In a previous blog post, the author talked about the development of various types of PLA tanks, such as Type 99 and Type 04 infantry fighting vehicles. Today, let's talk about armored vehicles of the third generation of the PLA. Compared with the mainstream models in the world, such as the German boxer dog, the American Stryker, and the French VBCI infantry tank, what level is the third-generation armored vehicle we have developed? So, let's talk about it.
German boxer puppy.
First of all, let's talk about the development of tanks. And as a mechanized army, in addition to tanks, there are infantry fighting vehicles. Infantry fighting vehicles can carry infantry and tanks, which are standard infantry and tanks. And most of these tanks used tracks. Wheeled armored vehicles have strong cross-country capabilities, but they also have their own shortcomings in a number of issues, such as road mobility and maintenance costs.
Considering a series of problems existing in combat vehicles, major military powers have developed wheeled assault guns and wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. For example, the German boxer dog, the French VBCI infantry fighting vehicle, the Italian "arrow", and the American "Stryker", these are all very typical "wheeled" infantry fighting vehicles. In particular, the German boxing ** armored car can be said to be one of the most classic tanks of the XXI century. Naturally, the ** of raw materials also followed**.
French ** Team VBCI main battle tank.
In the field of armored vehicles, the army of the PLA has been lagging behind for a long time. For a long time, the PLA has been using Type 63 tanks and does not have its own combat vehicles. Take the 1979 Battle of Southern Xinjiang as a good example. This Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle is based on the Soviet BMP1 and has been modified.
In the late 80s, there was a gradual shift to PLA army equipping **. After that, we developed the first Type 92 infantry fighting vehicles. The Type 92 infantry fighting vehicle only solves one problem, and compared with the tanks of other countries, there is still a big difference. The total weight of the Type 92 armored vehicle is more than 14 tons, 3 people, it can take 6 soldiers. It uses 6 wheels instead of the current 8 wheels.
U.S. Army Stryker.
With a total weight of less than 15 tons, the Type 92 infantry fighting vehicle has rather limited armor defense. At the same time, the British Samurai-type armored car, which had a combat weight of about 28 tons. The Type 92 infantry fighting vehicle uses an 8-cylinder 4-stroke air-cooled, turbocharged, 8-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine, which can provide 320 hp. You must know that the engine of this model is based on the German engine of the 80s, which was gradually improved.
In fact, most of the diesel engines in our country are imported from Germany and France. PLA also did not meet the design of the Type 92 tank. To this end, from the end of the nineties to the beginning of the XXI century, the state launched the development of the second generation of infantry fighting vehicles. You know, it's time for many old questions.
PLA Type 92 wheeled infantry combat vehicle.
The second-generation infantry tank, named 09, was unveiled at the National Day parade in 2009, and after 2010, it was mass-produced. In addition, there are more than 30 models, such as command vehicles, logistics support vehicles, minesweepers, etc. In terms of overall performance, PLA is quite satisfied with the performance of the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicle. At present, the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicle, which is still in large-scale manufacturing, will gradually replace the original Type 92 infantry fighting vehicle.
The Type 09 infantry fighting vehicle is based on the latest technology in Europe, the United States and other countries, based on eight wheels, and the body size is relatively large. The combat weight of the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicle is 21-22 tons, and the weight is about 21. With three crews, it is possible to take seven infantrymen. Equipped with a six-cylinder, supercharged and internally cooled DowitzBF6M1015FC engine, it delivers 330 kW, equivalent to 450 hp. This model of engine, with a lot of power, is also bulky.
PLA Type 09 wheeled infantry combat vehicle.
With these engines on the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicle, the interior space is very cramped, and it can carry up to seven people. The Type 09 infantry tank was completed in the late nineties and early twenty-first centuries and used a conventional mechanical automatic transmission. The main wheeled armored vehicles in Europe and the United States mainly use hydraulic transmission systems.
For example, the German boxer hound armored car, with a total weight of 33 tons, 3 people, can carry 10 soldiers. It is equipped with an MTU 8V199TE20 turbocharged diesel engine that produces 530 watts of power for a total of 720 hp. According to the report, this new generation of boxing dogs is equipped with a 600 kW engine, which is 816 horsepower. Germany is a diesel-based country, and both tanks and ships are at the forefront of the world.
PLA Type 11 wheeled self-propelled gun.
And the Type 09 armored car of our country, in all indicators, is not inferior to the French VBCI armored car. French VBCI type armored vehicle with a total weight of 24 tons and a weight of 25 tons, 3 drivers, can take eight soldiers. It is equipped with one turbocharged diesel engine from the Volvo D-12 series produced by Renault, which produces 500 hp. Type 09 and VBCI tanks are of the same class in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio.
Take the American Stryker-type armored vehicle, for example, which can be transported by C130 transport aircraft, given its mobility around the world. So, the total weight of the Stryker armored car was only 17 tons, and it was equipped with a 350 hp engine. In many ways, it is even inferior to the PLA's Type 09 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle. All in all, each country has its own combat needs, so the design of armored vehicles is also very different.
In a blink of an eye, the Type 09 infantry fighting vehicle has been in service for more than ten years and is the main unit of the People's Liberation Army's medium-sized composite brigade and marines. Starting in 2022, the 3rd generation wheeled infantry fighting vehicles of our country will be shown in different perspectives. Now these tanks are in front of the public, indicating that they have reached the final finished product. Otherwise, these ** and videos will never be circulated. Unlike the Type 09, the new generation of armored vehicles structurally adopted a new type of unmanned turret.
On **, equipped with a Gatling air defense system of 30 mm caliber, which replaces the Red Arrow 73, it is possible to launch the new generation "Red Arrow 16" and "Red Arrow 20". In order to better conduct field reconnaissance, laser rangefinders, infrared thermal imagers and crosswind sensors were installed on the ground. Different from the Type 09, the third-generation infantry fighting vehicle has added two layers of protection structure to the structure, which greatly improves its comprehensive defense performance.
3rd generation main battle tank.
According to the latest releases of ** and videos, the combat weight of the new generation wheeled infantry tank is much larger than that of the 09 main battle tank, such as 25-30 tons. As far as the actual combat needs of PLA are concerned, in terms of comprehensive transportation capacity, it is absolutely impossible to meet the requirements of the full weight of the 33-ton German boxer dog. This is simply not needed.
Moreover, due to the increase in full weight, the next generation of armored vehicles will inevitably be equipped with new drives, output power, reliability, fuel consumption, etc., will be greatly improved. However, this data is top secret and will not be leaked.
China's 3rd generation main battle tank.
China's wheeled armored vehicles have developed very rapidly in recent years, and they can catch up with Europe and the United States and other countries both theoretically and technically. For example, we use armored vehicles of the VN22 type, which have a combat weight of more than 25 tons and a diesel engine of 820 horsepower. Its overall strength is almost comparable to that of German boxers. And the domestic third-generation infantry fighting vehicles are also quite good in terms of performance.
VN22 armored car.
There are many deeds related to the construction and development of our army. I'll talk to you slowly in a later post.
Authors affirm: This content is a report generated by artificial intelligence feedback.