ZBD86

This page is about the Chinese light tank ZBD86. For other versions, see BMP-1 (Family).

ZBD86

ZTS63

M41D

ZBD86

ZTS63

M41D

China

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	8.0	8.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:53 000

Purchase:300 000

Show in game

Description

The ZhuangJia BuBing LÜDai 86 (ZBD86式步兵战车; industry code: WZ501) is the Chinese reverse-engineered version of the Soviet BMP-1 which was acquired from military equipment exchanges with Egypt in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, during military modernization, the PLAGF faced a pressing need for a new IFV for its mechanized troops. As a result, one of the stored BMP-1s from Egypt was transported to Mainland China for evaluation. In order to expedite the development of a new IFV, the Central Military Commission approved plans to reverse-engineer the BMP-1, despite its underperforming gun systems. The WZ501 was subsequently built in December 1980, incorporating some domestic subsystems. However, due to testing and manufacturing flaws, engineers took nearly 8 years to finalize the design, making additional changes that happened to align with the improvements made to the later BMP-1 variants. The ZBD86 successfully passed state certification in 1986 and began production in April 1987, initially with placeholder gun systems. After failed attempts to introduce American and British turrets, the ZBD86 eventually received new 25/30 mm autocannon turrets in the late 1990s, becoming the ZBD86-I and ZBD86A respectively. These versions are still in service and recently competed with their ideological counterpart, the BMP-2, in the Army Games jointly held by Russia and Mainland China, where the ZBD86A demonstrated superior performance.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the ZBD86 can be considered a Chinese variant of the BMP-1, being nearly identical to the original Soviet version when stock, with the exception of the absence of rolled-up canvas on the turret sides. However, this vehicle possesses a hidden advantage: the "ZBD86 Late" modification. This equips it with the HJ-73E ATGM, a highly potent derivative of the original "Malyutka" SACLOS control and a tandem warhead. When employed effectively, the HJ-73E can neutralize any target the ZBD86 encounters, irrespective of ERA or composite armour protection. This makes the ZBD86 a valuable asset in uptiers and a versatile vehicle overall.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull19 / 18 / 16

Turret23 / 19 / 13

Crew3 people

Visibility70 %

The ZBD86 has very little to speak of in the armour department. Minimal frontal and nearly non-existent side armour results in the vehicle being vulnerable to almost any incoming fire. At most it can be counted on to shrug off heavy machine gun fire from the front. As such, the vehicle's survivability stems entirely from its mobility and reasonably small profile. Where possible, utilise hills or other cover, only exposing as much of the vehicle as is necessary to engage an unaware target.

The thin armour renders the ZBD86 vulnerable to overpressure damage from chemical munitions, nearby artillery impacts, and aircraft ordnance. Be very cautious of aircraft and do not stick around under artillery fire.

Despite the lack of armour, however, the ZBD86 will, on occasion, survive hits unexpectedly - the internals of the vehicle are largely non-critical and many rounds will over-penetrate, particularly subcalibre rounds.

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	7-12 mm (80°) Front glacis 19 mm (56°) Lower glacis	16 mm (3-18°) Top 18 + 4 mm Bottom	16 mm (12°) Top 12 mm (48°) Bottom 12 mm (8-51°) Doors	6 mm 5 mm Engine exhausts
Turret	23 mm (0-53°) Turret front 33 + 26 mm Gun mantlet	13-23 mm (24-37°)	13 mm (23-26°)	6 mm
Cupola	7 mm	7 mm	7 mm	7 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 10 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6 mm thick.

Mobility

Amphibious

The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water

Speedforward / back

AB73 / 12 km/h

RB and SB66 / 11 km/h

Number of gears10 forward

2 back

Weight13.0 t

Engine power

AB572 hp

RB and SB300 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB44.0 hp/t

RB and SB23.1 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	73	12	13	465	572	35.77	44
Realistic	66	11		265	300	20.38	23.08

The ZBD86's mobility is reasonably good, although somewhat lacking relative to other IFVs. Despite that, once it gets moving it can travel at a decent pace. It can reach around 45 km/h when driving off-road on flat terrain.

