Difference between revisions of "ZSL92"

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m (Changed the vehicle name mentioned at the second paragraph of the Description section (from PG87-25-2 to ZSD63/PG87) to avoid confusion and added a link to the available article of said vehicle.)
(Merged edits)
 
(4 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
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! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' <br> ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
| Hull || 10 mm (33°-40°) || 8 mm || 6 mm || 6 - 10 mm
 
|-
 
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' <br> ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
| Turret || 13 - 20 mm ''Turret front'' <br> 13 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm
|-
 
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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{{main|ZPT90 (25 mm)}}
 
{{main|ZPT90 (25 mm)}}
  
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
During the early stage of evaluation of WZ551, PLAGF has once opted for PLAN's 25 mm autocannon (Type 61/[[2M-3 (25 mm)|2M-3]]) as the designated gun for the future wheeled APC; the overall recoil hindered its further development. However, once PLAGF has acquired Soviet's ZU-23-2 and reverse-engineer then upsized to PG87, the new gun with 25x183B mm caliber shell became the selected ammunition for the future ZSL92. Players will soon have deja vu from [[ZSD63/PG87]] but with only a single gun this time - while the penetration is insufficient against HTs at its tier, with careful aiming onto enemies' lower hull from the sides, it can still cause havoc to them; light vehicles would also have to thing twice before engaging ZSL92 since the autocannon is more than enough to take down any light vehicles at its tier.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
 
{{main|Type 86 (7.62 mm)}}
 
{{main|Type 86 (7.62 mm)}}
 
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
 
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
===== The Chongqing Noodles Truck =====
 +
Chongqing, where the ZSL92 was born, has been a widespread food throughout Mainland China - its noodles (or '''重庆小面''') which are known to be adaptive to its ingredients; but one feature is more well-known - its hot spices, telling players to be adaptive to the battlefield for maximum efficiency while delivering the "hotness" of the vehicle; while it is nowhere as low-profile as the Fiat CM6614 series which are nicknamed "pizza truck" to players, the 25 mm autocannon can keep sufficient combat efficiency.
 +
 
 +
Before players have access to any other WZ551 chassis vehicles in game, there is a major thumb-of-rule for any vehicle based on this chassis: never, ever be the first one to hit the frontline. Do remember that WZ551 has been, and always been an APC; a major difference to any IFV with some protection against shrapnel or bullets, in most cases, due to the rather thin protection of WZ551, any enemies with .50 cal ammunition is more than enough to gun down the crews before they could even harm any components at the first place, even rifle caliber bullets can penetrate the sides (at only 8 mm). This will be a major problem for any WZ551-based vehicles, therefore players would have to think not twice, but three times before heading out for a hunt; the speed of ZSL92 is sufficient to hit vantage points for scouting or occasional flanking, however players should also take retreating routes into consideration as the transmission doesn't allow for the easiest way - going in reverse, so players would have to seek for a point with enough turning radius to turn and run from the main enemy column. If players are also aware of the turret itself, the 25 mm gun is in fact mostly identical to PG87 for ZSD63/PG87 but now minus a barrel; if the gun is powerful in terms of previous vehicle, in ZSL92's case, due to lacking the Type 94 APDS and abundance of HTs around its tier, this limits the target for ZSL92 as well as the aforementioned has at least 80 mm armor on sides. While terminate their service is not viable, it is always a good idea to stall the enemies by taking down their tracks and seek for LTs for extra income as they're not rated for autocannon shots in this case; in terms of its designated role in-game, SPAA, the gun itself is devastating at any tier to any aircrafts within 2.5 km radius as intended. Although the 52° elevation angle hinders from finishing off high-diving targets, such angle is more than enough to make strafing aircrafts to think twice before engaging, at best if having any indestructible covers - the RoF and caliber can take down any attackers at short bursts hitting their wings, always find a good cover and lure aircrafts into the radius.
 +
 
 +
Overall, while lacking higher penetration to become an so-called IFV and somewhat inferior flexibility in terms of reverse, ZSL92 can always be considered as a support vehicle, helping more capable friendly scout vehicles, stalling enemy's advance and gunning down aircrafts are some tactics to employ; while it is nowhere the best around its tier, playing supportively can give vantage to teammates and help the team to secure victory.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
Line 122: Line 123:
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
* High RoF 25 mm autocannon with sufficient penetration at its tier for flanking
+
* 25 mm autocannon with a high rate of fire and sufficient armor penetration for its tier
 
