Type Amphibious Light tank Weight 20.0 t Width 3.1 m | Place of origin North Korea Length 9.4 m (gun forward) Height 2.8 m | |
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The PT-85, whose North Korean name is Model 1981 "Shin'heung" (Rise), is the common western designation of a light amphibious tank built in North Korea for the needs of their army, with around 500 examples operated. The PT-85 is based on the lengthened VTT-323 APC chassis, and although the turret appears similar to PT-76, the PT-85 has a higher turret, horseshoe-shaped, with an 85 mm gun and hatches similar to those of a T-54.
PT-85 upgrades
Early examples of the PT-85 tank have shown a 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 "Sagger") anti-tank guided missile installed on top of the turret directly above the main gun, and with two lights on the front of either side of the hull. In recent parades,the PT-85 has been observed with a large IR projector (possibly a reverse engineered copy of a L-2 Luna IR spotlight) on the turret, linked to the gun with a brace for elevation, as on the Russian T-55/62 tanks. The arrangement of the lights on the hull has also changed: there are three lights on the right side of the front glacis (two black ones and one white), plus one on the left side plate; sometimes some of these lights are omitted. The AT-3 "Sagger" missile is also now absence on the PT-85; it's unclear if these new or upgraded variants can be armed with that missile, and where could its launcher be installed. In 2015, PT-85 tanks in parades have also been observed with a Manpad SAM installed on the rear of the turret, as well as three smoke mortars on each side of the turret.