At the 15th International Defense Exhibition IDEX-2021 in Abu Dhabi (OAE) the Chinese delegation officially presented the model of the new heavy infantry fighting vehicle under development. Recall, that this is already the second presentation. The first took place in 2019 year. Then the Chinese introduced a heavy infantry fighting vehicle under the designation VN50. It was planned to be created on the basis of the chassis of the VT-4 main battle tank..
Naturally, the new Chinese combat vehicle could not fail to arouse the interest of experts from various countries. Experts immediately drew attention to the presence of a certain similarity with the Russian T-15 infantry fighting vehicle based on the Armata universal tracked platform.
Recall, that the Russian heavy infantry fighting vehicle T-15 was first shown at the Victory parade in Moscow in 2015 year. Among the main differences of the BMP T-15 is the presence of a tank level of armor and active protection "Afghanit". Thanks to reliable protection, BMP can participate in battle together with tanks "Armata" T-14.
Also, a promising combat vehicle is distinguished by good weapons.. The Russian BMP T-15 is armed with a 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon with selective ammunition and a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun paired with it, 2 dual launchers for ATGM "Kornet".
The Chinese infantry fighting vehicle has a lot in common with the promising Russian T-15.. Comparing images, available to the press, then you can see, what model 2021 year has undergone a number of changes compared to the model two years ago. In particular, the Chinese changed the upper frontal part of the hull - it is now shorter, it has television cameras. In the aft of the BMP – 2 machine gun mounts 12.7 mm, remotely controlled.
Armament tower in model 2021 year practically does not differ from the model 2019 of the year. So, it contains a 100 mm rifled cannon, which can also be used as a guided missile launcher, as well as a 30 mm rapid-fire automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun.
In this way, we see, that there are some differences in the armament of the Russian BMP T-15 and its Chinese counterpart. for example, the T-15 has ATGMs and AU220M, whereas in the Chinese car they are not, but on the "Chinese" are installed 2 heavy machine gun.
A little about the technical characteristics: since the VN50 has an engine with a power 1300-1500 hp, experts predict, that the BMP will have good mobility and mobility. note, that the BMP T-15 is equipped with an engine with a capacity 1500 HP.
As on the T-15, in the Chinese BMP, the engine is located in the front of the car. The BMP has a lot in common in appearance.. I.e, we can conclude, that the Chinese BMP is really an analogue of the T-15 "Armata", but with some changes in armament.
It is worth noting, that China expects to use promising infantry fighting vehicles not only for the needs of the People's Liberation Army. It is not excluded, what if the BMP line is launched, then they will try to orient it for export. It is no coincidence that the model was first taken to the arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi.: China is very interested in developing arms exports to the rich oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf.
Also worth noting, that in the PRC not so long ago there were tests of the VN17 medium-sized infantry fighting vehicle, which is based on the VT5 tank. As it appears, China will not stop at the creation of the considered BMP VN50.
used photos:кадр YouTube/Super A
