Type 63 (armoured personnel carrier)

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This article is about the amoured personnel carrier. For other uses see Type 63(disambiguation).

Type 63C

General characteristics
Crew	2 (commander and driver)
Length	5.476 m
Width	2.978 m
Height	2.58 m
Weight	12.6 tonnes
Armour and armament
Armour	14 mm maximum, welded steel
Main armament	Type 54 12.7 mm machine gun
Secondary armament
Mobility
Power plant	8-cylinder air-cooled, turbo-charged diesel 320 hp
Suspension	torsion bar
Road speed	65 km/h
Power/weight
Range	500 km

The Type 63 (industrial designation YW 531) is a Chinese armoured personnel carrier.
It was the first armoured vehicle designed by the Chinese without Soviet help. A simple and reliable construction, it is similar to other APCs of its time such as the M113. The hull is made of welded steel, and affords protection against 7.62 mm rounds. It is usually manned by a crew of 2 and can carry 13 passengers. The only armament is a 12.7 mm machine gun. It is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water by the movement of its tracks.
Manufactured in large quantities by Norinco, it entered service in the People's Liberation Army in 1964. 2300 are still in service. It also equips several armies around the world and has seen action in different conflicts including the Vietnam War, the Sino-Vietnamese War, the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War.

[edit] Variants

Type 63/YW531: Basic version, not mass-produced
Type 63A/A531: Production variant with 12.7 mm machine gun
Type 63I/B531: Stretched version with five road-wheels
Type 63C/YW531C: Upgraded variant with German engine
Type 63D/YW531D-Type 63E/YW531E: Command versions with one addditional radio
YW701: Command version with five radios and a generator
YW721: Armoured communications relay vehicle
YW750: Armoured ambulance
YW381: Self-propelled 120 mm mortar
YW304: Self-propelled 82 mm mortar
Type 70/WZ302: Self-propelled artillery version mounting a 122 mm Type 54-I howitzer
Type 70/WZ303: Rocket artillery version with 19-tube 130mm multiple rocket launcher