Bangladesh Army recently held a shooting exercise in Chattogram, during which a tank suddenly exploded, causing the death of 2 soldiers and leaving another officer critically injured. The Bangladesh authorities did not disclose the model of the tank involved, but according to Indian media and some self-media sources, it is believed to be a Chinese-made Type 59 main battle tank.
This unfortunate incident was captured on video and went viral on social media platforms. The video shows that when the tank’s main cannon fired, there was a sudden burst of intense fire in the driver’s compartment, and soldiers on the tank were thrown into the air and slammed to the ground, prompting cries of shock at the scene. (Video link)
The Bangladesh Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) issued a statement indicating that on Wednesday, September 9th, during an exercise at the Hathazari firing range in Chattogram, a tank was involved in an accident while shooting. Two Bangladeshi army soldiers died, and one officer was critically injured, who was airlifted to the Dhaka Combined Military Hospital for treatment.
The official statement did not mention the tank model, but the Indian media identified the tank as a Chinese-manufactured Type 59 main battle tank.
The Type 59 tank is a model produced by China based on the Soviet T-54 main battle tank, known as the first-generation domestically-produced main battle tank. For decades, this tank has been one of the main equipment of the Bangladesh armored forces.
Reports indicate that Bangladesh has been adamant about maintaining and upgrading its aging fleet of Chinese-made armored vehicles rather than completely phasing out these platforms.
On September 10th, a military fan page, “World Special Forces and Military Data Database,” stated that based on the leaked video, the tank involved appears to be an upgraded version of the old Type 69-II platform, known as T-69IIG, equipped with a 105mm ZPL94 tank gun. ZPL94 is a Chinese version produced under license following the 105mm L7 series, with an extended barrel length (58 calibers, compared to the original 52 calibers).
The article suggests that the actual cause of the explosion could be due to three possibilities: 1) the rupture of a metal cartridge: the cartridge’s metal fatigue or defects leading to a high-pressure gas rush into the turret; 2) firing before the breech fully closed: failure of the breech locking mechanism resulting in firing while not fully closed; 3) severe wear or peeling of the bore’s rifling causing a jam: foreign objects or worn fragments stuck in the gun barrel leading to instantaneous local overpressure during firing. However, the specific cause would require analysis of the tank’s actual shooting records and wear testing of the barrel.
The article further points out that this is the second time in recent years that a Chinese-made tank malfunctioned during shooting. In December 2025, during the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict, a Royal Thai Army VT-4 main battle tank, manufactured in China, had its 125mm main gun shattered while continuously firing at Cambodian positions, rendering the fire control system and laser warning device unusable and injuring three crew members. The Thai army’s preliminary assessment leaned towards attributing the incident to material fatigue or accumulated heat stress in the gun barrel.
In conclusion, while the Thai military engaged in continuous firing scenarios and the Bangladeshi military conducted single-shot firing, the two incidents point to a common factor: the reliability and lifespan management of the gun barrels and components of Chinese-made tanks under high-intensity usage, questioning whether they meet the specifications touted during their exports.