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Lexicon · China

ZBD-04A

China's primary modern tracked infantry fighting vehicle — a BMP-3-influenced design built by NORINCO, armed with a 100 mm gun-launcher and coaxial 30 mm autocannon, and the backbone of the PLA Army's heavy and medium combined-arms brigades.

ZBD-04A
FIG.01 · China Image - ZBD-04A. Photo by Dan from Beijing, China, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
China's primary modern tracked infantry fighting vehicle — a BMP-3-influenced design armed with a 100 mm gun-launcher and coaxial 30 mm autocannon, fielded by the PLA Army in its heavy and medium combined-arms brigades with no combat history to date.

Overview

The ZBD-04A, also designated Type 04A within the PLA and known industrially as part of the WZ-502 family, is the principal modern tracked infantry fighting vehicle of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force. Developed by NORINCO, it carries a crew of three and up to seven dismounted infantry, and mounts a distinctive dual-caliber armament package — a 100 mm rifled gun-launcher alongside a 30 mm coaxial autocannon — a philosophy inherited directly from the Russian BMP-3. The ZBD-04A is amphibious via rear water-jets, weighs approximately 24 tonnes, and has been produced in the low thousands across its family, though it has never been exported or tested in combat.

🔒 The full ZBD-04A file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →

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  • Development
  • Design & capabilities
  • Variants
  • Combat record / operational use
  • Advantages
  • Drawbacks / limitations
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  • Comparable systems — analyst view
  • Analyst note
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