ZBD-04
| ZBD-04 / type 04 | |
|---|---|
ZBD04 in the Beijing Military Museum |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 3 (commander, driver, gunner) + 7 infantrymen |
| length | 7.14 m |
| width | 2.74 m |
| height | 2.4 m |
| Dimensions | approx. 20 tons (combat weight) |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | Steel / composite |
| Main armament | 1 × 100 mm cannon with Red Arrow / 9K116 Kastet anti-tank guided weapons , 1 × 30 mm automatic cannon 2A72, |
| Secondary armament | 1 × 7.62 mm MG (coaxial), smoke thrower system |
| agility | |
| drive | Diesel engine |
| suspension | Torsion bar |
| Top speed | 65 km / h on the road
20 km / h in the water |
| Power / weight | |
| Range | 500 km |
The ZBD-04 (alternative designations Type 04 and WZ-502 ) is a Chinese armored personnel carrier that has been manufactured by Norinco since the late 1990s and introduced into the Army of the People's Liberation Army in the early 2000s .
history
For a long time, the People's Republic of China pursued the goal of developing an armored personnel carrier that would have sufficient firepower and mobility as well as guarantee good protection for the occupants. In the 1980s this led to the WZ501 (Type 86), which was essentially a copy of the Soviet BMP-1 . Since the BMP-1 was already considered obsolete at the time, the WZ501 was only classified as an interim solution by the Chinese leadership. It was decided to develop a modern armored personnel carrier, which led to the ZBD-04 (Type 04), which is externally based on the Russian armored personnel carrier BMP-3 .
In the first planning it ran under the name ZBD97 . The rights for the basic technology of this armored personnel carrier were acquired in 1997.
technology
In contrast to the BMP-3, the diesel engine of the ZBD-04 is located in the front area of the tank. This has the advantage that the troops carried along are accommodated in the rear of the vehicle and can thus leave the vehicle via a rear door or roof hatches. In addition to the three-man crew, seven soldiers can be transported in the armored personnel carrier. The equipment also includes a passive night vision device .
Little is known about the motorization; it should be a water-cooled diesel engine . The ZBD-04 is amphibious ; it is propelled in the water by two pump-jet propellers. In addition, a surge board must be mounted on the front for the tank to float . The ZBD-04 is the first Chinese armored personnel carrier that is fully amphibious and can cover longer distances by swimming in water. Thus, the vehicle can be used in amphibious landing operations.
Armament
The chassis of the ZBD-04 comes from Chinese production, whereas the tower is a version taken over from the BMP-3, which may now be produced under license in China. The firepower is comparable to that of the BMP-3. The 100 mm autoloader cannon has an effective firing range of up to four kilometers. This cannon can also fire anti-tank guided weapons, most of which are derived from the Soviet 9M117- missile. These guided missiles should be able to penetrate 600 mm thick armor steel behind reactive armor plates . The hit probability is around 80%. The 30 mm automatic cannon has an effective range of 1.5 to 2.0 kilometers. In addition, the ZBD-04 is equipped with a 7.62 mm MG, which is arranged coaxially to the 100 mm cannon.
variants
- Type 97 - basic version
- Type 97 C&C - command vehicle with improved communication equipment and without a tower
- Type 97 AEV - pioneer tank on an extended Type 97 chassis
Web links
- ZBD97 Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle ( Memento from June 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ ZBD-04 ZBD97. Retrieved November 1, 2018 .