With the launch of the ZTZ-99A remote-controlled tank, Henglong Tank’s Chinese Type 99 main battle tank has now entered its third-generation model. Therefore, in this episode, our Henglong editor will take you on a journey through the development history of the Henglong 99 tank and share some fascinating little-known facts about China’s Type 99 tank.

First-generation Type 99 tank – 9910

The tank shown in the above photo is the Type 99 main battle tank, which made its debut at the 50th-anniversary military parade in 1999. According to information now publicly available, what was then referred to as the Type 99 main battle tank was actually nothing more than a prototype developed under the code name “Project 9910.” Although the number of prototypes produced under Project 9910 was small and they were never officially adopted for service, this project marked the beginning of China’s independent development of main battle tanks, ushering in an era of legendary tanks that would go on to leave their mark on history. The Type 9910 prototype was equipped with a 1,200-horsepower diesel engine and featured a 125mm-caliber smoothbore gun as its main armament. But what truly set this prototype apart—and caught everyone by surprise—was that it was already fitted with thermal imaging sighting equipment as early as 1999.

The 9910 engineering prototype is also the groundbreaking model in the Henglong 99 tank series. From now on, Chinese remote-control tank enthusiasts can finally own a remote-control tank model that replicates the design of our military’s tanks.

Second-generation Type 99 tank – Phase I upgrade

The Phase I modification was introduced in 2001. This Phase I modification represented a major upgrade to the 9910 project. It was equipped with a turret featuring wedge-shaped armor. The gridded armor panels on either side of the rear of the turret were also replaced with additional armor plates shaped like rectangles. Meanwhile, the protrusion on top of the turret from the original 9910 prototype vehicle was retained.
Meanwhile, the vehicle hull has also undergone significant modifications. The tank’s hull no longer features the originally positioned V-shaped anti-rolling plates at the front.

Instead, domestically produced third-generation explosive reactive armor (ERA) is used.
Since the Type 99 tank has never been assigned a Chinese military equipment designation, the naming of the Type 99 tank in China has been somewhat confusing since the introduction of the first-generation upgrade. Western media refer to the first-generation upgrade as either "Type 99G" or "Type 99A1." The naming convention adopted by Henglong Models for its upgraded version of the Type 99 tank—the Henglong 99A main battle tank—follows precisely this Western media nomenclature.

The design of the Henglong 99A main battle tank adopts the styling of the Phase I modification of the 99. The turret features wedge-shaped armor and retains the protrusion on top of the turret. In addition, the additional armor blocks at the rear of the turret are rectangular in shape.

Around 2011, the Type 99 tank underwent a second upgrade. After this upgrade, the protrusion on top of the turret disappeared, and the additional armor plates at the rear of the turret were reconfigured into a trapezoidal shape.

Since, from an external perspective, the changes to the 99 Phase II modification are not very noticeable, Henglong Models did not release a product based on the 99 Phase II modification.

Third-generation 99 tank—99A

The development work on the third-generation modification of the Type 99, now commonly referred to as the Type 99A main battle tank, began in 2003. The higher authorities set forth the requirement for the third-generation modification of the Type 99 to create a domestically produced, information-enabled tank. Consequently, considerable effort was devoted to informationization during the development of the third-generation modification.

According to the information currently available, the Type 99 Phase III upgrade features an electronically enhanced cannon calibration system, and its main gun is capable of firing gun-launched anti-tank missiles. To counter the growing number of threats on the battlefield, the Type 99 Phase III upgrade has been equipped with an active defense system.

In addition, the turret’s top armor, the wedge-shaped armor on the front, and the additional armor at the rear of the turret have been further reinforced.

Therefore, the turret shape of the Type 99 Phase III modification is also larger than that of the Type 99 Phase II modification. This may be due to the addition of numerous information-based components inside the cockpit, causing the driver’s hatch to shift slightly to the left from its original position directly beneath the turret.

99 third-generation upgraded 12-cylinder 1,500-horsepower diesel engine

In addition, to keep pace with the world’s leading tank technologies, the Type 99 Third-Generation upgrade has been equipped with a diesel engine delivering 1,500 horsepower. Because the 1,500-horsepower engine is larger in size, the power compartment of the Type 99 Third-Generation has been noticeably raised. As a result, from an external perspective, the entire vehicle now bears a closer resemblance to the U.S. M1 Abrams tank.

Although the Type 99 Phase III upgrade has still not been assigned a military equipment designation, chief designer Mao Ming explicitly stated in a media interview that the Type 99 Phase III is indeed the Type 99A. He explained that the design team had initially considered naming this battle tank—the one already equipped with信息化 capabilities—“Type 10,” but to avoid duplication with tanks used by certain other countries, they ultimately decided to call the Type 99 Phase III upgrade simply “Type 99A.”

The 99A main battle tank is a brand-new addition to the Henglong 99 tank series. The entire series is equipped with a retractable main gun, which can simulate the recoil effect of a real tank firing its cannon. The entire series features a torsion-bar suspension system that perfectly replicates the structural design of a real tank chassis. Two brand-new digital camouflage patterns faithfully recreate the glorious moments of the two victorious military parades held over the past decade.