Basic Information

Name

Type 59G (BD) Durjoy Bangladesh Main Battle Tank (MBT)

Designation

INA

Alternate Designation

INA

Equipment Type

Main Battle Tank (MBT)

Manufacturer

Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory

Date of Introduction

2015

Description

Type 59G(BD) Durjoy is an upgrade of the Type 59 tank. The Bangladesh Army's obsolete Type 59 tanks are being upgraded to Type 59G(BD) Durjoy locally with Chinese assistance. The name of the tank Durjoy means Indomitable in Bengali. Since the year 2015, Bangladesh has been upgrading its Type 59 tanks, which were bought from China in the early 2000s. In that period of time, the army bought 780 tanks, that for many years were in service for the Bangladesh army but after a few years were starting to be older compared to its modern relatives. That's why the Bangladesh Army started a project to upgrade only 300 type 59 tanks by the time because they were still functional. In the first batch, the army rebuilt 174 as MK I, and by now the army has been rebuilding other 300 type 59 tanks as MK II. China says that if Bangladesh buys VT5: lightweight main battle tanks, then China will give 300 type 59 tanks for free. The Type 59G Durjoy is one of the former MBTs of the Bangladesh Army, and the MK II is just as strong as the T 72 and it's also able to deliver serious damages into the latest versions of the T 72 because it does not have a sufficient armor to match completely with the latest T 72s, although it has much firepower than its closest relatives, such as the Indian Anjun tank or the Ukrainian Oplot tank, in fact, the Durjoy's APFSDS can penetrate 500 mm of armor with 2 km of distance, in the same distance the Arjun tank can penetrate only 200 mm of armor and the Ukrainian Oplot tank can penetrate 400 mm of armor. This process of rebuilding the type 59 tanks consists of the change of armor, armaments, and also the latest technology systems. In the process, only the hull and the chassis remains the same, because the metal of which the tank is made of can last for over 70 years, that's why great nations such as the USA, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, and others still use the chassis and the hull of their older tanks. The tank measures 6,04 meters in length, 3,27 meters in width, and 2,59 meters in height all packed up with a weight of 40 tons for the MK I and 42 tons for the MK II.

Ground Specifications

Crew 4

Engine V-12 Diesel (1200 hp)

Active Protection None

NBC Protection Yes

Variants

Type 59 The basic variant, a T-54A clone without IR searchlight. Entered production in 1957.

Type 59-I Improved variant fitted with a Type 69-II 100 mm rifled gun, as well as a laser rangefinder, hydraulic servo-system, primitive fire-control system, automatic fire suppression system, and rubber track skirt. The Type 59-I includes several versions with different armour and fire control configurations.

Type 59-II The Type 59-II (also known as WZ-120B) is an upgrade mounting a 105 mm rifled gun, similar to the Royal Ordnance L7, and adding an image intensification/infrared night sight. Mass increased to 36.5 tons.

Type 59D1 The Type 59D1 (also known as WZ-120C) is an upgrade with explosive reactive armor, a computerized stabilized fire-control system, the 105 mm. gun of the Type 59-II, and a night vision system.

Type 59G An upgrade of the Type 59, featuring a redesigned turret and armor. It uses a turret similar to that of the Type 96A, a 125 mm gun, modern fire control systems, arrow-shaped armor, spaced armor, and possibly third-generation subsystems.

Jaguar The Jaguar was a prototype vehicle based on the Type 59 chassis that was jointly developed by the United States and China during the 1980s, made possible by the US-Chinese détente of the 1970s. Planned to replace China's existing tank fleet, as well as for the export market, the tank featured improvements to the standard Type 59's engine, armament, armor, turret, optics, electronics, fire control, and suspension. Following Tiananmen Square massacre, American-Chinese relations soured and the Chinese withdrew from the project. The Americans continued alone and successfully completed the design, however, the end of the Cold War saw a glut in the international tank market, and thus no orders were ever placed for the vehicle.

