Type 77 (armored personnel carrier)

Type 77
Type 77
	Type 77 armoured personnel carrier advancing with People's Liberation Army Marine Corps soldiers.
Type	Amphibious armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	1978 – present
Production history
Manufacturer	Norinco
Specifications
Mass	15.5 tonnes
Length	7.15 m
Width	3.2 m
Height	2.16 m
Crew	2 + 20
Armor	Welded steel
Main; armament	12.7 mm machine gun
Engine	12150L-2 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel; 402 hp (300 kW) at 2,000 rpm
Power/weight	25.8 hp/t
Suspension	torsion bar
Fuel capacity	416 l
Operational; range	370 km (road)
Maximum speed	60 km/h (road) ; 12 km/h (water)

The Norinco Type 77 is a Chinese amphibious armoured personnel carrier. First fielded in 1978, it is in many ways similar to the earlier Soviet BTR-50. However the two vehicles share little in their designs, as the Type 77 is based on the Type 63 light tank.^[1]

Variants[]

Type 77 - Chinese tracked amphibious APC based on the Type 63-I amphibious light tank. The industrial designator is WZ511.
- Type 77-1 - amphibious armoured personnel/artillery carrier designed to carry a disassembled gun (85 mm towed anti-tank gun or 120 mm towed howitzer) on the roof. The vehicle has hydraulic winch and ramps to load/unload the gun. The industrial designator is WZ511-1.
- Type 77-2 - amphibious armoured personnel carrier. No winch and ramps. The industrial designator is WZ511-2.
- Type 76 ARV - recovery vehicle.

Type 89 self-propelled howitzer (PLZ-89) - Type 77 converted into a self-propelled howitzer armed with 122 mm gun. Although most vehicles were based on Type 77 APCs, some vehicles were based on Type 63-I amphibious light tanks.^[2]
Type 77 Armored Engineering Vehicle - Military engineering vehicle variant featuring two water-jets, excavation crane, and hydraulically-operated dozer in a V-blade configuration.^[3]