TYPE 63-1 (YW-531A) ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER (EARLY PRODUCTION) - NORTH VIETNAM 1975

Description

The YW-531A was the first Armoured Personnel Carrier manufactured by Norinco for the Peoples Liberation Army. It was designed in the early 1960’s and first appeared in 1964, sometimes designated the Type 63 in PLA service. The design is typical of the period with simple box structure able to carry a crew of 4 + 10 troops. Access doors being provided at the rear and on the roof. Power was provided by a 191 kW engine derived from that of the Soviet T-34 tank. This basic design has been used for a whole family of specialist vehicles including mortar carriers and self propelled guns. Armed with a single Type 54 12.7mm light machine gun, it is capable of carrying other weapons such as anti-tank missiles. The YW-531 was first used in the Vietnam war by the North Vietnamese Army (PAVN) and was in action again in the Iran-Iraq war. (Scale : 1/35e)