This article needs additional citations for
verification. (October 2020) |
Type 86 IFV | |
---|---|
![]() ZBD-86A at Tank Biathlon 2016 | |
Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
Place of origin | China |
Service history | |
In service | 1992–present |
Production history | |
No. built | 1000 (estimate) [1] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 13.3 t (14.7 short tons; 13.1 long tons) |
Length | 6.74 m (22 ft 1 in) [2] |
Width | 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in)< [2] |
Height | 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)< [2] |
Crew | 3 |
Passengers | 8 |
Armor | Welded steel |
Main armament | Type 86: 73 mm gun Type 86G: 30 mm autocannon |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm coaxial
machine gun HJ-73 anti-tank missiles |
Engine | diesel 298 hp |
Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 500 km (310 mi) |
Maximum speed | 65 km/h (40 mph) (road) 8 km/h (5.0 mph; 4.3 kn) (water) |
The Type 86, also known as WZ501, is a Chinese copy of the Soviet BMP-1 (Type 86G) infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
When the BMP-1, one of the most influential infantry fighting vehicle designs, was fielded by Soviet Army in early 1970s, China was in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. China did not begin any development of infantry fighting vehicles during the 1970s, and kept using armored personal carriers of earlier designs. After the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, the following Sino–Vietnamese War in 1979 revealed the urgent need for a stronger armored fighting vehicle design. The Vietnamese army often harassed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the form of small units, attacking the front and rear vehicles of an armored convoy in narrow mountainous areas to trap the Chinese forces. Most PLA infantrymen who accompanied tanks were either on foot, in thinly-armored vehicles, or riding on the tank roof, thus sustaining heavy casualties. The Chinese realized that the armed force required new armored supporting vehicles to protect its mechanized infantry into battle. These field reports directly prompted China’s effort to field new infantry fighting vehicles. [3]
In the 1970s and 1980s, through providing maintenance service for the Egyptian Army, the state-owned defense manufacturer Norinco acquired the export variant of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle from Egypt in 1980, [4] which was then reverse-engineered. The prototype was codenamed "WZ-501" and launched for testing in 1984. In 1986, the WZ-501 design was finalized, and it received the designation Type 86 tracked infantry fighting vehicle. The Type 86 was primary made for export, and large numbers of vehicles were delivered to foreign users. The vehicle went into People's Liberation Army service in 1992, becoming the first type of infantry fighting vehicle formally adopted by the PLA. The first batch was delivered to the 38th Group Army in 1993. A total of about 1,000 vehicles were equipped, concentrated in the mechanized units of the Group Armies in the northern part of mainland China. [3] [5]
Type 86 was modernized in 1990s and early 2000s, resulting in Type 86-I and ZBD-86A. Several hundred Type 86 IFVs were converted into the ZBD-86A standard. [6] Both variants are fitted with autocannons, making them function broadly similar to the BMP-2. [7] [8] As of 2020, 2250 units of ZBD-86 and ZBD-86A are in the People's Liberation Army Ground Force service. [9]
Myanmar
[20]
Sri Lanka
[20]
Iran
[20]
[19]
[15]
Iraq
[20]
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (October 2020) |
Type 86 IFV | |
---|---|
![]() ZBD-86A at Tank Biathlon 2016 | |
Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
Place of origin | China |
Service history | |
In service | 1992–present |
Production history | |
No. built | 1000 (estimate) [1] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 13.3 t (14.7 short tons; 13.1 long tons) |
Length | 6.74 m (22 ft 1 in) [2] |
Width | 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in)< [2] |
Height | 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)< [2] |
Crew | 3 |
Passengers | 8 |
Armor | Welded steel |
Main armament | Type 86: 73 mm gun Type 86G: 30 mm autocannon |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm coaxial
machine gun HJ-73 anti-tank missiles |
Engine | diesel 298 hp |
Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 500 km (310 mi) |
Maximum speed | 65 km/h (40 mph) (road) 8 km/h (5.0 mph; 4.3 kn) (water) |
The Type 86, also known as WZ501, is a Chinese copy of the Soviet BMP-1 (Type 86G) infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
When the BMP-1, one of the most influential infantry fighting vehicle designs, was fielded by Soviet Army in early 1970s, China was in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. China did not begin any development of infantry fighting vehicles during the 1970s, and kept using armored personal carriers of earlier designs. After the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, the following Sino–Vietnamese War in 1979 revealed the urgent need for a stronger armored fighting vehicle design. The Vietnamese army often harassed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the form of small units, attacking the front and rear vehicles of an armored convoy in narrow mountainous areas to trap the Chinese forces. Most PLA infantrymen who accompanied tanks were either on foot, in thinly-armored vehicles, or riding on the tank roof, thus sustaining heavy casualties. The Chinese realized that the armed force required new armored supporting vehicles to protect its mechanized infantry into battle. These field reports directly prompted China’s effort to field new infantry fighting vehicles. [3]
In the 1970s and 1980s, through providing maintenance service for the Egyptian Army, the state-owned defense manufacturer Norinco acquired the export variant of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle from Egypt in 1980, [4] which was then reverse-engineered. The prototype was codenamed "WZ-501" and launched for testing in 1984. In 1986, the WZ-501 design was finalized, and it received the designation Type 86 tracked infantry fighting vehicle. The Type 86 was primary made for export, and large numbers of vehicles were delivered to foreign users. The vehicle went into People's Liberation Army service in 1992, becoming the first type of infantry fighting vehicle formally adopted by the PLA. The first batch was delivered to the 38th Group Army in 1993. A total of about 1,000 vehicles were equipped, concentrated in the mechanized units of the Group Armies in the northern part of mainland China. [3] [5]
Type 86 was modernized in 1990s and early 2000s, resulting in Type 86-I and ZBD-86A. Several hundred Type 86 IFVs were converted into the ZBD-86A standard. [6] Both variants are fitted with autocannons, making them function broadly similar to the BMP-2. [7] [8] As of 2020, 2250 units of ZBD-86 and ZBD-86A are in the People's Liberation Army Ground Force service. [9]
Myanmar
[20]
Sri Lanka
[20]
Iran
[20]
[19]
[15]
Iraq
[20]