PCZ-45 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle

     Notes: The PLZ-05 is, as the name suggests, a vehicle designed for support of the PLZ-05 in long bombardments or when the howitzer is low on ammunition. It also carries special ammunition not normally carried by a PLZ-05, such as CLGP-type rounds. It is similar in concept to the American M-992 FAASV, being based on the PLZ-05, but having a large closed hull filled with racks for ammunition, fuzes, and charge bags.  The front is the glacis from the PLZ-05 howitzer, but about one third of the way back, the hull is substantially raised, being a little over 3 meters high for the rear two-thirds of the vehicle.  Armor for the Resupply Vehicle is about the same strength as for the SP Howitzer.  The PCZ-45 is also one of the designs that the Chinese stole from the US, then reverse-engineered.

     On the front center of the vehicle is the driver’s position; the driver has limited vision even with his head outside his hatch.  On the left side, the mechanism for the crane projects into the driver’s view; on the right side, his vision is totally blocked by the exterior of an internal equipment box.  When viewing through his vision blocks, the driver only has about half of the normal field of vision though the left block and no vision through the right block.  The hatchway opens to the rear, and has the room to open enough for driver entry and exit. The driver can mount a night vision device in place of the center vision block. 

     The engine is on the right side of the driver.  This is the same 520-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine as on the PLZ-05; the transmission is also the same.  A crane is to the left and to the rear of the driver, it is a large crane used primarily for lifting pallets of ammunition into the large hatch on the roof of the right front of the vehicle.  The roof also has several attachment points for radio antennas if needed, as well as three armored, short antennas of surprising power, able to service even a long-range data-capable vehicular radio.  On the right center of the hull is a vaguely pulpit-like non-rotating cupola.  This is the commander’s station; he has all-around vision blocks and one night vision channel on the forward vision block.  Though the cupola does not rotate, his weapon is on a ring-type mount and can be rotated as necessary, with the hatch opening to the left and almost flat to the hull.  On the right side of the vehicle is a small armored window for use by the commander.  Below that is a large hatchway for loading various items of for the crew to enter; on the left side in the same position is a hatch of the same dimensions.

     In the rear are large hatches, and the PCZ-45 has a tent it can pitch between the PLZ-05 and itself, giving more covered room to work.  A conveyor system can also be rigged between the PCZ-45 and PLZ-05. Standard load for the PCZ-45 includes 3 CLGP-type rounds, 80 of various 155mm rounds, 66 charge bags, 11 boxes of two dozen fuzes, and 1 box of 40 primers.  This can vary or be modified by mission requirements or ammunition available.  The PLC-45 comes with a conveyor belt and arm, which is to be put into the gun at the other end, which can pass projectiles at a rate of 6-8 projectiles per minute.  The conveyor and crane may be used with the engine off, as the PCZ-45 has a 20kW APU on the roof. Also on the roof is a large hatchway to allow the crane to resupply the vehicle.

     I have been unable to discover whether similar vehicles exist for other SP howitzers.  If you know, let me know.