Be aware when attempting flanking manoeuvres and early pushes that there are vehicles with better mobility characteristics, and in many cases you'll encounter a vehicle before reaching a desirable position.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 549 → 4 488

RB3 053 → 5 376

SB4 152 → 7 311

Total cost of modifications88 200

146 900

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training86 000

Experts300 000

Aces1 200

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 160 / 210 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 210 Suspension Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Brake System Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Filters Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 Transmission Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 270 Engine Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 270	Improved Parts Research: 3 000 Cost: 7 400 210 Improved FPE Research: 2 700 Cost: 6 600 185 Crew Replenishment Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 ESS Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 270	Horizontal Drive Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 210 NVD Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 400 210 Adjustment of Fire Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Airstrike Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Elevation Mechanism Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 ZBD86 Late Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 Artillery Support Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 270 Improved optics Research: 5 900 Cost: 9 500 270

The modules and stock grind of the ZBD86 are very similar to the BMP-1. The main difference is that that the "ZBD86 Late" modification is present instead of the BMP-1P modification. "ZBD86 Late" upgrades the vehicle's ATGM and adds smoke grenades, as on the BMP-1P, but does not remove the autoloader. Thus, a spaded ZBD86 will always reload and is not dependent on crew reload skills compared to a spaded BMP-1. The smoke grenades are mounted on the turret cheeks, three per side, instead of residing behind the turret as on the BMP-1P.

Armaments

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Setup 1:73 mm Type 86 cannon

7.62 mm Type 86 machine gun

HJ-73

Setup 2:73 mm Type 86 cannon

7.62 mm Type 86 machine gun

HJ-73E

Main armament

73 mm Type 86 cannon

Autoloader

Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader

Ammunition40 rounds

Reload6.0 s

Vertical guidance-4° / 30°

The Type 86 main cannon is a somewhat finicky weapon. The penetration of the DYP-73 HEAT round is no higher than the Type 62's HEATFS but the muzzle velocity of 665 m/s is lower, making it difficult to use at long range. Still, the gun reloads in only 6 seconds and has an autoloader. It can be quite lethal at close quarters with careful aim and knowledge of enemy modules, these factors being important due to the limited post-penetration damage. For targets with larger volumes, it is best to aim for ammo racks. If that is difficult or risky, disable their gun and mobility first. DYP-73 has a TNT equivalent of about 480 g and might cause overpressure damage to light targets on occasion. Keep in mind that the ZBD86 does not feature any sort of stabilisation at all, and due to its light weight the gun is near impossible to get on target at speed.

There is almost no reason to use the DYS-73 HE round. Its muzzle velocity is an abysmal 290 m/s and it has minimal penetration, making it useless against armoured targets, it can only be used against open-topped ATGM carriers similar to the M113 or super light ATGM carriers of BR 9.0+, like the Wiesel 1A2 (but these will probably know better and just dodge).

73 mm Type 86					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Autoloader
Arcade	40	-4°/+30°	±180°	-	19.0	26.4	32.0	35.4	37.6	6.00
Realistic					11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
DYP-73	HEAT	300	300	300	300	300	300
DYS-73	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
DYP-73	HEAT	665	2.6	0	0.01	481.95	65°	72°	77°
DYS-73	HE	290	3.7	0.05	0.1	735	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the ZBD86

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	1 (+39)	No

The single ammunition rack consists of a shell barillet located around the turret basket.

Additional armament

HJ-73E

Ammunition4 rounds

Flight speed130 m/s

Range3 200 m

Fire on the moveup to 5 km/h

HJ-73

Ammunition4 rounds

Flight speed140 m/s

Range3 500 m

Method of aiming

ABSemi-auto

RB and SBManual

Fire on the moveup to 5 km/h

HJ-73

The ZBD86 comes with a rail-mounted manually-guided ATGM as stock, initially aimed manually and with somewhat mediocre penetration and explosive mass values. While occasionally useful, generally the main gun is easier and more reliable. Use it at long range against enemies who are not paying attention or to finish off a crippled target while the main gun is reloading. It does not have enough penetration to bypass ERA.

4 x HJ-73 ATGM

• Guidance type: MCLOS
• Firing range: 3 km

HJ-73E

Once the ZBD-86 Late upgrade is researched, the HJ-73 ATGM is replaced with a HJ-73E. Despite the new ATGM retaining the rail-mount, it is significantly more powerful and easier to use due to its semi-automatic guiding system. It penetrates more than twice as much as the original HJ-73 and ignores ERA due to the tandem-charge warhead. This will go clean through almost any target that the ZBD86 can encounter, even those equipped with early composite armour. It has enough penetration to go through the turret cheek of the M1 Abrams! Despite having a significantly lower TNT equivalent of 1.83 kg compared to the original HJ-73, the HJ-73E has excellent post-penetration damage due to its sheer penetration power. A center mass impact should be enough to take out all but the most voluminous targets.

Keep in mind that the ATGM can only be fired when stopped or at extremely low speeds. It also travels more slowly at 130 m/s compared to the 205 m/s of the BMP-1P's 9M113 ATGM.

