An indigenous tank design!
Design and Development: By the late 1970's, the wear and tear on the army's T-34 and T-54/55 tanks was becoming apparent. A replacement was badly needed, and to that end the army technical corps issued a specification to several different contractors. The basic requirements were for an affordable MBT that would boast a powerful 125-millimeter gun and be capable of excellent cross country performance. The contract for an initial batch of 150 vehicles went to the Caribbean National Machine Production Association, or CNMPA. The company was a major manufacturer of heavy vehicles and powerful engines. They were declared as the new front-line tank in 1981.
Armament: The tank's primary weapon consisted of a 125-mm rifled gun manufactured to a Russian design by the Santo Domingo Ordinance Works. It used a falling-block breech mechanism, with a self-lubrication device fitted to the breech door. There was a flameproof fabric basket below the breech to catch the spent shell casings as they were ejected.As far as secondary weapons, a pair of 7.62-millimeter machine guns were carried in the hull and in a coaxial mount. They fired tracer rounds, as well as regular ammo, to aid in spotting for the main gun. 40-55 rounds of 125mm ammunition could be carried. Ammo types included AP, HE, Fragmentation, Smoke, Illumination, Phosphorous, Case shot, and timed-fuze shells. On later models, an electric/hydraulic auto-loading system was fitted to the main gun to allow a higher rate of sustained fire, but there were reports of it being faulty and often jamming. There were airtight, flameproof doors on the turret sides through which spent shell casings could be ejected.
Armor: Armor is composed of steel, with applique and explosive reactive armor fitted to various examples. The turret from was armored in up to 250-millimeters of rolled steel plate, while the hull front was plated in 105-millimeters of rolled steel at a 60-degree angle. The armor was tested, and the results proved it was able to resist a direct hit from the standard American 105-mm gun at a range of over 2,000 yards. During the 90's, an applique armor package was developed, and alongside that a new explosive-reactive armor kit. The new kit was designed to defeat the next-generation of 120-millimeter tank guns being developed in Europe and the United States. So far, almost the entire inventory has been re-equipped with this new armor.
Powerplant: The tank's engine is derived from a Russian design from the T-62 base model hull, but has been locally developed by CNMPA's engine division, which was also responsible for the design of the V-8 diesels fitted to the S-39 attack boats and S-43 submarines. The engine features 12 cylinders, arranged in a V formation, with each cylinder having a 5.2-inch bore and a 5.8-inch stroke. Fuel type is diesel, and it features a locally-designed electrical ignition system. As far as electrical power goes, the vehicle is equipped with three locally-produced lead-acid batteries producing a 24 volt current with the engine turned off and a 25-28 volt current when the engine is on. These are powered by a pair of 10-volt alternators. Fuel tank capacity was near to 160 gallons, and the tanks were self-sealing with rubber coatings. Fire containment gear was provided. There were two large-diameter fans in the engine compartment each driven by the engine, connected to it using vulcanized rubber belts. A pair of 5-liter compressed air bottles were provided for emergency engine starting.
Vehicle Systems: From the start, fire control was based on Soviet equipment. A main computer was provided for shell calculations and other basic procedures, and the commander's cupola featured camera angles and periscopes. The vehicle carried a two-way radio for communication with home base as well as other tanks and army vehicles. Other systems included the external fuel drum for carrying extra fuel, outboard storage racks and compartments, of which there were 6, all being waterproof and airtight. Turret drive was hydraulic, with locally manufactured equipment and controls. Crew accommodation was much better than the previous T-34 and T-54/55 series, which featured simple, crude vehicle controls and cheap metal or plastic seats. Air conditioning was designed for the tank, but only around 30 examples actually received it, as it proved too bulky, and the condensing system was faulty. This led to numerous leaks which soaked crews and rusted the vehicle both inside and out.
---So far, nearly 3,000 units have been produced, although production has been halted to allow the army to catch up in upgrading all its tanks to the new explosive reactive armor package. While they are satisfactory as an MBT and will probably be in service for years to come, the army is looking to develop an even more powerful MBT with cooperation from the west due to increasing relations stemming from the fall of the Soviet Union. The CCCN arms industry is starting to become more and more capable of producing large weapons locally, and that will most certainly lead to increased numbers of high power systems such as missiles, aircraft, and armored vehicles based on local designs rather than Soviet base models.