Image source: topwar.ru
The Chinese armed forces are constantly receiving the latest defense products, adapting their troops to the conditions of modern combat. Among the novelties of the military-industrial complex is the armored amphibious vehicle ZBL-09, first presented to the general public in 2009.
As noted in the Altair publication, the ZBL-09 entered service with the PLA, probably in May 2021, since even then exercises were held with their participation in the area of the Karakoram mountain range at an altitude of more than 4,500 m above sea level.
The vehicle is armed with a 30 mm cannon, a 7.62 mm machine gun and an ATGM HJ-73D. The main caliber is considered a copy of the Russian 2A72 cannon. It is stabilized and fed simultaneously from two belts feeding two different types of ammunition – armor-piercing with a sub-caliber projectile and high-explosive.
The ZBL-09 can move through the water at a speed of 8 km/h thanks to two propellers mounted in the rear of the machine. The base armor provides ballistic protection against 12.7 mm armor-piercing bullets from 100 m in front and 7.62 mm armor-piercing bullets from 100 m on the sides. These parameters can be improved by installing additional armor panels.
As reported in the official edition of the People's Daily, the 145th Brigade of the 73rd Army Group of the Ground Forces received another batch of ZBL-09. This compound is subordinate to the Eastern Command of the PLA Theater of Operations, covering Guangdong Province in the southeastern part of the country and therefore responsible for possible operations in the Taiwan Strait.
As indicated in Altair, to date, the manufacturer Norinco has transferred to the 73rd Army Group at least 54 ZBL-09 vehicles designed to replace the outdated ZSL-92 armored personnel carriers.