WZ551

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Type 92/WZ551 IFV

General characteristics
Crew	3 + 9 passsengers
Length	6.63 m
Width	2.80 m
Height	2.80 m
Weight	12.5 tonnes
Armour and armament
Armour	Welded steel
Main armament	25 mm autocannon
Secondary armament	7.62 mm coaxial machine gun
Mobility
Power plant	8-cylinder, turbo-charged, air-cooled diesel 320 hp
Suspension	Independent wheel
Road speed	85 km/h
Power/weight
Range	800 km

The WZ551 is a Chinese wheeled armored personnel carrier. Its official designation in the People's Liberation Army is Type 92. The design outwardly resembles the French VAB APC, but it is larger and heavier. Produced by Norinco, the WZ551 first appeared in 1986, but the Chinese military were not satisfied with its performance, and the design had to be modified. The definitive WZ551A entered service in 1995 as the Type 92 IFV and Type 92A APC.

The structure is based on a Chinese 6x6 truck which is a copy of the German Mercedes-Benz 2060.

It has a crew of 3 men, and is fully amphibious, being driven in the water by shrouded propellers.

The IFV version is equipped with a 25 mm cannon and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun in a closed turret and it can carry 9 passengers. The APC version has only a 12.7 mm machine gun but can carry 11 passengers. Additional versions include anti-tank missile, command, self-propelled artillery, air defense and armored recovery vehicles.
Roughly 600 WZ551s are in service with the PLA, where they are used by light mechanized infantry units.

A small number were exported to Algeria and some large numbers were exported to the Sri Lanka and to the Pakistan.