NORINCO ST1

History

To keep up with changes in modern armored combat doctrine, the Chinese military has invested in an 8x8 wheeled tank destroyer as part of its "ST1" program. The vehicle provides an air-transportable, fully amphibious military vehicle with inherently strong off-road performance and on-road capability. The lightly armored chassis features a fully powered turret that can mount the proven 105mm tank gun.

The ST1 continues the current trend of China becoming more independent in its military hardware and joins several other vehicles in service or in development. The Chinese are long-term Russian customers, but over the past few decades they have grown to develop their own viable military industries as Russia's global influence has grown.

ST1 vehicles are manufactured under the Poly Technologies, Incorporated brand.

The ST1 is a member of the modular ZBL-09 8x8 wheeled vehicle family detailed elsewhere on this site.

Images of the ST1 show a basically traditional 8x8 chassis with a very flat front fender and basic ballistic protection. The chassis is said to be from the ZBL-09 series of wheeled vehicles, allowing the ST1 to share basic car components with the original and its variant fleet. Assuming the power pack is on its left, the drives are on the front left of the body. This opens up the central rear for mounting the turret, ammunition depot, weapons and fighting compartment. Along with the driver, the crew consisted of four people, including a captain, a driver and a loader.

Coaxial 7.62mm machine guns are mounted next to the main guns, while 12.7mm machine guns are mounted in hatches on top of the turrets for low-flying aerial threats and light armoured vehicles. Smoke grenade launchers are mounted on each side of the turret to protect the vehicle's maneuverability.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Not available.

Changes