Army of Nigeria takes delivery of 60 Type 85 tracked APC Armored Personnel Carrier from China.

According to information published by the NNN website on October 28, 2021, the Nigerian army has taken delivery of 60 Type 85 also named YW531H, a tracked APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) produced by the Chinese company NORINCO.
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China has delivered 60 Type 85 tracked APC Armored personnel Carrier to Nigeria. (Picture source TVC News Nigeria video footage on Youtube)

Since the 2010s, China has delivered a large number of military equipment to Nigeria including 15 F-7M Airguard fighter aircraft, two P18N OPVs (Offshore Patrol Vessels), 120 AR-1 Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, 5 CH-3 drones, one type-62 patrol craft, 3 SH-2 122mm self-propelled howitzers, 2 SH-5 105mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers, 6 VT-4 main battle tank, 6 ZTL-09 8x8 105mm fire support vehicle, four CH-4 armed drones and 2 Wing Loong-2 armed drones.

According to the Ambassador of China to Nigeria, Mr Cui Jianchun, China would prioritize the implementation of its political and economic cooperation with Nigeria, to achieve growth. The two nations established diplomatic relations in February 1971, and today the two countries supported each other to continue a long way internationally.

Given Nigeria’s open and violent conflict in the Niger Delta region specifically, it is not surprising to see that China has been acknowledging the need to support more military and peacebuilding efforts in order to protect its investment and interests.

The Type 85 tracked APC (Armored personnel Carrier) was developed in the late 1960s by the State Defense Company NORINCO. The hull of the YW 531 is made of all-welded steel which provides ballistic protection against the firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. The vehicle has a crew of three and the rear part of the hull is able to accommodate up to 13 infantrymen. The roof of the vehicle is fitted with an open-top turret armed with one 12.7 mm Type 54 machine gun.

The torsion bar suspension on either side consists of five single rubber-tired road wheels with the drive sprocket at the front and the idler at the rear. The vehicle is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water by its tracks at a maximum speed of 6 km/h.

The Type 85 is powered by a BF8L413F 4-cycle turbocharged, inter-cooled, V-8 diesel engine developing 320 hp at 2,500 rpm. The vehicle can run at a maximum road speed of 66 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 500 km.