Chinese airborne troops received CS/VN3C 4x4 light armored vehicles with unmanned turret

According to an Internet Chinese military source, the Chinese airborne troops have received a new version of the 4x4 light armored vehicle CS/VN3C fitted with an unmanned turret. The CS/VN3C was unveiled in November 2014 during the Zhuhai AirShow in China.

Chinese-made light 4x4 armored vehicle CS/VN3C (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The CS/VN3C is a new type of light wheeled armoured vehicle specially designed to be used for rapid deployments and for emergency operations. The CS/VN3C can be configured to perform a full range of missions as reconnaissance, urban warfare, or troop transport.

The design of the CS/VN3C is divided into three parts, with driver and commander at the front, the turret in the middle, and the troop's compartment at the rear. There is a single door on each side of the hull and one at the rear. The hull of the CS/VN3C is made of welded steel armor providing protection against firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. It can be fitted with bolt-on armor to increase the level of protection.

The CS/VN3C is fitted with a one-man turret armed with a 30mm cannon and a 5.8mm coaxial machine gun. It looks very similar to the turret mounted on the ZBD-03, an airborne tracked IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) in service with Chinese airborne troops. Three smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on each side of the turret. The turret of the vehicle can also be armed with an anti-tank guided missile Red Arrow 73C, a Chinese copy of the Russian-made 9M14 "Malyutka" (NATO codename: AT-3 Sagger). The Red Arrow line features effective firing ranges from 500 to 3,000 meters.

The CS/VN3C can carry a total of 7 soldiers: driver, gunner, commander, and 4 troops. The vehicle is fully amphibious after two minutes of preparation and is propelled on the water by two propellers mounted at the rear of the hull.