The ZFB05, also known as Xinxing (New Star) in its commercial name, is a 4X4 wheeled armoured vehicle developed by Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicle Factory. The vehicle was based on the chassis of the Nanjing IVECO NJ2046 4X4 high-mobility truck, with an all-steel armoured hull to provide protection against small arms. The vehicle is mainly equipped by the People’s Armed Police (PAP) Force and public security (police) forces for transportation and riot control roles. The PLA UN Peacekeeping troops are also equipped with this vehicle.
The vehicle is powered by a four-cylinder turbo-charged diesel, with a maximum power of 118 hp. The vehicle has a maximum road speed of 110km/h, and a maximum range of 800km. The vehicle has a crew of two men: driver and commander. The troop compartment at rear can carry 7~9 armed soldiers. The primary weapon is a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun mounted on the roof. Alternatively it can be armed with a 23mm cannon or 35mm automatic grenade launcher. In addition to troop carrier, the vehicle is also available in ambulance, anti-riot vehicle, command vehicle, and reconnaissance vehicle configurations.
The ZFB05 provides better armour protection compared to armoured cars based on civilian vehicles, at a lower unit cost compared to the military-standard armoured fighting vehicles. The vehicle is suitable for low-intensity operations such as peacekeeping, riot-control, and law enforcement. However, the experience of the Chinese peacekeeping police in Haiti showed that the vehicle’s armour has been penetrated by small calibres (7.62mm or 5.56mm) automatic weapons during cross-fire.
A line of ZFB05 armoured vehicles for the People’s Armed Police (Source: Chinese Internet)
Police SWAT team dismounting a ZFB05 (Source: Chinese Internet)
