The Type 15 tank - Black Panther, Chinese light tank

The Type 15 tank (also known as the ZTQ-15 or nicknamed "Black Panther") is a third-generation Chinese light tank developed by NORINCO. It was specifically designed to operate in challenging terrain—such as highlands, mountainous regions (like Tibet), forests, and wetland areas—where heavy Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) struggle to maneuver.

Key Characteristics and Specifications

Mobility and Weight: It weighs approximately 33 to 36 tons. This light weight facilitates transport by military cargo aircraft, enabling rapid deployment.

Main Armament: It is equipped with a 105mm rifled gun featuring an automatic loading system (autoloader). The gun can fire various types of anti-tank ammunition and guided missiles, with an effective range of 3–5 km.

High-Altitude Engine: It is powered by a 1,000-horsepower (hp) diesel engine. The engine utilizes a modular turbocharged system to compensate for low oxygen levels at high altitudes, ensuring performance does not degrade.

Protection System: It features composite armor and modular add-on steel armor, including Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) and cage armor designed to withstand anti-tank rocket attacks. The tank is also equipped with laser warning sensors as part of its passive defense system.

Efficient Crewing: Thanks to the automatic ammunition loading system, the tank requires a crew of only three personnel (commander, gunner, and driver).

The development of the Type 15 (ZTQ-15) tank was driven by China's strategic geographic military requirements.

Between the late 2000s and early 2011, the Chinese Army (PLA) recognized that its existing light tank fleet—the Type 62—had become severely obsolete (having been introduced in 1963). On the other hand, their mainstay Main Battle Tanks (MBTs)—such as the Type 96 and Type 99—are excessively heavy (weighing between 42 and 58 tons). Heavy MBTs cannot operate effectively in China's rugged southwestern border regions, characterized by high, rocky mountains (such as Tibet and Xinjiang), because the thin air causes standard tank engines to lose power. Heavy MBTs also struggle to traverse the dense forests or marshlands found in the south.

The state-owned defense company NORINCO held an internal competition to design a next-generation light tank. The winning design was specifically developed for China's domestic military as the ZTQ-15. Meanwhile, the losing design was not discarded but instead modified into a commercial variant for the export market, designated the VT5.

Mass production began around 2016. Its existence was first confirmed by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense in December 2018, and it was grandly unveiled to the world during the 70th National Day military parade in Beijing on October 1, 2019. The tank proved crucial when deployed to the Tibetan plateau border during tensions with India in mid-2020.

User Nations: 

Currently, operators of the Type 15 tank are divided into users of the domestic version (ZTQ-15) and users of the export version (VT5):

China (Primary User)

Operated extensively by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Hundreds of units are actively used by specialized units, namely: PLA Ground Force: Stationed within the Xinjiang and Tibet Military Commands to guard high-altitude regions. PLA Navy Marine Corps: Used for high-speed amphibious landing operations. PLA Air Force Airborne Corps: Due to its light weight, the tank can be airdropped from military cargo aircraft.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh became the first foreign nation and the inaugural export customer to purchase this tank. The Bangladesh Army ordered the VT5 variant (approximately 44 units) because the tank's characteristics were deemed highly suitable for traversing the marshy terrain, rivers, and muddy ground typical of South Asia—areas that are difficult for heavy Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to navigate.

HQ-7B - Chinese-made short-range air defense (SHORAD)

The HQ-7B is a Chinese-made short-range air defense (SHORAD) missile system developed by the China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC). It is the most advanced modern variant of the HongQi 7 (HQ-7) missile family, which is based on the technology of the French Crotale missile system. The export version of the HQ-7B is widely known as the FM-90.

HQ-7B - CHINA

Key characteristics of the HQ-7B include:

High Mobility: Unlike the original version, which utilized a 4x4 vehicle, the HQ-7B employs a domestically produced 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle chassis to enhance mobility over rugged terrain.

Armament: It utilizes a TELAR (Transporter Erector Launcher and Radar) vehicle equipped with four ready-to-fire missile canisters and an integrated tracking radar.

Interception Capability: Specifically designed to destroy low-altitude and ultra-low-altitude targets, such as fighter aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones).

Tracking System: Equipped with a Doppler search radar, a J-band tracking radar, and an infrared (IR) tracking camera to ensure high accuracy across various weather conditions.

FM-90 , PAKISTAN

Range: It has an operational interception range of 700 meters to 15 kilometers, capable of engaging targets at altitudes between 15 and 6,000 meters.

The system is widely used by the Chinese Armed Forces (PLA) for point defense, protecting military bases or vital assets against short-range air attacks.

Development of the HQ-7B missile system began in the late 1990s as a major upgrade to the original HQ-7 system. To view the full development timeline, here is the chronological evolution of this missile system:

Late 1970s (Origins): China imported several units of the French Crotale missile system for evaluation and reverse-engineering.

Crotale missile French

1980s (The First HQ-7): The first cloned version was successfully tested in 1983, and the initial mass-production model (HQ-7 / FM-80) officially entered service in the late 1980s.

1998 (Birth of the FM-90 Variant): The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) launched an advanced export version designated the FM-90. This version incorporated new technologies, such as infrared tracking cameras and faster missiles.

2009 (Public Debut of the HQ-7B): Following its integration onto a domestically produced 6x6 armored vehicle chassis, this domestic variant—officially used by the Chinese military—was widely adopted by the Chinese Army (PLA) and made its public debut in 2009.

Thus, although its roots lie in 1980s technology, the specific HQ-7B variant was developed from the late 1990s onwards, eventually becoming ready for mass deployment in 2009.

FM-90 BANGLADESH

The primary operators of the FM-90 missile system (the export version of the HQ-7B) are located across several regions, particularly in South Asia, Central Asia, and Africa; these include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Algeria.

