The Type 96 () or ZTZ96 is a Chinese second generation main battle tank (MBT). The final evolution of the Type 88 design, the Type 96 entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1997. The later variants of the Type 96 are currently in PLA service together with China's third generation MBT, the Type 99. History China's tank development can be divided into three generations. The first generation was the Type 59, a locally manufactured copy of the Soviet T-54 and its derivative tanks. The second generation of MBTs started with the Type 80 and reached its end state as the Type 96. The third generation began with the Type 99 tank. China's first generation tank development program failed to meet the PLA's performance requirements. These technical shortcomings coincided with the appearance of the T-72 and T-80 tanks in Russia, which influenced Chinese defense officials and contributed to their decision to begin development of a new generation indigenous MBT in the early 1980s. This new program was to lead to the development of the Type 80/85 family by 1988. The Type 80 prototypes were accepted into PLA service as the Type 88A/B. Most distinctively, the Type 88 family had six road wheels instead of the five that the previous Chinese MBTs possessed. However, after the 1991 Gulf War the PLA soon realized that the Type 88 design was insufficient, due to Iraqi Type 59/69 tanks' poor performance against contemporary NATO tanks (as the Type 88 itself is a further development of the Type 59). A better domestic MBT was required. However, continued delays in China's third gen MBT development meant the PLA had no choice but to continue development of the Type 85 family. In 1995, Norinco produced the Type 85-III prototype with an upgraded engine and explosive reactive armor. In 1997, the upgraded Type 85-IIM prototypes were accepted into PLA service as the Type 88C/Type 96. The most visible difference between the Type 96 and earlier Type 88 series tanks was the additional spaced armor on the turret front. This spaced armor gave the Type 96 a rectangular front profile, visually distinguishing it from the round turret of the Type 88. Other visible differences included their armament: The Type 96 possessed a locally designed 125mm smoothbore gun while the earlier Type 88 variants used a 105mm rifled gun instead. This made the Type 96 the first PLA