Type 63 (armoured personnel carrier)
The Type 63 (industrial designation YW531) is a Chinese armoured personnel carrier that entered service in the late 1960s. It was the first armoured vehicle designed in China without Soviet assistance. The design is simple and is comparable to other APCs of its time such as the M113. Approximately 8,000 all types and variants were produced by Norinco. It also equips several armies around the world and has seen action in different conflicts including the Vietnam War, the Sino-Vietnamese War, the Iran–Iraq War, and the Gulf War. Development. In 1958 July, the central  government of the People's Republic of China proclaim in a national scientific development strategic plan that call for a tracked armoured personnel carrier that can be ready for mass production in 1960, in less than two years, and Yong Ding Machinery Factory (永定机械厂) – later incorporated into the NORINCO group to be responsible for the manufacturing of the new APC and the design work was left to No. 1 Institute of the First Machinery works (was focusing on tanks design) and the Fourth faculty of the Harbin Engineering Academy to be under the supervision of the Scientific department of the  PLA Armour Corp., Fifth Department of First Machinery Works and Soviet experts. Description. The hull is made of welded steel, and provides protection against small arms fire. The vehicle carries a maximum of 15 including crew, which depending on the particular configuration may be two or four, the rest of the passengers are infantry who sit in a compartment at the rear of the vehicle. The driver sits in the front left of the hull, and has a single piece hatch, which opens to the left. The driver is provided with two day periscopes which cover the front and right  of the vehicle. One of the drivers periscopes can be replaced by a night vision device. The commander sits on the front right of the hull, and has a single piece hatch which opens to the right. The commander hatch has a periscope on the top surface that may be rotated through 360 degrees. Export variants of the vehicle with BF8L engine did away with the commander's position in the front right of the hull. Behind the driver, on the left side of the hull is a third crew position, which is provided with a hatch that opens to  the left, and like the commander's position has a 360-degree rotating periscope. The engine sits to the right rear of the driver. It has a large intake located in the top of the hull, with an exhaust on the right hand side. The engine is either a Type 6150L 260 hp diesel engine or, on export versions, an 8-cylinder air-cooled, turbocharged diesel engine KHD BF8L 413F which develops 320 horsepower at 2,500 rpm. The engine feeds a manual transmission with five forward gears and one reverse gear. Track is driven at the front by a drive  sprocket, and passes over four rubber-typed road wheels, then loops over an idler at the rear, before returning to the front again. No return rollers are fitted, the track rests on the top of the road wheels. Suspension is of the torsion bar type. The vehicle has a fuel capacity of 450 litres, which gives it a road range of around 500 kilometers. A 12.7 millimetre calibre machine gun is located in an open mount at the front of a small hatch in the center of the hull which opens into the troop compartment. The gun can traverse through  360 degrees and can be elevated to an angle of 90 degrees. Two roof hatches and a large rear door provide access to the troop compartment. The vehicle is amphibious, a folding trim board stowed at the front of the hull needs to be raised, and the vehicle can then propel itself in the water using its tracks. Variants. Variants are often designated by their manufacturer. WZ stands for "Wu Zhuang Jia" (armored vehicle 5) and designates the vehicles produced by the Fifth Machinery Works. YW stands for "Yongding Wai Mao" (Yongding external trade). Combat history. The Type 63 has  been fielded by Vietnamese and Chinese armies during the Vietnam War and the Sino-Vietnamese War. During the Chinese invasion of Vietnam, it proved to be very valuable because of its protection and its cross-country abilities. The Zairan forces used it during the Angolan Civil War, as did the Tanzanians during the Uganda–Tanzania War. During the Iran–Iraq War, China exported quantities of Type 63s to Iraq. These vehicles have seen further service during the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Peshmerga forces used at least one Type 63 APC against the Islamic State. Operators . Evaluation purposes. - Captured and given to Australia in 1972 by the South Vietnamese government and then tested