Buffalo (Armored Personnel Carrier)

The Buffalo is a family of armoured personnel carrier and support vehicles, designed and developed by Kodeshia with Theyka being a key supplier and first export operator of the type. It is manufactured by Changzhi Automotive Industry Corporation in Kodeshia and some components locally produced in Theyka by number of local industries. It entered service in 1970s and over 10,000 have been produced. Primarily used by the Imperial Armed Forces of Kodeshia, and Ngāti Tūmatauenga of Theyka and also used the by military of Qingcheng.

The Buffalo has more than thirty variants and sub-variants. Beyond their common primary role of transporting personnel and equipment in combat zones, some Buffalos are tailored for mechanized infantry combat, some fulfil the role of anti-tank missile launchers, some of self-propelled mortars, some are optimized for electronic warfare, others act as reconnaissance or artillery observation vehicles, and some are designed for specific roles such as command and control, communications and logistics, medical support, and engineering support.

History
By the mid-1960s, the Kodeshi military felt a need to re-evaluate their aging light vehicle fleet and replace them with a more modern and efficient models. Due to a lack of resources, they tried to modernize, existing models. But this proved to be a difficult task. After considering several options, they decided to produce a new design and sought an international partner to spread the costs. Akiteiwa had already adopted the Type 52 Pangolin in 1966 and this type was evaluated by the Kodeshi military but considered to expensive to procure so a domestic option was pursued. At the time Qingcheng did join the program and procured the type. At the same time Theyka was also in need of vehicle of similar requirements and thanks to efforts of their ambassador Gabriele De Nunzi who was highly regarded war hero of the Great Kesh War they jointed the program after becoming aware of the trial reports of the design in the 60s with full technology transfer as first level supplier to the Theyka variants. The project was named "Buffalo". The project was started in 1968 and completed in 1973. Qingcheng also became a key supplier to their variants with the main hulls all being produced in Kodeshia at the main Changzhi facility.

Design
The vehicle is either a 4×4 or 6x6 configuration all-terrain wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The vehicle has a modular concept with different versions to meet different requirements and missions. The basic model is a four-wheel drive with a crew of two. It can be configured to carry up to six passengers or three tons of cargo. The vehicle can also be configured as a six-wheel drive for heavy duty work with a more powerful engine. The vehicle has amphibious capability for land and water operations. The front windows are bullet-proof and all the windows can be further protected by armoured panels, which can be shut entirely or leaving a small observation slit. It was designed from the outset to be airlifted so it was originally designed around a 12-13-tonnes mass but with upgrades and improvements this can now reach up to 20 tonnes. It has a modular chassis with a high level of flexibility in configuration and operation.

Variants
The Buffalo has been produced in multiple variants. In Kodeshia it is known as the Changzhi ZSC-73 Shuiniu (: 裝甲輸送車; Zhuāngjiǎ shūsòng chē lit. 'Armored transport vehicle'; 水牛; Shuǐniú; lit. 'Buffalo') with additional codes and numbers denoting the exact specification. , In Thekya it is known as the XX Kau Wai (: Kau Wai; lit. 'Water Buffalo').

Kodeshi Variants

 * Changzhi Shuiniu ZSC.73134
 * ZSC = 裝甲輸送車; Zhuāngjiǎ shūsòng chē ("Armored transport vehicle"), 73 = ("1973 model"), 13 = ("13.6 tonne"), 4 = ("4x4 variant"),
 * Initial production 4x4 armoured personnel carrier version was made for military purposes such as personnel and military equipment transportation, rescue, and protection. It can accommodate up to twelve people, two crew and ten passengers and weapons system options includes standard pintle mount for various machine guns or grenade systems. introduced in 1973.


 * Changzhi Shuiniu ZSC.73146
 * ZSC = 裝甲輸送車; Zhuāngjiǎ shūsòng chē ("Armored transport vehicle"), 73 = ("1973 model"), 14 = ("14.8 tonne"), 6 = ("6x6 variant"),
 * Initial production 6x6 armoured personnel carrier version with improved off-road mobility and payload compared to the 4x4. It can accommodate up to twelve people, two crew and ten passengers and weapons system options includes standard pintle mount for various machine guns or grenade systems. introduced in 1973.

Users
 Kodeshia  Theyka  Qingcheng
 * Imperial Armed Forces of Kodeshia: has operated the Shuiniu since 1973.
 * Ngāti Tūmatauenga: the Kau Wai is in active service.
 * Armed Forces of Qingcheng: has operated the type since the 70s but it is slowly phased out for domestically produced type.

Potential operators
 Shenewa The Buffalo was evaluated for use by Shenewa Military.