Type 59 main battle tank

China's Type 59 main battle tank (MBT) was originally a licensed copy of the former Soviet T-54 /55, a substantial number of which the Chinese received in the early 1950s. Like the T-55, the Type 59 can be recognized by its squat, dome-shaped cast turret and large gap between the first and second road wheels. The Type 59 has a 100-mm Type 59 gun that is basically a copy of the Soviet D-10 gun on the T-55.

In more recent years, the Type 59 has been the object of several retrofit...