The main gun is capable firing APFSDS, HEAT, and HEAT-FRAG. The tank can carry 42 rounds, 22 of them stored in the carousel of the autoloader, and the gun can fire at 6~8 rounds per minute. By introducing the autoloader to reduce the crew to three men, more rounds are available for the higher rate of fire.
The Type 96 has an indigenous smoothbore 125 mm gun with autoloader of Russian 2A46M design. One possible explanation is that the Type 98 will be equipped by the most elite units in a relatively small number, while the Type 96, with less sophisticated technology and therefore cheaper unit price, will replace the bulk of Type 59/69 in current service. Although the Type 96 was regarded as the second generation MBT, while the Type 98 as the third generation MBT, they are comparable in term of general performance and technology. It is surprising that China has developed two MBTs, the Type 96 and the Type 98, with similar performance at the same time. Originally the PLA variant of the Type 85IIM was designated as Type 88C, but this later changed to Type 96. Later in 1996 the final approval certificate was issued to the domestic variant of the Type 85IIM, and the mass production began in 1997. Around few hundred Type 85IIMs were exported to the Pakistan Army. It also features sophisticated night vision and fire control systems. The Type 85-IIM was the first Chinese tank to be fitted with a 125 mm smoothbore gun and an autoloader. This has eventually resulted in the introduction of a radically upgraded variant of the Type 85, which was designated as the Type 85-IIM. The result of the war made Chinese tank designers realise that the existing second generation tanks such as the Type 80 and Type 85 could not match the latest Western tanks such as M1A1, Challenger-II, and Leopard-II. The development of the Type 96 began right after the 1991 Gulf War. It inherits features of the previous second generation MBT that China developed including the Type 85 and Type 88 series.
The Type 96 (sometimes also referred to as Type 88C) is the final development variant of China's second generation main battle tank, with certain performance approaching the standard of the Western and Russian third generation main battle tanks.
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