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Last Updated: Mon Jan 27 11:18:09 UTC 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Modern PLA Armoured VehiclesTechnical Report APA-TR-2009-0901 |
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Martin Andrew, BA(hons), MA, PhD, RAAF(Retd) September 2009 Updated November, 2009 Updated August, 2010 Updated April, October, 2012 © 2009 - 2012, Martin Andrew ![]() |
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Tanks and Self Propelled Artillery |
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Type 99A2 Main Battle Tank![]() The Type
99 is a Chinese variant of the T-72 as it
incorporates the hull, 125mm main gun, automatic
loader, advanced Russian armour and active
protection systems.
The photograph shows the Type 99A2 main battle tank with the new wedge turret face with internal ERA like the T-72B/T-90 and an active protection system NORINCO is intending to install a Chinese built 1,500hp diesel in a Type 99 main battle tank this year. The Type 99 fleet was recently upgraded with a new 2.5 generation thermal imaging observation and targeting system along with a 5.5km gun tube launched anti-tank guided system. The combat weight of the vehicle is now 55 t. to defeat incoming rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles. There is a layer of 20 to 30mm of high hardness armour plate over the explosive reactive armour either side of the main gun, characteristic of the latest Russian 4S23 Relikt built-in reactive armor modules. These modules employ smaller reactive armor tiles that use explosives and flying plates to break up both HEAT and APFSDS projectiles. NORINCO is intending to install a Chinese built 1,500hp diesel and the fleet was recently upgraded with a new 2.5 generation thermal imaging observation and targeting system along with a 5.5km gun tube launched anti-tank guided system. The combat weight of the vehicle is now 55 tonnes. |
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Type 96A Main Battle Tank![]() Type 96A MBT.
The Type 96 main battle tank has undergone an upgrade and is now designated the Type 96A. The vehicle includes ERA on the glacis plate and add-on armour on the front of the turret, reminiscent of the ‘Super Dolly Parton’ ERA array incorporated on the T-72A. The gunner now has an integrated thermal imaging/day sight, the equipment rack/bar armour on the sides of the turret has been replaced by larger boxes and a Chinese version of the Russian Shtora-1 infra-red/laser jamming system is fitted. |
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Type 05 / PLZ05 155 mm Self
Propelled Howitzer
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Type 07 122mm Self Propelled Gun![]() The
PLZ07 122mm tracked self-propelled gun mounts a
122 mm gun armed turret on the PLZ45 hull.
The vehicle weighs 22.5 tons fully loaded and
carries 40 rounds of ammunition. It is 6.66m
high, 3.28m wide and 2.5m high to the turret
roof. It carries a crew of five and its 440
kW diesel engine gives it a top road speed of 65
km/hr and a maximum road range of 500km.
The gun is a Chinese copy of the Russian D30 howitzer and besides the QJC-88 12.7 x 108mm heavy machine gun mounted on the turret roof there are two triple banks of 76mm smoke grenade dischargers on either side of the turret. The gun has an elevation from 0° to +70° and a maximum rate of fire of 6 – 8 rounds per minute. The gun has a maximum range of 18km with normal ammunition, 22km with base bleed and 27km with rocket assisted rounds. ![]() |
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Type 90-II Armoured
Recovery Vehicle
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Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Personnel Carriers |
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Type 04 Infantry Fighting
Vehicle
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ZBD05 Tracked Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle![]() Previously known as the Advanced
Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) The vehicle is
developed from the ZBD/Type 04 infantry fighting
vehicle chassis but is now a completely separate
vehicle. The ZBD04 chassis has been extended
slightly at the rear and an extended bow section
similar to those on the Type 63C amphibious armoured
personnel n extended bow section similar to those on
the Type 63C amphibious armoured personnel carrier
and the Type 86 amphibious infantry fighting
vehicle.
The large bow wave plate is hinged and hydraulically extended when the AAAV is in the water. When stowed it lays across the bow and glacis plate providing another layer of frontal protection. The ZBD05 carries a two man turret with components from the Ukrainian Shkval turret. The turret mounts a 30 x 165mm automatic cannon, coaxial Type 80 7.62 x 54mmR machine gun, two Hong Jian-73C ATGM launchers, one on either side of the turret and eight 76mm smoke dischargers. |
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ZLT05 Tracked Amphibious Assault Gun![]() The ZLT05 Tracked amphibious assault gun uses
a slightly modified turret from the Type 03P
amphibious tank on the ZBD05 hull. There is
a co-axial Type 80 7.72 x 54mmR machine gun and
cupola mounted QJC-88 12.7 x 108mm heavy machine
gun and eight 76mm smoke grenade dischargers.
The 105mm gun has an effective range over 2,000m against armour, where presumably its HEAT round can penetrate between 460 and 500mm of steel armour plate or between 1 and 1.5m of steel reinforced concrete. The turret face is claimed to stop a 25mm AP round of unknown type at 1,000m and the turret rear and hull glacis plate can stop a 12.7mm AP round at 100m and the entire vehicle hull is proof against 7.62mm AP rounds. The turret roof can stop a 7.62mm ball round. ![]() |
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ZDB03 Airborne Combat Vehicle![]() The PLA’s current
airborne combat vehicle, the ZDB03, was previously
known as the ZSL2000, and was first deployed in the
Sino-Russian Peace 2005 exercise. The ZBD05 was
developed utilising the chassis of the BMD-3 mated to
the 30mm automatic armed ‘universal’ turret. The ZDB03
airborne combat vehicle has a maximum road speed of 68
km/hr, and maximum speed in water of 6 km/hr and a
maximum road range of 500km. It uses a 2A72 30 x
165mm automatic cannon in a very busy one man
turret. The gun can fire up to 300 rounds per
minute with a maximum effective range of 4km and a
maximum altitude of 2500m. There are 125 AP and
225 HE rounds in the turret and a further 80 AP and
120 HE rounds in the hull. There is a coaxial
QJT 5.8 x 42mm co-axial machine gun, with 10,000
rounds available and two sets of triple 76mm smoke
dischargers either side of the turret that have a
maximum effective range of 100m and a maximum range of
120 - 150m. Four infantrymen can be squeezed into the
rear of the hull, making this the PLA’s BMD-2.
