@via CCTVChina’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is moving a new generation of 8x8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) toward mass deployment, with major upgrades in firepower, protection, mobility, battlefield networking and crew ergonomics. The new vehicle is being developed under China’s modular “one chassis, multiple variants” and series-based “vehicle family” approach. Like the Type 08 family and the Type 11 Wheeled Assault Gun, the new IFV is expected to evolve into multiple variants for different missions. The approach could create a broader vehicle family covering command, reconnaissance, strike and support functions while improving combat effectiveness and logistical efficiency, Zhang said. Zhang said the new IFV is now entering mass deployment and could eventually replace the Type 08 as the core equipment of the PLA’s medium combined brigades.