Type 85 AFV
Encyclopedia
The Norinco Type 85 tracked armoured fighting vehicle (industrial index: Type YW531H) is an improved version of the Type 63 APC
vehicle. The vehicle is bigger, has additional firing ports and periscopes, a longer chassis with an additional road wheel on each side, and is equipped with an NBC protection system.
The Type 85 series was developed in 1985, exclusively for the export market; for the PLA
, the very similar Type 89 AFV was designed. The main user of the Type 85 series are the Royal Thai Armed Forces who received their first vehicles in 1987.
Currently, the improved Type 90 AFV
is offered for export.
The air-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine sits to the right rear of the driver. It has a large intake located in the top of the hull, with an exhaust on the right hand side. The engine feeds a manual transmission with five forward gears and one reverse gear. Track is driven at the front by a drive sprocket, and passes over five dual rubber-typed road wheels and track-return rollers, then loops over an idler at the rear, before returning to the front again.
A 12.7 millimetre calibre machine gun with armoured shields is located in an open mount at the front of a small hatch in the center of the hull which opens into the troop compartment. The gun can traverse through 360 degrees and can be elevated to an angle of 90 degrees. A total of 1,120 rounds is carried on board. Two oblong roof hatches and a large rear door provide access to the troop compartment. On either side of the forward hull, a cluster of four 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers is mounted.
The vehicle is amphibious, a folding trim board stowed at the front of the hull needs to be raised, and the vehicle can then propel itself in the water using its tracks. Standard equipment includes an NBC system, a Type 889 or VRC-83 radio, and a Type 803 intercom system.
Type 63 (armoured personnel carrier)
The Type 63 is a Chinese armoured personnel carrier that entered service in the late 1960s. It was the first armoured vehicle designed in China without Soviet assistance. The design is simple and is comparable to other APCs of its time such as the M113.Approximately 3,000 were produced by Norinco,...
vehicle. The vehicle is bigger, has additional firing ports and periscopes, a longer chassis with an additional road wheel on each side, and is equipped with an NBC protection system.
The Type 85 series was developed in 1985, exclusively for the export market; for the PLA
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
, the very similar Type 89 AFV was designed. The main user of the Type 85 series are the Royal Thai Armed Forces who received their first vehicles in 1987.
Currently, the improved Type 90 AFV
Type 90 AFV
The Norinco Type 90 Armoured Fighting Vehicle is the successor for the Type 85 AFV of which it uses some components. The Type 90 series was developed for export, which consists of at least 10 different types; its industrial index is YW535....
is offered for export.
Description
The hull is made of welded steel, and provides protection against small arms fire. The vehicle carries a maximum of 15 including crew. The driver sits in the front left of the hull, and has a single piece hatch, which opens to the left. The driver is provided with two day periscopes which cover the front and right of the vehicle. One of the drivers periscopes can be replaced by a night vision device. The commander sits behind the driver and has a single piece hatch.The air-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine sits to the right rear of the driver. It has a large intake located in the top of the hull, with an exhaust on the right hand side. The engine feeds a manual transmission with five forward gears and one reverse gear. Track is driven at the front by a drive sprocket, and passes over five dual rubber-typed road wheels and track-return rollers, then loops over an idler at the rear, before returning to the front again.
A 12.7 millimetre calibre machine gun with armoured shields is located in an open mount at the front of a small hatch in the center of the hull which opens into the troop compartment. The gun can traverse through 360 degrees and can be elevated to an angle of 90 degrees. A total of 1,120 rounds is carried on board. Two oblong roof hatches and a large rear door provide access to the troop compartment. On either side of the forward hull, a cluster of four 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers is mounted.
The vehicle is amphibious, a folding trim board stowed at the front of the hull needs to be raised, and the vehicle can then propel itself in the water using its tracks. Standard equipment includes an NBC system, a Type 889 or VRC-83 radio, and a Type 803 intercom system.
Variants
- Type 85 Tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier or Type YW531H - Basic version, as described.
- Type 85 Infantry Fighting Vehicle or Type YW307 - Fitted with a one-man turret with 25 mm automatic gun (400 rounds) and 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun (1,000 rounds). Crew: 3+7. A very similar vehicle with the same name but based on the Type 89 AFV chassis does also exist.
- Type 85 Infantry Fighting Vehicle or Type YW309 - Fitted with the complete turret of the WZ501BMP-1The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 1 , meaning "infantry fighting vehicle". The BMP-1 was the world's first mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle...
with the 73 mm gun. Crew: 3+8. - Type 85 Armoured Command Vehicle - Retains the basic low-profile hull, but has some of the periscopes removed. Specialised equipment consist of a generator and radio sets Type 889 (or VRC-83), Type 892 (or VRC-84) and receiver Type 70-2B (or SR119).
- Type 85 Armoured Command Post - Has a higher roofline and is equipped with a generator and radio sets Type 889 (or VRC-83), Type 892 (or VRC-84) and receiver Type 70-2B (or SR119). This variant also serves as the basis for the command vehicles of Norinco's PLZ-45PLZ-45The PLZ-45 is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer used by the People's Liberation Army of China, the Bangladesh Army, the Kuwaiti Army, the Saudi Arabian Army, and possibly the Pakistani Army....
self-propelled gun-howitzer system: the GLC-45 battery reconnaissance vehicle, the ZSY-45 battalion command post vehicle and the ZCL-45 battery command post vehicle. - Type 85 Tracked Armoured Ambulance or Type WZ751 - Unarmed ambulance with a higher roofline.
- Type 85 Maintenance Engineering Vehicle - Maintenance variant with higher troop compartment, fitted with a light crane and a generator.
- Type 85 Recovery Vehicle - Has a slightly wider hull and is equipped with a 1-tonne crane, generator and welding equipment.
- Type 85 Self-Propelled Howitzer 122mm or Type YW323 - Turret-less version with a Type 85 122mm howitzer mounted on top of the open rear hull. 40 rounds of ammunition are provided. Crew: 6.
- Type 85 Self-Propelled Artillery Rocket Launcher or Type YW306 - Variant with a 30-round 130 mm rocket launcher mounted on top of the hull. A total of 60 rockets is carried on board. Crew: 6.
- Type 85 Self-Propelled Mortar 120mm or Type YW381 - With a 120 mm mortar and 50 rounds in the hull rear. The mortar is fired through a big circular opening in the hull roof.
- Type 85 Self-Propelled Mortar 82mm or Type YW304 - With a 82 mm mortar mounted in the rear hull and 120 rounds of ammunition.
- Type YD804 - Civilian fire-fighting version.
- NVH-1 - Infantry fighting vehicle with 2-man Vickers turret, armed with a 30 mm RARDENRARDENThe L21A1 RARDEN is a British 30mm autocannon used as an combat vehicle weapon. The name is a contraction of the Royal Armament, Research and Development Establishment and Enfield...
gun and 210 rounds. Combat weight: 16 tonnes, crew: 11 man. - NVH-4 - Similar as the above, but armed with a 25mm Bushmaster gun. Combat weight: 17 tonnes, crew: 13 man.