New vehicle Photo

The turret is Type 63A light tank, but the hull looks a little bit different, look at the skirt, it is thicker and in different shape. I would say it is a new modification of Type 63A?

Originally Posted by netspider

The turret is Type 63A light tank, but the hull looks a little bit different, look at the skirt, it is thicker and in different shape. I would say it is a new modification of Type 63A?

The turret is different. And is that a 105mm gun ? Seems too small.

Confussed.

This is a new amphibious light tank. That's what I heard from folks at china-defense.com. It seems that this tank is off of a new universal chasis. It could be related to the IFV they developed last year.

That wouldn't make sense. The type 63A's chassis is already universial for Amphibious vehicles. Why reinvent the wheel? If they want a universial chassis, they are better off getting the 97 to adopt to the 63A chassis.....

I don' think we can tell much from the vehicle, since we can only look at the front...

That wouldn't make sense. The type 63A's chassis is already universial for Amphibious vehicles. Why reinvent the wheel? If they want a universial chassis, they are better off getting the 97 to adopt to the 63A chassis

Becouse the Type 63 chassis orginates form the orginal soivet PT-76 amphious tank which dates back to the post WWII era...

Also If you have noticed the Type 63 chassis has a rear mounted engine which effectly unables it's usage as a IFV. (tough BTR-50 used the same hull, but the troop comparament was in place of the turret and had nothing to do with modern requiremenst of troop protection)
Type 97 chassis in other hand has a front mounted engine and is about 50 years more modern than the previous one. Aslo as it's commonly refered as a "universal chassis" it means that PLA is trying to standardise it as the main hull for all amoured vehicles. This means easier maintence as all hulls have the same automotive parts.

sorry to be off topic but i also have questions regarding these new 8x8 vehicles

the first one is an apc,the second one equipped with a 105 mm gun i guess and the third one a self propelled artillery system,probably 122 mm.
Does anyone of you have further information regarding these vehicles?

Thats 122mm D-30 (type 86) variant in the last vehicle...

But i've glueless as you are about other additional info...

The first one is clearly an IFV variant, the turret appears to be the GCTWM, the same as on the Type 86G and ZBD-03. SwimmerXC posted a rear view of the armored car variant in the PLA pic thread. Here is a link to it: http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/6233/spa81406qd1.jpg. As for the light tank, the roadwheel spacing looks like the Type 97 (ZBD-97) running gear... Cool pics, by the way.

This is what I dont understand, if it is a new vehicle, why place it in front of a government building where everyone can see it? But indeed I never seen such a vehicle. It looks alot like the M2 bradly layout but with a different front, I guess a amphibious type but that cant be prooved until we check the back for propellers.

Originally Posted by renmin

This is what I dont understand, if it is a new vehicle, why place it in front of a government building where everyone can see it? But indeed I never seen such a vehicle. It looks alot like the M2 bradly layout but with a different front, I guess a amphibious type but that cant be prooved until we check the back for propellers.

Actually that was a point i was thinking of when i first saw the pictures, whats with the showing it to the public nonsense?

Originally Posted by renmin

This is what I dont understand, if it is a new vehicle, why place it in front of a government building where everyone can see it? But indeed I never seen such a vehicle. It looks alot like the M2 bradly layout but with a different front, I guess a amphibious type but that cant be prooved until we check the back for propellers.

It is definately an amphibian, as it has a big two piece hinged trim vane at the front and, apparently, buoyant roadwheels. The size and configuration of the trim vane seems to have been inspired by the american EFV (ex-AAAV), possibly hinting at an attempt to attain higher than usual speeds in the water. Suspension could be hydropneumatically adjustable, as the track looks rather slack, so as to improve streamlining while swimming. It is also possible that it may have extendable waterjet outlets (again like the EFV) to increase vehicle length for better hydrodynamics still in the quest for higher water speed.

Originally Posted by Costas 240GD

It is definately an amphibian, as it has a big two piece hinged trim vane at the front and, apparently, buoyant roadwheels. The size and configuration of the trim vane seems to have been inspired by the american EFV (ex-AAAV), possibly hinting at an attempt to attain higher than usual speeds in the water. Suspension could be hydropneumatically adjustable, as the track looks rather slack, so as to improve streamlining while swimming. It is also possible that it may have extendable waterjet outlets (again like the EFV) to increase vehicle length for better hydrodynamics still in the quest for higher water speed.

That's almost exactly what I was thinking - the huge low mounted bow plane implies a high waterborne speed - like a speed boat - like the EFV.

Originally Posted by Gollevainen

Becouse the Type 63 chassis orginates form the orginal soivet PT-76 amphious tank which dates back to the post WWII era...

Also If you have noticed the Type 63 chassis has a rear mounted engine which effectly unables it's usage as a IFV. (tough BTR-50 used the same hull, but the troop comparament was in place of the turret and had nothing to do with modern requiremenst of troop protection)
Type 97 chassis in other hand has a front mounted engine and is about 50 years more modern than the previous one. Aslo as it's commonly refered as a "universal chassis" it means that PLA is trying to standardise it as the main hull for all amoured vehicles. This means easier maintence as all hulls have the same automotive parts.

Yea, but this vehicle obviously doesn't have a troop compartment, given that its turret is all the way back, so why bother? Doesn't mean sense to me. (Especially when the Type 63A/99 has just been inducted not long ago.) It would make sense if the Type 63A is old.........
Also, if this is a tank, it wouldn't make sense to have a rear door, since that makes the tank's rear side much weaker. (But who knows here, armour these days are weak even if strengthened....)

BTW, how does is the EFV doing in water? The Type 63A is said to be able to do 28 km/h which means 15 knots.

As for the armoured wheelies, they look like a 8x8 version of the newly IDed 6x6 vehicle on sinodefence rather than Type 92. (Even though The Type 92 is claimed to have a 8x8 version, we've never seen it. )
Can't say at all if they are new or not, since we use to have seen a lot of pictures of different armoured wheeled vehicles armed with 105, 120, and 122mm guns, and any of these can be them.

Yea, but this vehicle obviously doesn't have a troop compartment, given that its turret is all the way back, so why bother? Doesn't mean sense to me. (Especially when the Type 63A/99 has just been inducted not long ago.) It would make sense if the Type 63A is old.........
Also, if this is a tank, it wouldn't make sense to have a rear door, since that makes the tank's rear side much weaker. (But who knows here, armour these days are weak even if strengthened....)

None said it's a IFV. There is no rear door, or least we cannot say for certain as we haven't seen other than pics from the frontside of the vehicle...

And why bother to make a new amphibious tanks when you got Type 63??? well like I said type 63 (apart what is changed to this new systme) is based on 50's technology, no matter how little time ago it was build. I also mentioned other reasons so I don't want to repeat myself.