World’s Fastest Amphibious Assault Vehicle Unveiled

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China has unveiled the world’s most powerful amphibious assault vehicle that can travel at high speeds both on land and water, according to the Chinese state media. The formidable armored vehicle, called VN18, boasts a maximum speed of 65 kmh (40 mph) on the ground and 30 kmh (19mph) on water and is the fastest of its kind in the world, reported China Central Television Station. It is manufactured by Norinco Group, a state-owned weapon manufacturer in China.

According to dailymail.co.uk, the 26.5-ton tank can carry three drivers and 11 soldiers. The 1,600-horsepower assault vehicle was billed as China’s ‘magical weapon’ by the program. It is said to be a modified variant of ZTD05 Light Tank, which was developed between 2000 and 2005.

Built with aluminum alloys, VN18 is armored with a 30mm cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun, an anti-tank missile and smoke grenades, said the report.

During an interview with China Central Television Station, Zhang Wenhui, who is the Deputy General Manager of Norinco Group, said VN18 is the fastest amphibious assault vehicle in the world. ‘Only China and the United State have amphibious assault vehicles.

‘Although the United State has them, their armies are not equipped with them.’ Zhang claimed that amphibious assault vehicles in the United State are not as fast as VN18. He said: ‘They tried to developed faster ones than ours, but they failed.’

In explaining how fast VN18 is on water, Tan Yongyao, Head of the R&D at Norinco said: ‘On the waters, it’s like a car running at 120 km/h on a highway.’

He added that the vehicle could work in adverse weather conditions and resist winds up to six meters per second (11 knots).