WZ-523
The WZ-523 (NATO reporting name M1984) is a six-wheeled Chinese armored personnel carrier designed to be amphibious. Built on the chassis of the Hanyang HY472 truck, it can carry a crew of three and seat up to eight additional passengers. Two primary models were produced—one with a roof-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine gun, and the other with a small turret armed with a 35mm grenade launcher and a 7.62mm co-axial general purpose machine gun. An export model that entered service in 2008 as a fire support vehicle was also marketed successfully to the Namibian Army; this is armed with a 73mm 2A28 Grom smoothbore cannon using the same turret as the Soviet BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle.
| WZ-523 M1984 | |
|---|---|
WZ-523s of the Ghana Army | |
| Type | Armored personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | People's Republic of China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1984-Present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 11,700 kg (25,800 lb) |
| Length | 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in) (including machine gun) |
| Crew | 2 + 10 passengers |
| Armor | welded steel
20 mm front 14 mm sides 6 mm rear |
Main armament | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun |
| Engine | Water-cooled petrol engine 123 kilowatts (165 hp) |
| Suspension | Wheeled 6x6 |
Operational range | 600 km (370 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 85 km/h (53 mph) (road speed) 7 km/h (4.3 mph) (water speed) |
The WZ-523 was unveiled at a military parade in Beijing in October 1984, gaining the NATO designation M1984, although it was destined for export and did not enter large scale service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). An internal security vehicle based on the WZ-523, the ZFB-91, which has a turret armed with a 35 mm grenade launcher and a 7.62 mm machine gun replacing the roof mounted 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun of the WZ-523, is in service with PLA units in Hong Kong and Macau.