Type 88
In service 1988 - In reserve service
Based onType 80 (derived from)
The production development of the Type 80, with a welded turret, computerised fire control and the six-roadwheel torsion-bar chassis that underpins all later Chinese tanks.
Built byNorinco
Development history
The Type 88 is where the modern Chinese tank line properly begins. The Type 80 had introduced a new hull with six roadwheels on torsion bars, replacing the T-54-derived five-wheel layout that China had used since the 1950s, and the Type 88 put that chassis into large-scale service with a welded composite turret in place of the old casting. Fire control moved to a digital ballistic computer with a laser rangefinder integrated into the gunner's sight. Variants included the Type 88A with improved ammunition and the Type 88B with a further upgraded fire control system. It served as the People's Liberation Army's standard tank until the Type 96 displaced it in the late 1990s, and many were later relegated to reserve or training duties.