The Type 15 is effectively the successor to the 1960s Type 62 light tank, designed and built by Norinco to deploy in Tibet, where Chinese VT-4s struggled to operate at high altitude and in difficult terrain.
The Norinco Type 62 is a Chinese light tank developed in the early 1960s, based on the Type 59 with a reduced main gun calibre, lighter armour, and a smaller suite of electronics and other equipment to reduce weight.
An evidence-based breakdown of the known problems associated with China’s Type 15 (ZTQ‑15) light tank synthesises limitations by inference and by comparing its design philosophy with those of the Modern American M10 Booker and Kaplan MT, revealing known constraints of light Chinese tanks.
Diesel engines and suspension are used in both the M10 Booker and Kaplan MT light tanks, which offer superior performance without overheating and greater operational capability across various terrains, while the Chinese-made engine overheats and breaks down.
Although the Type 15 is optimised for mountain mobility, its design inevitably introduces trade-offs.
While Kaplan MT offers STANAG 4569 level 4 Ballistic Hull and STANAG 4569 Level 5 Modular Add-on Armour protection against anti-tank weapon systems, the Type 15 tanks’ inherited design flaws of light armour are susceptible to top‑attack ATGMs (Javelin‑class weapons) and NLAWS.
Type 15 has weak protection against large-calibre autocannons and APFSDS rounds from MBTs, and even with composite/ERA packages, it is limited in survivability.
The Type 15 weighs 33–36 tons, far below that of modern MBTs like the Type 99 or the M1A2 Abrams. This weight class inherently limits armour thickness. Turkish Kaplan MT weigh almost 35 tons, and American M10 Booker weighs 42 tons, offering better armour protection against modern anti-tank weapons.
The Type 15 uses a 105 mm rifled gun, capable of firing ATGMs, but it cannot reliably penetrate the frontal armour of modern MBTs. Its ATGM capability is effective at range, but guidance and countermeasures reduce its effectiveness.
Against peer MBTs, or light tanks, it must rely on ambush tactics rather than direct engagements. This is acknowledged indirectly in sources emphasising its role in terrain‑restricted environments rather than tank‑on‑tank battles.
Type 15’s design philosophy is based on operations in Tibet against Russian-built T-90 tanks operated by the Indian Army, which constantly break down due to engine issues and are easy to ambush with the Type 15 light tank, allowing the Type 15 to retreat from the position after the ambush.
But this specialisation means it is not suited for open plains where heavier MBTs dominate. It lacks the armour and firepower for high‑intensity mechanised warfare. Its survivability in urban combat is questionable. Even Chinese analysts frame it as a complement to heavier tanks rather than a replacement.
This Chinese Type 15 light tank and VT-4 tanks lack modern fire control systems and networking like the Booker light tank or the Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.
The Type 15 light tank improves performance but introduces a higher maintenance burden, greater logistical complexity in remote regions and more points of failure under harsh field conditions.
This is inferred from its role as a “testbed for new technologies,” which often implies higher maintenance demands.
With only 38 rounds for the main gun, the Type 15 carries significantly less ammunition, and this restricts sustained engagements, which has been the proven fact about the Chinese VT-4 during the Cambodia-Thai border skirmish and in Nigeria against the Boko Haram terror group. Sustained fire overheated and exploded. The Norinco-made turrets used in the VT-4 and Type 15 tanks were manufactured with low-quality materials.
The Kaplan MT is equipped with a Cockerill CT-CV 105HP (High Pressure) 105 mm rifled gun manufactured by CMI (Cockerill Maintenance & Ingenierie SA Defense), with the barrel mounting a bore evacuator and thermal jacket. The turret is equipped with an autoloader and can be rotated 360 degrees, both electronically and mechanically, with a maximum elevation/depression of 42 degrees up to -10 degrees, and features a Gun stabiliser and Fire Control System.
Kaplan MT and M10 are also equipped with a modern IFF system, a Hunter-Killer System for target selection, and an Auto Target Locking System to assist the gunner, but the Chinese Type 15 tanks lack a hunter-killer capability and an IFF system susceptible to collateral damage.
The export variant (VT5) is less capable than the Chinese domestic variant, making it cheaper. The VT5 export model is known to have reduced armour packages and potentially downgraded electronics. This means foreign operators (e.g., Bangladesh) may face even more pronounced vulnerabilities.
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