History:

The Type 85 tank is a modificated version of the Type 80 tank. The turret design was improved and is now made of welded steel plates instead of a cast turret. The Type 85 is fitted with some features which can also be found in the later Type 90 tank. These are the 120 mm smoothbore main gun which is capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT, and HEAT-FRAG, a stabilized image intensification sight to fire on the move and a modern fire control system. The gun is fitted with an autoloader of Russian 2A46M design. This reduces the crew to three men, allowing the storage of more rounds and a higher rate of fire. The tank carries 42 rounds, 22 of them stored in the carousel of the autoloader. It also has a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun which is mounted on the commander's cupola. The Type 85 is protected with modular composite armor and can also be fitted with reactive armor. Rubber hull skirts protect the wheels and tracks. The turret is surrounded by storage racks which also provide additional protection against HEAT projectiles.