NORINCO PLZ-83 (Type 83)

152mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH)

China | 1983

"Introduced during the mid-1980s, the Type 83 was delcared obsolete in short order."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/08/2018 | 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, press release.

The Soviet hardware influence is clearly seen in the modern Chinese Army - known formally as the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Many of its current systems can be traced back directly or indirectly to Soviet-era equipment and examples such as the Type 83 Self-Propelled howitzer are no exception. The Type 83 holds origins in the Soviet 2S3 "Akatsiya" SPH tracked vehicle which entered service with the Soviet Army in 1971 and saw production end in 1993. The Type 83 carries along the same design lines and 152mm caliber main gun as well as a 12-cylinder diesel engine and torsion bar suspension system. It is crewed by four and makes up a portion of the long-range reach of Chinese armored regiments. The design has since been superseded in the Chinese inventory by the more modern PLZ-05.

Design of the Type 83 is wholly conventional by modern SPH standards. The traversing turret is set over the rear of the vehicle, placing the driver's position at front-left with the powerpack to his right. The turret showcases angled faces for some ballistics protection while its large 152mm main gun protrudes from the front panel. The gun is featured with a double-baffled muzzle brake at front and an integrated recoil system at rear. A loader typically makes up the crew of four which includes a driver, commander, and dedicated gunner. Hatches are positioned at the turret roof line for outward access and hinged rectangular access doors are seen along the side panels of the turret. The hull superstructure itself is very shallow with a well-sloped glacis plate. Power for the Type 83 is through a WR4B-12V150LB 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine of 520 horsepower providing the vehicle a road speed up to 35 miles per hour and an operational range out to 280 miles. The track-and-wheel arrangement uses six double-tired road wheels to a hull side with the frontal-most and rearward-most wheel units decidedly spaced from the inner most pairings - a design feature seen in several Soviet-era tracked vehicles. The drive sprocket is at front with the track idler at rear and three track return rollers being used over the wheel sets.

Beyond the 152mm primary armament is a 12.7mm heavy machine gun set upon a pintle mounting at the commander's hatch. This weapon serves in the local anti-aircraft role but can also prove useful in engaging light armored vehicles and infantry concentrations attempting to overtake the SPH's position. 650 x 12.7mm ammunition and 30 x 152mm shells are carried for the machine gun and main gun respectively. The crew also carries a modest collection of personal weapons including a 7.62mm machine gun and a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon should the need arise to defend the vehicle at shorter ranges.

Development work on the Type 83 began in the latter half of the 1970s and the pilot vehicle was available for early 1980. The proven Type 66 152mm towed field howitzer was selected as the Type 83's main gun with a range out to 17,230 meters. Along with the gun and recoil system was its semi-automatic action which allowed for a rate-of-fire of four rounds-per-minute to be reached. After testing, serial production was ordered during 1983 and the vehicle was first unveiled to observers during 1984. While a serviceable battlefield component, the PLA elected to only procure some 78 Type 83s in all with production ceasing after 1990 - this due in part to ongoing development of a more modern Chinese-originated SPH system (after all, the Type 83 was based on 1960s Soviet armored warfare doctrine). The formal successor to the Type 83 eventually became the in-house PLZ-05 SPH which entered service in 2008 and is detailed elsewhere on this site.

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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 PLZ-83 (Type 83) 152mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

1 x WR4B-12V150LB 12-cylinder diesel engine developing 520 horsepower.
Installed Power

34 mph
55 kph
Road Speed

280 miles
450 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the NORINCO PLZ-83 (Type 83) 152mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

4
(MANNED)
Crew

32.2 ft
9.8 meters
O/A Length

10.6 ft
3.24 meters
O/A Width

11.5 ft
3.5 meters
O/A Height

59,999 lb
27,215 kg | 30.0 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the NORINCO PLZ-83 (Type 83) 152mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

1 x 152mm howitzer in turret
1 x 12.7mm Anti-Aircraft heavy machine gun

OPTIONAL:
A 7.62mm machine gun and shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher are typically carried aboard the vehicle.

AMMUNITION:
30 x 152mm projectiles
650 x 12.7mm ammunition

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

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the NORINCO PLZ-83 (Type 83) family line.

Type 83 - Base Series Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the NORINCO PLZ-83 (Type 83). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 78 Units
Contractor(s): China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) - China

[ China ]

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense, press release.

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense, press release.

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense, press release.

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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.

Going Further...
The NORINCO PLZ-83 (Type 83) 152mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) appears in the following collections:

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