readx;

/*728*15, created on Aug 16, 2012*/varcpro_id='u1025861';

【10,000 Words Update】

Stimulated by the new generation of main battle tanks of the Western powers, as well as the fear of the Soviet T24 tank, the latest M28 series main battle tank of the Imperial Chinese Army has undergone many improvements, until it has the performance of comprehensively suppressing the latest main battle tanks of various countries before obtaining a bulk purchase order from the Army Commission. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info╔╗

Considering that the caliber of the main gun of the new main battle tank of the Western powers has reached 75 mm, the 30 mm armor of the M16 tank can no longer effectively protect it, so the M28A1 main battle tank is required to use a main gun caliber of more than 75 mm. Beiyang Ordnance Heavy Industry, which is responsible for the development of 75 mm main guns, has developed a variety of tank guns, with a minimum diameter of 22 times and a maximum diameter of 40 times, but in the end, considering that large-caliber and large-diameter tank guns cause a serious burden on the overall structure and weight of the combat vehicle, the volume and weight of the artillery system are greatly increased, which affects the overall mobility of the combat vehicle, and brings huge pressure on the load-bearing and life of the track.

Therefore, in the end, after coordination with the Army Committee, Beiyang Ordnance Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. developed a 65 mm caliber 45 times the diameter of the MK-34 tank gun system, which is moderate in weight and volume. Although the caliber of the main gun is smaller than the caliber of the 75 mm main gun of the French Charb1-BIS main battle tank, the muzzle velocity of the M28A1 tank gun with 45 times the diameter reaches 630 meters per second, and the shell penetrates 57 mm armor at 1,500 meters, and penetrates less than 30 mm armor at 2,000 meters, which is much stronger than the 75 tank gun of the Charb1-BIS tank, so the Army Commission agreed to use this tank gun as the main gun of the M28A1 tank.

Improvements have been made in the area of ammunition reserve. Considering that during the largest and fiercest tank battles of the Imperial Army in Operation Desert Storm, each tank consumed an average of about 40~60 shells, and taking into account the use of 65 mm large-caliber shells. Too much ammunition affects the safety of the vehicle, increases the load of the vehicle, and affects the vehicle's speed and maneuverability. As a result, the number of ammunition reserves of the M28A1 tank decreased again, and the number of ammunition reserves of the M16 tank was 15 rounds less than that of the M45 tank. The B71 armor-piercing projectile is used, with a maximum rate of fire of 8 rounds / min (loader), 2 rounds / min in manual case, and under normal combat conditions, experienced shooters can control it at about 5 rounds / min. The entire turret is driven by a hybrid electric/manual drive system, and the turret rotates 360 degrees. The effective control angle of the commander is 270 degrees, and the gun pitch range is -6 degrees ~ 13 degrees (gun forward state) and -3 ° ~ 16 ° (gun backward state).

On the battlefield, the main gun of the tank is only used as a weapon against the enemy's tanks and fortifications, and the most lethal power is not the main gun of the tank, but the machine gun weapon system of the tank, which shoots a large number of enemy forces. And a 12.7 mm M2 heavy machine gun on the M16 tank. It has proven to be highly lethal and has achieved amazing results on the battlefield. Therefore. The M28A1 main battle tank continues to use the M2 heavy machine gun weapon system, and the reserve ammunition has been increased to 850 rounds, which is amazingly powerful. It became a powerful weapon of destruction on the M28A1 vehicle.

In addition to the MK-24 main gun and the M2 heavy machine gun, the air defense weapon system was valued by the Chinese Imperial Government for the first time, because during Operation Desert Storm, the Chinese Imperial Air Force dispatched Hellfire fighters and used air-launched rocket weapons to carry out a fierce attack on the armored units of the Armenian Army. A considerable part of the enemy tanks were destroyed by rockets. The same scene also appeared on the battlefield in South Africa, when the joint ** air force attacked the armored forces of the Republic of South Africa, the enemy's tanks and armored vehicles were violently attacked by rockets from the Hellfire fighters that swooped down, and suffered heavy losses.

These real-world examples show that the threat of combat vehicles is not only the threat of artillery fire and tank guns from the ground, but also the threat from the air. Therefore, in order to improve the battlefield survivability of the M28A1 combat vehicle, military experts have further improved the M2 heavy machine gun to make it have the ability to shoot in the air and use it as an anti-aircraft anti-aircraft machine gun at a certain angle. However, the M2 heavy machine gun's anti-aircraft firing capabilities were still limited, for which another anti-aircraft weapon was quickly developed.