4 x HJ-73E ATGM (ZBD-86 Late)

• Guidance type: SACLOS
• Firing range: 3 km

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HJ-73	ATGM	400	400	400	400	400	400

Missile details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Range (m)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
HJ-73	ATGM	140	3,000	10.9	0.05	0.1	3.25	80°	82°	90°

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HJ-73E	ATGM (tandem)	800	800	800	800	800	800

Missile details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Range (m)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
HJ-73E	ATGM (tandem)	130	3,200	12.5	0.4	0.1	1.83	80°	82°	90°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the ZBD86

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
4	3 (+1)	1 (+3)	No

Note:

• The missiles are listed from M1 to M4. M2 is the 1st rack. M3-M4 constitutes the 2nd rack.

Machine guns

7.62 mm Type 86 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reload8.0 s

Fire rate700 shots/min

The ZBD86 comes equipped with a coaxial 7.62 mm Type 86 machine gun. This is only useful for clearing small obstacles or exposed crew in open-top vehicles.

7.62 mm Type 86
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,000 (250)	700	-	-

Usage in battles

Some experience with the previous Type 62 will transfer to the ZBD86. Both are armed with HEAT rounds, have similar mobility, and are best used in ambushes. The ZBD86 enjoys a significantly faster reload, better turret rotation speed, and powerful ATGMs to supplement the main gun. However, the ZBD86 has poorer defensive properties since it's a larger target and has worse gun depression. It is even more important to maintain stealth and good positioning, but on the bright side it can unleash a lot of pain onto its victims upon a successful attack.

The ZBD86 is a shoot-and-scoot type of vehicle as an exposed ZBD86 is a dead ZBD86 - avoid being a target at all costs. Use your mobility to find reasonable sniping spots for the ATGM that have a good view and cover to hide behind. The cannon is helpful at close quarters, where targeting crew members and ammo racks is easy, but is difficult to aim precisely at medium or long range. At these distances, the traditional 1-2 punch of first firing the main gun and quickly following up with an ATGM is viable. Remember that if anything sees you, it can destroy you - even a .50 cal will make quick work of the ZBD86 from the sides or back. Retreat back into cover while reloading and be careful if you have damaged a target without crippling them; once an enemy knows your position, it becomes far easier for them to destroy you.

The ZBD86's HEAT shell can be formidable against light tanks and SPAAs since these vehicles tend to have smaller volumes and more tightly clustered crew. It is generally the best to aim for crew compartments so that the HEAT jet can do as much work as possible; the explosive content may or may not be able to trigger overpressure damage depending on the target and impact zone, so count it as a nice surprise if it happens. Vehicles equipped with stabilized autocannons like the Falcon, Gepard, or M3 Bradley can easily maul the thinly-protected ZBD86, so do not pop out in plain sight and do your best to disable them in one shot. ATGMs are typically better saved for armoured targets but it usually only takes one of them to blow a light target to smithereens.

The HJ-73E is an enticing weapon since its tandem warhead and extremely high penetration will maul any vehicle it meets. ERA-equiped tanks like the Magach 3, Sho't Kal Dalet, and Centurion Mk.5 AVRE, which the original BMP-1 might struggle with, can be given a very rude surprise. Tough heavy tanks with steel armour can also be dispatched easily, making the ZBD86 a giant-slayer of sorts. Unfortunately, the HJ-73E travels slowly and is mounted on an upward-tilted launch rail like the basic HJ-73, which make it inconvenient to use at both close quarters and long range. Keep a healthy distance of at least 200 m from your target before launching the ATGM. For long distance engagements, try to use the HJ-73E against targets that are either immobile and not paying attention or exposed in the open without much cover. It is also important to stay close to cover yourself while launching the ATGM, as attentive enemies can deduce your location and guiding the missile requires staying in the line-of-sight and thus being at least partially exposed for the entire flight duration.

A lucky opponent (and/or one with a lot of machine guns) may be able to shoot the HJ-73E out of the air due to its slow flight speed. If they attempt this, the counter is to guide the missile on a less predictable path while it makes its way to the target, only aiming directly when it gets close. A similar tactic can be helpful against enemies that are not immediately focusing on the ZBD86 but may react to a missile heading straight towards them; for example, launching and guiding the HJ-73E in a different direction while keeping them in view might fool them into thinking that you are aiming at another target, which does not arouse the same panic factor, but snapping your aim to them at the last second as a bootleg form of terminal guidance will leave them very little time to duck into cover or deploy smoke grenades. Remember that these kinds of fancy missile manoeuvres take longer, leaving the ZBD86 more exposed, so it is still best to prioritize unaware targets and use direct aim.

Be very careful of aircraft, as the boxy ZBD86 is easy to spot from above. With only 6-7 mm of roof armour, it's trivial for contemporary planes to riddle it with holes. When planes are around, take advantage of the smoke grenades and ESS to mask your position when necessary. If there are buildings and trees to hide among, even better.

