WZ-523 armored personnel carriers were created in the first half of the 80's with an export orientation.
Pictures of chinese made WZ-523 armored personnal carriers with BMP-1 turrets of the Namibian ?? military. pic.twitter.com/Y39pPulWk2
— Hammer Of War (@HammerOfWar5) November 19, 2020
In the course of development, components and assemblies of mass-produced automotive equipment were widely used, for example, a 165-horsepower gasoline engine.
When designing the hull, Chinese designers were clearly inspired by the ideas they had seen from cars from Belgium, Brazil and South Africa.
The result was a three-axle all-wheel-drive APC weighing 11,200 kg with a crew of three military personnel, capable of carrying eight infantrymen.
It has Windows and loopholes cut in the sides, and in the stern there is a large hatch that serves for the entrance and exit of fighters.
The WZ-523 can travel at a maximum speed of up to 85 km / h on the highway and up to 7 km / h when crossing water obstacles.
The main weapons used are versions of the 12.7 mm W85 machine gun.
However, there are also exclusive options, such as the modification serving in the Namibian army with a tower, which can be seen on the Soviet BMP-1 and their Chinese type 86 clones, also known as WZ-501.
They use 73-mm guns as weapons, which include cumulative anti-tank and high-explosive fragmentation ammunition. They are paired with 7.62 mm machine guns.
There are also guided missile systems Red Arrow-73, copied from the famous "Baby".
A total of two dozen WZ-523s were delivered to Namibia. Several other African countries operate about a hundred of these APCS.
Alexey Moiseev