Chinese state-owned television has released video footage showing that the camouflage used for the new air-droppable, 4×4 armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) in service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Airborne Corps has been changed from blue to light brown and green.
In a 17 September report to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the corps, the China Central Television 7 (CCTV 7) channel showed at least three units of the AFV, which has been in service with the corps since at least July, painted in the new camouflage.
The camouflage appears to be identical to the one seen on a similar-looking 4×4 multirole armoured vehicle that is also operated by the corps.
The new 4×4 AFV, which is known to be in service with the PLAAF Airborne Corps since at least July, was recently shown painted in a green-brown camouflage. (CCTV 7)
Both of these five-door vehicles, the designations of which have yet to be disclosed, appear to be variants of the China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) CS/VN3 light armoured wheeled vehicle operated by the PLA Ground Force.
As Janes previously reported, the AFV is fitted with an unmanned turret mounting what appears to be a 30 mm cannon, a co-axial light machine gun, and a total of six smoke grenade launchers.
The first images of multirole variant, which is equipped with a manually operated Type 88 (QJC-88) 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on the roof and three smoke grenade launchers on each side, emerged in May when a first batch of the vehicle was inducted into service with a combined arms brigade of the Airborne Corps in central China’s Hubei Province.
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