[MarkSheppard]

Originally Posted by DRG

I *think* this is what we have as the Type 2000 in the Chinese OOB.

??

It had been named ZBD-04 MGS then ZBD-2000 then in 2020 Type 2000. The date fits for the ZBD-05

This is because Chinese weapons development is confusingly mixed with different signals coming from them at different points in development; with people making up names as they see new prototypes or equipment; and Chinese manufacturers themselves flack marketing names.

The big difference is that unlike in the West, where you can tell that the M60-120S (put Abrams turret on M60 hull) is a private venture, nobody is quite sure who is sponsoring what until it appears in quantity in Peoples Liberation Army service.

Let's go to Chinese Wikipedia:

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZBD-05...88%98%E8%BD%A6

In the first half of 2000, the army The China North Industries Group Corporation put forward the request for the development of new amphibious armored vehicles.

This is where everyone gets the "ZBD-2000" and "Type 2000" stuff from; because that's when the first developmental prototypes appeared, or the initial concept came from.

It was finalized in 2005 and used to replace the Type 63 amphibious armored vehicle family. The armored vehicle family includes four types, one is the ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle , used for beach impact, the second is the ZBD-05 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, and the third is the 05 type amphibious armored command vehicle developed on the basis of the second . The fourth type developed on the basis of the first type is the 05 type amphibious armored rescue vehicle .

Production of the first "operational" units began in 2005 era; hence the family's designations:

ZBD-05 Amphibious IFV
ZTD-05 Amphibious Assault Vehicle (aka amphibious light tank)

These designations (ZBD/ZTD/etc) date back to 1987, when the PLA General Staff issued "Regulations on the Naming of Weapons and Equipment of the Armed Forces" 《全军武器装备命名规定》, which changed things from the old "Type XX" series; in which "Type 56" in small arms meant:

Type 56 7.62 mm semi-automatic rifles
Type 56 7.62 mm submachine guns
Type 56 7.62 mm light machine guns

The new 1987-onwards designations are generally revealed only after an item has entered service, because the designations themselves tell you exactly what the item is.

Back to the ZBD-05:

The ZBD-05 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle made its first public appearance at the parade on the 60th anniversary of the National Day of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 2009.

Going to another Chinese Wiki page:

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZTD-05...93%8A%E8%BB%8A

The ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle made its first public appearance at the 60th Anniversary of the National Day of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 2009.

and

According to the official development notice of the 05 car issued by relevant departments in December 2003. The Type 05 amphibious fighting vehicle is actually four models: the first is an amphibious armored assault vehicle, equipped with a 105mm low recoil rifled gun ; the second is an amphibious armored infantry fighting vehicle, equipped with a 30mm cannon; it is based on the second type. The third type is an amphibious armored command vehicle; the fourth type is an amphibious armored rescue vehicle based on the first type. It is mainly used for island offensives. During the landing operation phase of the campaign, it performs the task of consolidating the landing field.

So let's review from Chinese Sources we get the timeline as being:

1.) NORINCO based on some prototypes or drawings, in mid-2000 submits a proposal for a modern amphibious vehicle family.

2.) The PLA General Staff approves development of the amphibious vehicle family in December 2003.

3.) The Amphibious vehicle family is type classified and adopted officially by the PLA in 2005.

4.) It doesn't get publicly revealed to the world (officially) until the October 1, 2009 parade.