The Chinese Rocket Force (PLARF)

China's armed forces established the Rocket Force as part of the reform and restructuring of its military. Details on the new Rocket Force unit: It replaces the Second Artillery Corps, which previously managed China's nuclear and long-range conventional arsenals.

The Chinese Rocket Force (PLARF) was officially established on December 31, 2015 (effective January 1, 2016). Its formation was announced directly by President Xi Jinping as part of a massive reform effort to modernize the Chinese military. Although its status as a full military service branch was only formalized in 2015, the unit has a long operational history:

July 1, 1966 (Origins): The unit was first formed as the Second Artillery Corps under the instruction of Premier Zhou Enlai to manage China's secret nuclear weapons.

December 31, 2015 (Transformation): Its status was upgraded from a specialized corps/branch under the General Staff to an independent military service on par with the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The PLARF is a vital element of Beijing's military modernization. It controls the world's largest arsenal of land-based missiles, comprising both nuclear-armed and conventional systems.

The following are details regarding its weaponry and strategic objectives:

Weaponry Strength & Capabilities: The PLARF operates various advanced missiles featuring global range and high accuracy:

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs): It possesses missiles such as the DF-41 and DF-5C, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads with ranges exceeding 12,000 to 20,000 kilometers—sufficient to reach the continental United States and Europe. Hypersonic Missiles: Operates the DF-17, a hypersonic missile specifically designed to penetrate modern Western air defense systems.

Conventional & Medium-Range Missiles: Possesses thousands of highly accurate short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), and ground-based cruise missiles. These include the DF-21D and DF-26, dubbed "Carrier Killers" due to their ability to target moving aircraft carriers at sea.

Nuclear Warheads: Estimated to possess around 600 operational nuclear warheads, with a goal of rapidly increasing this number to over 1,000 to strengthen its strategic defense.

Strategic Objectives: Broadly speaking, the PLARF pursues a dual mission: war deterrence and tactical offensive operations (warfighting):

Nuclear Deterrence & Counter-strike: Ensures China's capability to launch a credible nuclear counter-strike in the event of a first strike against the country. China maintains a "No First Use" doctrine. Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) Strategy: Blocks or restricts the movement of foreign militaries (particularly the United States and its allies) in the Western Pacific region. 

These missiles are deployed to secure sensitive areas such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Long-Range Precision Strikes: Neutralizes high-value enemy targets—such as military bases, radar systems, command centers, and logistics—early in a conflict to pave the way for Chinese army, navy, and air force operations.

2S25M Sprut-SDM1 - Amphibious Light Tank

The 2S25M Sprut-SDM1 is a modern Russian-made amphibious light tank and tank destroyer developed specifically for the Airborne Forces (VDV) and Marines. This combat vehicle is designed to be parachuted from cargo aircraft (such as the Il-76) with the crew on board to provide massive direct fire support after landing.

Main Characteristics & Advantages: Main Battle Tank (MBT)-Equivalent Firepower: Despite its compact size, this tank is armed with a 125 mm 2A75M smoothbore gun. This weapon has a destructive power comparable to that of Russian main battle tanks such as the T-72 and T-90, and is capable of firing anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) up to 5 km away.

Full Amphibious Capability: The Sprut-SDM1 can swim underwater using two water jet engines at speeds of up to 7 km/h, and can even fire its main gun while floating on the sea.

High Mobility: With a very light weight (only around 18 tons), this tank can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h on land and is highly agile in various difficult terrain.

Modern Fire Control System: Equipped with an advanced thermal sensor sight similar to that of the T-90MS tank, this tank also adopts a hunter-killer system that allows the commander to automatically aim at a new target while the gunner engages the previous one.

Main Weakness: Limited Armor Protection: To maintain its light weight for airdropping and waterborne maneuverability, its armor is relatively thin. Its frontal surface is only resistant to 12.7 mm rounds, while all other surfaces are only resistant to 7.62 mm rounds and artillery shells.

The development history of the Sprut-SDM1 is divided into three main phases:

1. Soviet Era. The project began in 1984. The Soviet Airborne Forces (VDV) needed a light armored vehicle with exceptional firepower to destroy enemy main battle tanks after being deployed behind defense lines. First Trials: Using the Object 934 light tank prototype chassis and a 125 mm gun, state testing was conducted between 1984 and 1991. However, the project was halted due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and technical problems with the parachute system.

2. Birth of the Initial Version: 2S25 Sprut-SD (2001–2010). In 2001, the Volgograd Tractor Plant resumed the abandoned project. They redesigned the vehicle based on the BMD-3 amphibious landing vehicle chassis. The tank was officially adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in 2006 as the 2S25 Sprut-SD. Produced in small numbers (around 30–40 units), the Russian military halted production in 2010 due to engine reliability issues and logistical difficulties in integrating spare parts.

3. Total Modernization to Sprut-SDM1 (2015–Present), The project was then taken over by the Russian defense giant, Kurganmashzavod. To make maintenance much easier, they standardized components (unification). The old chassis was replaced using the BMD-4M combat vehicle chassis and the engine was replaced with the same UTD-29 diesel engine as the BMP-3 tank. The prototype of the modern version (Sprut-SDM1) was completed in 2015 and exhibited to the public in 2016. Rigorous State Tests (2020–2022): This tank passed a series of extreme trials in various fields, starting from firing tests in the middle of a Black Sea storm, operational tests in the frozen region of Siberia, to tests dropped from a high tower to simulate a hard impact when parachuted. Mass Production Stage: After being declared to have passed the state test in early 2022, this light tank is ready for mass production to strengthen the Russian VDV fleet and is offered for the export market to countries such as India (for highland conflict areas).