![Type 63 APC at the Beijing Military Museum - above](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Type_63_APC_at_the_Beijing_Military_Museum_-_above.jpg)
The Type 63 (industrial designation YW531) is a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Acc ...
that entered service in the late 1960s. It was the first armoured vehicle designed in China without
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
assistance.
The design is simple and is comparable to other APCs of its time such as the
M113.
Approximately 8,000 all types and variants were produced by
Norinco
China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, doing business internationally as Norinco Group (North Industries Corporation), and known within China as China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation Limited (), is a Chinese state-owned defense ...
. It also equips several armies around the world and has seen action in different conflicts including the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the
Sino-Vietnamese War
The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by #Names, other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's Cambodian–Vietnamese War, actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1 ...
, the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
, and the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
.
Development
In 1958 July, the central government of the People's Republic of China proclaimed in a national scientific development strategic plan that called for a tracked armoured personnel carrier that can be ready for mass production in 1960, in less than two years, and Yong Ding Machinery Factory (永定机械厂) – later incorporated into the NORINCO group was to be responsible for the manufacturing of the new APC. The design work was left to No. 1 Institute of the First Machinery works (then focusing on tanks design) and the Fourth faculty of the Harbin Engineering Academy to be under the supervision of the Scientific department of the PLA Armour Corp., Fifth Department of First Machinery Works and Soviet experts.
Description
The hull is made of welded steel, and provides protection against small arms fire. The vehicle carries a maximum of 15 including crew, which depending on the particular configuration may be two or four, the rest of the passengers are infantry who sit in a compartment at the rear of the vehicle. 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 on the front right of the hull, and has a single piece hatch which opens to the right. The commander hatch has a periscope on the top surface that may be rotated through 360 degrees. Export variants of the vehicle with BF8L engine did away with the commander's position in the front right of the hull. Behind the driver, on the left side of the hull is a third crew position, which is provided with a hatch that opens to the left, and like the commander's position has a 360-degree rotating periscope.
The 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 is either a Type 6150L 260 hp diesel engine or, on export versions, an 8-cylinder air-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine KHD BF8L 413F which develops 320 horsepower at 2,500 rpm. 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 four rubber-typed road wheels, then loops over an idler at the rear, before returning to the front again. No return rollers are fitted, the track rests on the top of the road wheels. Suspension is of the torsion bar type. The vehicle has a fuel capacity of 450 litres, which gives it a road range of around 500 kilometers.
A 12.7 millimetre calibre machine gun 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. Two roof hatches and a large rear door provide access to the troop compartment.
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.
Other designations
* K-63
* M1967
* M1970
Variants
Variants are often designated by their manufacturer. WZ stands for ''Wu Zhuang Jia'' (armored vehicle 5) and designates the vehicles produced by the Fifth Machinery Works. YW stands for ''Yongding Wai Mao'' (
Yongding external trade).
![Type 63 Amphibious APC 20131004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Type_63_Amphibious_APC_20131004.JPG)
* Type 531 (1963
or 1961
) – Basic version with Type 56 7.62 mm machine gun, not mass-produced.
* Type A531 or Type 63 (1968
or 1963
) – Production variant with 12.7 mm machine gun Type 54, uprated engine and different transmission.
Also known as Type 531A.
** VTT-323 –
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n version of the Type A531.
* Type B531 or Type 63-I (1981) – Improved version with stronger suspension, additional firing ports and two additional roof hatches.
** Type 63C – PLA version of the YW531C.
* Type 63CA – PLA version of the YW531E.
* Type WZ701 – Command version of the Type A531 with higher troop compartment and fitted with up to five radios (Type 889, Type 892, Type 70-2B) and a generator. Armament consists of a Type 56-1 machine gun of 7.62 mm.
* Type WZ721 – Communications relay vehicle with higher roof line and ZZT1 set.
* Type WZ750 – Armoured ambulance with higher roof line, unarmed.
