Type 85 AFV

Last updated
Type 85 (YW531H)
ChineseType85C2Veh.jpg
Type Armoured personnel carrier
Place of originChina
Production history
Designed1980s
Manufacturer Norinco
Produced1990
Specifications
Mass13.6 tonne
Length6.125 m (20 ft 1.1 in)
Width3.060 m (10 ft 0.5 in)
Height2.590 m (8 ft 6.0 in)
Crew2 (commander and driver), 13 passengers

Armor Welded steel hull, resist rounds up to 12.7 mm
Main
armament
1x 30 mm remote weapons station
1x Type 54 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun
Engine Deutz BF8L 413F 4-stroke air-cooled diesel
320 hp (240 kW)
Suspensiontorsion bar
Operational
range
500 km (310 mi)
Maximum speed 65 km/h (40 mph)

The Type 85 is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle produced by Chinese company Norinco (industrial index: Type YW531H). It is an improved version of the Type 63 armoured personnel carrier. The vehicle is bigger, has additional firing ports and periscopes, a longer chassis with an additional road wheel on each side, and is equipped with an NBC protection system.

Contents

The Type 85 series was developed in 1985, exclusively for the export market; for the PLA, the very similar Type 89 AFV was designed. The main user of the Type 85 series are the Royal Thai Armed Forces who received their first vehicles in 1987.

Currently, the improved Type 90 AFV is offered for export.

Description

The hull is made of welded steel, and provides protection against small arms fire. The vehicle carries a maximum of 15 including crew. The driver sits in the front left of the hull, and has a single piece hatch, which opens to the left. The driver is provided with two day periscopes which cover the front and right of the vehicle. One of the drivers periscopes can be replaced by a night vision device. The commander sits behind the driver and has a single piece hatch.

The air-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine sits to the right rear of the driver. It has a large intake located in the top of the hull, with an exhaust on the right hand side. The engine feeds a manual transmission with five forward gears and one reverse gear. Track is driven at the front by a drive sprocket, and passes over five dual rubber-typed road wheels and track-return rollers, then loops over an idler at the rear, before returning to the front again. [1]

A 12.7 millimetre calibre machine gun with armoured shields is located in an open mount at the front of a small hatch in the center of the hull which opens into the troop compartment. The gun can traverse through 360 degrees and can be elevated to an angle of 90 degrees. A total of 1,120 rounds is carried on board. Two oblong roof hatches and a large rear door provide access to the troop compartment. On either side of the forward hull, a cluster of four 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers is mounted.

The vehicle is amphibious, a folding trim board stowed at the front of the hull needs to be raised, and the vehicle can then propel itself in the water using its tracks. Standard equipment includes an NBC system, a Type 889 or VRC-83 radio, and a Type 803 intercom system.

Variants

Type 85 armored personnel carrier, Changping Museum, Beijing. Type 85 (YW531H) 20131004.JPG
Type 85 armored personnel carrier, Changping Museum, Beijing.
A Thai Type-85 AFV. Thai Type 85 APCs during 2010 Thai political protests 3.jpg
A Thai Type-85 AFV.
A Thai Type-85 AFV. Thai Type 85 APCs during 2010 Thai political protests 2.jpg
A Thai Type-85 AFV.

Proposed variants

Operators

Map of Type 85 operators in blue Type 85 operators.png
Map of Type 85 operators in blue

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References

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