The ZBD86 (ZBD86式步兵战车; industry code: WZ501) was a Chinese reverse-engineered version of the Soviet BMP-1, acquired from Egypt through military equipment exchanges in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, as part of military modernisation, the PLAGF faced a pressing need for a new IFV for its mechanised troops. Consequently, a BMP-1 received from Egypt was transported to mainland China for evaluation. To expedite the development of a domestic IFV, the Central Military Commission authorised reverse-engineering of the BMP-1, despite its underperforming gun systems. In December 1980, the WZ501 prototype was completed, integrating some Chinese-made subsystems. However, due to testing and manufacturing challenges, engineers required nearly eight years to finalise the design, incorporating additional modifications that aligned with improvements made to later BMP-1 variants. The ZBD86 passed state certification in 1986 and entered production in April 1987, initially with placeholder gun systems. After unsuccessful attempts to equip the vehicle with American and British turrets, the ZBD86 received upgraded 25/30 mm autocannon turrets in the late 1990s, resulting in the ZBD86-I and ZBD86A variants. These models remain in service and recently competed alongside their ideological counterpart, the BMP-2, in the Army Games co-hosted by Russia and China, where the ZBD86A demonstrated superior performance.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the ZBD86 is essentially a Chinese variant of the BMP-1, nearly identical to the original Soviet version in its stock form, with the exception of the missing rolled-up canvas on the turret sides. However, this vehicle has a notable advantage: the "ZBD86 Late" modification. This equips it with the HJ-73E ATGM, a powerful upgrade of the original "Malyutka" with SACLOS guidance and a tandem warhead. When used effectively, the HJ-73E can neutralise any target the ZBD86 encounters, regardless of ERA or composite armour protection. This makes the ZBD86 a valuable asset in uptiers and a versatile vehicle overall.