ZBL-08 "Snow Leopard" wheeled armored vehicle
The ZBL-08 is a classic wheeled 8x8 IFV, somewhat resembling the Canadian Stryker. The NORINCO (China NORth INdustries COrporation) "ZBL-08", also known as the "Type 08" in sources, is in active service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Marine forces of China as well as a few other operators. Unlike some other modern Chinese vehicles, the ZBL-08 is also offered for export under the designation of VN-1 – and successfully, it seems.
As of 15 May 2021, Google referenced 25,000 attestations of "ZBL-08" versus 91,000 attestations of "ZBL-09". Militaryfactory.com includes separate references for the ZBL-08 and ZBL-09. The Tank Encyclodpedia has a section on the ZBD-09, but nothing on a ZBL, either 08 or 09. Some major sources incorrectly call the ZBL-08 the ZBL-09, based on the year it was first shown in public during the 1st of October 2009 National Day military parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, operated by crews belonging to the 54th Group Army from the Jinan Military Region. As recently as May 201, Janes referenced the "ZBL-09 (also known as Type 09) infantry fighting vehicle (IFV)." Other sources claim that it’s called “Snow Leopard”, although this name was most likely made up in the west, driven by the need to assign designations that make the vehicles easier to refererence.
As early as 2015 the official Chinese military website had one reference to the ZBL-09, while as recently as 2019 the official Chinese military website had 5 references to the ZBL-08. The reference to the ZBK-09 seems in error, as the photographs in the article depict a tracked vehicle, not a wheeled vehcile. The ZBL name is a military designation, referring to: Z – Armored; B – Infantry Fighting Vehicle; and L – Wheeled.
This 20-ton wheeled armored vehicle is mainly used for armored infantry to carry out mobile offensive and defensive combat tasks. The vehicle has higher maneuverability, better protection ability, comfortable man-machine environment engineering and water floating ability. It has the characteristics of easy operation, comfortable driving, stable driving, good maneuverability, low fuel consumption, compact structure, reasonable layout, and high reliability and maintainability. The vehicle weapon system is a built-in single-operated turret. The vehicle can strike at stationary and moving targets in a stationary and short-stop state, effectively destroying enemy light armored targets, suppressing and destroying enemy soil, wooden fortifications and active forces within 4000 meters, and at the same time diving into the enemy at low altitude Airplanes and armed helicopters are capable of shooting and have certain air defense capabilities.
The new combat vehicle has excellent tactical and technical performance and has become the main weapon of the PLA. In the construction of the armored fighting vehicle, the traditional layout was used: the front is the driver and power system, and the back is the crew compartment independent of the tank cockpit.
The design looks similar to the VAB but is consistantly heavier (basic configuration of the VAB is 4x4), and larger. The hull is made of welded steel RHA, protected against 12.7 mm cal. rounds, with an overall combat weight of 15.3t, divided in three sections (front driver compartment, middle left engine compartment, rear troop compartment). The hull is NBC-proof, with an automatic fire suppression system and is fully amphibious, thanks to two rear propellers. A nose-mounted trim vane can be erected when swimming. The crew of three comprise the driver, commander and gunner, and 9 infantrymen are seated at the rear.
The vehicle adopts a modular design and consists of six basic modules: power, transmission, action, manipulation, car body and top-mounted weapons. Through the combination of different modules, various chassis variants can be realized, so as to match and integrate with various combat needs. The use of modular design can improve the interchangeability of car families, which is conducive to logistics maintenance.
The ZBL-09 infantry fighting vehicle has a total weight of 16 tons. The crew consists of 3 crew members and 7 loaders. It adopts the layout of the international wheeled combat vehicle standard. On the side, the fighting compartment is in the middle, and the rear is the crew compartment. Arranged with 3 crew and 7 crew members. There are partitions for sound insulation, noise reduction and heat insulation between the cabins in the vehicle. The crew compartment is equipped with firing holes, which enhances the ability to carry infantry in vehicles and provide fire support for them when disembarking for combat.
The whole vehicle adopts a modular design, which consists of six basic modules of power, transmission, action, manipulation, body and top-mounted weapons. Through the combination of different modules, various variants of the chassis can be realized, so as to match and integrate with various combat needs. The use of modular design can improve the interchangeability of the car family, which is conducive to logistics maintenance support.
ZBL-09 is superior in density of firepower and striking distance. The latter two vehicles use a rotary gun mount. Although a variety of weapons can be replaced, the firepower of the bicycle is limited compared to the ZBL-09 equipped with three weapons at the same time. The ZBL-09 is equipped with an improved "Red Arrow"-73C. Anti-tank missiles can strike at a distance of 4,000 meters, which is far greater than the range of machine guns and machine guns.