Type 62 Light Tank In the late 1950s, the PLA submitted requirements for a light tank more suitable for operations in China's southern region. Development on the new Type 62 tank began in 1958, which was a scaled-down Type 59 MBT with simplified equipment. The Type 62 light tank entered batch production in 1963, and approx. 800 were produced by 1978. The Type 62 light tank weighs only 21 tons and is equipped with a Type 62-85TC 85 mm rifled gun, and 3 machine guns. An improved Type 62-I version was produced with better FCS with laser rangefinder and turret storage racks for added protection. Other versions based on the Type 62 include the Type 79 recovery vehicle (prototype only) and Type 82 earth-mover. The PLA deployed the Type 62 light tank to Vietnam during the 1979 Sino-Vietnam conflict. They found that the thin armor of the Type 62 tank could be penetrated easily by hand-held anti-tank weapons, such as the 40 mm RPG. The Type 62 tank suffered severe losses during the conflict, which convinced the PLA to develop new second-generation MBTs. The Type 62 tank received a major upgrade in 2000, with a new welded turret, vertically stabilized 105 mm rifled gun, fire-control system, night vision device, smoke grenade launchers, and explosive reactive armor (ERA) package.

Type 69 / 79 Improved Type 59 MBT built by 617 Factory (Inner Mongolia First Machine Group Co. Ltd). Only saw limited service in the PLA, but was an export success in the 1980s with more than 2,000 sold worldwide.

Type 73 This armored recovery vehicle is a Type 59 with its turret removed. The vehicle is armed with a single 12.7 mm machine gun. This armored recovery vehicle is not believed to have a winch and is limited to towing operations.

Type 59 Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle The modernized HIFV model of Type 59 weighs around 40 tons and can carry up to seven passengers. Modifications include moving the engine to the front of the vehicle chassis, increasing tank armor including explosive reactive armor on all sides, and installing a rear door for dismounting infantry.

QN-506 It is a modernized variant of the Type 59 using the tank's chassis similar to its Russian counterpart the BMPT Terminator. The vehicle was first appeared at the Zhuhai Air Show in China in November 2018 and is armed with two QN-502C anti-tank missiles, ten QN-201 multi-purpose mini-missiles, four S-507 loitering munitions, an unmanned 30 mm cannon, a 7.62 mm machine gun, six grenade launchers, and a quadcopter surveillance drone.

Type T-72Z Iran version.

Kok'san North Korea version.

Al-Zarrar Pakistan version. Heavy Industries Taxila of Pakistan has introduced the Al-Zarrar Main Battle Tank. The Al-Zarrar series was designed to improve and rebuild the Pakistani army's Type 59 tanks by way of more modern armament, fire control, defensive equipment, etc. Improvements include: 125 mm smoothbore gun, firing APFSDS, HEAT-FS and HE-FS. Semi-automatic loading and image Stabilized fire control. 730 hp Engine for improved mobility. Improved suspension. Improved defense with explosive reactive armour and anti-mine cover underneath.

Type 59G(BD) Durjoy Bangladesh version. Bangladesh Army's Type-59 are being upgraded to Type 59(BD)G Durjoy locally with Chinese assistance. 174 are being upgraded in First batch. Upgradation process includes: 125mm main gun with new turret (Type 96 turret) 28 rounds, Type-85 12.7×108mm Commander's machine gun (3,000 rounds), Co-axial 7.62mm gun (600 rounds), 81mm Smoke grenades. Chinese 3rd generation ERA on front, turret and side skirts. Modular Composite armour on turret front. Cage armour on back of turret to protect from RPG hits. NBC protection, Collective Fire suppression system. Laser warning receiver, Laser designator, Fire control system, Combat data link, Thermal imaging system. 730 H.P. Diesel engine Barrel launched ATGM firing capability. Rubber padded tracks. VLC 3000 radio contact system.

System

Alternative Designation INA

Type Main Battle Tank (MBT)

Manufacturer Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory

Family Type 59

Crew 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) ea

Passenger Capacity INA

Maximum Effective Range 450 km

Add on Parts Yes

Anti-Aircraft Yes

Dimensions

Length (Hull) 6.04 m

Length (Gun Foward) 9.0 m

Height 2.49 m

Width 3.52 m

Weight, Combat 62,500 kg

Ground Pressure 0.8 kg/m

Ground Clearance 0.5 m

Automotive

Engine Name Perkins Condor V-12

Engine Type Diesel V-12

Engine Power 1,200 hp

Fuel Capacity 1,592 liters

Transmission David Brown TN54 epicyclical (6 forward/ 2 reverse gears).

