KZJ-96 Chungmu
| KZJ-96 Chungmu | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin |  Zhenia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1998-Present |
| Used by | Zhenia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Li-Jien Dynamics, Jinmu Defense Industries |
| Designed | 1992-1997 |
| Manufacturer | Li-Jien Dynamics (1998-Present) Jinmu Defense Industries (2005-Present) |
| Produced | 1998-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 55.1 metric tons |
| Length | 10.72 m |
| Width | 3.71 m (including side armor) |
| Height | 2.72 m to turret roof |
| Crew | 3 (driver, gunner, commander) |
| Passengers | none |
| Armor | Welded steel base Composite Armor (turret and hull) |
Main armament | 1 x 120 mm/L55 smoothbore cannon (130 mm smoothbore planned) |
Secondary armament | 1 x 12.7 mm Eagle's Nest RWS 1 x 7.62 mm RWS |
| Engine | EDE-100X Diesel-Electric Engine 1500 hp |
| Suspension | In-arm suspension unit |
| Ground clearance | 45 cm |
Operational range | 560 km on internal fuel |
| Speed | 68 km/h (road) 48 km/h (offroad) |
The Li-Jien Dynamics KZJ-96 Chungmu (Zhenian: KZJ98 충무), commonly the KZJ-96 Chungmu Main Battle Tank and also referred to as the Azure Dragon MBT due to its project name at the time of development, is a 3.5th-generation main battle tank built in Zhenia. Developed as a modern main battle tank to complement the existing KZJ-78 Temujin main battle tank and replace the aging KZJ-64 Thunder main battle tanks within service of the Greater Eastern Union Army, it is equipped with numerous characteristics that have been implemented after tactical feedback from recent military tensions, such as the 120 mm/L55 smoothbore cannon, its networking systems and its array of active protection systems. Its most recent variants, particularly the KZZ96B, are considered as fourth-generation main battle tanks, due to significant upgrades that distinguish it from existing variants.
As the main backbone of the Greater Eastern Union Army's armored units, almost 5,000 units have been produced and are in service within the Greater Eastern Union Defense Forces, while KZJ96A units are rapidly replacing existing Z5 Temujin tanks in the Marine Corps. The chassis upon which the main battle tank is built has been developed to serve other purposes, including engineering vehicles, assault breaching units or heavy infantry fighting vehicle for intensive urban warfare. Its chassis, dubbed the Common Combat Platform - Heavy (CCP-H), has evolved to serve as the baseline of other non-tank vehicles as well. Variants of the KZJ96 Chungmu have also been vouched for export across numerous nations.
Development
While existing and upgraded variants of the KZJ-78 Temujin proved to be an effective main battle tank early on, its platform was reaching its limits by the late 1980s. While the usage of the 105 mm smoothbore cannon (120 mm/L44 smoothbore in upgraded variants) and other then-advanced technology, as well as the design philosophy centered around four crew members, were effective early on, its armor and armament were being outdated in the midst of advancements in armored technology across the world. Improved variants of the KZJ-78 Temujin partly solved the armament and armor problem, but the limits of the platform, without much change, were showing by the early 1990s, calling for a drastic replacement design.
In response to such demands, Li-Jien Dynamics, forming a consortium with Jinmu Defense Industries, began working on a proposal for a next-generation main battle tank to complement and ultimately replace the KZJ-78 Temujin, forming its philosophy around a three-man crew with an autoloader. Although it was met with challenging designs from Shinjin Technologies by 1994, it won the contract to supply the said new main battle tank in 1995. Development of associated technologies set to be applied to the new main battle tank - new HEAT/APFSDS rounds, gun-launched ATGMs, and active protection systems - progressed in tandem with the development of the vehicle itself, parallel to other vehicle developments in the Greater Eastern Union Defense Forces.
The first production prototype of the KZJ-96 was introduced in late 1996, although the first operational units didn't see service until 1998. The production prototypes showed minor improvements from Li-Jien Dynamics' proposal. Although it was initially anticipated that it would not be procured in large amounts, the Greater Eastern Union Army, after being satisfied with the overall performance of the vehicle, shifted its plans and decided to field the new tank in larger amounts than expected; the existing technological advancements derived from it were used to update the KZJ-78 Temujin. The new main battle tank was later designated as the 'KZJ-96 Chungmu', after the term 'Chungmu-gong' given to the highest warriors and military commanders in Zhenian history.
