Type 89 (tank destroyer)

The Type 89 tracked tank destroyer was a Chinese armored vehicle that entered service in 1988. Armed with a 120 millimeter smoothbore gun, it was intended to combat newer generations of Western and Russian main battle tanks that were equipped with composite armor and 120 and 125 millimeter caliber guns. Despite a successful development process, with the end of the Cold War it became apparent that the weapon was no longer needed. Production was halted with around 100 examples built in 1995. It had several shortcomings including thin armor, high maintenance costs, and an unstabilized gun that could not fire on the move and had a relatively short range. An official retirement ceremony was held by the 39th Army Group on 3 November 2015, phased out in favor of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).