Type 62
In service 1963 - 2013
A scaled-down Type 59 built for the paddy fields, mountains and weak bridges of southern China, and widely exported to south-east Asia and Africa.
Built byNorinco Factory 674, Harbin
Development history
The Type 59 was too heavy for much of southern China, where bridges, terraced fields and mountain tracks defeated a 36-tonne tank. The Type 62 kept the Type 59 layout and shape at roughly two-thirds scale and half the weight, trading armour for the ability to get where it was needed. Around 1,500 were built from 1963. Combat in Vietnam in 1979 exposed how vulnerable the thin armour was to rocket-propelled grenades, and later Type 62-I vehicles added stowage cages and applique protection. Exports went to Vietnam, Albania, Tanzania, the Congo, Sudan and elsewhere, and the type was finally retired by China in 2013.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
Type 62
1963Base version, a reduced-scale Type 59 for southern China.
Type 62-I
1980sApplique protection, stowage cages and improved sights after Vietnam combat losses.
Notable actions
- Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)