* Sufficiently mobile for flanking operations
 
* Sufficiently mobile for flanking operations
* Sufficient elevation to gun down strafing aircraft with devastating calibre
+
* Sufficient gun elevation to attack incoming aircraft
* Generous ammo pool
+
* Generous ammunition pool
* Amphibious thanks to the light chassis and propellers
+
* Roof weapon mounting in unmanned turret, allowing the vehicle to be positioned hull-down
 +
* Smoke grenades
 +
* Amphibious
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
* Rather large chassis with below average protection
+
* Large chassis  
* Transmission option hinders reverse speed
+
* Thin armor
* Lacks more advanced APDS against late-WWII/"Doomsday" heavy tanks
+
* Relatively low reverse speed for its class
* Crew of three with very likelihood of knock-out once being penetrated
+
* Lacks high penetration rounds for use against heavy tanks
 +
* Crew of three: higher likelihood of being knocked-out quickly by enemy fire
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
Line 139: Line 143:
 
In the 1970s, in view of a possible invasion by the Soviet Union and realising the lag in development of armoured vehicles, the Central Military Commission issued a number of different campaigns to develop new vehicles ranging from medium tanks to wheeled APCs. However, circumstances of the time caused many of these, including the WZ522 project with influences from the BTR-60 and a BTR-70 from Romania, to be cancelled.
 
In the 1970s, in view of a possible invasion by the Soviet Union and realising the lag in development of armoured vehicles, the Central Military Commission issued a number of different campaigns to develop new vehicles ranging from medium tanks to wheeled APCs. However, circumstances of the time caused many of these, including the WZ522 project with influences from the BTR-60 and a BTR-70 from Romania, to be cancelled.
  
However, the need for a wheeled APC to serve as part of a quick-response unit and the modernisation of PLAGF units again called for the development of such a vehicle in the early 1980s. While the Second Automotive Works (now Dongfeng) developed WZ522 with a domestic truck chassis as the future ZSL93, the Factory 256 ''(NORINCO Chongqing Tiema Industries)'' opted for the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz NG 2026 truck both for reverse engineering and evaluation of wheeled vehicles. This also led to the extension of the chassis of Factory 256's prototype for the overall layout of the new APC with a 6x6 layout, which showed vastly improved performance compared to Dongfeng's solution, but some flaws were still present in the prototype. Thanks to the efforts of the engineer team to persuade the vehicle to be included in the next Five-Year Plan as part of national defence upgrades, the vehicle with a revised suspension for simplified yet reliable maintenance could now be evaluated with three different schemes: one with the turret of the [[ZBD86]] (aka WZ551F), one with a 25 mm autocannon, and a .50 calibre turret solution. Although there were also solutions provided from NATO countries, namely from France, sanctions in the late 1980s eliminated any possibilities of foreign solutions.
+
However, the need for a wheeled APC to serve as part of a quick-response unit and the modernisation of PLAGF units again called for the development of such a vehicle in the early 1980s. While the Second Automotive Works (now Dongfeng Motors) developed WZ522 with a domestic truck chassis as the future ZSL93, the Factory 256 ''(NORINCO Chongqing Tiema Industries)'' opted for the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz NG 2026 truck both for reverse engineering and evaluation of wheeled vehicles. This also led to the extension of the chassis of Factory 256's prototype for the overall layout of the new APC with a 6x6 layout, which showed vastly improved performance compared to Dongfeng's solution, but some flaws were still present in the prototype. Thanks to the efforts of the engineer team to persuade the vehicle to be included in the next Five-Year Plan as part of national defence upgrades, the vehicle with a revised suspension for simplified yet reliable maintenance could now be evaluated with three different schemes: one with the turret of the [[ZBD86]] (aka WZ551F), one with a 25 mm autocannon, and a .50 calibre turret solution. Although there were also solutions provided from NATO countries i.e France, UK and US, sanctions in the late 1980s eliminated any possibilities of foreign solutions.
  