Cruising Range 450 km

Speed, Maximum Road 56 km/h

Speed, Average Cross 25 km/h

Speed Maximum Swim INA

Fording Depth 1.7 m

Gradient 60 %

Side Slope 30 %

Vertical Step 0.9 m

Trench 2.34 m

Fording 1.3 m

Communications

TBR-121

VHF Transceiver Yes

VHF Range 1 to 50 km

Proliferated Widely

Digital Data Yes, Full

Control Self-Adaptive Control (Including Automatic Antenna Tuner)

Frequency Agile Yes

Wireless Network Capabilities Yes

Note: Very similar in capabilities to the US SINCGARS ASIP

Main Weapon System

System

Name 1 x Type 59, 125mm Smoothbore Gun

Type Smoothbore Gun

Caliber 125 mm

Length, Gun Foward 11.5 m

Length, Hull 8.327 m

Max Rate of Fire 7.14 rmp

Time the Max Rate of Fire can be Sustained 8.05 seconds

Aim time 1.92 seconds

Max Fire Range 720 m

Traverse Range -180 / +180 deg

Elevation Range 20 deg

Gun Depression 7 deg

Gun Traverse 33.25 deg/Seconds

Turret Traverse 47.97 deg/sec

Ammunition

Type Smoothbore

Caliber 100 mm

Shell Velocity 900 m/s

Effective Range 720 m

Armor Penetration 185 mm

Basic Load 50 ea

Coaxial Weapon System

System

Name 1 x Type 59T, 7.62mm Genera;-Purpose Machine Gun

Type General-Purpose Machine Gun

Caliber 7.62mm Machine Gun

Location Mounted Coaxially

Length, Total 1,192 mm

Length, Barrel 658 mm

Weight (With Tripod) 17.5 kg

Weight (Gun Only) 12.6 kg

Max Rate of Fire 700-800 rds/min

Time the Max Rate of Fire can be Sustained INA

Range Finder Type Scope with Night Vision.

Action Gas-Operated, Open Bolt.

Feed System Belts in 100/200/250 round boxes.

Sights Open sights. Optical/Night vision scope can be outfitted.

Ammunition

Type Rifle

Caliber 7.62 mm

Muzzle Velocity 8547 m/s

Effective Range 460 m

Armor Penetration No

Basic Load 3,500 ea

Gunner's Weapon System

System

Name 1 x Type 54 (DShKM)

Type Anti-aircraft Machine Gun

Caliber 12.7mm

Location Above the Gunner's Hatch

Length, Total 1,625 mm

Length, Barrel 1,070 mm

Weight (Gun Only) 34 kg

Weight (on Wheeled Mounting) 157 kg

Action Gas-Operated, Flapper Locking.

Max Rate of Fire 600 rds/min

Time the Max Rate of Fire can be Sustained INA

Sustain Rate of Fire INA

Range Finder Type Optical, Iron Sights.

Feed System 50 Round Belt.

Ammunition

Type heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge

Caliber 12.7x108 mm

Muzzle Velocity 850 m/s

Max Effective Range 2,500 km

Armor Penetration API: 21 at 500 m & 13 at 1000 m (RHA).

Basic Load 1,200 ea

Fire Control

Name Type 37A light spot fire-control system

Computerized FCS Yes

Thermal Sight Tank Commander Available

Thermal Sight Gunner Available

Main Gun Stabilization 2-plane

Range, Day Sight (With Magnification) 5,000 m

Range, Thermal Sight (With Magnification) 1,000 m

Infrared Searchlight Yes

Laser Rangfinder Yes

Pop-up Vision Blocks two

Reaction Time (Static Target) 6 seconds

Reaction Time (Moving Target) 9 seconds

Protection

Applique Armor Yes, Track Shirts

Explosive Reactive Armor Yes

Active Protection System No

Mine Clearing INA

Self-Entrenching Blade No

NBC Protection Yes

Smoke Equipment Yes, Grenlaunch 8x; VESS

IR Signature No

Armor, Front Upper 97 mm

Armor, Front Lower 99 mm

Armor, Sides Upper 79 mm

Armor, Sides Lower 20 mm

Armor, Hull Rear 46 mm

Armor, Hull Floor 20 mm

Armor, Top 33 mm

Armor, Turret Front 203 mm

Armor, Turret Sides 203 mm

Armor, Turret Rear 64 mm

Armor, Turret Top 39 mm

Smoke Equipment 8 x 81-mm smoke grenade launchers. Vehicle engine exhaust smoke system.

Image Sources

Notes https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bangladesh_Army_upgraded_T-59G_%27Durjoy%27_MBT._%2833659625935%29.jpg; https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ynpm9v/type59g_durjoy_bangladesh_army/; https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=1282;