Type 63 anti-aircraft gun

The Type 63 is based on T-34-76 hulls produced by UralVagonZavod and armed with Chinese twin 37 mm Type 61 AA guns. The related Type 65 variant was instead based on the T-34-85 chassis. None of the original Type 63 vehicles survive today. The plate was reinforced with a vertical steel beam welded to the hull floor and the bottom of the roof plate. A twin 37mm Type 61 anti aircraft gun was removed from its 4-wheeled carriage and it's traversing gearbox was bolted to the middle of the steel plate. A turret was made from welded sheet metal and bolted to the floor of the anti aircraft gun mount. The only ammunition stowage was two metal bins, one located on each side of the outside of the hull. A travel lock made from channel iron is located on the engine deck of the tank. ==Service history==

Both Type 63 and Type 65 were supplied to the NVA by China during the Vietnam War. The NVA were supplied with several examples of the tank from China and used them during the Vietnam War, but only a small number were available due to the lack of adequate anti-aircraft equipment. It was crudely made, with basic materials This vehicle did have the number "045" painted on at least the left and presumably both sides of the turret, which suggests there may have been more examples manufactured, but no other vehicles are currently known. Similar Vietnamese SPAAGs exist, including a T-34 hull with a 57mm anti-aircraft gun mounted in turret with a similar design, also missing the hull machine gun. However, recent studies have confirmed the existence of both Type 63 and Type 65. Many sources state that the armament are paired "Type 63" anti-aircraft guns, however the Type 65 is the more likely armament, as the Type 63 AA gun is not mentioned in any sources beyond references to this self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. This could be due to the limited information on Chinese military equipment available in the United States during the Cold War. ==Operators==

• - Remained in service until 1990. • - A handful of examples supplied from China in the 1960s. Passed on to unified Vietnam. • - At least one captured from the Vietnamese People's Army. • - Small numbers retained after the Vietnam War. ==References==