People's Liberation Army (PLA): News

New Chinese Z-20 helicopters in service with the PLA Army Aviation (clone of the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk)

New Chinese 155-mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers PLC-181 enter service with the PLA

The report of the military editorial office of CCTV 7 for the first time in such detail shows the new Chinese 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers PLC-181 developed by Norinco Corporation. The party of new self-propelled guns entered service with the artillery brigade of the 73rd Army Group of the Eastern Zone of the PLA combat command.







https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4009022.html

Chinese self-propelled ATGM HJ-10 and 122-mm howitzer on the new FAW wheeled chassis

The original was taken from colleague dambiev in the Chinese self-propelled ATGM HJ-10 and 122-mm self-propelled guns on the new FAW wheeled chassis In the footage of the exercises of the PLA artillery units near the Line of Actual Control with India in Tibet, for the first time, the Chinese self-propelled anti-tank systems HJ-10 and 122-mm wheeled self-propelled guns were demonstrated on a new FAW car chassis.



https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4109557.html

The near future of the Chinese army special forces has been demonstrated

The original is taken from colleague dambiev in The near future of the Chinese army special forces is demonstrated In the fifth season of the popular military show "Challenge the Impossible", which is broadcast on the Chinese TV channel CCTV1, the near future of the PLA army special forces is demonstrated. From new camouflage field uniforms, combat ground robotic systems with various weapons (on display for the first time) to multi-purpose Z-20 helicopters.

Solemn ceremony of receiving new Type 15 tanks in PLA units

As reported, this ceremony is to obtain new "medium" (or "light"?) Chinese tanks Type 15 took place in the 32nd motorized infantry mountain brigade of the 75th Army Group South Command of the PLA's combat zone.








https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4146140.html

Light tanks are not cheap tanks... they just don't weigh as much.

The Sprut tank is not about making a tank that is affordable to make in huge numbers to use with expensive normal weight tanks... it is intended for amphibious and airborne roles.

The sensors and equipment and gun are probably as expensive as any fitted to a standard weight tank.

The Sprut is the best thing they could drop out the back of a plane, if used in place of a proper tank it would do very poorly.

It also would not exist if they could drop proper MBTs out of thier planes like they do in computer games.

The purpose of light tanks is a tank that can operate where standard full weight tanks can't go, so it would never face enemy tanks in combat unless something went terribly wrong.

It does have a full power tank gun so it should be able to take out modern tanks, but so could missiles.

In effect what should be happening is that this light tank will be providing direct fire fire power in situations where the enemy has no or little armour...

For instance in an air drop without armour the paratroopers would need to land very near to their objective... which means lots of planes shot down because the airfield or HQ they are trying to attack and capture will more likely have air defence than ground defence being in the enemy rear.

With armour the force can be dropped in the middle of no where... where the chances of enemy formations in strength will be zero... so a nice unopposed landing... climb on board your vehicles and drive at high speed for an hour to your objective and attack it with a ground force they will not be expecting or prepared for...

Capture the airfield and start landing heavy armour and supplies and start building armoured divisions that then head from the middle of nowhere in the enemy rear to attack the enemy forces on the front line... from behind.... taking out their rear areas and HQs and comms centres on the way...

The other use would be in soft marshy areas where you need something that floats... which HATO equivalent IFV or tank would it need to go up against that can also operate on such terrain?

Which means whether fighting third world or first world enemies it will be direct fire HE platform destroying enemy hard points out to about 11km with 125mm HE shells.

The main problem is gun elevation which is about 30 degrees up and down so in the mountains, these vehicles will be mobile but their gun elevation limits probably mean an artillery vehicle like a Hosta with a 120mm gun/mortar or a 2S1M with a 122mm gun probably make more sense most of the time.

New multipurpose helicopters Z-20 in the 121st air assault brigade of the PLA

New multipurpose helicopters Z-20 in the PLA 161st Airborne Assault Brigade

155-mm wheeled self-propelled guns PLC-181

Chinese light (mountain) tanks Type 15 of one of the mechanized brigades of the Xinjiang Military District of the PLA during exercises near the Line of Actual Control, which is disputed with India, in Tibet. March 2021.