![]() ![]() ![]() The vehicle is basically an upgrade of Type 96 roughly to Type 99 levels. Type 96A, or ZTZ-96A as the military calls it (this designation was incorrectly referred to as factory designation in earlier articles, we apologize for the mistake), was first officially revealed in 2006 and shown to the public in 2009 during a Beijing military parade. It is not known whether these vehicles were all newly-built or whether some were converted Type 96s. Roughly two thousand Type 96s were built and more than half (around 1100 vehicles) were the upgraded Type 96A variant. The upgrade was probably developed in the very early 2000s by NORINCO and accepted into service under the designation of Type 96A. Not much is known about the circumstances of this upgrade's development because, as with most of the tanks developed in China, the process is shrouded in mystery. It was a solid vehicle for its time, but over the years it started showing its age and while it could take on comparable threats such as the T-72 tanks, the performance of true third generation Main Battle Tanks was beyond its reach. The Chinese People's Liberation Army received the last second generation Main Battle Tank, the Type 96, in the late 1990s. ![]()
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