Military experts found from the combat exercises of the special forces of the Chinese Empire that when the special forces used armored combat vehicles, they often used smoke bombs to create shelter areas, so that the opponent could not see the position of the combat vehicles clearly, so that they could successfully maneuver to the designated position to carry out counterattacks against the enemy. ╔╗

Military experts learned from this experience and installed six smoke grenade launchers on both sides of the M28A1 to fire smoke grenades to create a cover area, so that the enemy could not locate the vehicle, thereby increasing the vehicle's survivability during attack or retreat.

In order to be able to effectively load the MK-24 tank gun weapon system and the M2 heavy machine gun system, the M28A1 combat vehicle is based on the M16 combat vehicle, and the turret becomes flattened while the height remains the same, reducing the probability of being hit by the enemy's direct fire artillery and improving the survivability of the battlefield.

The total length of the M28A1 tank is 7.41 meters, thanks to the progress of the equipment industry of the Chinese emperor, the volume of various combat vehicle equipment has been greatly reduced, making the M28A1 tank 0.59 meters shorter than the M16 tank. However, because it is equipped with the MK-34 main gun system with up to 45 times the diameter, the gun reaches 10.445 meters forward and 10.275 meters backward.

In order to improve the survival rate on the battlefield, the overall height of the M28A1 was reduced to 2.19 meters, which is a full 0.61 meters lower than the height of the M16 vehicle. The height of the line of fire is about 1.645 meters, and the bottom of the car is 0.47 meters above the ground.

Due to the progress of international main battle tanks, the M28A1 main battle tank needs to keep pace with the times and maintain a leading position, so the combat vehicle is equipped with a lot of advanced equipment used to improve the combat vehicle's firepower intensity, combat speed, handling performance, stability, comfort, electronic communications and other aspects, compared with the M16 combat vehicle has increased more than ten kinds of advanced equipment, so in order to install these equipment, the M28A1 combat vehicle can only be achieved by widening the width of the combat vehicle while reducing the height. After the final design was finalized, the width of the M28A1 was increased to 3.38 meters, and with the skirt to 3.52 meters.

The M28A1 tank has a powerful fire system. It is a mortal threat to the enemy, but the enemy's fire system is not a paper tiger either, which also threatens the survivability of the M28A1 tank. Reducing vehicle height and installing smoke bombs alone will not be enough to significantly increase survivability. True battlefield survivability depends on the armor protection of the vehicle itself.

Armor protection is always the first life support of a combat vehicle, and it is also the first rule of survival on the battlefield. Therefore, the M28A1 tank continues to follow the armor protection route of the M16 tank, using high-strength Chinese special steel, comprehensive heavy armor protection, the front and upper part of the hull is 75 mm thick nickel-chromium composite hardened armor with an inclination of 22 degrees, and the lower front part is a 70 mm thick homogeneous Chinese special steel with an inclination of 30 degrees. The sides were 80 mm thick vertical armor, the rear was 70 mm thick, and the turret front was 100 mm thick homogeneous special steel with an inclination of 60 degrees. On the sides is 80 mm thick vertical homogeneous armor, focusing on the protection of the cockpit, bomb supply bay and fuel tank, in addition to the overall armor protection, the three add an additional 30 mm thick protective armor against secondary explosions.

The use of oblique armor was a special instruction of Emperor Wang Chenhao, because armor of the same thickness and strength was more durable than armor placed vertically when attacked by the same shells (the principle that the beveled edge is greater than the right-angled edge). It has stronger protection capabilities. As a result, the M28A1 is highly protected. It can effectively resist the attack of artillery below 100 mm, and has become the most effective guarantee for the M28A1 combat vehicle to greatly improve the survivability of the battlefield.

Again, in the case of ensuring the same protection capability. With an inclined arrangement, a considerable part of the weight of the armor can be saved. As a result, the total combat weight of the M28A1 tank is only 42 tons, which is 12 tons heavier than the M16 tank, but the firepower and protection capabilities are several times higher.

In order to be able to propel this behemoth, the propulsion system of the M28A1 main battle tank uses a Diesel 25 type six-cylinder, six-stroke high-power water-cooled diesel engine. The power reaches 450 horsepower. Thanks to the powerful engine, the M28A1 vehicle has a maximum speed of 62 km/h on the road and 35 km/h off-road, with a fuel reserve of 1,600 liters and a maximum range of 500 km/h on the road.

The journey of 500 kilometers can be greatly improved, thanks to the great progress of the material industry technology of the Chinese Empire, so that the life of the track has been greatly improved. ╔╗ The most wear-resistant special alloy steel is used as the track connection rolling bearing, and an embedded groove is added between the bearings, which is filled with synthetic polymer rubber and lubricating oil, so as to greatly increase the wear resistance of the track connection area, so that the service life of the track is increased to 1500 kilometers, and for the M28A1 combat vehicle, the maintenance cost and logistics support pressure are greatly reduced.

