• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Type 05 Light Amphibious Tank
Type ZTD 05 Light Amphibious Tank zBD 2000, ZLT-05, VN-16

The ZTD-05 amphibious vehicle belongs to China's domestically produced 05 high-speed amphibious assault vehicle series, a new type of domestically produced amphibious armored assault vehicle (AAAV). The 05 high-speed amphibious assault vehicle series is the fastest and most advanced medium-sized amphibious assault vehicle series in the world today. It is propelled by a powerful engine and can travel at high speeds on water. This new type of amphibious assault vehicle has a plump appearance, compact structure, reasonable layout and strong firepower. It is mainly equipped with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Marine Corps and the Army's amphibious mechanized forces. It is very suitable for cross-sea operations with the Chinese Marine Corps and for use by the Chinese Southern Army in areas with dense water networks. It is mainly used for island attacks and to carry out tasks such as consolidating landing sites during the campaign landing operation phase. The ZTD-05 amphibious armored assault vehicle, China's most advanced second-generation amphibious armored vehicle, is capable of high-speed navigation in windy and rough seas, accurately targeting and destroying targets. Its comprehensive combat performance rivals that of the most advanced amphibious assault vehicles of the world's military powers. Propelled by a powerful engine, the ZTD-05 amphibious armored assault vehicle can navigate water at high speeds. This new amphibious assault vehicle boasts a sleek appearance, compact structure, rational layout, and powerful firepower. Primarily deployed by the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps and the Army's amphibious mechanized forces, it is well-suited for cross-sea operations with the Chinese Marine Corps and for operations by Chinese Southern Army forces in densely populated waterways. It is primarily used for island offensives and to consolidate landing sites during the landing phase of campaigns. Since its birth, the 63A amphibious tank has been shouldering the heavy responsibility of China's main force for beach landing. By the 1980s, the 63A amphibious tank had become obviously outdated. Although it was equipped with a new engine, its water speed did not exceed 15 kilometers per hour. Moreover, this tank had poor wind and wave resistance and was far from meeting the tactical requirements of the army's landing operations. In the 1980s, the United States developed amphibious equipment under its beyond-visual-range landing warfare concept, especially the long-range assault vehicle AAAV, which used a paddling body and had an ultra-high speed of 46.3 kilometers per hour. No other vehicle in the world could match it. Against this background, China also launched the development of the domestic version of the AAAV - the Type 05 amphibious assault vehicle. Compared to amphibious forces worldwide, the US Marine Corps is unrivaled in strength. Equipped with large amphibious assault ships and dock landing ships, it is backed by numerous aircraft carrier battle groups. Its formidable delivery capabilities and air support are unmatched. However, an article published in Aviation Week on May 20, 2010, noted that the US military is not as well-developed as the People's Liberation Army in developing amphibious armored forces. Aviation Week believes that, similar to the US military's enthusiasm for developing high-speed amphibious combat vehicles, the People's Liberation Army, after deploying the Type 63 amphibious vehicle family, has also begun developing more advanced amphibious combat vehicles. The ZTD-05 and ZBD-05 families, which debuted in early 2006, are a prime example. Like the US expeditionary fighting vehicle, these two amphibious combat vehicles are equipped with high-powered water jet propulsion and a "planing" design. However, in stark contrast to the ongoing debate within the US military over long-range combat vehicles, China's high-speed amphibious combat vehicles have already been mass-produced by the Army and Marine Corps, with potential for export. Compared to the United States, the PLA is perhaps more practical. Its amphibious combat vehicles utilize mature technology and are smaller in size, simplifying development and enabling rapid deployment. While the US Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle weighs 35 tons and has a speed of 46 kilometers per hour, the PLA's ZTD-05 weighs only 26 tons and has a speed of nearly 40 kilometers per hour. It also boasts high versatility. The amphibious tank model is equipped with a 105mm cannon capable of firing anti-tank missiles. The ZTD-05 infantry fighting vehicle is also equipped with a 35mm automatic cannon and the very low-cost Hongqi-73C anti-tank missile, significantly outperforming the US Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, which was armed with only a single 30mm cannon. Aviation Week believes that, just as the US military is keen on developing high-speed amphibious vehicles, the PLA has also begun to develop more advanced amphibious vehicles after equipping the Type 63 amphibious vehicle family. The ZTD-05 and ZBD-05 vehicle families that appeared in early 2006 are examples. These two types of amphibious vehicles, like the US military's expeditionary fighting vehicles, are equipped with high-power water jet propulsion devices and adopt a "glide" design. However, in stark contrast to the US military's internal debate over long-range combat vehicles, China's high-speed amphibious vehicles have been mass-produced and equipped with the Army and Marine Corps, and are expected to be exported.

