NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05)

6x6 Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH)

China | 2001

"The Chinese PLL-05 self-propelled artillery vehicle is built upon the 6x6 wheeled chassis of the ZSL92/WZ551 armored personnel carrier."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/01/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Adopting the 6x6 wheeled nature of many modern self-propelled howitzer designs, the Chinese concern of NORINCO introduced their PLL-05 series mobile gun platform in 2001. The vehicle utilizes a unique dual-firing nature in that it can serve as a howitzer and mortar launcher inspired by earlier Soviet designs such as the 2S9 series and continued in the 2S23 series. The PLL-05 forms a potent arm for the Chinese Army as it has been inducted into service with the 127th Light Mechanized Infantry Division (54th Group Army). The PLL-05 is also known by its alternative designation of "Type 05".

The PLL-05 is essentially an evolved heavy-class, gun-carrying form of the 6x6 wheeled WZ551 infantry fighting vehicle / armored personnel carrier introduced in 1995 for it utilizes the same chassis. The major difference between the two designs beyond their respective military classifications is the PLL05's use of a 360-degree, traversable powered turret mounting a 120mm main gun. The gun features an elevation span of -4 to +80 degrees and is intended for indirect fire support though it can also engage targets directly. It is also designed to fire both howitzer and mortar type projectiles as needed. The base projectile can reach out to six miles with the rocket-assisted version targeting out to eight miles. The hull consists of a faceted design with sloped sides, flat roof line and short glacis plate. It also provides good ground clearance against obstacles and gradients and is amphibious, the vehicle propelled through the water by small waterjets at the lower rear of the hull. An NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) system protects the crew in the event of unconventional warfare. The vehicle is crewed by four personnel made up of the driver (seated in the hull), the vehicle commander, gunner and loader - the remaining three in the turret.

While making use of a dedicated loader, the PLL05 also sports a semi-automatic loading feature which provides the vehicle with a rate-of-fire of up to eight rounds per minute. The crew has access to 36 total ready-to-fire projectiles in the turret and hull of the vehicle. Accuracy is attained through a digital fire control system with assisted aiming. Ammunition types include a base HE (High-Explosive) round, HEAT (High-Explosive, Anti-Tank), HE-RAP (High-Explosive, Rocket-assisted, Armor-Piercing) and mortar bomb. Range depends entirely on ammunition type being used, terrain and environmental factors. Local defense of the vehicle against enemy infantry, light-armored vehicles or low-flying aircraft is through 1 x 12.7mm Type 85 heavy machine gun. The machine gun is fitted on the turret roof at the commander's cupola. The turret frontal side walls also seat 3 x smoke grenade dischargers (six in all) for shielding the vehicle's movements from enemy eyes.

The PLL-05 is powered by a BF8L413F series 8-cylinder, turbocharged, diesel-fueled, air-cooled engine developing 320 horsepower. The suspended hull allows for the required cross-country capabilities common to today's armored fighting machines and consistent with the expected level of mobility in modern warfare. The vehicle can reach a top road speed of 53 miles per hour.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05) 6x6 Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

1 x BF8L413F 8-cylinder, turbocharged, air-cooled diesel engine developing 320 horsepower at 2,500rpm driving conventional wheeled arrangement.
Installed Power

53 mph
85 kph
Road Speed

497 miles
800 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05) 6x6 Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

4
(MANNED)
Crew

21.9 ft
6.69 meters
O/A Length

9.2 ft
2.8 meters
O/A Width

9.3 ft
2.82 meters
O/A Height

36,376 lb
16,500 kg | 18.2 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05) 6x6 Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

1 x 120mm main gun in power-assisted, traversing turret.
1 x 12.7mm Type 85 Anti-Aircraft (AA) Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) at commander's cupola.
6 x Smoke Grenades on turret sides.

AMMUNITION:
36 x 120mm projectiles.
500 x 12.7mm ammunition (estimated)
6 x Smoke greandes.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Nightvision - YES.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Protection (CBRN) - YES.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05) family line.

PLL-05 - Base Series Designation

Type 05 - Alternative Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 250 Units
Contractor(s): NORINCO (China NORth INdustries COrporation) - China

[ China ]

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to battlefield requirements.

FIRE SUPPORT / ASSAULT / BREACHING

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The NORINCO PLL-05 (Type 05) 6x6 Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) appears in the following collections:

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