origin. In the early 1950's the USSR allowed China to copy and produce the T-54. Over time the Type 59 design was improved in various areas and led to the development of the improved Type 69.

Jul 16, 2013 · The tank used a fixed shaft gearbox with 5 forward gears and one reverse gear, and uses multi-disc dry clutch, 2 planetary steering, and single-side external spur gear reducer.

Jun 15, 2021 · For the majority of the Cold War, China’s primary front line tank was the Type 59, a variant of the T-54 first built on license from the Soviet Union. But how did this old workhorse evolve? Who...