ZTD 05 - Exercises

The ZTD-05 amphibious armored assault vehicle is the most advanced second-generation amphibious armored equipment of China's army. It can accurately locate and attack and destroy targets, and its comprehensive combat performance is fully comparable to the most advanced amphibious assault vehicles of the world's military powers. The ZTD-05 amphibious armored assault vehicle is driven by a powerful engine and can sail at high speed on wat China conducted a maritime exercise in early May 2019 featuring what was hailed as the world's most advanced medium-sized amphibious assault vehicle, the ZTD-05s, a weapon that can join amphibious landing ships in land assault missions. With the ZTD-05s and other domestically designed hardware, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is well positioned to deal with Taiwan secessionists and potential island disputes, Chinese analysts said on 12 May 2019.

The evaluation exercise, conducted by the 74th Group Army of the PLA, was held in the eastern part of South China's Guangdong Province. Multiple types of amphibious vehicles entered the sea and ran through various training exercises, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported on 18 May 2019. Multiple ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicles took part in the exercise.

The exercise came after a US Department of Defense report released earlier in May 2019. It said China lacked adequate amphibious capabilities. Some Western reports claimed that the Chinese mainland is not capable of launching an assault on the island of Taiwan. China's amphibious landing capabilities may indeed lag behind those of the US, but this will not impact China's ability to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times on 12 May 2019. There would be no problem for the mainland to crush Taiwan secessionists' scheme should they attempt to separate from the mainland, Zhang said.

er. People's Liberation Army held a live-fire exercise, highlighting the improvement of its amphibious combat capabilities. Among them, the scene of the ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle accurately striking maritime targets during high-speed navigation was seen as a clear signal against potential island capture operations, and its strategic implications are self-evident. According to the military news website Army Recognition, a brigade-level armored unit of the People's Liberation Army conducted an exercise on July 13th. During the exercise, an amphibious assault ship deployed smoke bombs while advancing toward its target and opened fire to cover the advance of a ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle. This move highlights the PLA's readiness to conduct cross-service joint operations at sea, integrating naval and armored forces to cope with complex coastal combat scenarios. The tactics used by the PLA in this exercise, including coordinated smoke screens, rapid approach to formations and precise artillery fire, are consistent with China's overall goal of maintaining and carrying out "joint island landing operations." The exercise sent a clear message: China is building a force that is not only modernized but also well-trained in complex, high-tempo amphibious landing operations. By combining advanced amphibious platforms like the ZTD-05 with integrated naval firepower, China is continuously strengthening its ability to conduct decisive maritime offensive operations, not just as a deterrent.

ZTD 05 - Design

The ZTD-05 (VN-16) Chinese Amphibious Light Tank fire-support vehicle is based on the Type 05 hull. It is designed to have the same mobility and protection as the ZBD-05, but it is armed with a large-calibre direct-fire gun. It is designed to provide overwhelming fire support for ZBD-05 formations against embedded infantry and heavily armoured vehicles.

The ZTD-05 is a domestically made, high-speed amphibious assault vehicle and is claimed to be the most advanced medium-sized amphibious assault vehicle in the world, CCTV reported. Equipped with a 105-millimeter tank cannon and capable of firing while at sea, the ZTD-05 is highly stable and can reach speeds of 40 kilometers an hour on water. The highly mobile vehicle has very lethal fire power. The ZTD-05 can be dispatched for land assaults, or join the PLA Navy's amphibious landing ships for other types of military operations. The PLA Navy also has the Type 071 amphibious transport dock and Type 072 landing ship. China is reportedly also developing the Type 075 amphibious assault ship.

