One example of a problem that has stymied the US is as basic
as amphibious vehicles themselves. Sure,
we have the AAV/ACV but it’s a landing craft that, once landed, becomes a poor
man’s Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) of sorts.
It has no significant firepower and little armor. It’s not a combat vehicle by any stretch of
the imagination.
The Marines played around with a high speed Expeditionary
Fighting Vehicle (EFV) for many years before finally admitting failure and
cancelling the program.
We’re left, currently, with an AAV which is slow, has no
significant firepower, is limited to a few miles of effective swimming range,
and lacks significant armor.
Leaping right over these problems, the Chinese have developed
and are fielding a family of amphibious vehicles that put what we have to
shame. The vehicle family is the Type 05
which is made up of multiple, specialized variants all based on the common Type
05 chassis.
Characteristics common to all the variants include:
- Planing hull powered by two water jets
- Diesel engine with 1475 hp water / 550 hp land
- 15 kts (28 km/h) water / 40 mph (65 km/h) land
- Hydraulic actuated, hinged bow plane that deploys out from the vehicle to create a low drag, hydrodynamic effect for high speed; steering is accomplished via water jets and transom flaps
- Standard hull armor provides (1):
- protection at the front against 12.7 mm AP round up to 100 m
- protection at the sides against 7.62 mm AP rounds
- protection at the rear against 7.62 mm AP rounds
Production began in 2006.
Production numbers are difficult to come by but estimates suggest 200+
vehicles deliver as of 2016. The
breakdown of variant types is unknown.
Let’s take a bit closer look at the major variants.
ZBD-05 Amphibious Infantry
Fighting Vehicle
This is essentially an amphibious Bradley and gives the
Chinese the ability to land a mechanized, semi-armored infantry force with mobility
and serious firepower and anti-tank capability.
- Front engine, rear passenger compartment
- 30 mm turret; 300 rds/min
- HJ-73C Anti-tank guided missile launcher; 2x single rail launchers each side of the turret
- 7.62 mm co-axial gun
- Crew of 3
- 7-8 troops (reports vary with some suggesting a carrying capacity of 10 troops)
- 2x 4-barrel smoke grenade launchers
- Rear troop door
- 58,422 lb (26,500 kg)
- Rated for Sea State 4 (2)
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| ZBD-05 Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle |
ZTD-05 Amphibious Tank
This gives China an initial assault wave, heavy firepower
vehicle that is very similar in concept to the US WWII LVT(A)-4 amphibious tank. The US found this type of vehicle to be
absolutely essential for amphibious assaults and I see no reason why the
requirement has changed today. In fact,
given the absence of naval gun support, an initial wave heavy firepower vehicle
is even more essential.
- Front engine, rear passenger compartment
- 105 mm low recoil, stabilized, rifled gun
- armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS)
- high explosive (HE)
- high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds
- 105mm laser beam riding anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM); indigenous version of the Russian 9M117 Bastion anti-tank missile
- Capable of firing at sea
- 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the turret
- 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun
- 2x 4-barrel smoke grenade launchers
- Turret face armored against 25 mm (3)
- Crew of 4
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| ZTD-05 Amphibious Tank |
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| ZTD-05 Amphibious Tank |
Type 05 Command Vehicle
Type 05 Recovery
Vehicle
Summary
Consider what this family of amphibious vehicles gives China. It provides a complete package of amphibious capabilities ranging from heavy firepower (105 mm tank gun) to lethal mechanized infantry (IFV with 30 mm and anti-tank missiles) and including command and control and vehicle recovery – all able to swim ashore IN THE INITIAL WAVE. The US Marines have nothing comparable although they have publicly expressed a desire for a 30 mm turreted variant of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) as well as command and control and recovery variants. At the moment, however, the Marines have only the old AAV while China is building and deploying the entire family of vehicles. Perhaps it's time to start copying Chinese assets like they've been copying so many of ours?
Consider what this family of amphibious vehicles gives China. It provides a complete package of amphibious capabilities ranging from heavy firepower (105 mm tank gun) to lethal mechanized infantry (IFV with 30 mm and anti-tank missiles) and including command and control and vehicle recovery – all able to swim ashore IN THE INITIAL WAVE. The US Marines have nothing comparable although they have publicly expressed a desire for a 30 mm turreted variant of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) as well as command and control and recovery variants. At the moment, however, the Marines have only the old AAV while China is building and deploying the entire family of vehicles. Perhaps it's time to start copying Chinese assets like they've been copying so many of ours?
(1)Defense Updates blog, “Chinese Amphibious Type 05 / ZBD05
/ ZTD05 Family of IFV / AAV”, 8-Jan-2013,
https://defenseupdates.blogspot.com/2013/01/chinese-amphibious-type-05-zbd05-ztd05.html