However, the track technology of the Chinese Empire at this time was still not comparable with the technology of the 21st century, in order to be able to install rolling bearings inside the track joints, the track width of the M28A1 main battle tank had to be increased to 580 mm, and the track ground length was also increased to 425 meters.

After more than ten years of research, tank experts have found that the combat personnel in the combat vehicle, which has a variety of advanced transmission devices, load-bearing wheels, induction wheels and towing wheels, and a spring-suspended shock absorption system installed between the load-bearing wheels and the vehicle body, can more quickly adapt to the ever-changing battlefield and find a favorable firing position to attack the enemy tank.

As a result, the M28A1 vehicle was significantly improved in this regard, and the transmission was changed to an electric/mechanical two-sided gearbox with seven forward gears and one reverse gear. The steering device increases the clutch and braking device (one or reverse gear), and the side gearbox downshift device (second to seventh gear) is added at low speed, and the suspension device is changed from the most primitive spring suspension shock absorption system to the torsion bar high and low variable distance shock absorption system, the installation of this system makes the M28A1 main battle tank can still ensure the smooth progress of the combat vehicle in the case of uneven road surface.

In terms of electronics, the M28A1 tank is equipped with an optoelectronic ranging system to improve the gunner's aiming capabilities. In good weather, the optical sight works normally, and in dark weather, a beam is fired to compensate for the lack of light, allowing the gunner to continue aiming at the target.

In addition, the M28A1 is equipped with a radio that transmits and receives at the same time, allowing each tank crew to communicate directly with the commander and even the nearest command directly. This change was the result of the experience of the Imperial Chinese Army during the war against the United States, when the armored units of the Imperial Army often called for air support, and the combat vehicles that rushed to the front often had to report to the company headquarters and battalion headquarters first. The battalion headquarters and regimental headquarters then contacted the air force, and then the air force headquarters issued orders to the air wings, brigades, squadrons, and squads in turn, and the whole process lasted a long time. Frequent delays in fighter planes, and even communication errors cause accidental injuries to their own personnel.

After the war, after many meetings to sum up experience, the emperor Wang Chenhao put forward a research plan for the theory of air-ground cooperative operations, and finally the air force and the army set up an air-ground coordination command; during the battle, the army's most front-line company and platoon-level troops can directly use the military channel to call for support from the nearest air force fighter in an emergency, and the air force squad or squadron that receives the support request directly goes into battle with the front-line troops after verifying their identities through radio, so that the probability of delaying fighters can be greatly reduced and combat efficiency can be improved.

Thereupon. On the new generation of M28A1 main battle tanks, a radio communication system that was previously only available to command vehicles above the company platoon level was directly installed. The General Headquarters or His Majesty the Emperor can even directly issue orders to the grassroots units and personnel at the forefront of the battlefield, greatly enhancing the command ability of the General Headquarters to the frontline of the battlefield.

In addition, the M28A1 tank has a number of other features. For example, the depth of wading in the water can reach 1.2 meters without preparation, and the depth of diving can reach 5 meters when there is preparation. The climb is up to 60%. The slope reaches 40%, and the vertical wall height can reach 0.8 meters. The width of the trench is up to 2.7 meters, and the minimum turning radius is 1.76 meters.

On the whole, the M28A1 main battle tank of the Imperial Chinese Army has become a leading international representative in all aspects of performance. With such fierce firepower, strong protection capability, fast speed, and high comprehensive combat capability, there is no problem in comprehensively suppressing the main battle tanks of all countries in the world.

But. Behind the power also comes a high cost. As early as many years ago, when the M16 tank was just put into production, its cost reached more than 350,000 dragon coins, and with the progress of the Chinese Imperial chariot manufacturing process, by the 28th year of Guanghua, the cost of the M16A2 upgraded chariot had been reduced to 120,000 dragon coins. ╔╗Now the cost of the M28A1 tank has soared to 450,000 dragon coins again, although the Imperial Congress is not too happy with this price, but thinking that the cost of the M16 tank will soon drop with the progress of the process, it is believed that in the near future, the cost of the M28A1 tank will definitely drop significantly, so the first batch of defense budget for the production of 300 M28A1 tanks was finally approved.