The ZTD-05's defining feature is its retractable, foldable frontal deflector. This device offsets some of the water's turbulence and drag, increasing the vehicle's speed while maneuvering in the water. The front deflector, with its reinforced ribs, boasts a wide profile and hydraulically adjustable extension, allowing it to adjust its forward tilt according to wave height and desired speed, effectively giving the vehicle the function of a glide board. In land combat, the deflector retracts forward, providing additional front armor. A hydraulically retractable rear deflector is installed at the rear of the vehicle, serving as a protective step for passengers entering and exiting the vehicle and also as a hydrofoil for pitch control during sea navigation. During normal land combat, the retracted rear deflector also serves as rear armor protection. The front and rear anti-wave plates of the vehicle, together with the side skirts that open on both sides of the vehicle, make it look like a beetle with its wings spread out, which can greatly increase the contact area between the entire vehicle body and the water. This not only increases the stability and safety of the vehicle during navigation, but also allows large-caliber weapons such as the 105mm gun on a light tank to be able to fire at any time during navigation without capsizing. The ZTD-05 has the same basic hull shape as the ZBD-05. The driver is seated at the front-left of the hull and the engine is to his right. However, the rest of the vehicle is taken up by the turret and attendant ammunition storage. The turret is much larger than the ZBD-05's and has a sloped front and sides. It carries a 105 mm main gun, which is fitted with a bore evacuator that is located in the first third of the barrel, and a pepper pot muzzle brake. There is an MG mounted on the roof of the turret that requires an operator to expose his upper body for use, and there is a co-axial MG on the right of the main gun.

The turret accommodates the commander, gunner, and loader. The commander and gunner are seated in tandem on the left of the turret, with the gun in the middle and the loader on the right. The commander's position is elevated in relation to the gunner and loader so that he can survey the surrounding battlefield. The commander and loader are provided with single-piece hatches that open forwards and to the rear respectively. The rear compartment is used to store ammunition, which is stored horizontally and lengthways along the sides of the hull in two racks. The rear door is retained and can be used for access or replenishing the magazine. There are also storage racks attached to the ceiling that are used to carry personal equipment or additional buoyancy aids. The hull of the ZTD-05 is built from welded aluminum to which a modular spaced armor is added, assessed to be composite appliqué armor. At the front of the hull, the bow blade is placed along the glacis and belly plate to provide additional protection from ballistic threats. It is also possible that the front of the hull is used to house a self-sealing fuel tank, which is a method also used on the BMP-3. The ZTD-05 weighs an estimated 26 tons and can reportedly travel 40 kph, carries a version of the 105-mm low-recoil gun that arms the ZTZ-63A, and also uses the Bastion antitank missile. The ZTD 05 has a crew of three. The ZTD-05 has a retractable spurnwater in front of the body, which can offset the resistance of water and accelerate the movement in water.