The ZBD86 can research NVD, which can help during night battles to increase visibility. NVD is available in commander, gunner, driver and outside viewports. Once purchased, the NVD modification also allows the use of a infrared spotlight to help illuminate targets if they are hard to see. However, it is mounted to the hull, and as such will require the hull to be rotated to illuminate anything.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good mobility
• One of the earliest ATGM light tanks, one of the earliest to receive mouse-guided (SACLOS) ATGMs, first to receive tandem warhead ATGM
• Amphibious ability allows it to reach positions that other vehicles struggle to
• Remains competitive in uptiers with its autoloader, HEAT shells, and ATGMs
• All ammunition types are default and as such have no cost
• HJ-73E ATGM has extremely high penetration for its rank, counters ERA equipped tanks
• Equipped with a night vision device

Cons:

• Mediocre reverse speed for a light tank
• Chemical ammunition only, may struggle to damage vehicles with ERA like the Centurion Mk.5 AVRE without the HJ-73E
• All available ammunition is hyper-sensitive and will detonate on hitting light obstacles such as fences or bushes
• Somewhat large silhouette for a light tank
• Poor gun depression
• No stabilizer
• Only three crew members, the commander and driver are clustered together
• Vulnerable to heavy machine gun and light cannon fire, particularly from the sides or top
• Very vulnerable to aircraft, helicopters, and artillery
• Infrared spotlight mounted to hull, won't rotate with turret when NVD is on
• HJ-73E is tilted upwards which makes close targets impossible to hit

History

The People's Republic of China produced many Soviet vehicles such as the Type 59/T-54 and J-6/MiG-19 under license during its early years, when relations with the Soviet Union were cordial. However, the Sino-Soviet split starting from the early 1960s significantly toned down the cooperation between the two countries. When the BMP-1 first entered service around 1968, the Soviet Union was unwilling to share this new and novel vehicle with China. The BMP-1 was exported to numerous Soviet client states however, and some of these countries like Egypt were on good terms with China. A BMP-1 example was delivered to China from Egypt in the early 1980s and the design was subsequently reverse engineered into the ZBD86, also known as "Type 86", entering service with the PLA in 1986. The original ZBD 86 model was mostly identical to the BMP-1, featuring a copy of the 9M14 Malyutka ATGM called the "HJ-73", but since almost two decades had passed since the BMP-1's original introduction, the design was in need of improvements. The "NFV-1" variant was designed for export in collaboration with the American FMC company, featuring a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster cannon in a redesigned turret. The NFV-1 did not enter service, but Chinese designers learned from the project that for IFVs, autocannons were significantly more practical than the original 73 mm low-velocity cannon. Subsequent models were all armed with autocannons. The ZBD 86-I was the first updated variant to enter mass production and was equipped with the same M242 cannon in an unusual overhead turret, apparently lacking ATGM capability, along with a more powerful engine. The modernized "ZBD86A" variant used ZPT99 30 mm autocannon (domestic version of 2A72, imported in parallel to the BMP-3 turret brought from Russia) in an angular and more traditional turret that could once more mount an upgraded version coded HJ-73E which enhances its odds to fight back heavier vehicles . Over 3,000 ZBD 86s have been produced and over 1,000 are still in service today. However, they have been supplanted in recent years by more advanced Chinese IFVs such as the ZBD04 series, which boast much better protection and armament.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the ZBD86 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Amphibious tanks discusses the ZBD86 at 5:15 - War Thunder Official Channel

Best IFVs discusses the ZBD86 at 0:29 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

References

Bibliography

• David B. (2015, December 1). BMP-1. Tank Encyclopedia. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/USSR/soviet_BMP-1.php
• BMP-1. (2020, March 25). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BMP-1&oldid=947316322

Norinco (China North Industries Corporation)
Light AFV/IFV
WZ501	ZBD86¹
WZ131	▂Type 62 · Type 62
WZ211	Type 63 · ZTS63
WZ502	ZBD04A
MBT
WZ120	Type 59¹ · ZTZ59A · ZTZ59D1
WZ121	Type 69
WZ122	ZTZ88B · ZTZ88A · ZTZ96 · ZTZ96A · ZTZ96A (P)
WZ123	ZTZ99-II · ZTZ99-III
WZ1001	WZ1001(E) LCT · ZTZ99A
Tank Destroyers	AFT09 · PTL02 · PTZ89 · ZLT11
SPH	PLZ83
SPAA	ZSD63/PG87² · PGZ09 · PGZ04A
Export
WZ121	Type 69-IIa · T-69 II G
MBT2000	MBT-2000 · Al-Khalid-I
MBT3000	VT4A1
Other	WMA301 · WZ305
	¹ License production / Reverse engineered · ² Field modifications