This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the 201st Research Institute, a key organization in the Chinese armored industry. Now this organization is called China North Vehicle Research Institute or NOVERI (Northern Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering) and retains its high importance for the development of the People's Liberation Army of China.
Long story
Beijing NII-201 was founded in 1959 and had to solve a number of tasks of particular importance in the context of army building and national security. The institute was supposed to prepare the production of combat vehicles under a Soviet license, comprehend the Chinese and foreign experience of operating military equipment, and also lay the foundation for the further development of its own projects.
During the same period, several other institutes and factories were founded in the PRC, involved in the construction and development of armored forces. In addition, the re-profiling and modernization of existing enterprises was carried out. In such a system, NII-201 played a leading role. It was he who was supposed to carry out all the research work and take on the bulk of the engineering tasks.
In the first decades of its existence, NII-201 was subordinate to the leadership of the defense industry and interacted with other enterprises. In the late eighties, this system was significantly changed. In 1988, the China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) was created, which included the main research institute of the armored industry.
Now the former NII-201 is called the China North Vehicle Research Institute (NOVERI) and remains the most important component of NORINCO. He carries out the necessary research, develops his own projects and supports other design organizations.
Institute today
In Beijing NOVERI now works approx. 2 thousand people. Several hundred senior researchers, dozens of specialists with advanced degrees and several academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are employed in scientific and project activities.
The institute has several research departments dealing with various technical problems. They deal with general issues of building armored vehicles, power plants, chassis and information systems. Within the departments there are many specialized laboratories for research and testing. We have our own pilot production and test sites.
Interaction with other organizations from the NORINCO structure has been established and worked out. The NOVERI Institute, in the interests of design organizations, conducts various studies and issues recommendations. Together with them, and independently, he creates projects for new combat vehicles. Then, with the participation of the institute, production is launched at the relevant enterprises.
Key projects
The first task for NII-201 was to ensure the development of the full-scale production of Type 59 / WZ-120 medium tanks, a licensed version of the Soviet T-54A. The first machines of the new type were built in 1958 at the plant No. 617 (Baotou, Inner Mongolia), which then began to increase the rate of production. However, in 1960, the PRC broke off relations with the USSR, which hit the development of the armored industry. In such conditions, NII-201 was supposed to help the serial plant with improving production technologies and increasing the pace of construction.
In the mid-sixties, the institute was commissioned to conduct research on the further development of armored vehicles. A few years later, the result was the emergence of a number of modifications of the "Type 59" and other machines on the same base. Medium armored vehicles based on the T-54A design, in the Chinese classification, belong to the first generation of their own tanks.
Projects of the first generation made it possible for several decades to build not the most powerful and developed, but rather numerous armored troops. Despite the appearance of newer and more advanced models, medium tanks of the first generation still remain in the PLA. "Type 59" and derivatives were actively supplied to third countries, where they also remain in service.
Since the end of the nineties, a program for the modernization of equipment has been implemented through the installation of new devices and instruments. NII-201 / NOVERI actively participated in the development of this program.
In the seventies, NII-201 studied its own and foreign experience and was engaged in the development of equipment for second-generation tanks. The result of this work was new electronic systems, smooth-bore tank guns with a caliber of 105 mm and more, new power plants, etc. The active development of technologies during this period was facilitated by the establishment of relations with foreign countries. In particular, there was an opportunity to exchange experience with the United States and Germany.
On the basis of new technologies, with the participation of NII-201, the first Chinese main battle tank "Type 85" with a number of modifications and several later vehicles were developed. In fact, fundamental changes have taken place in Chinese tank building. The industry was able to abandon the development of the "Type 59" in favor of more modern and successful designs.
In 1980, the PLA General Staff instructed NII-201 to develop a fundamentally new model of armored vehicles - the WZ-551 wheeled vehicle, suitable for solving a wide range of tasks. In the middle of the decade, the institute built and tested prototypes of new technology, and in the early nineties it went into series at one of the factories. A fundamentally new project turned out to be successful and ensured the rearmament of the PLA and several foreign armies.
Today and tomorrow
Now the company NORINCO produces for the needs of the PLA and offers foreign customers a wide range of armored combat vehicles of all main classes. Such products are designed and manufactured by a number of organizations from the Corporation, and the former NII-201 plays a significant role in its creation.
Not so long ago, a course was taken to expand the spheres of activity and enter the civil sector. At the end of the 2000s, with the active participation of the institute, the Zhongguancun Technopark was created. With its help, NOVERI forges contacts with civilian companies and shares its experience with them. It is argued that a number of developments, originally created for military use, have already found application in civilian automotive and special equipment.
In recent years, part of the scientific and production facilities of NOVERI has undergone a deep modernization, taking into account current requirements and the need to comply with international standards. The work of the institute continues and, obviously, leads to certain results.
The specifics and results of NOVERI's current operations are completely unknown. The organization works in the interests of the PLA, which leads to an appropriate level of secrecy. Nevertheless, the composition of the army's armored fleet and the product catalog of the NORINCO corporation allows us to imagine what the institute's specialists were doing in the recent past.
General trends in the development of Chinese armored vehicles show that the Northern Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering seeks to develop its own developments, use the accumulated experience and form new ideas. Moreover, all work is carried out with an eye on foreign progress, incl.with direct borrowing of available solutions and technologies.
The development of the direction of main battle tanks continues, and projects of equipment are being developed for their own needs and purely for export. New tracked armored vehicles for various purposes appear. The direction of wheeled vehicles is also being improved. In recent years, NOVERI has been actively involved in the topic of remotely controlled ground vehicles and multi-purpose robots.
For 60 years of its existence, the former NII-201 has come a long way. It was created as an organization accompanying the release of licensed armored vehicles, and by now has become a key participant in the development of new military equipment of many classes and is no longer limited to armored combat vehicles only. Thus, in connection with the next anniversary, NOVERI has reasons for pride and an opportunity to boast.
