MG144-DZ06 ZBL-345 IFV

DHZ

ZBL-345 Family (IFV, PLL-345 SPAAG, Assault Gun, APC)

Scale: 1:144th (10/12mm)

Three vehicles supplied, each with three additional turret variants.

Size (Bounding Box, assembled, IFV turret): 57.70mm x 22.24mm x 22.82mm

The emergence of the GTSR had a very skewed effect on the DHZ military. The DHZ lost all of its starship construction shipyards entirely, only retaining several small starbases for repair and maintenance. But it lost very little of the component manufacturing for outfitted those hulls and its ground force production facilities were entirely unaffected.
Thus the ZBL-345 rolled out, on time, in 2346 as if nothing had happened.

The ZBL-345 family was a replacement for the older ZBL-335. Slightly larger, the ZBL-345 chassis is capable of taking many of the various turrets the DHZ has produced, though it stops short of true modularity.

The ZBL-345 chassis has improved frontal energy dissipation armour and kinetic mine resistance over the ZBL-335.
The APC version mounts only a remote weapons station with a 20mm autocannon for both interdiction defence and fire support. It can in theory carry up to nine combat troops, but this is rarely used in practise, as the DHZ doctrine has changed to 7-man squads for medium and heavy infantry platoons. There is some suggestion it might be sue with Light Infantry Platoons as a heavier alternative to the VN-334.

The ZBL-345 IFV is the direct successor to the ZBL-335. Troop capacity is lower at only 7, but the trade-off is superior armament. The remote turrets sports a heavier weapons load. The autocannon was upgraded to a 35mm gun, and the machine gun to a heavy machine gun. The older rail-mounted HJ-173C missiles were replaced by four of the new QN-1502C missiles in a box launcher which elevates from the right side of the turret.

The PLL-345 SPG is itself a modernisation of the PLL-335, mounted on the ZBL-335 hull. Like its direct predecessor, it carries a 125mm howitzer with 40 artillery rounds.

Aside from the incremental changes to the chassis itself, the major change is that the PLL-345 dispenses with the pintle HMG in exchange for the newer standard 10mm autocannon point-defence station for better missile protection.

The ZTL-345 Assault Vehicle mounts a 105mm railgun. This is capable of firing solid slugs and HEAT. Reputedly, it also is capable of firing bunker-buster rounds and even barrel-fired QN-1502C ATGWs.

Whether these latter capabilities are used in practise would depend on whether the vehicle is ever equipped with these more expensive munitions. It is something of a long-standing truth that in many cases, going right back to the late 20th century, many vehicles with similarly wide breadths of armaments rarely were given more than the most basic. While FTL-age computational logistics have meant that is much more feasible than it was, the DHZ military is somewhat notorious for only sending the most basic of supplies (if even that) to its ground forces. It is thought likely that only elite or prestigious units will actually receive the full allotment of advanced munitions.