Recently, the amphibious heavy synthetic brigades of our military have been continuously organizing amphibious heavy synthetic armored units to conduct joint landing exercises as part of an over-the-sea island seizure system, effectively testing the amphibious synthetic forces' ability to conduct seaborne landing operations. Among the large-scale amphibious forces, a special type of armored vehicle has garnered significant attention. Its presence greatly reduces unnecessary losses for amphibious armored units. This is the amphibious armored breaching vehicle based on the 05-series chassis—an ironclad pioneer in swiftly clearing pathways during landing operations.
This amphibious armored breaching vehicle is the second-generation armored tracked comprehensive breaching and mine-clearing equipment independently developed and produced by China. It utilizes the chassis of the 05-series vehicle and is operated by a crew of three: a commander, a driver, and an operator. The vehicle's combat transition time is 50 seconds.
Due to special strategic considerations, our military places great emphasis on amphibious operational capabilities. The 05-series vehicle family is currently the world's most powerful amphibious assault vehicle. The armored breaching vehicle weighs no more than 26 tons and has a buoyancy reserve of at least 25%. However, since it is equipped with track-width mine-clearing plows on both sides at the front, its forward-facing wave deflector is relatively narrow. Even when using a water-jet propulsion system, this affects its waterborne speed. The standard 05-series armored personnel carrier can reach speeds of 25 km/h in water, while the amphibious armored breaching vehicle can only achieve a minimum speed of 14 km/h in water, with a land speed of no less than 55 km/h. It has a maximum driving range of no less than 500 km and a minimum operational sailing range of 90 km.
The vehicle is composed of several key components, including a base chassis, smoke launcher, barrier demolition system, explosive mine-clearing launch device, mine-clearing plows, route-marking system, electrical and hydraulic control systems, observation and targeting system, and an information system. It offers multiple mine-clearing modes.
The front sides of the vehicle have been partially cut to accommodate hydraulically driven track-width mine-clearing plows. These plows are controlled by a depth regulator to adjust soil penetration depth, effectively rolling and dislodging mines buried at a certain depth and pushing them to the sides of its travel path. The plows can adapt to terrain undulations, and since the vehicle primarily supports amphibious forces, the plow width is relatively narrow. Generally, it clears mines at a speed of 3-5 km/h, with a penetration depth of 180-200 mm and a clearance width of 2 x 0.8 meters. As long as following vehicles stay within the cleared tracks, they will not trigger mines.
The vehicle is also equipped with a chemical smoke launcher that can create a smoke barrier over 100 meters wide in front of enemy positions.
The upper section of the vehicle has been deliberately heightened, and square observation windows are installed along the sides, allowing the crew to observe their surroundings while remaining protected by armor.
At the front, the vehicle is equipped with an eight-tube barrier demolition launcher, protected by armor when not in use. Stored within a compartment, the launcher deploys as per command instructions and fires multiple demolition rockets designed to destroy fortified obstacles that hinder armored units. The effective firing range of these rockets is between 50 and 300 meters.
At the rear of the vehicle, a large armored compartment houses flexible explosive charges. Another rear compartment contains a launch rack, believed to be fitted with two GBP127-type rocket breachers. These breaching rockets consist of a 40 kg rocket motor, a linear shaped charge, a tail-mounted detonation cord igniter, and an impact fuze. The explosive charge is cylindrical, filled with desensitized HMX explosive and detonation cords, and encased in a nylon fiber shell. It is 120 meters long and weighs 670 kg. The fuze has an inertia safety device and a delayed ignition time of 14-20 seconds. The vehicle also features a crane for loading and unloading munitions.
At the rear of the vehicle, a route-marking system automatically deploys markers to guide following units after clearing a safe path. These markers contain LED lighting elements stored in marker tubes at the back of the mine-clearing vehicle, continuously dropping along the cleared path as the vehicle moves forward. The system can drop markers at fixed time intervals or distances, providing a visible guide for larger forces. The markers are visible up to 50 meters and remain illuminated for four hours.
During operation, the armored compartment cover is opened, and depending on battlefield conditions, a rocket is launched to pull a steel cable that drags the explosive charge and control rope into the minefield. The delayed fuze then detonates the explosive charge, triggering or destroying mines within a large 80-meter-wide, 250-meter-deep area. A follow-up plow is then used to clear remaining mines and mark the safe passage, completing the mine-clearing process.
The amphibious armored breaching vehicle is equipped with a digital command and control module, featuring a positioning system, friend-or-foe identification system, observation and targeting devices, video capture, and communication systems. With a high degree of automation, stable performance, and simple operation, the vehicle enables personnel to conduct operations entirely from within the protected cabin, significantly enhancing battlefield survivability for both crew and equipment.
The amphibious armored breaching vehicle can operate in all-weather, all-terrain, and all-time conditions, accompanying combat units in assault operations. It revolutionizes amphibious force composition, enhancing protection, breaching capabilities, and informatization, while reducing the need for engineers and minimizing casualties. This significantly improves pathway clearance capabilities and overall efficiency in amphibious landing operations.
Leveraging the versatile 05-series chassis, our military can equip this platform with diverse combat capabilities, transforming amphibious forces into a cutting-edge assault force capable of rapid beach landings, island seizures, and deep penetration maneuvers. The 05-based amphibious armored breaching vehicle is bound to play an indispensable role in future combat operations!