In addition to the M28A1, the Imperial Army applied for the production of 150 M28A2 tanks and 100 M28A3 tanks. Among them, the engine and other key equipment of the M28A2 tank are additionally equipped with an air filtration system to protect against sand and dust, which is used as the main combat equipment when performing combat missions in desert areas, mainly for Kuwaiti military bases in the Middle East and imperial garrisons in the Suez Canal Zone of Egypt. The M28A3 tank is an amphibious combat vehicle, equipped with hull armor and watertight cabins, so that it can carry out beach-rushing landing operations in a wave environment of no more than 5 meters, and is mainly equipped for the armored forces of the Imperial Marine Corps.

Since the world was still in the treaty era at this time, the imperial side did not have high requirements for the full service time of the M28A1 main battle tank, and according to the needs of the production line, it is estimated that all 550 combat vehicles will be delivered to the Imperial Army and Marine Corps in five years at the earliest. That is to say, the Chinese Empire only produces about 100 M28 tanks per year, because in the absence of war, the existing M16 tanks in the Chinese Empire can continue to serve for five or six or even ten years without any problems.

As a comprehensive replacement for the armored tribune, the W16 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicles in service in the Imperial Chinese Army naturally also have replacements.

Although the post-war world powers did not have more funds to produce armored combat vehicles, their research on the armored tribunes of the Chinese Empire was ongoing. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and other countries have successively launched their own research and development of the "armored three musketeers" equipment, although they have made great progress in the main battle tank, but in the wheeled infantry combat vehicle has not been able to come up with decent products, this is because they are facing a huge problem, that is, in the rubber tires have not been able to research bulletproof, lightning resistant high-strength wheels. The great achievements of the Chinese empire in material science and technology have made it a monopoly on the global rubber technology, production and sales. The use of natural rubber by the great powers and countries simply cannot reach the level required for the tires of infantry chariots, and the synthetic polymer shaped rubber is only available in the Chinese Empire, because the professional researchers in synthetic rubber in all Western countries have basically disappeared overnight. Either went to the Chinese Empire, or disappeared or died, and the Chinese Empire used various means to ensure its absolute monopoly on polymer shaped rubber. This makes it impossible for Western countries to produce tires that can be used on wheeled infantry chariots.

Therefore, in the era of the treaty, the W16 wheeled infantry chariot of the Chinese Empire was still in absolute leading position, and the Western powers could only develop tracked infantry chariots, or import military wheels from the Chinese Empire as wheels for their wheeled infantry chariots.

Although the W16 wheeled infantry vehicle is still ahead, the Imperial Army Commission still requires the relevant military research units to develop a new wheeled infantry vehicle to replace the W16. The R&D units are also responsible for Ford Motor Industry Group and Beiyang Ordnance Heavy Industry.

The Imperial Army Council gave them targets. The new wheeled infantry combat vehicle is required to have high maneuverability on the road and off-road; No preparation is required, the vehicle can be floated and transported by air; It has a large bullet resistance; There are a variety of variants, which can complete various combat missions; Simple training and maintenance; low cost, etc.

The new wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, named the W30 wheeled armored infantry fighting vehicle, still uses the excellent layout of the W16 style. The overall layout scheme of the engine and drivetrain in front and in the rear of the passenger compartment. Such an advantage is the possibility of providing a larger space for the fighting compartment for arranging ammunition and crew working positions.

The W30 wheeled infantry chariot has been finalized in the 28th year of Guanghua, but the reason why it is positioned as a W30 wheeled infantry chariot instead of the W28 is because the Army Commission did not want to produce this infantry chariot in the 28th year of Guanghua, because there is no need for the W16 to be decommissioned. Therefore, it is planned to produce it according to the situation after 30 years of Guanghua, so the W30 is tentatively scheduled. There are still changes in the future.

There are two prototypes of the W30 infantry vehicle, the W30A1 with a combat weight of 14.2 tons (6x6) and the W30A2 with a combat weight of 13 tons (4x4), both with a crew of 2. ╔╗It can carry 10~12 infantry.

The hull of the W30 infantry vehicle is divided into 3 main parts. There are 2 side doors and 2 hatches at the front. The driver is on the left, with a filter (mainly gas bombs) next to him, and the commander (who is also a machine gunner) on the right, who can use different weapons depending on the model. In front of them, two bulletproof windshields were installed. If necessary, it can be covered with a baffle hinged to the top. On the left side of the middle part is installed an engine, a main fuel tank with a capacity of 300 liters and a fire extinguishing system. The inlet and outlet shutters are located on the roof, and the exhaust pipe is located on the right side of the roof. There is 1 channel connecting the front and rear cabins. There is also a special partition in the middle part for sound insulation and heat insulation. The rear carries 10~12 infantrymen. There are 3 windows on each side of the hull, and when the windows are open, the infantry can fire with small arms. The interior space of the car is 6.5 cubic meters, which accounts for almost half of the volume of the car. It has 3 top hatches, 2 rear doors and 8 viewing windows (3 on each side and 1 at the rear door). The rear crew compartment is 2.46 meters long, 1.375 meters wide and 1.35 meters high, with a total area of 3.38 square meters and can carry 2,000 kg of cargo.

