- Yes
- No
TL;DR: Chinese APC with a 122mm cannon lifted from a North Korean SPG
History
The first half of this vehicle’s history begins in the 1970s, in North Korea. After the development of the domestic 323 APC – essentially a lengthened Chinese YW531A with a turret housing dual 14.5mm cannons and amphibious capabilities – North Korea set out developing a series of tank destroyers and SPGs on that chassis. One of the first constructed was the 323 (122mm), known to the West as ‘M1977’ (and an upgraded version as ‘M1985’). Around 12 M1977s were exported to Ethiopia in 1985, and these served during the various conflicts in the following decade and a half.
- M1977s in service with Ethiopia
The other half of this vehicle starts in 2014, with the delivery of 20 Chinese WZ551 APCs, specifically the ZSL92A variant, which normally houses a one-man turret, fitted with a single 12.7mm QJC88 machine gun. Beginning in 2016, Ethiopia has focused on upgrading its military capabilities, to improve its combat readiness. This has resulted in a number of new vehicle acquisitions, but also upgrades to pre-existing vehicles, including this unique WZ551.
Spotted first on the 17th May during a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to the Defence Engineering Industry Corporation’s complex, it was only officially revealed in a photograph on the 7th August 2024, alongside a very similar conversion on the ZSD89 tracked APC chassis.
We don’t yet know the official designation of the converted WZ551s, and only four have been seen so far, although I personally believe it’s unlikely there are more. Out of the original 20 acquired from China, 4 have been captured by the Tigray Defence Forces and 9 have been turned into SPAAs with turrets for ZU-23 cannons. That leaves only 3 IFVs/APCs left after the 4 SPGs (if they haven’t turned some of the SPAAs into the SPGs.).
Characteristics
The converted vehicle combines the 122mm D-30 cannon and frontal gunshield of the M1977 with the hull – now opened up – of the WZ551. The D-30 can fire a variety of shells, with at least 2 HE rounds, a couple of HEAT-FS rounds (one of which has 460mm penetration), as well as smoke rounds. The gun of the 2S1 Gvozdika is modified from the D-30 and uses the same shells, and so should give a good idea of it’s performance.
The WZ551 has a 320hp engine, giving the vehicle a power-to-weight ratio of 21.5hp/t (just the APC), and a top speed of 90km/h on land, and 8.5km/h in water. The vehicle has 10mm of frontal armour, 8mm on the sides, and 6mm on the rear. On standard WZ551 variants, the driver sits at the front, and the commander next to then. On this SPG variant, the crew layout is unknown, but likely has another 5-6 gun crew. In-game, this will probably be cut down to ~3.
Conclusion
This unique East African modification of a Chinese APC would be a good fit as a premium, or perhaps even regular tech-tree, tank destroyer for the Chinese tree. It would likely sit around 6.0-7.0, given the mobile chassis, powerful cannon, but non-existent armour and open-topped design.
Specifications
Armament
- 122mm D-30
- 3OF24 HE
- 3OF56 HE
- 3BK-6M HEAT-FS
- 400mm at 0º
- 3BK-13 HEAT-FS
- 460mm at 0º
- Smoke
Armour
- Hull
- Front - 10mm at 33º
- Sides - 8mm at 25º
- Rear - 6mm at 5º
Mobility
- Speed
- 90km/h on land
- 8.5km/h in water
- Weight
- ~18t (Estimated)
- Engine power
- 320hp, ~20-21hp/t
Other
- Crew
- 2 (Commander, Driver) + 3-6 (Gunners, loaders)
Images
Spoiler
Only other view of this conversion so far, hidden behind the same cannon on a ZSD89 chassis:
ZSL92A’s in Ethiopian Service:
Sources
Spoiler
Ethiopia modifies APCs into self-propelled guns
Ethiopia converts Chinese WZ551 APCs into self-propelled howitzers with Soviet-era artillery
Mobilised For War: Ethiopia’s Russian 2S19 Msta SPGs - Oryx
The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry - Oryx
The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun – Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
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