NORINCO Type 90 / Type 92 (WZ551)

History

WZ551 is the codename of a 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle of Chinese origin. The vehicle was developed by the North Industries Corporation (China North Industries Corporation) Vehicle Research Institute and produced at the North Industries 256 factory. Since its introduction in 1984, 900 WZ551s have been produced in various makes and configurations.

Export users are traditional Chinese military customers, and those looking for price-sensitive solutions while staying away from often more expensive Western and Russian products.

The WZ551 can be used as both an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). It also has a secondary role as a general armored vehicle.

The WZ551 retains the design qualities of traditional wheeled armored vehicles, including the use of six large wheels (three on one side of the hull), sloping armor plates, a low turret that rotates 360 degrees, and the use of a diesel engine. In the latter, the car is powered by a 320 hp air-cooled 8-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, enabling the WZ551 to reach a speed of 85 km/h and have a range of up to 800 km.

The hull is suspended on an independent wheel suspension system. Armor protection is made of welded steel. The vehicle retains its inherent amphibious capabilities, capable of traversing water sources with the help of water jets attached to the rear of the hull.

While all WZ551 vehicles come standard with a crew of 3, the APC version - without the turret - can accommodate 11 combat-ready troops, while the IFV model - turret - can accommodate 9 in relative comfort. The APC model is equipped with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, mainly for self-defense, while the IFV model is equipped with a 1 x 25mm automatic cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial turret.

The basic gross vehicle weight of the series is close to 13.8 tons (short), while the dimensions include a barrel length of 6.6 meters, a width of 2.8 meters and a height of 2.8 meters.

The WZ551 series enhances its tactical battlefield value by using other variants of the same chassis - namely Anti-Tank Missile (ATGM) (with HJ-9 rocket launcher), 105mm self-propelled artillery system and 122mm-self-propelled howitzer (SPH) variant.

The WZ551 series first appeared in combat form in 1984 under the codename "Type 90". In practice, however, their off-road capability proved lacking, forcing a design revision to the new WZ551A form. The WZ551A became the "Type 92" and was adopted in 1995 - the difference from the original was the distance between the rear axles.

Eventually, another modification emerged, the WMZ-551B, which improved the A-model's mechanical reliability, onboard firepower, and overall maneuverability.

In addition to China, the WZ551 series has been digitally adopted in various ways by the armed forces of Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

1,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

500 x 7.62mm ammo (if available).

Changes