The original power is a D23HM12 6-cylinder inline water-cooled diesel engine developed by Ford Motor Industries, with a total displacement of 10.7 liters. The engine has a maximum power of 320 hp at 2200 rpm and a maximum torque of 984 at 1600 rpm. The cooling fan is driven by a thermostatically controlled hydraulic pump and motor, which reduces fan power consumption and ensures that the engine heats up quickly when starting. From Guanghua 27 onwards, the MIKS C-type 650 hp 6-cylinder water-cooled turbocharged diesel engine produced by the Northern Engine Industry Company was used to replace the Ford engine.

The transmission is hydromechanical and is located in front of the engine and includes a torque converter and a clutch in an electric/mechanical gearbox with 1 clutch and 5 forward and 1 reverse gears to connect the torque converter to the gearbox. The special feature of this hydromechanical transmission is that the transmission lever is also used to operate the clutch. When changing gears, the driver only needs to operate one pneumatically assisted gear lever. Therefore, for the first time, the W30 infantry vehicle has eliminated the pedal mechanism of the clutch to prevent the driver from nervously stepping on the wrong position and causing mistakes during combat.

The power of the engine is transmitted backwards through the gearbox and cardan shaft to the front, middle and rear axles (6~~update debut~~x6). All axles are two-stage reduction with a reduction ratio of 2.32: "and are fitted with a standard truck differential. When driving on difficult ground. The differential can be latched with air pressure to reduce wheel slippage. In general, one of the front differentials (two in the front of the six-wheel type) can be disconnected when driving in a split lane, turning the vehicle into rear-wheel drive. to reduce tire wear. The wheel hub is equipped with a reducer, and the reduction ratio is 3:1.

The W30 infantry chariot uses pneumatic power-assisted disc brakes, and the front and rear wheels are braked. The parking brake is controlled by a joystick. The steering mechanism is hydraulic, and hydraulic power steering is realized.

The W30 car is equipped with a swinging half-axle drive axle ** suspension, which is unique among wheeled armored vehicles of its generation. Compared with the wheel suspension and the integral bridge suspension, it has the advantage of large wheel travel (up and down stroke of 120mm) and simple structure. Each wheel bounces with the help of a longitudinally fixed torsion bar. Therefore, the vehicle has good high-speed driving performance on undulating ground.

The tires of the infantry chariot were the greatest advantage of the Chinese empire in maintaining a monopoly in this regard, and the wheels of the W30 infantry chariot used 14x20L run-flat tires with VP-PV bulletproof inner tubes. This ensures a high level of security in battle. In addition, the inner tube is much smaller than the outer tube, and a space is formed between the inner and outer tubes, which communicates with the 3 pipes of the central air valve and can be inflated or deflated. In this way, the air pressure in the tires can be adjusted according to the driving terrain.

The W30 Infantry Chariot has multiple vehicles with sufficient floating capacity on water. When driving on water. Erect the front wave shield and propel against the waterjets on both sides of the rear of the car. Power is drawn from the rear axle via a stub shaft and helical gear. The waterjets are fitted with pivot covers (deflectors) that change the direction of the water flow and allow the vehicle to steer in the water. The driver controls the waterjet via a small joystick. There are also 2 electric drain pumps at the bottom of the car.

In terms of armament, a CB52 rotating turret mounted on the top deck above the commander and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The machine gun pitch range is -15°~+45°, and the pitch range can be -20°~+80° when in the air. ╔╗The body is welded by steel plates, which can resist 12.7mm bullets and shrapnel within 800 meters, and rifle bullets below 7.92 caliber within 100 meters.

In general. The W30 wheeled infantry chariot carries personnel (2+10) people, the maximum speed on the highway is 120 kilometers per hour, 7 kilometers on the water, the off-road speed is 55 kilometers per hour, the maximum travel is 350 kilometers (highway), 100 kilometers on the water, the higher the vertical wall is 0.5 meters, and the wider the trench is 2 meters.

Since the W30 infantry tank did not receive a large number of orders from the military, it evolved into a variety of models and variants in the following time. On the whole, no matter how deformed, there are only two basic chassis (4x4 and 6x6).