 
Meanwhile, the 25 mm calibre turret was revised after the introduction of the PG87-25, as part of the would-be Project 8910 (40th Anniversary), which was certified as the ZSL90 in 1990. However, it would be two years later when the PLAGF eventually adopted WZ551 as their new wheeled APC, which is now known as ZSL92 and was first spotted in the 1999 National Day parade. Thanks to the reliable chassis, NORINCO also developed various vehicles under this chassis, such as the [[PTL02]]/[[WMA301]] wheeled assault gun, [[AFT09]] ATGM launcher, PLL05 gun-mortar system, ZSL92A with a .50 calibre turret and ZSL92B with a ZPT99 turret as well as HJ-73 ATGMs.
 
Meanwhile, the 25 mm calibre turret was revised after the introduction of the PG87-25, as part of the would-be Project 8910 (40th Anniversary), which was certified as the ZSL90 in 1990. However, it would be two years later when the PLAGF eventually adopted WZ551 as their new wheeled APC, which is now known as ZSL92 and was first spotted in the 1999 National Day parade. Thanks to the reliable chassis, NORINCO also developed various vehicles under this chassis, such as the [[PTL02]]/[[WMA301]] wheeled assault gun, [[AFT09]] ATGM launcher, PLL05 gun-mortar system, ZSL92A with a .50 calibre turret and ZSL92B with a ZPT99 turret as well as HJ-73 ATGMs.
Line 156: Line 160:
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+
'''Related development'''
  
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
+
* [[WZ551 (Family)]]
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
 
 +
'''Vehicles of similar configuration or role'''
 +
 
 +
* [[BTR-80A]]
 +
* [[Type 87 (Disambiguation)|Type 87 RCV]]
 +
* [[Freccia (Disambiguation)|Freccia IFV]]
 +
* [[XM800T]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==

Latest revision as of 01:06, 22 October 2024

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Chinese A-5C Pack
cn_zsl_92.png
GarageImage ZSL92.jpg
ZSL92
AB RB SB
6.7 6.3 6.3
Class:
Research:82 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:240 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The ZSL92 (ZSL92式轮式装甲输送车; industrial code WZ551) was the first mass-produced in-service variant of the WZ551 vehicle family. Although there had been earlier attempts to produce a new wheeled APC for the PLAGF as early as 1970, the eventual cancellation of the vehicles under Campaign 704 halted the development of wheeled APCs for almost a decade until Factory 256 (NORINCO Chongqing Tiema Industries) unveiled plans to modify Mercedes-Benz NG 2026 trucks into the new APC program. Evaluations in the 1980s established a 25 mm weapons system and a revised APC chassis. The earliest variant entered PLAGF evaluation as the ZSL90, while the revised and improved variant entered service as ZSL92. The ZSL92 also set the foundation for the future AFT09 and the PTL02/WMA301 series which are still in PLAGF service to this day.

Introduced in Update "Seek & Destroy", the ZSL92 has sufficient elevation limits to gun down enemy aircraft with its main cannon inherited from the ZSD63/PG87 while having sufficient penetration to end the service of vehicles at its tier from their sides. However, players must be extremely cautious about the minimal protection of ZSL92 and plan carefully for any assaults, as the poor reverse speed will not allow the vehicle to retreat quickly in a pinch.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull12 / 8 / 6
Turret23 / 23 / 13
Crew3 people
Visibility136 %

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 10 mm (33°-40°) 8 mm 6 mm 6 - 10 mm
Turret 13 - 20 mm Turret front
13 mm Gun mantlet
20 mm 20 mm 20 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Amphibious
The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water
Speedforward / back
AB96 / 9 km/h
RB and SB88 / 8 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
1 back
Weight15.8 t
Engine power
AB611 hp
RB and SB320 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB38.7 hp/t
RB and SB20.3 hp/t

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 96 9 15.8 455 611 28.8 38.67
Realistic 88 8 283 320 17.91 20.25

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB3 460 → 4 722 Sl icon.png
RB3 357 → 4 582 Sl icon.png
SB4 942 → 6 745 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications71 300 Rp icon.png
116 400 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 900 Ge icon.png
Crew training68 000 Sl icon.png
Experts240 000 Sl icon.png
Aces990 Ge icon.png
Research Aces620 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
140 / 170 / 240 % Sl icon.png
184 / 184 / 184 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new wheels.png
Tires
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 900 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods new car suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
3 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
3 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
5 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 600 Sl icon.png
280 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
5 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 500 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
5 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 500 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 900 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
3 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement cn.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
5 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 600 Sl icon.png
280 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
5 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 500 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 900 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
25mm_cn_HE_ammo_pack
Research:
3 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 900 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
3 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
25mm_cn_AP_ammo_pack
Research:
3 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
150 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
5 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 600 Sl icon.png
280 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
5 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 500 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

