Why China And The US Make Models Of Each Other's Tanks

China and the United States produce a lot of tanks, whether for domestic use or foreign sales. For the U.S., the main piece of armor is the famed M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank, while China's primary tank is the Type-99 Main Battle Tank, though it introduced the new Type 100 at the Victory Day Parade in 2025. Each country makes these in large numbers, but lately, they've also been producing the others' armor ... sort of.

Both the U.S. and China have been building full-scale replicas of one another's tanks, and for a sad but good reason. In August 2021, a model of the Type 99-A MBT was seen in the States, and about a month after this, a remote-controlled model of the M1A2 Abrams MBT was seen at an arms show in China, raising the question, why? The answer is simple: the U.S. and China are preparing for a war against one another. Such a conflict is expected to be as big or bigger than World War II.

While nobody wants a massive war between two superpowers to break out, many in the East and West believe it's likely. As a result, preparing for such a conflict means adapting to fighting the other side's weapon systems, including tanks. For this reason, both nations have built mock-ups and working replicas of the other's tanks and additional equipment. This is to test battle strategies and adapt to ensure victory should the worst happen, and the practice is unlikely to end anytime soon.

A training site used by the United States Army and sister branches is the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Another larger facility, the National Training Center (NTC) in Fort Irwin, California, is also used to train troops against potential enemies. It's not uncommon to see visual modification (VISMOD) of what the military calls opposing forces (OPFOR) at these sites, though these are typically only skin-deep and meant to visually identify potential targets.

Instead of constructing a real Type-99, which would be expensive and unnecessary, an existing American vehicle is VISMOD to resemble a real Chinese tank, often with plywood and other materials. The M1A2 MBT tank seen in China is remotely controlled and used as a target drone, which affords the Chinese military the opportunity to find, fix, and destroy an American tank. Still, like the VISMOD vehicles used in the U.S., China's American tank is little more than a flimsy copy:

A mock-up of a #USA 🇺🇸made #M1 #Abrams #MBT, based on wheeled platform, was spotted in #China 🇨🇳.
Previously in China has spotted a mock-up of a #Russia|n 🇷🇺 made #T90 main battle #tank. So, #PLA preparing for all possible scenario on the #battlefield.https://t.co/kLTVZY6yfL pic.twitter.com/qk24T7xA7O

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇺🇲🇬🇷 (@TheDeadDistrict) December 23, 2020

Its treads are only there for looks, and the actual vehicle shown at an arms show in September 2021 moves via standard all-terrain tires. Each of these mock-ups is exactly that. Total accuracy is eschewed for mere similarity, so troops can train against visual targets. This is also done through computer simulation. Regardless, getting boots on the ground to train against physical copies is a more effective method for preparing for a potential war. Still, both methods are used at NTC and JRTC. Presumably, China does the same.