The final wheeled infantry fighting vehicle model in service with the Imperial Chinese Army was the W30A2, which was available in two variants: (4x4) and (6x6). In addition to the driver, commander and gunner, the vehicle can carry 8 infantrymen. The vehicle (4x4) is equipped with a single turret and is armed with an M33 20 mm cannon and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The turret rotates 360° and the gun pitch range is -8°~+55°. The base number of shells is 700 rounds, and the machine gun ammunition is 2000 rounds.

The final entry into service with the Imperial Army artillery was the W30A6C rocket launcher, which was a (4x4) model with a crew of 4 and was equipped with 12 Raytheon series rocket launchers and Raytheon 7 rockets (4 of which were on the launcher and 8 in the vehicle). The rocket has a range of 15 km, the launcher can rotate 360 °, the pitch range is -10 ° ~ +10 °, and both directions are electrically controlled. The aiming speed is 5°/s in the high and low directions, 30°/s in the horizontal direction, and there is one 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on the right side of the front of the car, and four smoke bomb launchers on each side.

The final entry into service with the Second Artillery Corps of the Imperial Celestial Army was the W30A5BM missile launcher, which was a (6x6) model with a crew of 4 people. A 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and a V-series missile launcher are used to launch V-series missiles. There are 2 missiles to be launched in the car, and the missile launch fuel tank is stored in the car.

Equipped with the middle and senior officers of the Imperial Army is the W30B5/PC command vehicle, the W30/PC command vehicle is specially developed to meet the needs of the imperial commanders, there are (4x4) and (6x6) two models, the crew of 6 people (2 commanders, 2 radio operators, 1 radio sergeant and 1 driver). The car is equipped with external communication equipment and combat drawing tables. One 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or 6.5 mm light machine gun is mounted on the turret or rotating gun carriage of the vehicle as the vehicle's self-defense weapon.

At the same time, the W30B5PC combat vehicle is also used to install ground surveillance radars, artillery radars. Communication system components can also be installed. It can also be used as a relay guidance station for long-range missile systems, as a missile attack command center (W30-FDC) and as a front-line observation vehicle (W30-FOO).

The W30D2/VA became the tractor of the Mine Gun of the Imperial Army Artillery Corps, and was available in two versions: a 120 mm mine gun and an 80 mm mine gun. (4x4) or (6x6) chassis with a crew of 6 people. The mortar is mounted on a disc that rotates 360° and allows for all-round fire inside the vehicle. The firing range of the 80-mm thunder gun is 5000 meters, the firing range of the 120-mm thunder gun is 7000 meters, the pitch range is +45 ° ~ +90 °, and the horizontal rotation is 360 °. Both types of mine guns have an ammunition base of 120 rounds. In addition, there was one 6.5 mm or 12.7 mm self-defense machine gun on board.

Similarly, the excellent performance of the W30 infantry vehicle also made it a safe vehicle within the empire. Model W30P1 / VMO, the car is a (4x4) model, can carry 12 armed personnel (including the driver). One 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, grenade launcher and smoke grenade launcher are mounted on the turret. There are viewing windows and perforations on both sides and at the rear of the body. The car is equipped with amplification equipment, and the front of the car is equipped with a bulldozer blade for clearing obstacles. Optional equipment includes a front winch, air conditioning unit, radio station and communication equipment, which are configured differently according to different service objects.

Similarly, with the full realization of the mechanized configuration of the Imperial Chinese Army. The logistics units of the empire also achieved mechanized standards. The biggest problem in mechanization is that the engineering personnel must keep up with the main force in time and repair and maintain the vehicles and weapons of the main force. Therefore, the engineers of the Reich no longer stay in the rear, but also follow the combat units. In this way, the safety of engineering personnel becomes a critical issue. And the combat vehicles of the W30 family provide precisely this need.

W30G3 engineering vehicle, the car uses (4X4) or (6X6) two chassis, standard carrying 8 people, including a professional engineer. The car carries engineering equipment for various purposes, and the roof is also equipped with a rubber boat. and armed with a 6.5 mm light machine gun as a weapon for self-defense. With the highly protective W30 armored vehicle, engineers can also quickly enter the battlefield and provide rapid repair services to damaged and malfunctioning front-line vehicles, so that they can return to combat effectiveness as soon as possible.

Of course, the Imperial Army did not forget to compete with the Imperial Navy. With the rapid rise of the global radio industry, the radio development of Europe and the United States has developed rapidly, and the military command has basically entered the era of radio command after the war. In particular, the main battle tanks of France and Germany are also equipped with radio equipment, and stealing the content of enemy radio communications and intercepting battlefield intelligence has become the key.