The placing of a missile with its explosive rocket motor and warhead in place to fire only happened in exercises and parades with inert rounds. The Russians never had the ATGMs on their BMP-1 and BMP-2 loaded on their launchers on operations in case they were set off by enemy fire. They did not want around one kilogram of explosive exploding on the barrel or on top of the turret. Only the United States M-2 Bradley has incorporated a separate armoured ATGM system onto an AIFV turret. The 30mm automatic cannon is powerful as Soviet trials in the 1970s showed. This the same cannon mounted in the Russian BMD-2 airborne combat vehicle and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Type 89 Armored Command Vehicle![]() The Type
89 armoured command vehicle is based on the hull of
the WZ752 armoured ambulance, itself based on the
ZSD89 armoured personnel carrier. The vehicle is
6,634mm long, 3,148mm wide and 2,470mm high to top
of the hull. There four 76mm smoke grenade
dischargers on both sides of the forward part of the
hull. The vehicle commander/gunners sits behind the
driver and he has a pintle mounted QJC 88 12.7 x 108mm heavy
machine gun attached
atop his raised cupola.
![]() ![]() |
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ZBD09 8 x 8 Wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle![]() The ZBD09, previously labelled the VN1, is the PLA’s new wheeled armoured personnel carrier and combat loaded with the basic armour fit, weighs 20 tonnes. Its power to weight ratio of 16.5 kW/t enables the 8 x 8 version to climb a 30° slope, cross a 1.8m trench and climb over a 0.55 m vertical obstacle. The vehicle is 8 m long, 3 m wide, is 2.1m high at the top of the hull and has a ground clearance of 400mm. This vehicle carries a modified Ukrainian Shkval 30 x 165mm automatic cannon equipped two-man turret with wire-guided Hong Jian-73C anti-tank guided missiles, although in service it may carry the ‘Universal’ one man turret mounting a 30mm automatic cannon, coaxial 7.62 x 54mmR machine gun, a Hong Jian-73C ATGM launcher and six 76mm smoke dischargers. Command, recovery and 122mm howitzer variants have been seen. The howitzer sits in a fixed cradle and is a modified Type 86 (Russian D-30). The basic armour fit is claimed to defeat 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary (API) strikes frontally at 100m, 7.62mm API on the sides at 100m and 7.62mm ball at the rear. Fitting an add-on armour package enables the vehicle to survive 25 mm API frontally at 1,000m and 12.7mm API on the sides at 100m. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Command Vehicle and Medevac ZBD09 variants. |
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People’s Armed Police WZ 551 6 x 6 Wheeled Armoured Vehicle![]() The basic
six-wheeled WZ551 vehicle has a hull height of 1.76
m and a ground clearance of 400 mm. Its width is
2.85 m and its length depends on the location of the
engine. The version with a front mounted engine is
6.9 m long and has one driver and the mid-mounted
engine version has two crew and is 6.8 m long. The
all up weight of the vehicle is between 15 and 18
tons depending on the configuration and weapons fit
and the turning radius is 9 m. Its top
speed on land is 85 km/hr and 10 km/hr in water. It
can climb 31° vertical slope and can drive on a
horizontal incline of 17°.
The WJ08 has a QJC-88 12.7 x 108mm heavy machine gun mounted centrally in the turret, along with what appear to be dispersant or water cannon on the top of the turret along with two sextuple 64mm tear gas grenade dischargers and a white light searchlight. Each 64mm tear grenade carries four tear gas sub-munitions internally. The six rear firing ports have been kept. ![]() |
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PTL02 100 mm Assault Gun![]() The PTL02 assault gun is the WZ551 equipped with the 100mm Type 86 high velocity smoothbore cannon with a six slotted muzzle brake, fume evacuator and a thermal sleeve. Nothing like the the German and Russian assault guns of the Second World War, it can be compared to the M1128 Mobile Gun System, which is part of the Stryker LAV family. There are three 76mm smoke grenade dischargers either side of the turret and a cupola mounted QJC 88 12.7 x 108mm heavy machine gun. For an assault gun the vehicle is also very thinly armoured, but consistent when a turret is added to an armoured personnel carrier. The sharply angled turret front can only defeat a 12.7mm standard, not armour-piercing (AP), projectile at 100m and a 7.62mm AP projectile at 200m. The chassis front can stop a 7.62mm AP projectile at 100m, the sides of the vehicle at 200m and the rest of the vehicle is proof against standard ball rounds. Besides the traditional cavalry roles of flank protection, rear area security, and pursuing a defeated enemy, the PLA envisage it using to exploit a break though of enemy defences. ![]() ![]() |
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WZ 91 4 x 4 Tank Destroyer
/ Hong Jian-9 ATGM System
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References |
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Imagery Sources: Chinese Internet. Layout / Line Artwork: © 2000 - 2012 Carlo Kopp Technical Report APA-TR-2009-0901 |
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