Chinese MBT-2000 (also known as the VT1A) tanks have recently appeared in Myanmar. Last year Bangladesh bought 44 MBT-2000 tanks, plus three recovery vehicles for about $5 million each. The MBT-2000 is a major upgrade for both countries.
Bangladesh currently has a force of some 500 heavy tanks, about 60 percent of them the Chinese Type 59 (a copy of the Russian T-54), with the rest being Type 69 (copies of the Russian T-55). Both are 1950s technology, with some upgrades. Myanmar has about 1,100 tanks but they are, as in neighboring Bangladesh, mostly elderly Chinese models.
The MBT 2000 is an export version of the Chinese Type 98/99, although they also look similar to the Type 90/Al Khalid (a Type 90 variant developed by China and Pakistan for Pakistani service). The Type 98/99/90/MBT-2000 vehicles are all "improved T-72s."
Primary Source:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20120419.aspxGood Hunting.
MR
