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TL;DR: An open-topped 4x4 armored car equipped with two QJY-88 LMGs, a 40mm QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher, a QJZ-89 HMG, and a PF-98A rocket launcher.
History:
In China, it is very rare for a vehicle developed by a non-state-owned company to be accepted into service and when it does happen, it goes largely unnoticed. The ZFB05 is one such case. Developed and manufactured by Shaanxi BaoJi Special Vehicle Manufacturing, the ZFB05, also known as Xinxing, or New Star, was built off the retired Nanjing NJ2046. It is a wheeled APC designed for non-intensive duties that still require some level of protection. Despite being developed primarily for export, it somehow found itself in service with the PLP, public security forces, and even Chinese UN peacekeeping forces. Around 100 ZFB05s were in Chinese service by 2008, with even more being in service with various African countries. As years went on, a few issues with the ZFB05 were uncovered, the most notable of which being its armor. Despite being rated to stop up to 7.62mm rifle rounds, experience gathered by Chinese UN peacekeeping troops in Haiti showed that its hull was curiously being penetrated by small-caliber automatic weapons. As such, development on improvements to the vehicle began. The improved vehicle was presented at the Eurosatory 2012 Defence Exhibition, held in Paris, under the name of “Tiger”. It had gone through a near-complete redesign and came in both closed and open-topped variations. The Tiger was accepted into Chinese service under the designation of ZFB05-G. The ZFB05-G was designed to be able to carry a multitude of weapon systems and, in the case of the open-topped variant, more of them at the same time. On the aforementioned variant, each door, excluding the driver’s, has a mount for a light weapon. Anything from an LMG to a 35mm automatic grenade launcher can be mounted on these. The rear of the vehicle has a mount for a 12.7mm QJZ-89 HMG. Despite being open-topped, a rotating hatch is still present, supported by structure consisting of multiple bars. Anything from an LMG to an automatic 30mm cannon can be mounted on it. One of the mountable weapons is the PF-98A, a 120mm man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher capable of penetrating a maximum of 800mm of armor with its HEAT rocket. An example of a fully loaded ZFB05-G was observed some time after its acceptance into the PLA. This example was equipped with two QJY-88 LMGs, a 35mm QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher, a QJZ-89 HMG, and a PF-98A rocket launcher.
Place In War Thunder:
Small and quick vehicles have always had their spot in War Thunder’s meta. China has countless vehicles that fit this mold, with the ZFB05-G (PF-98A) being one of them. Its small size makes it very difficult to spot with the naked eye and its speed would allow it to reposition effectively after every shot. That being said, the vehicle’s armor-less nature and limited ammo capacity would most certainly make its playstyle very reserved and cautious. On top of this, the every projectile the PF-98A fire has a muzzle velocity less than 300m/s. If you were to be spotted by any plane, you’d be dead in the next instant and artillery would consistently be able to destroy you. Your best bet would be to stick close to friendly capture points in order to have access to a constant supply of ammunition. Its automatic grenade launcher should also not be underestimated. With 80mm of penetration when firing HEAT grenades, it could easily deal with any light target you come into close contact with, saving you precious rockets. This vehicle could be added in a number of ways. I, personally, would like to see it in as either a squadron vehicle or GE premium due to it being a vehicle would probably be more fun than it is useful.
Specifications:
Armament: 1x 120mm PF-98 rocket launcher, 2x QJY-88 LMGs, 1x QJZ-89 HMG, and 1x 35mm QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher
Dimensions: 5.36m, 2.32m, 2.30m (L,W,H)
Weight: 6500kg
Armor: The body provides protections against 7.62mm fire and artillery shell splinters, however, as the vehicle is open-topped, this does not matter.
Crew: 6 (5 Gunners and 1 Driver)
Ammunition: HEAT, Multipurpose Incendiary, Bunker Buster
Speed: 115kph
Horsepower: 197hp
Picture:
Closed and open-topped variants together:
Sources:
Armored Cars: BaoJi SVM Tiger | 21st Century Asian Arms Race