ZBD2000 Amphibious Fighting Vehicle The ZBD2000 , first revealed in 2006 , is a fully amphibious armoured fighting vehicle and light tank developed for the PLA Marine Corps . The vehicle succeeded the ZTS63A ( Type 63A ) amphibious tank that was introduced in the late 1990s , showing the high level of resources the PLA is devoting towards the amphibious assault capabilities . The ZBD2000 is available in three versions : 105mm gun - armed light tank , infantry fighting vehicle ( IFV ) , and command vehicle . Design . The amphibious fighting vehicle is similar to the U . S . Expeditionary Fight Vehicle ( EFV ) in concept , designed to be launched at sea , from an amphibious assault ship offshore , and swim to shore at high - speed . Like the EFV , the ZBD2000 uses a planning hull propelled by two large water jets to achieve a high speed of travelling in the water over a long distance ( ‘ over - the - horizon ’ ) , thus reducing the threats of enemy mines and shore defences faced by the amphibious assault ships . However , the ZBD2000 may have yet reached the travelling performance of the EFV . The vehicle features hydraulically - actuated bow and transom flaps , which are designed to aid the vehicle ’ s hull skimming across the surface of the water ( called planing or hydroplaning in sailing ) rather than pushing through the water in the way a traditional displacement hull works . When actuated , the bow and transom flaps together with the bottom of the hull can form a planning surface , allowing the vehicle to go faster by using its speed and hull - shape to lift the front part of the hull slightly out of the water , thus reducing the hydrodynamic drag on the vehicle . A similar design has been used on the . The ZBD2000 features a large flat , boat - like hull , with six road wheels and lead / return rollers . A welded turret is mounted over the middle of the hull , with the powerpack at front and passenger compartment in the rear . The light tank variant has a crew of four , with the driver seated left in the hull and forward of the turret , and loader , gunner , and commander occupying the turret . The loader is situated to the right of the main gun . The gunner and commander sit in tandem on the left side . The loader is also responsible for operating the 12 . 7mm anti - aircraft machine gun ( AAMG ) mounted on turret roof . The IFV variant has a crew of three , with the driver seated at front and the commander and gunner situated inside the 30mm cannon turret . The IFV ’ s passenger compartment in the rear accommodates 6 ~ 8 armed soldiers , who dismount the vehicle through the rear exit door . Variants . Light Tank Variant . The light tank variant is armed with a fully - stabilised 105mm rifled gun , similar to that found on the ZTS63A amphibious tank . The gun can fire the armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot ( APFSDS ) , high explosive ( HE ) , and high - explosive anti - tank ( HEAT ) rounds , and the Chinese indigenous 105mm gun - fired laser beam riding guidance anti - tank guided missile ( ATGM ) derived from the Russian 9M117 Bastion technology . The missile offers the vehicle the capability to fire at targets on shore while the vehicle is swimming at sea , where conventional ammunitions have poor accuracy due to the effect of the sea wave . Secondary weapons include a 7 . 62mm machine gun , a 12 . 7mm anti - aircraft machine gun mounted on the roof of the turret , and two sets of four - barrel smoke grenade launchers mounted on the side of the turret . The rear part of the turret is also fitted with storage rack to provide additional protection against HEAT rounds . Fire accuracy is attained by a computerised fire - control system ( FCS ) , which includes a fire - control computer , light spot commander sight with laser rangefinder input , and light spot gunner sight with passive night vision . For day / night , all - weather amphibious assault operations , the vehicle is also equipped with a GPS navigation and imaged intensifier night vision or thermal imaging system . Infantry Fighting Vehicle ( IFV ) Variant . An IFV variant of the ZBD2000 was introduced to accompany the light tank in the battlefield . The vehicle is based on the same hull , but with a two - man 30mm cannon turret with a HJ - 73C ATGM rail launcher mounted on the turret . The vehicle has a crew of three and may be able to carry 7 ~ 10 armed soldiers in its passenger compartment in the rear . The 30mm cannon appears to be a brand new design , similar to the cannon fitted on an export variant APC revealed by the CNGC in 2007 .