Recently, at a port in the northern Bay of Bengal in South Asia, Chinese-made tanks were lifted out of the cargo hold of ships, then loaded into large carriers and transported by road to inland areas.
According to overseas military media "Military Cognition", these Chinese tanks that have just been shipped to South Asia are VT-5 light tanks ordered by India's eastern neighbor - Bangladesh and produced by China's North Industries Group.
VT-5 tank loaded at the pier
Bangladesh is the first overseas user of the mainland VT-5 tank, and 44 units have been confirmed to be ordered, and the first VT-5 officially started delivery at the end of last year, and the new tanks that arrived this time should also belong to these 44 units. And the serial delivery of VT-5 is very important for Bangladesh, which is accelerating the modernization of the army.
In 2017, the Bangladeshi army completed its "2030 target", preparing to carry out a large-scale upgrade of the weapons and equipment of the navy, army and air force by 2030. Among the various upgrades of the Army, the purchase of VT-5 is one of the more important.
The Bangladeshi Army's choice of the VT-5 over other standard main battle tanks with thicker armor and more intense firepower was largely influenced by the terrain of Bangladesh, where more than 80 percent of its territory belongs to the impact plains downstream of the river, and although the terrain is not high, the river network is crisscrossed, and it is one of the densest rivers in the world. Coupled with long rainfall in summer, muddy roads and poor infrastructure. As a result, most of Bangladesh is not well suited to the operation of 50 or 60 tons of main battle tanks.
When choosing a new generation of workhorse tanks, the Bangladeshi military deliberately made weight requirements. The VT-5 has a total weight of only 33 tons, a maximum speed of 70 km / h, and a 105mm gun equipped with a small caliber, but with various ammunition and advanced electronic equipment, it has a strong "hunt-kill" capability. Although it is inferior to conventional main battle tanks in terms of protection, under the idea of key defense, the VT-5 will not be "taken away with one shot" every time. Not to mention, light tanks have the combat mode of light tanks, flexible maneuvering, fast fighting, fast walking, is its correct use. Therefore, in the zone with a dense water network, the actual combat effectiveness of the VT-5 is definitely not weaker than that of ordinary main battle tanks.
In addition, Bangladesh is actually an old user of mainland weapons and equipment. J-7 fighters, WS-22 rocket launchers, FM90C anti-aircraft missiles and other Chinese-made missiles are the main forces in the Bangladeshi army. Especially in tanks, in addition to the newly purchased VT-5, the Bangladesh Army also has three Chinese-made tanks: MBT-2000, Type 69 and Type 59.
Among the Bangladeshi military's "2030 targets" is a project to upgrade more than 170 Type 59 vehicles to the Type 59G. It can be seen that China and Bangladesh have a good foundation for military cooperation. Under the influence of these two factors, VT-5 was naturally able to defeat other opponents and become the final choice of the Bangladeshi army.
Illustration: 59 tanks in Bengal
For the Bangladeshi army to receive VT-5 tanks, the most nervous should be the Indian side. Don't look at the process of Bangladesh's independence, India has played a certain role, India also has a certain influence on Bangladesh economically and politically, but the relationship between the two countries is actually very delicate. Bangladesh is not very comfortable with India, and the main defense object of the country's army is actually India.
First, Bangladesh faces the sea on one side, India on the remaining three sides, and only a short section of the border in the southeast borders Myanmar. While there are some contradictions between Bangladesh and Myanmar, it is India that poses the main threat to the country on land. Second, India has always regarded itself as the "boss" of South Asia, and has often shown itself very strong in regional affairs, which has long caused dissatisfaction in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and other countries. It is only because of the weak strength of the country that these countries have not completely fallen out with India.
Not to mention, Bangladesh itself is a Muslim-majority country, relying on Hindu nationalist forces to come to power, the Modi government, in Kashmir and other places of high-pressure control of Muslim groups, has long made "anti-India" a public opinion trend within Bangladesh. Under the influence of these factors, although Bangladesh maintains friendly relations with India on the surface, it is still militarily defensive against India.
Geography of Bangladesh
As for China, Bangladesh is a different attitude. Although earlier this year, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina made it clear that she would not interfere in Sino-Indian affairs, Bangladesh should focus on tackling poverty. But its statement and Bangladesh's insistence on purchasing Chinese weapons are actually showing the outside world that Bangladesh will not stand behind India now, but will maintain friendly exchanges with China.
More importantly, as Hasina said, what Bangladesh needs to tackle urgently now is poverty. The mainland's Belt and Road Initiative is precisely an indispensable external factor in the country's poverty alleviation process. In June this year, the Padma Bridge, which was built by Mainland China, was put into operation. According to the Bangladesh government's forecast, the bridge can directly drive the country's GDP growth by more than 1 percentage point every year, and can also play an indirect role in attracting investment and promoting industrialization, so that more people can lift themselves out of poverty.
Caption: Padma Bridge
It can be seen that although India is Bangladesh's largest neighbor, India's every move also has a great influence on Bangladesh. However, under the dual influence of economy and security, deepening cooperation between Bangladesh and the mainland is a foregone conclusion. After the country's economic development, the Bangladeshi military may not only look at VT-5 tanks, but also the mainland's military trade composite brigades, drones and even naval ships may become the next procurement target for Bangladesh.