WZ551

Type 92/WZ-551 IFV
A WZ-551 APC
Type	Infantry fighting vehicle Armored personnel carrier
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	1995-present
Production history
Designer	Jiang Hong [WZ-551B] at NORINCO Vehicle Research Institute; institute 201 (中国北方车辆研究所 China Vehicles Research Institute) and Institute 202
Manufacturer	Norinco, at Factory 256 (西南车辆制造厂Southwest Vehicles Factories)
Specifications
Weight	12.5 tonnes
Length	6.63 m
Width	2.80 m
Height	2.80 m
Crew	3 + 9 passengers
Armor	Welded steel
Main armament	25 mm
Secondary armament	12.7 mm heavy machine gun 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun
Engine	8-cylinder, turbo-charged, air-cooled diesel 320 hp
Suspension	Independent wheel
Operational range	800 km
Speed	85 km/h

The WZ-551 (AKA the ZSL92 is a Chinese wheeled armored personnel carrier. It is actually consisted of two families of vehicles with official designations in the People's Liberation Army as Type 90 and Type 92. Roughly 900 WZ-551s are in service with the PLA, where they are used by light mechanized infantry units. WZ-551s have been exported to Algeria, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Senegal.

Produced by Norinco, the WZ-551 first appeared in 1984, but the Chinese military were not satisfied with its performance, and the design had to be modified. Modification is mostly concentrated on improving the chassis. The improved WZ-551A entered service in 1995 as the Type 92 IFV and Type 92A APC.

It has a crew of three men, and is fully amphibious, being driven in the water by shrouded propellers. Constructed of welded steel plates, the interior is divided into three compartments. The driver and commander sit in the front, the engine is in the middle, and the passengers, equipment or turret basket is located in the rear. The automotive platform is a modified Chinese-made Tiema XC2030 6X6 truck, which is based on the conventional Mercedes-Benz 2026 truck.

The IFV version is equipped with a 25 mm cannon and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun in a closed turret and it can carry 9 passengers. The APC version has only a 12.7 mm machine gun but can carry 11 passengers. Additional versions include anti-tank missile, command, self-propelled artillery, air defense and armored recovery vehicles.

Type 90 first appeared on the National Day of the People's Republic of China parade in 1984, and it is the basic version of WZ-551. During its service, it was discovered that the vehicle was underpowered and the cross country capability at high altitude terrain was not sufficient enough to meet the requirement. As a result, the planned 4 x 4 and 8 x 8 variants were canceled, and resources were concentrate on the improvement effort. However, the planned export version designated as ZSL-90 (also the industrial designation) was continued, and the vehicle was used as chassis for a variety weaponry platforms, such as command vehicle, ATGW carrier, self-propelled AAA, and ambulance.