Type 86 (infantry fighting vehicle) explained

Type 86 IFV
Origin:China
Type:Infantry fighting vehicle
Number:1000 (estimate) [1]
Service:1992–present
Is Vehicle:yes
Crew:3
Passengers:8
Length:6.74abbr=onNaNabbr=on[2]
Width:2.97m (09.74feet)<
Height:2.16m (07.09feet)<
Weight:13.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Armour:Welded steel
Primary 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
Speed:65km/h (road)
8km/h (water)
Vehicle Range:500km (300miles)

The Type 86, also known as WZ501, is a Chinese copy of the Soviet BMP-1 (Type 86G) infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).

Development

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 personnel 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.[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. Both variants are fitted with autocannons, making them function broadly similar to the BMP-2. As of 2020, 2250 units of ZBD-86 and ZBD-86A are in the People's Liberation Army Ground Force service.

Variants

Type 86

Modernized variants

Operators

[20]



See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WZ 501 YW 501 Type 86 tracked armored IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle . Army Recognition.
  2. Web site: Type 86 Infantry fighting vehicle . Military-Today.
  3. News: 从BMP-1看中国86式步兵战车. 2005-09-19. 《坦克装甲车辆》. 新浪军事. 2012-08-16. zh. 2016-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084303/http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/pc/2005-09-19/29/1143.html. live.
  4. Web site: 埃及对中国贡献多大?不顾苏联反对:把多种先进战机导弹运到中国 . Sina News . 20 June 2021 . Chinese .
  5. Web site: Type 86 . military today .
  6. http://www.sinodefence.com/army/armour/type86.asp Sino Defense
  7. Web site: WZ 501 YW 501 Type 86 armoured infantry fighting vehicle . 18 August 2013 . 19 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130815202411/http://www.armyrecognition.com/china_chinese_light_armored_armoured_vehicle_uk/wz_501_type_86_yw_501_armoured_infantry_fighting_vehicle_technical_data_sheet_specifications_picture.html . 15 August 2013 . live .
  8. http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/otvaga2004/armour-china/a_nbc.htm otvaga 2
  9. http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/otvaga2004/armour-china/a_nfv-1.htm otvaga NFV-1
  10. http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/otvaga2004/armour-china/a_wz501c.htm WZ-501C
  11. Web site: Type 86 WZ501 Infantry Fighting Vehicle. FAS.org. 20 December 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071227163450/http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/wz501.htm. 27 December 2007. live.
  12. Web site: ZBD86A . weaponsystems.
  13. Web site: Type 86 IFV . tanks-encyclopedia .
  14. http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/otvaga2004/armour-china/a_wz501a.htm otvaga WZ-501A
  15. Web site: 驰骋大漠的装甲英豪:2018国际军事比赛上的86A步兵战车 . Sohu News . 25 July 2018.
  16. Web site: Type 86G . military today.
  17. Web site: 包揽全部第一:中国86A为何碾压俄罗斯BMP-2? . Tencent News . 22 August 2021 . Chinese .
  18. Book: The International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Military Balance 2021. 2021. 250–251.
  19. Web site: Type 86 Infantry Fighting Vehicle - Chinese PLA. 2021-03-05. www.tanks-encyclopedia.com.
  20. Web site: WZ 501 Type 86 YW 501 tracked armored IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle. 2021-03-05. www.armyrecognition.com. en-gb.
  21. Czołgi Świata ("World's Tanks" or "Tanks Of The World") magazine, number 18.