It bears some external resemblance to the BMP-3, particularly with regards to its turret and main armament; However, the chassis and internal subsystem possesses a different layout.

[6] 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.

[8] After testing, the Chinese military decided to fit the imported weapon systems with indigenously developed turrets, sensors, and chassis.

The night vision system of the BMP-3M with an IR searchlight was deemed outdated and was replaced by a day/night thermal sight.

Laser warning receivers, independent thermal viewers for the commander, and meteorological sensor systems were installed.

[11] The main armament of the ZBD-04 is a two-plane stabilized, semi-automatic 100 mm rifled gun, capable of firing both HE-FRAG rounds and the 3UBK10 ATGM.

The 3UBK10 ATGM and its Chinese derivate consist of a laser beam riding missile and a container case.

The fire-control system includes a digital ballistic computer, an electro-mechanical gun stabilizer, and a laser rangefinder.

[15] A millimeter-wave fire-control radar was mounted above the rifled gun to support target acquisition and missile guidance.

[11] The ZBD-04A removed water jets to save weight in exchange for better protection, thus no longer capable of operating in the open sea.