NORINCO ZBD-04A AT

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Guided-Missile Carrier [ 2008 ]

The ZBD-04A AT represents an anti-tank guided-missile carrying vehicle of the ZBD-04 tracked vehicle family for the army of China.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/17/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Official press release.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The modern Chinese Army has placed a premium on self-propelled, armor-defeating solutions as showcased through a bevy of missile-carrying designs (the ZBL-08, ZBD-03, ZBD-04A, and ZBD-05 to name a few). These serve the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) vast mechanized forces . The ZBD-04A AT, the focus of this article, is the result of a mating between the ZBD-04 (Type 4) tracked chassis and the HJ-10 ("Red Arrow 10") Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) weapon system. The ZBD-04 AT maintains an active standing in the PLA ground force inventory of the Chinese military today (2020) and is a staple of annual Chinese military parades aimed at promoting patriotism locally and flexing local military muscle internationally.

Tank-killing remains a priority for most of the large global armies that include the United States, Russia, India, and China for their primary challengers would most likely field large masses of armored systems (tanks, IFVs, APCs) in the event of Total War. In today's volatile world, the primary challengers to China become the United States and neighboring India - who both have, on hand, thousands of tanks. As such, considerable investment has been made to provide the PLA with effective armor-defeating systems and solutions like the ZBD-04A AT.

With the ZBD-04A Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) tracked chassis as a starting point, the ZBD-04A AT missile carrier is given excellent on-road/off-road capabilities. The hull sports slab sides and a very-shallow glacis plate at front. The driver is positioned at front-left with the commander to his rear (placing the powerpack to the front right). Another crewman takes up a position next to the commander. Crewmen have access to individual access hatches over their respective positions and each work station is completed with thick vision blocks for basic situational awareness. Over the rear of the hull is installed the ATGM launcher unit consisting of twin quadruple launchers on a traversing/elevating mounting. This gives the vehicle exceptional engagement angles regardless of the direction of travel or facing of the hull.

A diesel-fueled engine drives power to the vehicle and its various systems. The running gear includes six rubber-tired road wheels to a track side with the drive sprocket situated at front and the track idler at the rear. This arrangement allows the ZBD-04A system to keep pace with the bulk of the Chinese mechanized forces.

The HJ-10 features a tandem, High-Explosive, Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead capable of defeating modern armor protection schemes (including Explosive Reactive Armor - ERA - blocks) up to 1,400mm think at ranges out to six miles. The missile has spring-loaded fins and can be directed to the target by way of fiber optic or radar guidance. The missile is also used as an air-launched weapon from the Z-10, Z-11, and Z-19 helicopter platforms and the CASC "Rainbow" UAV as a tank-killing measure.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

2008

Origin

China

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

3
CREWMEN

Production

350
UNITS

China NORth INdustries COmpany (NORINCO) - China

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

China

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Amphibious Assault
Traverse bodies of open water under own power with / without preparation.

✓ Anti-Tank / Anti-Armor
Base model or variant can be used to track, engage, and defeat armored enemy elements at range.

✓ Special Purpose
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.

Length

23.5 ft
7.15 m

Width

10.5 ft
3.2 m

Height

11.5 ft
3.5 m

Weight

55,116 lb
25,000 kg

Tonnage

27.6 tons
MEDIUM

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base NORINCO ZBD-04A AT production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x Diesel-fueled liquid-cooled engine developing 670 horsepower driving conventional track-and-wheel arrangement.

Speed

38.5 mph
(62.0 kph)

Range

310.7 mi
(500.0 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base NORINCO ZBD-04A AT production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

4 or 8 x AFT-10 (HJ-10) Anti-Tank Guided-Missiles (ATGMs) in single or twin quadruple launchers over the rear hull (installations vary).
8 x Smoke grenade dischargers.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank anti-tank guided missile

Graphical image of tank /armored vehicle smoke grenade dischargers

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

4 to 8 x AFT-10 (HJ-10) ATGMs.

8 x Smoke grenades.

ZBD-04A AT - Base Series Designation; ZBD-04 tracked vehicle chassis with AFT-10 missile launcher unit.

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Official press release.

Similar Land Systems

Battlefield developments of similar form and function, or related to, the NORINCO ZBD-04A AT...

ZBD-04A

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)