China has released rare footage of its Type 99B main battle tank during live-fire training, providing a closer look at the vehicle after its public debut at the V-Day military parade.
The exercise involved four Type 99B tanks from a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) brigade in Shandong Province. It also showed how Chinese armored units are testing the tank in more demanding battlefield-style conditions.
The footage was broadcast by CCTV News on Wednesday through its military channel. It showed a brigade from the PLA’s 80th Group Army conducting a live-fire assessment for the main combat elements of a combined-arms battalion. The drill took place at a field training area in eastern China’s Shandong Province.
The exercise was designed around changing battlefield conditions rather than a single fixed firing task. Targets were placed at different distances and in different directions. Tank crews had to observe the situation, identify threats and decide which targets to engage.
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Four Type 99B tanks appeared in the broadcast. Cameras also showed ammunition being prepared, rounds being loaded and unloaded, and crews operating the tank’s sighting equipment. The footage provided views from both outside and inside the vehicles.
One firing sequence involved an armor-piercing round against a target 1,200 meters away. The tank fired from a stationary position after receiving the order to engage.
Another sequence tested fire while moving. A tank engaged a simulated enemy tank positioned about 1,000 meters ahead. The exercise assessed whether crews could identify and attack targets within a specified time while maintaining movement.
Testing Fire And Mobility
The Type 99B crews consisted of three personnel. Their performance was assessed during both stationary and moving engagements. The evaluation focused on how quickly crews could detect targets, make decisions and deliver accurate fire.
Stationary firing used the surrounding mountainous terrain to create different tactical situations. Crews had to search for targets and determine which ones required engagement based on the changing scenario. Personnel at the command post monitored target locations and reported where rounds landed.
That information allowed crews to adjust their fire. The process also tested communication between the tank and personnel supporting the exercise. Such coordination is important when armored units operate as part of a larger formation.
Moving fire introduced another set of challenges. Tank commanders maintained communication with higher command while directing their crews during movement.
Drivers had to navigate bridges, water-filled pits and craters. At the same time, gunners had to locate the most threatening targets and engage them when ordered. CCTV News reported that all targets in the assessment were destroyed.
The exercise also included less conventional firing angles. According to a service member quoted in the report, the training added lateral routes, obstacles and restricted passages. Crews also practiced firing toward the sides and rear of the tank.
The aim was to bring training closer to conditions that armored forces may encounter in a real conflict. The exercise therefore combined movement, observation, communication, decision-making and weapons employment instead of treating gunnery as an isolated skill.
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What Sets Type 99B Apart
Chinese military affairs expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the footage showed the Type 99B had entered service with armored formations. He said the vehicle had also developed operational capabilities through training.
Song identified information systems as one of the areas where the Type 99B improves on the earlier Type 99A. In simple terms, these systems help the tank receive, share and use information as part of a wider military network.
This networked approach allows the tank to function as more than an independent fighting vehicle. Information from higher command can be transmitted to the crew, helping commanders coordinate actions and respond to assigned combat tasks.
The Type 99B’s training also highlights the importance of combining its electronic systems with traditional tank skills. Better information systems do not remove the need for accurate gunnery, rapid target identification or effective vehicle control.
The reported training therefore provides insight into how the PLA is integrating the newer tank into combined-arms operations. These formations bring together different military elements rather than relying on tanks alone.
The comparison with the Type 99A is significant because the Type 99 family forms an important part of China’s modern armored force. The new model’s reported improvements are being tested through practical exercises rather than being presented only as equipment specifications.
Training Moves Toward Complexity
The Shandong exercise also points to a broader change in armored warfare. Tanks now operate in an environment where drones, sensors and networked systems can influence battlefield operations.
Song said the skills shown in the exercise represent basic requirements for armored formations. He also noted that crews need to master these fundamentals before moving to more complicated scenarios involving extensive disruption from drones.
The comment places the Type 99B’s current training within a longer development process. Fielding a new tank does not end the training cycle. Instead, crews must learn how its systems work together and how the vehicle performs under increasingly difficult conditions.
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Future exercises are expected to place greater demands on Type 99B crews. These may involve more complicated routes, changing targets and greater pressure on communications and decision-making. The development of new tactics will also be important as battlefield threats continue to change.
The latest CCTV footage matters because it offers a rare public view of the Type 99B after its appearance at China’s 2025 military parade. More importantly, it shows the tank being evaluated in realistic conditions rather than simply displayed as a new military platform.
For international observers, the exercise provides limited but useful information about China’s approach to integrating the Type 99B into active armored formations. The next stage will depend on how the PLA develops tactics, crew proficiency and networked operations around the new tank as training becomes more demanding.
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