25 mm ZPT90 cannon
Ammunition400 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
32.5 → 25.0 s
Fire rate500 shots/min
Vertical guidance-8° / 52°
Main article: ZPT90 (25 mm)

During the early stage of evaluation of WZ551, PLAGF has once opted for PLAN's 25 mm autocannon (Type 61/2M-3) as the designated gun for the future wheeled APC; the overall recoil hindered its further development. However, once PLAGF has acquired Soviet's ZU-23-2 and reverse-engineer then upsized to PG87, the new gun with 25x183B mm caliber shell became the selected ammunition for the future ZSL92. Players will soon have deja vu from ZSD63/PG87 but with only a single gun this time - while the penetration is insufficient against HTs at its tier, with careful aiming onto enemies' lower hull from the sides, it can still cause havoc to them; light vehicles would also have to thing twice before engaging ZSL92 since the autocannon is more than enough to take down any light vehicles at its tier.

25 mm ZPT90 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 400 (200) 500 -8°/+52° ±180° - 39.6 54.8 66.6 73.6 78.4 32.50 28.75 26.50 25.00
Realistic 26.8 31.5 38.2 42.3 45.0

Ammunition

  • Default: AP-T · FI-T*
  • Type 87 HE: FI-T*
  • Type 87 AP: AP-T

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
FI-T* 8 8 6 5 4 3
AP-T 63 61 51 41 33 27
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
FI-T* 1,050 0.25 0.1 0.1 29.26 47° 56° 65°
AP-T 1,050 0.25 - - - 47° 60° 65°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
2 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

Machine guns

Ammunition1 000 rounds
Belt capacity250 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate700 shots/min
Main article: Type 86 (7.62 mm)
7.62 mm Type 86
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 1,000 (250) 700 - -

Usage in battles

The Chongqing Noodles Truck

Chongqing, where the ZSL92 was born, has been a widespread food throughout Mainland China - its noodles (or 重庆小面) which are known to be adaptive to its ingredients; but one feature is more well-known - its hot spices, telling players to be adaptive to the battlefield for maximum efficiency while delivering the "hotness" of the vehicle; while it is nowhere as low-profile as the Fiat CM6614 series which are nicknamed "pizza truck" to players, the 25 mm autocannon can keep sufficient combat efficiency.

Before players have access to any other WZ551 chassis vehicles in game, there is a major thumb-of-rule for any vehicle based on this chassis: never, ever be the first one to hit the frontline. Do remember that WZ551 has been, and always been an APC; a major difference to any IFV with some protection against shrapnel or bullets, in most cases, due to the rather thin protection of WZ551, any enemies with .50 cal ammunition is more than enough to gun down the crews before they could even harm any components at the first place, even rifle caliber bullets can penetrate the sides (at only 8 mm). This will be a major problem for any WZ551-based vehicles, therefore players would have to think not twice, but three times before heading out for a hunt; the speed of ZSL92 is sufficient to hit vantage points for scouting or occasional flanking, however players should also take retreating routes into consideration as the transmission doesn't allow for the easiest way - going in reverse, so players would have to seek for a point with enough turning radius to turn and run from the main enemy column. If players are also aware of the turret itself, the 25 mm gun is in fact mostly identical to PG87 for ZSD63/PG87 but now minus a barrel; if the gun is powerful in terms of previous vehicle, in ZSL92's case, due to lacking the Type 94 APDS and abundance of HTs around its tier, this limits the target for ZSL92 as well as the aforementioned has at least 80 mm armor on sides. While terminate their service is not viable, it is always a good idea to stall the enemies by taking down their tracks and seek for LTs for extra income as they're not rated for autocannon shots in this case; in terms of its designated role in-game, SPAA, the gun itself is devastating at any tier to any aircrafts within 2.5 km radius as intended. Although the 52° elevation angle hinders from finishing off high-diving targets, such angle is more than enough to make strafing aircrafts to think twice before engaging, at best if having any indestructible covers - the RoF and caliber can take down any attackers at short bursts hitting their wings, always find a good cover and lure aircrafts into the radius.