* Type WZ302 or Type 54-1/Type 63-1 SPH –
Self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
version of the Type B531 mounting a
122 mm Type 54-I howitzer
A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
. An improved version, the , has a longer chassis. Both vehicles also mount a
Type 67 machine gun
The Type 67 is a general-purpose machine gun, chambered in 7.62×54mmR used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
History
The Type 67 machine gun was developed as a lightweight replacement for the Type 53 ( SG43) and Type 57 (SGM) medium 7.62&n ...
.
* Type WZ303 or Type 70 MRL –
Rocket artillery
Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rocket explosives as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a psychological weapon). Fire arrows were also us ...
version of the Type A531 with 19-tube 130 mm multiple rocket launcher (similar to the
BM-14
The BM-14 (BM for ''Boyevaya Mashina'', 'combat vehicle'), is a Soviet-made 140mm multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), normally mounted on a truck.
The BM-14 can fire 140 mm M-14 rockets with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, a smoke warh ...
MRL).
* Type YD801 – Fire fighting vehicle.
* ZZM88 – Cryptography vehicle. Program begun in July 1984 and entered service in August 1992. Used to provide cryptographic codes for other vehicles.
*
Type WZ534 (Type 89)
* SPAAA Type WZ531 - ZSD63 with PG87 25mm dual barreled AAA gun
Export
![Puckapunyal-YW701-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Puckapunyal-YW701-2.jpg)
* Type YW531C (1982)
– Export version of the 531 series with German
Deutz engine KHD BF8L of . The machine gunner's position front right was deleted.
* Type YW531D – Modified version with only 1 instead of 2 firing ports on the left side.
* Type YW531E – As per YW531D but with one additional radio Type 892.
* Type YW701 – Export version of the Type WZ701 command post vehicle. Based on the Type YW531C and equipped with a commander's cupola with Type 54 machine gun. Improved version Type YW701A.
* Type YW750 – Export version of the Type WZ750 armoured ambulance. Based on the Type YW531C
and equipped with a commander's cupola with Type 54 machine gun.
* Type YW304 – Self-propelled 82 mm mortar with 120 rounds, based on the Type YW531C/Type 531H.
* Type YW381 – Self-propelled 120 mm
mortar with 50 rounds, based on the Type YW531C.
*
Type YW531H (Type 85)
Combat history
![Type 63 Shalamcheh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Type_63_Shalamcheh.jpg)
The Type 63 has been fielded by
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
and Chinese armies during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and the
Sino-Vietnamese War
The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by #Names, other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's Cambodian–Vietnamese War, actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1 ...
.
During the Chinese invasion of Vietnam, it proved to be very valuable because of its protection and its cross-country abilities.
The
Zairan forces used it during the
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...
, as did the
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
ns during the
Uganda–Tanzania War
The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War (Kiswahili: ''Vita vya Kagera'') and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Uganda ...
. During the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
, China exported quantities of Type 63s to Iraq.
These vehicles have seen further service during the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
. The
Peshmerga
The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...
forces used at least one Type 63 APC against the
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
.
Operators
Current operators
* - Seen in use against ISIL forces
*
* – 80–100 Type 531 in service of the
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
.
*
* – 80
* – 30 received in 1981.
8 in service
* – Around 2,400 Type 63 and Type 63C in service
* - 150 YW-531H in service
Former operators
* – 103 received in 1963–1974
* – ~50
* - 650 delivered in 1982–1988 (although Kurdistani forces were seen using them against ISIL forces)
* – 50 received in 1981
* – ~30
* – 12 delivered in 1976
*
LTTE
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
– 1 captured from the Sri Lanka Army and converted to light tank with a
Alvis Saladin
The FV601 Saladin is a six-wheeled armoured car developed by Crossley Motors and later manufactured by Alvis. Designed in 1954, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car in service with the British Army from 1958 onward. The vehicle weighed 11 tonnes, o ...
turret. Recaptured by the Sri Lanka Army in 2009.
Evaluation purposes
- Captured and given to Australia in 1972 by the South Vietnamese government and then tested
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/type-63.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Type 63 (Armoured Personnel Carrier)
Tracked armoured personnel carriers
Armoured personnel carriers of the Cold War
Armoured fighting vehicles of the People's Republic of China
Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s