How powerful is the Type 100 tank? It’s covered in spikes, making it nearly impossible for drones to get close.
The new-generation Type 100 main battle tank made its public debut during the 9/3 Military Parade, marking China’s entry into the “fourth generation” of armored warfare equipment.
This isn’t just a technological iteration; it’s a systemic redesign based on the profound changes in modern warfare. With a focus on information fusion, situational awareness, active defense, and multi-domain coordination, it redefines the combat power standards for the “King of Land Warfare.”
Sensor Revolution: From “Blind Charge” to “Omni-Directional Transparency”
What’s most shocking about China’s new-generation medium-weight main battle tank is its terrifying sensor integration. The entire vehicle is covered with cameras, radar, and electro-optical systems, forming a true “perception network node.”
The turret is equipped with millimeter-wave phased array radar arrays on both sides, used to actively detect incoming missiles, drones, and artillery trajectories. Below, there is a comprehensive warning module, including laser warnings, infrared/UV missile approach warnings (MAWS), and electronic support (ESM) antennas.
These systems work together to create an omni-directional, all-weather threat perception system, providing early warnings and fire control guidance for non-traditional threats like FPV suicide drones, loitering munitions, and anti-tank missiles.
The full vehicle’s panoramic cameras, paired with the crew’s AR headsets, give the crew the ability to “see through armor,” allowing them to maintain 360° battlefield awareness without exposing themselves.
This “distributed sensing + augmented reality” architecture goes beyond traditional “one soldier, one viewfinder” operation, transforming the tank into the frontline tactical information hub, deeply integrated with the rear command chain, supporting the construction of a brigade-level “transparent battlefield.”
Countering FPV Threats: Active Defense and Agile Evasion
On the battlefield in Ukraine, FPV (first-person-view) drones, with their low cost, high maneuverability, and dive-bombing capability, have repeatedly destroyed heavy armored targets, exposing the severe weaknesses of traditional tanks in defending against threats in near-ground 3D spaces. China’s new medium-weight main battle tank directly addresses this threat.
Equipped with a four-way phased array radar-driven Active Protection System (APS), the response time is less than one-thousandth of a second, capable of intercepting over ten types of projectiles, including FPVs, loitering munitions, RPGs, and anti-tank missiles.
This system can even deflect high-speed armor-piercing projectiles, significantly weakening their penetration ability. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with heavy explosive reactive modules around its body, extra armor on the top, and a deployable smoke launcher, forming a “soft and hard combined, multi-layered interception” 3D defense system.
The tank’s top is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station integrated with a 12.7mm dual-purpose machine gun and electro-optical sighting system, providing capability for high-angle anti-aircraft fire. The core function is to intercept low-altitude FPVs and loitering munitions.
The tank commander can control the system remotely through a helmet-mounted display or tablet terminal, quickly locking on and accurately targeting threats, aided by target tracking data from the surrounding phased array radars.
Coupled with the top-mounted laser countermeasure system, it forms a “soft and hard integrated” anti-drone system, filling in the gaps in the active defense system and greatly enhancing short-range air defense capabilities.
Moreover, thanks to a high-power electric drive system (estimated over 3,000 horsepower), the tank can autonomously execute “evasive maneuvers” when a threat is detected — rapidly accelerating or changing direction before a drone strike, offering physical evasion. This AI-driven defense mechanism completely disrupts the traditional passive defense model.
Firepower Reconfiguration: The “Integrated Fire” Logic Behind the 105mm Gun
Although the 105mm main gun has raised some controversy, it actually reflects a fundamental shift in design philosophy. Choosing the 105mm gun isn’t due to insufficient firepower but for several strategic reasons:
- First, there’s a focus on reducing weight, keeping the combat weight under 45 tons, ensuring strategic airlift (the Y-20 can carry two units), amphibious deployment, and bridge crossing capabilities.
- Second, the tank benefits from a substantial ammunition supply, with a simplified loading process and a vertically arranged ammunition rack increasing the number of ready-to-fire rounds, enabling prolonged combat.
- Third, it supports a wide variety of ammunition, including armor-piercing, multi-effect, and guided rounds, greatly enhancing its ability to destroy fortifications and soft targets compared to traditional 125mm guns.
- Lastly, the tank embodies the “information fire integration” concept: true battlefield lethality comes from a brigade-level “fire pool” — with missiles, long-range rocket artillery, loitering munitions, and drone swarm strikes, the main gun serves merely as an emergency backup.
In other words, it no longer relies solely on the main gun for victory but serves as an executor at the end of a systematic kill chain.
New Paradigm in Protection: Crew Isolation + Omni-Directional Protection + Electric Drive Redundancy
Inside, the tank adopts a three-man, side-by-side front compartment layout, with an explosion-proof door isolating the ammunition compartment. Even if the turret is hit and explodes, the crew’s survival rate remains high. Ammunition is concentrated at the bottom of the vehicle, away from the top and sides, minimizing weak points, and with APS and top-mounted reactive armor, it effectively defends against top-attack threats.
The revolutionary hybrid architecture provides a huge advantage: a diesel engine constantly generates power, while a battery-driven hub motor allows continued operation even if some power units are damaged. The exhaust is relocated to the rear, with grille-based cooling that reduces infrared signatures, and the silent electric drive mode enhances stealth in combat.
Additionally, the abundant power supply supports the long-term operation of radar, jammers, and unmanned platforms, effectively becoming a “mobile charging station” for unmanned equipment.
Future Land Warfare: Vehicle Family and Multi-Pronged Assault
This platform also has derivative vehicles, such as the fire support vehicle based on the same chassis, integrating vertical launch systems, air defense artillery, wired drones, and electronic warfare modules. Together, they form a “reconnaissance-strike-defense” integrated combat unit.
These units, organized into “combined platoon-level assault groups,” adapt to modern land combat tactics involving small formations, multi-pronged advances, and decentralized infiltration, addressing the traditional problem of armored formations being easily covered by long-range fire.
More importantly, the shared chassis and powertrain simplify logistics and maintenance, enabling standardization within heavy brigades and providing a solid foundation for full-domain mobility and rapid deployment.
Conclusion: This is Not the End of Tanks, But the Beginning of Evolution
This new tank doesn’t discard “shell vs. armor” combat but places it within a higher-dimensional integrated countermeasure system. It uses technological gaps to crush the opponents’ outdated perception, counteracts asymmetric threats with active defenses, replaces solo charges with system-wide firepower, and compensates for weight disadvantages with electric-drive agility.
It’s not a replacement for the 99A but a new species of tank designed for urban warfare, hybrid warfare, and unmanned battlefields. While the world debates whether tanks are obsolete, China has already shown the answer: as long as technology is advanced enough, tanks not only survive but dominate the battlefield.
