NORINCO Type 63 (WZ211)

History

The modern Chinese military is heavily influenced by early relations with the Soviet Union after World War II. As such, many of its designs today owe it to imported solutions, including aircraft, armored vehicles, and small arms.

The Cold War era (1947-1991) Type 63 light amphibious tank followed, locally produced by NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation), but clearly influenced by the Soviet-era PT-76 light attack vehicle.

The Type 63 was manufactured from 1960 to 1963 and entered service in 1963. The design was approved by the Military Engineering Institute (MEI) and carried out by Institute 60, with NORINCO's Plant No. 615 and Plant No. 256. More than 1,550 units were eventually produced.

The industrial designation for the Type 63 is "WZ211".

While the Chinese approach mimics the form and function of the PT-76, its internal layout is closer to that of the Chinese-made Type 77 armored personnel carrier (APC). This helps to increase the capabilities of the vehicle while maintaining the protection provided by its amphibious character and light armor.

The vehicle weighs 19.83 tons, the barrel is 8.44 meters long, 3.2 meters wide, and the height to the top of the tower is 3.12 meters. Internally, the crew consisted of four people (commander, driver, gunner and loader).

Low protection, mainly against small arms fire and artillery jets, up to 11mm of welded rolled steel armor at the front of the hull (10mm along the other sides).

The Type 63A was originally an upgraded Type 63, redesigned to better suit the Chinese Navy's amphibious assault needs - including carrier-to-shore transition capabilities (initially designed primarily for river crossings). This has led to vehicles receiving new, more powerful engines and water propulsion systems.

The 85mm main gun was also upgraded to a more powerful 105mm form. The naval variant entered service in 1997 with the industrial designation "WZ213", although its modernization also gave this variant the designation "Type 63M" or "Type 99".

Type 63A-I is Type 63A with an elongated nose, increased side skirt armor and support for Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks to improve protection against more modern armored threats such as missiles.

Several variants of the base Type 63 were developed, including the redesigned Type 63-I, the Type 63-II with laser rangefinder and night vision support, and the Type 77 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) . The Type 77 is fully amphibious and has the industrial designation "WZ511". The Type 76 is an armored recovery vehicle (ARV) variant of the Type 63 tank, retaining the landing gear but carrying mission-specific equipment.

The Type 89 is an offshoot of the Type 63 Self-Propelled Artillery (SPA) with a 122mm main gun, built from the Type 77 APC and Type 63 light tanks.

The Type 63 light tank was a proven fighter for its time. It was used by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1955-1975), and also in the subsequent Sino-Vietnamese War (1979) and Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009).

This design was also displayed by the Pakistani Army during its war with India in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

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Armor

47x85mm projectile.

2,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

500x12.7mm ammo.

Changes