In terms of fire control system, although the 30mm double turret used by the ZBL-09 is equipped with their own sighting devices for the commander and the gunner, and has a simple fire control system, there is still a gap with the world's advanced level. Several representative Western infantry fighting vehicles are equipped with a three-in-one sight with an upper anti-stable image and an automatic tracking function for the gunner, and have an advanced thermal imager. In the future improvement, improving the performance of sighting and fire control system is a key point.
Due to the increase in the number of driving wheels, the ZBL-09 not only increases the traction capacity, but also improves the traffic capacity in difficult road sections. The car uses a 330 kW BF6M1015CP water-cooled diesel engine and a mechanical transmission system, with a unit power of 15.7 kW/ton, plus the front 4-wheel power steering, so it is very easy to drive. The ZBL-09 has a maximum speed of 100 km/h on the road, an average cross-country speed of 40 km/h, a maximum gradient of 30°, and can cross a 1.8-meter-wide trench and a 0.55-meter vertical wall. The maximum road travel is 800 kilometers. The car also has the ability to float on water, and it can pass through inland rivers and lakes with no more than three waves without preparation.
In order to improve the off-road capability of wheeled armored vehicles, ZBL-09 is equipped with a computer-controlled central inflation and deflation system, which can increase or decrease the air pressure of all or individual tires to a predetermined value within minutes, enhancing the vehicle in swamps and soft sands. capacity of the zone. The tires are 14.00R20-18PR all-steel radial safety tires, which can still travel 100 kilometers at a speed of 30-40 kilometers per hour after being hit.
ZBL-09 adopts the form of "matrix steel plate + composite armor", and is equipped with ceramic draped armor to meet the armor protection requirements of the vehicle. The highest level of protection of the car is 1000 meters on the front against 23mm armor-piercing incendiary bombs, and 100 meters on the side against 12.7mm armor-piercing incendiary bombs. In addition, a group of 3 projectile smoke grenade launchers are installed on both sides of the turret, and the vehicle is equipped with a collective three-defense device and an automatic fire extinguishing device, which effectively improves the survivability of the battlefield.
ZBL-09 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Information System is composed of communication and GPS satellite positioning devices, and the inter-vehicle voice communication and digital transmission are realized through the radio. The navigation system adopts GPS positioning navigator (integrated display screen), which realizes the positioning and map navigation functions during the driving process of the combat vehicle, and can display the coordinate data, longitude, latitude and direction of the current position of the target in the WGS-84 coordinate system in real time. angle, driving speed, time, driving direction and other information. At the same time, the current position of the combat vehicle is accurately displayed on the electronic map.
ZBL-08 "Snow Leopard" adopted international standard arrangement of wheeled vehicle, power front design, this layout can be installed in the rear of the vehicle door large size, containing members on and off quickly and safely. Furnished with three crew members and seven out. Between the various compartments inside with noise, noise reduction, insulated bulkhead. Containing members of the cabin with shooting holes, enhanced ride equipped infantry combat abilities and fighting off their fire support capability.
ZBL-08 "Snow Leopard" features armored all-welded high-strength steel double turret, the main weapon for the 30 mm cannon, auxiliary weapons, including improved "Red Arrow"-73C anti-tank missiles and vehicle 7.62 mm parallel machine gun. Vehicle in stationary state short stop on stationary and moving targets in combat, and can effectively destroy enemy light armored targets, to suppress, destroy the enemy within 4000 meters of soil, wooden fortifications and effectives, but can also dive enemy aircraft at low altitude and helicopter gunships firing, with a certain self-defense against air combat capability.
The new wheeled armored vehicles provide sufficient load-bearing quality and space for vehicle-mounted weapon systems, special equipment and passengers, and are conducive to vehicle modification, such as wheeled armored command vehicles, wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles, and various wheeled armored vehicles Artillery vehicles, wheeled armored rescue vehicles and wheeled armored ambulances, etc. The carrying mass reaches more than 6 tons, and the effective carrying space in the car generally reaches more than 14 m2.
21st Century Asian Arms Race reported 03 June 2022 "Recent footage of mobility tests for the PLA’s largest wheeled troop carrier, known as the ZBL-09 and given the export designation “VN1,” showed an redesigned hull where the roof over the passenger compartment is elevated. A remote weapon station for a 12.7mm heavy machine gun was added and next to it is what looks like a pivoting EO/IR wrapped in fabric that’s likely controlled by a separate operator. Two small square hatches behind these mountings suggest where the operators are seated behind their control panels."
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