The primary armament of the ZTD-05 is the 105 mm low-recoil rifled gun, which is stabilised and capable of firing on the move. It is thought that the gun was modified to reduce its recoil, and prevent the system from damaging the hull or affecting the balance of the platform when firing on the move. The ZTD-05 is claimed to be capable of conducting a combat mission while afloat, and can remain effective against stationary targets in Sea State 4. Against mobile targets it remains effective in Sea State 3. A muzzle brake is used to further reduce the recoil force on the hull and a bore evacuator dispels excess gases from the barrel after firing. The gun can be elevated from -4.5° to +18° and traversed through 360°. The gun fires at a rate of 6 to 8 rds/min, and loading is manual with the assistance of a hydraulic ram. The ammunition used is single piece and the total quantity of shells carried is thought to exceed 30. Available ammunition natures include an APFSDS round designated as BTA2, which is capable of penetrating 220 mm of RHA set at 66.4° from a range of 2,000 m. For targets protected by ERA, the DTP1A round armed with a HEAT warhead is used, which is capable of penetrating 180 mm of RHA set at 60° and protected by ERA. To assault fortified positions, the ZTD-05 can employ the BTM1 round, which is capable of penetrating 1 m of reinforced concrete at a range of 1,500 m and provides a 6 m lethal radius. Norinco has also developed a multipurpose round, which can be used for anti-materiel and anti-personnel purposes. The round has a maximum effective range of 3,000 m and a lethal radius of 10 m against personnel. For anti-materiel purposes, the maximum range is 12 km, the lethal radius is 20 m, and the round can penetrate 35 mm of RHA at a range of 300 m. It is also likely that the gun can fire the GP2 gun-launched missile, which is stated to be capable of penetrating 650 mm of armour protected by ERA at a maximum range of 5,000 m. For close-range support, the ZTD-05 is armed with a 7.62 mm MG thought to match the characteristics of the same weapon on the ZBD-05. There is also a roof-mounted 12.7 mm MG, which is described as an air defence weapon by Norinco. Operating the weapon requires the loader to expose his head and upper body to enemy fire, and it is belt-fed by boxes of 250 rounds. The maximum engagement range is 1,800 m, but the effective range is closer to 1,200 m. The weapon is not stabilised so its accuracy will be greatly reduced if used on the move. The ZTD-05 assault tank's fire control system consists of a ballistic computer, commander's and gunner's sights, a laser rangefinder at the base of the mount, and various sensors. A new optoelectronic jammer is located on the left rear of the turret to disrupt incoming laser-guided munitions. The assault tank can acquire a target at a distance of 1,000 meters in 3 seconds and at a distance of 2,000 meters in 14 seconds, with an accuracy rate of 90%. Switching to a second target takes 4.9 seconds at a distance of 1,000 meters and 19.6 seconds at a distance of 2,000 meters. Both the commander and gunner can directly fire. China's Type 63A amphibious tank and other foreign amphibious combat vehicles suffer from slow water speed, a major weakness. Therefore, the ZTD-05's ultra-high speed on water gives it superior battlefield survivability compared to its competitors. Equipped with the 1,500-horsepower engine of the Type 99 main battle tank, the ZTD-05 assault combat vehicle can reach a speed of nearly 40 kilometers per hour on water, a revolutionary achievement compared to the approximately 10 kilometers per hour of previous Chinese amphibious combat vehicles. This is primarily due to the vehicle's innovative water jet propulsion, which propels the vehicle forward at high speed. This vehicle family also utilizes a lightweight welded aluminum alloy armored hull and turret for the first time, significantly reducing the vehicle's overall weight without sacrificing its ballistic protection and further enhancing its water-surfing capabilities.

ZTD 05 - Variants

The PLZ-07B is an SPH designed for the Chinese Marine Corps. It is based on the Type 05 hull and uses the weapon system from the PLZ-07, which is based on a different hull. The vehicle is designed to have the same mobility and protection as the ZBD-05, however, it is equipped with a large-calibre howitzer and attendant FCS so that it can provide organic indirect fire support for ZBD-05 formations. Type 001 The Type 001 is an APC based on the Type 05 hull. It is believed that the Type 001 is more likely to be found in service with the amphibious elements of the PLA rather than the Marine Corps, as it has been shown on exercises with the 74th Army Group. It is designed to perform as an APC and is capable of carrying a section of equipped infantry into combat alongside other Type 005 variants In 2025 a heavily modified ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was displayed, specifically equipped as a missile carrier. It features two six-tube launchers for HJ-10 ("Red Arrow 10") top-attack anti-tank missiles, capable of carrying a total of 12 missiles. The HJ-10 is an advanced anti-tank guided missile with a range of up to 10 km and a tandem HEAT warhead, effective against explosive reactive armor. This modified version replaces the ZTD-05's original 105mm rifled gun turret with the missile launchers, enhancing its role as an anti-tank platform. The Chinese HJ-10 (Red Arrow 10) is a long-range, heavy anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) often compared to international counterparts like the Israeli Spike-ER/NLOS, the Russian Kornet, and the American Hellfire and Javelin, though it fits best with the vehicle-launched, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) category like the Spike-NLOS. The ZTD-05 is known for its high water speed and amphibious capabilities, making it suitable for rapid deployment and offshore missile launches, particularly in coastal and riverine environments. The integration of the long-range HJ-10 missiles on the ZTD-05 platform signifies a shift towards a multi-domain amphibious strike capability for the PLA, potentially influencing operations in disputed regions like the South China Sea.

VN-16 amphibious armored assault vehicle

VN-16 is designed for mechanized forces and the Marine Corps developed landing combat equipment, very suitable for amphibious beach, open up positions and other attacks and a solid position, anti-landing and other defensive tasks. The vehicle is equipped with a 105 mm cannon, which can hit the enemy within 2000 meters within the armored vehicles, fortifications and personnel and other goals. Equipped with a commander-style fire control system, in the ups and downs on the surface of the movement of the target to implement a precise blow. VN-16 beyond the traditional amphibious combat vehicle water speed and wind and wind resistance limit, with world-class rapid maneuver capability.