China’s splashy Zhuhai Air Show suffered an awkward setback on Monday when a VT-4 main battle tank broke down in the middle of a live demonstration. Efforts to revive the tank were unsuccessful, leaving it rooted to the spot for the rest of the show.
The VT-4, produced by the China North Industries Corporation (Norinco), was designed as an alternative to Russia’s workhorse T-90 main battle tank, which dates back to the late 1990s. Both of them are meant to stand up to the legendary M1 Abrams tank introduced by the U.S. military in the 1980s.
The Abrams was among the early “third generation” tanks, which introduced composite armor, electronic targeting systems, and protection against nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) warfare. The fourth generation of battle tanks is still taking shape, but it will certainly include better defenses against drones and anti-tank missiles.
China has been hoping to sell VT-4s to countries with a substantial number of Russian T-90s in their inventory. The opportunity exists because production on Russia’s own upgrades to the T-90 design have been delayed for some time, and arms buyers are growing nervous about triggering sanctions imposed against Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The Zhuhai Air Show, formally known as the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, is a major venue for China to market its weapons technology to other countries. It was the perfect place for the VT-4 to strut its stuff, but unfortunately for Norinco, the strutting ended rather abruptly.
The failure of the VT-4 was particularly embarrassing because arms buyers have long-standing complaints about the unreliability of Chinese hardware. On the bright side, the VT-4 apparently brakes quite well for a 52-ton vehicle that can supposedly exceed 40 miles per hour on flat terrain.