The ZBD-09 is fitted with a two-man turret, armed with a Ukrainian modified 30 mm automatic gun. A 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun is fitted to the left side of the 30 mm gun. The cannon has a muzzle brake and appears to be capable of elevating and depressing to engage targets at various ranges and elevations. To each side of the turret is mounted a launcher system, for the wire-guided Hong Jian-73C anti-tank guided missiles. Two lines of three smoke-grenades dischargers are mounted to each side of the main gun.

The ZBD-09 has a boxy, rectangular hull with a sloped front glacis plate. The sloping design helps increase protection by deflecting incoming projectiles. It has a crew of three members: a commander, a gunner, and a driver. In addition to the crew, the vehicle can also carry up to seven infantry soldiers, depending on the specific variant and configuration. The infantry soldiers are accommodated in the rear compartment of the vehicle, which provides them with protection and rapid deployment capabilities during combat. The rear compartment has a large door or a ramp for soldiers to enter and exit the vehicle and firing ports and vision blocks for observation and engagement of targets from within the vehicle. The vehicle features a compact, two-person turret mounted towards the middle of the hull. The turret houses the main armament and has hatches for the crew members. The hull and the turret of the ZBD-09 are made of high hardness armor steel, which protects against 12.7mm armor-piercing incendiary (API) strikes frontally at 100m, 7.62mm API on the sides at 100m, and 7.62mm ball at the rear. The ZBD-09 can also be fitted with an add-on armor package enabling the vehicle to survive 25 mm API frontally at 1,000m and 12.7mm API on the sides at 100m.