The NORINCO Type 80 is based on the Type 69 main battle tank albeit with an entirely new hull design making the Type 80 an entirely new breed of tank in the series. As no automatic loading system is present in the turret, a crew of four is needed to operate the tank - driver, loader, commander and gunner.
The system is fielded with a smaller caliber 105mm primed to fire most standard ammunition types. An anti-aircraft heavy machine gun is mounted on the turret whilst a smaller caliber type is fitted in a coaxial mount. Smoke grenades are standard, as is a laser rangefinder fitted to assist in gunnery. A further development of the Type 80 exists in the form of the Type 85-II, detailed elsewhere on this site.
Like most tanks in the field today, additional equipment can increase armor protection for the crew and allow for deep fording through use of a snorkel. The chassis has also been utilized in a few other limited production / developmental models