Overall, while lacking higher penetration to become an so-called IFV and somewhat inferior flexibility in terms of reverse, ZSL92 can always be considered as a support vehicle, helping more capable friendly scout vehicles, stalling enemy's advance and gunning down aircrafts are some tactics to employ; while it is nowhere the best around its tier, playing supportively can give vantage to teammates and help the team to secure victory.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 25 mm autocannon with a high rate of fire and sufficient armor penetration for its tier
  • Sufficiently mobile for flanking operations
  • Sufficient gun elevation to attack incoming aircraft
  • Generous ammunition pool
  • Roof weapon mounting in unmanned turret, allowing the vehicle to be positioned hull-down
  • Smoke grenades
  • Amphibious

Cons:

  • Large chassis
  • Thin armor
  • Relatively low reverse speed for its class
  • Lacks high penetration rounds for use against heavy tanks
  • Crew of three: higher likelihood of being knocked-out quickly by enemy fire

History

In the 1970s, in view of a possible invasion by the Soviet Union and realising the lag in development of armoured vehicles, the Central Military Commission issued a number of different campaigns to develop new vehicles ranging from medium tanks to wheeled APCs. However, circumstances of the time caused many of these, including the WZ522 project with influences from the BTR-60 and a BTR-70 from Romania, to be cancelled.

However, the need for a wheeled APC to serve as part of a quick-response unit and the modernisation of PLAGF units again called for the development of such a vehicle in the early 1980s. While the Second Automotive Works (now Dongfeng Motors) developed WZ522 with a domestic truck chassis as the future ZSL93, the Factory 256 (NORINCO Chongqing Tiema Industries) opted for the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz NG 2026 truck both for reverse engineering and evaluation of wheeled vehicles. This also led to the extension of the chassis of Factory 256's prototype for the overall layout of the new APC with a 6x6 layout, which showed vastly improved performance compared to Dongfeng's solution, but some flaws were still present in the prototype. Thanks to the efforts of the engineer team to persuade the vehicle to be included in the next Five-Year Plan as part of national defence upgrades, the vehicle with a revised suspension for simplified yet reliable maintenance could now be evaluated with three different schemes: one with the turret of the ZBD86 (aka WZ551F), one with a 25 mm autocannon, and a .50 calibre turret solution. Although there were also solutions provided from NATO countries i.e France, UK and US, sanctions in the late 1980s eliminated any possibilities of foreign solutions.

Meanwhile, the 25 mm calibre turret was revised after the introduction of the PG87-25, as part of the would-be Project 8910 (40th Anniversary), which was certified as the ZSL90 in 1990. However, it would be two years later when the PLAGF eventually adopted WZ551 as their new wheeled APC, which is now known as ZSL92 and was first spotted in the 1999 National Day parade. Thanks to the reliable chassis, NORINCO also developed various vehicles under this chassis, such as the PTL02/WMA301 wheeled assault gun, AFT09 ATGM launcher, PLL05 gun-mortar system, ZSL92A with a .50 calibre turret and ZSL92B with a ZPT99 turret as well as HJ-73 ATGMs.

Devblog

In the early 1980s, the PLA recognized the need for the development of a new IFV design to meet the requirements of more dynamic warfare tactics. This led to the development of a new wheeled armored vehicle under the designation WZ551, based on a licensed chassis of the Mercedes-Benz 2060 truck. Development and testing of prototypes with various armament options continued throughout the '80s until the vehicle was officially adopted by the PLA in 1988 under the designation ZSL-90, in both an IFV and APC configuration.

Despite entering service, development on the vehicle continued, especially as the first model was plagued by teething issues chiefly surrounding its engine. The succeeding variant, designated ZSL-92, introduced a new water-cooled diesel engine as well as improvements to the vehicle's chassis in 1994. As a result, performance and reliability improved drastically, leading to the vehicle being ordered in much greater numbers by both the PLA as well as foreign operators. Furthermore, the chassis was a popular platform for the development of several spinoff variants, including missile carriers and assault guns. The ZSL-92 equips the PLA's mechanized units and is still in active service to this date.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Related development

Vehicles of similar configuration or role

External links


China anti-aircraft vehicles
Radar SPAAG  PGZ09
Gun and Missile SPAAG  PGZ04A
Missile SPAA  Antelope
Other  ZSD63/PG87 · ZSL92 · WZ305
Germany  ␗Sd.Kfz.222
North Vietnam  Phòng không T-34
USA  CCKW 353 (M45) · ␗M42
USSR  Tor-M1