At the request of the UN, China dispatched a peacekeeping infantry battalion to the Republic of South Sudan in July 2014. The battalion of 121 officers and 579 troops included a squad of 13 women soldiers, who were the first Chinese women troops to carry out UN peacekeeping duties. Their main task was protecting local women and children, conducting security checks of women and providing psychological counseling for women and children and humanitarian assistance. As China’s first infantry battalion for peacekeeping abroad, its weapons and equipment attracted much attention.
As required by the UN, the battalion was equipped with drones, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), armored personnel carriers, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, machine guns, bulletproof vests and helmets, together with 185 other vehicles.
Fighting Vehicles
The 92B Wheel-Type IFV: A 6x6 armored amphibious fighting vehicle, it is 7.1 meters long, 2.9 meters high, weighs 17 tonnes, and reaches up to 85 km/h on road and 9 km/h in water. It can climb gradients of up to 30 degrees and has a range up to 800 km. It can cross a 1.2-meter wide trench and 55-cm high vertical obstacle. This IFV has double-wishbone independent suspension and pressure adjustable bulletproof tires. It carries a 30-mm automatic gun, a 7.62-mm machine gun and an AFT07C anti-tank missile. Besides air-conditioning, warning and GPS systems, it also has a communication system with a 125-watt PRC-146 shortwave adaptive transmitter and TCU04 phone device.
