Type-96B seen as pillar of nation's tank force

China's military is likely to deploy the Type-96B tank as the pillar of its tank fleet, replacing most of its old models, observers said.

Gao Zhuo, a military observer in Shanghai who has close contact with the People's Liberation Army, told China Daily that the excellent capabilities of the Type-96B qualify it to be the backbone of China's tank force.

"The Type-96B is the strongest variant of the Type-96 family and is truly an advanced, third-generation main battle tank," he said. "The PLA will use it to replace the old tanks such as the Type-59 and Type-69 models."