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This post will be about the WZ554, a Chinese self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle, but on wheels! This vehicle seems to use the modified chassis of a WZ523, however it could also possible be an early WZ551 chassis, known as the Type 90. Regardless, this chassis has been combined with a turret mounting Type 85 23 mm cannons, derived from the Soviet ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns. The vehicle has no radar and has limited vertical elevation, but is fast and has a good armament. If you find any other information on this vehicle, feel free to let me know.
History
The chassis of the WZ554 appears to be that of the the WZ523, which isn’t very well armored, at about 20 mm max at the front, 14 mm on the sides, and 6 mm on the rear. However, the chassis could also be a Type 90 APC chassis, which was the original version of the WZ551, noted for the space between the front wheels and the four rear wheels. The original chassis can go up to 85 km/h, but due to the added turret, the WZ554 has a top speed of 80 km/h.
A WZ523, a six-wheeled APC based on the Hanyang HY472 truck.
The guns of the WZ554 are Type 85 anti-aircraft guns, local copies of the ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun. They perform and behave similarly, with 50 rounds in a box carried per gun, and a rate of fire of about 800 rpm per gun. These fire two types of ammunition, these being the WBO-44P incendiary tracer round as well as the WB-148P armor-piercing incendiary tracer round.
As for the WZ554 itself, it has no radar or stabilization system, but features a low-light night vision system for the gunner, as well as an infrared searchlight on the chassis. Due to the limited range of the 23 mm guns and the elevation angles of the vehicle, the vehicle’s primary intended target would be low flying targets.
The engine of the vehicle is towards the rear, with the engine compartment being separate from the crew compartment. In addition to the engine, there is also a transmission case, the transmission shaft, and a lubrication and cooling system. The type of transmission used is the ZF5S-111GP type transmission. A non-independent suspension is used alongside the bearing bridge, shock absorber and coil spring. The hull is fully enclosed, with doors on the side of the vehicle and above the driver’s seat.
A blueprint of the vehicle.
Specifications
- Crew - 4
- Weight - 15t
- Length - 7.0m
- Height - 3.2m
- Width - 2.5m
- Armament - 2x 23mm Type 85 automatic cannons, 300 rounds stored & 100 rounds in the guns
- Elevation angles - -8 / +60
- Traverse - 360 degrees
- Armor - Estimated 8-15mm
- Maximum speed - 80 km/h