XCB-01
| XCB-01 | |
|---|---|
 2024 serial production | |
| Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin |  Vietnam |
| Service history | |
| Used by |  People's Army of Vietnam |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vietnam Defence Industry |
| Designed | 2022 |
| Manufacturer | Z189 Shipyard |
| Developed from |  BMP-1 |
| Produced | 2024 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 14.63 metric tons |
| Length | 6.950 metres (22.80 ft) |
| Width | 3.250 metres (10.66 ft) |
| Height | 2.140 metres (7.02 ft) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Passengers | 8 |
| Armor | Front armor: resisting 12.7mm API at more than 100m The rest: STANAG 4569 Level 3 |
Main armament | HT-73 weapon station with 73mm P-73 smoothbore gun |
Secondary armament |
|
| Engine | Turbocharged UTD-20 V6 4-stroke 338 horsepower (252 kW) |
| Ground clearance | 370 millimetres (15 in) |
Operational range | 350–500 kilometres (220–310 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph) driving on road surface 7 kilometres per hour (4.3 mph) swimming forward |
XCB-01 (prefix XCB stands for Xe Chiến đấu Bộ binh, 'Infantry Fighting Vehicle - IFV') is a Vietnamese armored fighting vehicle platform and infantry fighting vehicle developed by Vietnam Defence Industry and assembled by Z189 Company.[1] First launched in 2022, it is the first tracked armored vehicle researched and manufactured domestically by Vietnam. The vehicle is largely a resemblance of the Soviet BMP-1, however with revised hull designs and better defensive capabilities.[2]
Introducing technical and tactical features
Maneuverability
XCB-01 has a power-to-mass ratio nearly equivalent to the BMP-1 vehicle (21.7 hp/ton compared to 22.7 hp/ton). The XCB-01's suspension system is almost exactly the same as the BMP-1 with 6 drive wheels.[3] Therefore, its maneuverability is also very similar to the BMP-1. The vehicle reaches a speed of about 65 km/h on flat roads and 45 km/h on bad terrain. The vehicle is capable of climbing steep slopes 0.7 m high, crossing ditches 2.5 m wide, slopes up to 30 degrees and can swim with speed of 7 km/h without prior preparation.[4]
Protection
The vehicle can resist fire-piercing 12.7mm bullets on the front of the vehicle's body. The remaining sides of the vehicle are bulletproof according to stanag 4569 standards.
In addition to armor, the vehicle is also equipped with a 3-agent biological-chemical-radiological (NBC) protection system and a laser warning receiver (LWR), which can be used to activate smoke grenades in case the vehicle is targeted. Cannons spread out to obstruct the enemy's ability to observe.[5]
Firepower
The vehicle is equipped with a main weapon system similar to the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle with main gun P-73-01 (HT-73-01) being a Vietnamese copy and modernization of the 2A28 Grom, which is used to destroy enemy vehicles, fortifications and manpower at a distance of up to 700 m. Compared to the original BMP-1, the XCB-01 is capable of detecting targets many times better in all weather conditions thanks to being equipped with the 1PN22VN1 multi-channel viewfinder combination developed by the Vietnamese Institute of Technology Application (Ministry of Science and Technology) that successfully designed and manufactured technology in 2020. This new generation multi-channel viewfinder includes 4 channels: day channel, laser rangefinder channel, infrared thermal imaging channel and CCD camera, providing the ability to detect targets from distance up to 2,000 m in all weather conditions.[6]
Regarding secondary weapons, the vehicle is equipped with a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun and, most prominently, a 12.7 mm NSV-type anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the roof of the vehicle. This is a unique characteristic of the XCB-01 vehicle, unlike any infantry fighting vehicle previously manufactured by the Soviet Union or Russia. NSV and PKT machine guns are both locally manufactured by Z111 Factory.[7]
The vehicle's weapon complex is mounted on a welded polygonal turret instead of the truncated conical turret on the BMP-1. In addition, soldiers in the troop compartment can use assault rifles and general-purpose machine guns to fire outwards through the battlements on both sides of the vehicle.[8]
The HT-73-01 turret and weapon station
The gunner sight and smoke discharger of XCB-01
Other sensors on the XCB-01
Operational history
The XCB-01 is said to have been displayed for the first time within the framework of the 30th ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM), held in November 2022 at the Training Center in Mieu Mon, Hanoi. After that, images of the car testing its swimming ability were posted on Vietnamese social networks. In 2023, the XCB-01 vehicle appeared in a live-fire exercise codenamed "DT-23" conducted by the Army Corps 12 at TB1 Shooting Range on December 23.[9]
It was publicly revealed in the Vietnam Defence Expo 2024.[8]
References
- ^ "Vietnam Unveils Locally Made XCB01 Modernized Version of Soviet BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle". Army Recognition. 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Vietnam's XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicles attract visitors' attention". SGGP English Edition. 19 December 2024.
- ^ dân, Báo Đại biểu Nhân (2024-12-21). "Xe chiến đấu bộ binh XCB-01 - minh chứng cho khả năng tự chủ quốc phòng". Báo Đại biểu Nhân dân (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- ^ "Những điểm đặc biệt của xe chiến đấu bộ binh XCB-01 15 tấn do Việt Nam sản xuất". VietNamNet News (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- ^ "Xe chiến đấu bộ binh XCB-01 - minh chứng cho khả năng tự chủ quốc phòng (XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicle - proof of national defense autonomy)". Đại biểu Nhân dân. 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Nghiên cứu phát triển hệ thống kính ngắm quang điện tử kiểu tiềm vọng". National Center for Technical Progress (in Vietnamese).
- ^ "Vietnam army unveils new indigenous XTC-02 amphibious 4x4 APC". Army Recognition. 23 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Xe chiến đấu bộ binh Việt Nam tự sản xuất lần đầu ra mắt". Znews.vn (in Vietnamese). 2024-12-21. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- ^ baochinhphu.vn (2023-12-23). "Thủ tướng Phạm Minh Chính dự diễn tập chiến thuật có bắn đạn thật của Quân đoàn 12". baochinhphu.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-12-23.