The Imperial Navy had more than 20 intelligence, communications, reconnaissance and jamming ships, including the White Bone Spirit, which made great contributions to the Imperial Navy's victory over a strong enemy. Therefore, the Imperial Army also imitated the Navy's combat methods and developed electronic combat vehicles to steal battlefield intelligence and interfere with the enemy's military deployments, so as to help the Imperial Army achieve victory in the campaign strategy.

In this case, the W30 series of combat vehicles became a good carrier. The WD2B (Bomure) electronic combat vehicle was born. The car uses (4x4) or (6x6) chassis, carrying 4 or 8 people, the center of the car is the position of the operator, the rear is equipped with electronic intelligence reconnaissance, interception or jamming equipment, according to different uses and equipment weight and volume to choose different chassis models.

For the Imperial Army, reconnaissance of the enemy before the battle was a necessary course. The key to the safety of the investigators, the accuracy of the content of the intelligence, and the timely delivery of the information to the base camp are the keys. Thus, the W30V9 armored reconnaissance vehicle was born. The vehicle is modified to a (6x6) chassis, mounted with a 47 mm smoothbore gun and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, which mainly plays an important role in completing a variety of combat missions, such as long-range reconnaissance, destroying enemy armored vehicles, providing fire support for infantry, conducting anti-tank combat, and guiding missile flights.

The vehicle has a combat weight of 12.8 tons, a crew of 3 people, cannot travel on water, and a smoothbore gun of 47 mm caliber is installed. The gun fires armor-piercing shells with a muzzle velocity of 590 m/s and armor-piercing shells with a muzzle velocity of 570 m/s, with an effective range of 2000 m (armor-piercing) and 1700 m (armor-piercing), respectively. The gun can be rotated 360°, and the pitch range is -8°~+15°. The base number of shells is 45 rounds. The secondary armament is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The biggest feature of the car's artillery is that it is equipped with a high-efficiency muzzle brake, and the gun chamber is rifled to improve the accuracy of the rifled gun. It provides a guarantee for the scouts to accurately hit the target.

Similarly, there is another purpose for the W30 series of combat vehicles, and that is the field ambulance.

The W30J2 field ambulance is on a (4x4) or (6x6) chassis. It carries 4 or 8 people, including the driver, all of whom are medical personnel. There were no weapons on board, but the armor protection was not reduced. There are 4 stretchers or 16 seats or 2 stretchers and 8 seats, ventilation devices, first aid equipment, medicine kits, etc. Once the Imperial Chinese Army participated in the battle, the military doctors could quickly enter the battlefield in field ambulances to treat the wounded and sick of the Imperial Army in a timely manner, and the great effect of reducing combat deaths was self-evident.

On the whole, the W30 series wheeled infantry combat vehicles of the Chinese Empire are quite advanced in performance, and their wide range of uses have become the main equipment developed by the armies of various countries after World War II. Since the Chinese Empire controlled the most critical tyre-making technology for wheeled infantry chariots. As a result, the Western powers did not acquire this technology until the outbreak of World War II, so that many wheeled infantry chariot projects developed by them either died or were difficult to deliver, or were secretly destroyed by the Chinese Empire. It was not until after World War II that the Chinese Empire relaxed restrictions on technology exports to allies and friendly countries, as appropriate, so that the wheeled infantry chariot could be truly developed after World War II.

For the Imperial Chinese Army at this time, the W16 wheeled infantry combat vehicle still has the value of continuing to serve. Therefore, the Army as a whole has no plans to purchase wheeled infantry vehicles of the W30 family. However, new arms and equipment such as security command vehicles, radar vehicles, electronic reconnaissance vehicles, engineering vehicles, and field ambulances have emerged. Since these models were not previously available for the W16 infantry tank, the Army Commission approved plans for the production and ordering of these previously unavailable tanks.

As the last member of the Three Musketeers of the Chinese Imperial Armored Forces, the Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicle, various European and American powers copied it one after another after the war. Some use tracked armored vehicles as chassis to carry anti-tank howitzer weapon systems, some directly use military trucks to tow mortars into anti-tank positions to deal with tanks, and some imitate Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicles produced from several countries, but need to import corresponding (4x4) or (6x6) chassis or bulletproof tires from the Chinese Empire.

Anti-tank combat vehicles need to be developed according to the main battle tanks of the armies of various countries. As the armor of the main battle tanks of various countries is constantly improving, the howitzer systems equipped with anti-tank combat vehicles of various countries are also constantly upgraded, and the caliber has been increased to more than 120 mm.

The Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicles of the Chinese Empire are practically not obsolete. The Z16 anti-tank combat vehicle is based on the chassis and power system of the W16 wheeled infantry combat vehicle, carries a 120-mm howitzer with a crew of 6 people and a total combat weight of 20 tons. The maximum highway speed is 45 kilometers per hour, the off-road is 15 kilometers, the maximum distance is 300 kilometers (highway), the vertical wall is 0.4 meters high, and the trench is 2 meters wide. These performances were still world-leading in 1928 and would not have needed to be replaced. However, the Imperial Chinese Army Committee believes that since the Chinese Empire has developed the M28 series of main battle tanks, it does not dare to guarantee that Western countries will not be able to develop this advanced tank, and in order to win future wars, the Imperial Army also requires the Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicle to be upgraded so that it has the ability to destroy foreign combat vehicles with M28 series combat performance, so as to be prepared.

If you want to destroy the main battle tanks of the M28 family, it is clear that the 120-mm howitzer is already a little difficult. To this end, the imperial side asked Beiyang Ordnance Heavy Industry to develop a larger-caliber anti-tank fighting vehicle, named the Z29 anti-tank fighting vehicle, which was required to carry an anti-tank howitzer of more than 130 mm.

The development of anti-tank howitzer systems of caliber below 155 mm is not a problem, the key to the problem is that the load capacity of the wheeled chassis is not as good as that of the tracked type, and in the case of ensuring speed, it is also necessary to ensure that it can carry a heavy howitzer of a larger caliber and the required ammunition. (4x4) or (6x6) chassis were a bit of a struggle, so the concept of an 8x8 chassis was proposed. However, the technical requirements for the development of 8x8 chassis are very high, and Beiyang Ordnance Heavy Industry can not be completed, so under the coordination of the Army Committee, several large domestic automobile companies with strong technical strength such as China Motor, Ford Motor, and Mercedes-Benz Automobile have formed a joint research group to develop 8x8 wheeled chassis.

From six wheels to eight wheels is not just a simple problem of adding two wheels, involving dozens of major technical changes, the equipment basically has to be rearranged, and the load-bearing position needs to be re-tested one by one to ensure the safety of the force when moving forward at high speed, and the pressure of the load-bearing position is required to be balanced to prevent the occurrence of falling apart.

The W30 can be directly improved on the W16, but the Z29 is not the same as the Z**, many ready-made designs are not used, and the changes are also very large, so in the end, the first prototype car was not produced until Guanghua 29.

The Z29 anti-tank combat vehicle uses an 8x8 wheeled chassis, 8 meters long, 3 meters wide, 2.1 meters high, with a total combat weight of up to 21 tons, 6 members, and is powered by the K**-200 turbocharged liquid-cooled diesel engine provided by China Motor Company, with a power of 560 horsepower and a mechanical automatic transmission. The main armament consisted of a 155 mm heavy howitzer with an automatic loafers, but two deputies were required to assist in reloading, as the single shells were too heavy and not suitable for anti-tank combat vehicles, so the shells and propellants were separated, and the gunner was required to set the number of propellant charges according to the enemy's position. In addition, a 20 mm cannon and a 6.5 mm self-defense machine gun were mounted above the nose.

The vehicle can reach a maximum speed of 90 km/h on the road and 6 km/h on the water. Due to the huge body, the fuel load has been greatly increased, and the maximum range reaches 800 kilometers.

However, the technology of the 8x8 wheeled chassis used in the Z29 anti-tank fighting vehicle was not mature, and the imperial side did not issue a procurement plan for a long time, resulting in the Z29 anti-tank infantry fighting vehicle until after the outbreak of World War II, when there was an extremely powerful giant tank on the battlefield, and the Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicle could not shake the armor of this giant tank, the Imperial Army Committee agreed to mass production of the Z29 anti-tank fighting vehicle.

Thus, during the treaty era, the Z29 anti-tank fighting vehicle was always in a state of research and experimentation, and the Imperial Chinese Army claimed to have entered service with the Z29 anti-tank fighting vehicle, but only bluffed to scare other countries, and in fact it was always the Z16 anti-tank fighting vehicle in service.

Whether it is the M28 series main battle tanks that have been put into service in the Imperial Chinese Army, or the W30 series wheeled infantry fighting vehicles that are in classified production, or the Z29 anti-tank fighting vehicles that have been under development, they have undoubtedly become the new three musketeers of the Chinese Empire's armored forces. Although the W30 and Z29 were just bluffs, the Chinese Emperor made them public to the world in order to deter European and American countries, ensure that the world hegemony of the armored forces of the Chinese Imperial Army would not be shaken, and to a considerable extent deter some countries that tried to confront the Chinese Empire. (To be continued)