Chapter 14 New Type of Tank
"Attention, attention, respond when called." The voice of the tank company commander came through the earpiece.
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"Roger that, go ahead," Cheng Feng replied.
"We've cleared the obstacles, the 160 and the knocked-out tanks have been towed away from the road, can we proceed now? Is it according to plan?" asked the tank company commander.
"161, 161, as the lead vehicle of the entire team, you must pay attention to safety and let infantry fighting vehicles 201 and 202 follow you. Be ready for battle at all times, and you must arrive at the designated area by 19:00," Cheng Feng replied.
"Alright, alright, let's go first." As the tank company commander spoke, Cheng Feng saw a cloud of smoke burst out from in front of 161, and the armored vehicle carrying infantry followed closely behind, soon disappearing from view.
"Everyone gets on the vehicle, leaving one tank in three rows, five personnel take care of the wounded, waiting for the forward helicopter to transport the wounded, and waiting for the 7th company. After the 7th company arrives, hand over the position and return." Cheng Feng finishes giving orders and closes the car door. The tank roars and starts moving.
To be honest, Chengfeng really likes the armored vehicle he is riding in now. The modern battlefield is so comfortable to sit on, with soft and spacious seats. There is also an air conditioning system and a clean air system inside the car. Not only is the temperature suitable, but even the wind blown by the air conditioner has no dust smell at all.
This is completely different from the old cars they used to train with, which had no air conditioning system and were freezing in winter and boiling in summer. The "ga ga ga" sound of the engine often made people's ears unclear for several days, and there was no air purification system. As soon as it passed through muddy terrain, the front car would leave and the back would become a "vacuum cleaner", with the entire troop compartment filled with yellow dust, choking people to death.
The cramped space inside the cabin makes it impossible to carry both a rifle and a cannon, and even if you manage to bring a cannon, you can't fit any shells. The tiny seat can barely hold half of your butt. The onboard communication system is only effective within 1-5 kilometers and has no anti-interference capability. Forget about engaging in electronic warfare with the enemy, even if someone accidentally opens their phone inside the vehicle, the onboard radio will start making weird noises.
This thing can't even go to the battlefield, and if it's not handled properly during exercises, it will "break down". The engine power is low, fuel consumption is high, and one armored journey can't be sustained. It completely relies on the logistics oil supply team following behind. If this were wartime and logistics couldn't keep up, it would become a pile of scrap metal. A thin layer of steel outside, reportedly can only withstand 7.62mm bullet shooting, and the front can only withstand 12.7mm machine gun fire. Can you feel at ease sitting inside? Who wouldn't be afraid?
But now it's completely different, the power unit of the new-style infantry fighting vehicle with air conditioning is a 650-horsepower direct-injection air-cooled turbocharged diesel engine. The engine has advanced performance and reliable structure, its external dimensions are 1.26 meters long, 1.072 meters wide, and 1.03 meters high, dry weight 900 kilograms, total displacement 25 liters, compression ratio 32, rated power 650 horsepower (5000 rpm), fuel consumption rate 145 grams/kilowatt hour.
The engine uses electric starting, the intake system is equipped with flame heating plugs, and no auxiliary cold starting device is required. It can start successfully at -25°C low temperature conditions. In addition, this engine also has a long service life and reliable quality. At the same time, combined with the latest domestic battery power technology, the tank can use batteries to provide power in certain specific situations, such as at night or when there is no fuel supply, and continue to advance for about one armored journey. If both fuel and batteries are exhausted, this system can also use its own solar power generation system to supplement electrical energy, so that the tank can basically travel three armored journeys without replenishment.
The hull of the new-style infantry fighting vehicle is made of armored steel and has a fully enclosed float structure. The front, left and right sides of the hull can withstand 12.7mm armor-piercing bullets at close range and shrapnel from shells. The interior of the hull is divided into three parts: the driver's compartment, engine compartment, and fighting compartment. The driver's compartment is located in the front of the hull and is equipped with vehicle control mechanisms, observation instruments, detection meters, wireless radio stations, commander and driver seats, and a fire extinguishing control box.
Its engine and transmission, power compartment is located in the left middle part of the vehicle body close to the rear of the driver's cab, which is equipped with engines, gearboxes, clutches, transmissions, drive shafts, cooling systems, ventilation systems and fire extinguishing systems. This engine layout seems a bit different from others. The new structure is beneficial for passengers/ cargo personnel to enter and exit through the rear door and side door, and it is also easy to operate the vehicle. The car length and driver's cab are located in the front part of the vehicle, separated from the passenger compartment by steel plates.
The commander and driver each have 3 periscopes, with the center one for the driver replaceable by an infrared/night vision device for night driving. The fighting compartment is located behind the engine compartment, with crew seats on either side. On the right side of the engine compartment there is a passageway connecting the driver's compartment and troop compartment, with a side door on the right side of the passageway that can be used by troops to enter or exit the vehicle. There are periscopes and ball mounts for machine guns on both sides of the hull and rear door, which can be used by troops inside the vehicle to fight. The new-style infantry fighting vehicle is also amphibious, with 2 propeller/rudder assemblies in a single ducted housing at the rear of the hull, simple in structure, easy to operate, and having large propulsion power on water.
In the fighting compartment behind the power room, a single-person turret is installed in the center of the rear, which can be remotely controlled inside the vehicle and has three defenses. The gunner is located on the right side below the turret in the fighting compartment. The turret armament consists of one ZPT-99 40mm autocannon and one coaxial 06-style 7.62mm machine gun.
The ZPT-99 40mm autocannon uses a dual-feed system, which works with the electrical control system, door conversion system and ammunition supply system to change the type of ammunition, firing rate and firing mode. The gunner can quickly select the type of ammunition and firing mode according to different targets, including single shot, 3-round burst, 5-round burst or continuous fire, with a firing rate of 100 rounds/min or 200 rounds/min. The elevation range is -8° to +52°, and the azimuth range is 360°. The basic ammunition capacity is 400 rounds, with 200 rounds in the ready-to-fire magazine, and another 120 high-explosive shells and 80 armor-piercing shells stored inside the turret.
When using armor-piercing shells, the direct shooting distance is 1500 meters. The 7.62mm parallel machine gun synchronizes with the main cannon's elevation and depression, with 1000 rounds of ammunition. The turret is equipped with a remaining projectile counter and a low-projectile warning device, allowing the gunner to observe the remaining projectiles in the projectile box at any time. There are four 76mm smoke grenade launchers on both sides of the turret, arranged in a single row, which can fire 2, 4, or 8 rounds simultaneously, creating a smoke screen that is 120-150 meters long and lasts for 2-4 minutes at a distance of 100 meters ahead. In some battlefields, portable anti-aircraft missiles or portable anti-tank missiles can be configured according to the actual needs of the battlefield.
