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Type 77 (armored personnel carrier)

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Type 77
Type 77 armoured personnel carrier advancing with People's Liberation Army Marine Corps soldiers.
TypeAmphibious armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin People's Republic of China
Service history
In service1978 – present
Production history
ManufacturerNorinco
Specifications
Mass15.5 tonnes
Length7.15 m
Width3.2 m
Height2.16 m
Crew2 + 20

ArmorWelded steel
Main
armament
12.7 mm machine gun
Engine12150L-2 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel
402 hp (300 kW) at 2,000 rpm
Power/weight25.8 hp/t
Suspensiontorsion bar
Fuel capacity416 l
Operational
range
370 km (road)
Maximum speed 60 km/h (road)
12 km/h (water)

The Norinco Type 77 is a Chinese amphibious armoured personnel carrier. First fielded in 1978, it is similar to the Soviet BTR-50 in function.[1] Like the BTR-50 designed by putting a higher hull on the PT-76 light tank chassis, Type 77 is based on the Type 63 light tank,[2] which is itself a derivative of PT-76, making both vehicles very similar.[3]

Design

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The Type 77 was designed in 1978 based on the Type 63 after certification to manufacture it was received in 1977.[4]

The Type 77 is equipped with a 12.7 machine gun mounted on top with no protection for the gunner.[5]

Variants

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Base variants

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  • Type 77 - Chinese tracked amphibious APC based on the Type 63-I amphibious light tank. The industrial designator is WZ511.
    • Type 77-1 - amphibious armoured personnel/artillery carrier designed to carry a disassembled gun (85 mm towed anti-tank gun or 120 mm towed howitzer) on the roof. The vehicle has hydraulic winch and ramps to load/unload the gun. The industrial designator is WZ511-1.
    • Type 77-2 - amphibious armoured personnel carrier. No winch and ramps. The industrial designator is WZ511-2.
    • Type 76 ARV - recovery vehicle.

Major modifications

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  • Type 89 self-propelled howitzer (PLZ-89) - Type 77 converted into a self-propelled howitzer armed with 122 mm gun. Although most vehicles were based on Type 77 APCs, some vehicles were based on Type 63-I amphibious light tanks.[6][7]
  • Type 77 Armored Engineering Vehicle - Military engineering vehicle variant featuring two water-jets, excavation crane, and hydraulically-operated dozer in a V-blade configuration.[8]

Operators

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  •  China: 200 to 300 Type 77s formerly used by the PLA Marine Corp for combat support.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Chinese Armour on the Move". Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  2. ^ "Type 77 Armored personnel carrier". Military Today.
  3. ^ "Type 63 Light Amphibious Tank". man.fas.org.
  4. ^ a b "Type 77 Amphibious Armoured Personnel Carrier". Archived from the original on 2012-01-23. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  5. ^ "Type 77 / WZ 511 Armored Personnel Carrier". www.globalsecurity.org.
  6. ^ "Type 63 Amphibious Tank". Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  7. ^ "ODIN - OE Data Integration Network". odin.tradoc.army.mil.
  8. ^ "Review: China army new tracked and wheeled engineer armored vehicles". Army Recognition. 5 April 2021.