The ZBD-97/ZBD-04 was designed as the successor to the ZBD-86 and has been in service with the People's Liberation Army ground forces since 1999, in the armored units of the Guangzhou and Nanjing military regions. Besides the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) variant, an armored recovery vehicle (ARV) variant is also available. A further improved variant is known as the ZBD-04A.
