Chinese Army (PLA) News & Discussions

[Lankan Ranger]

Chinese Army (PLA) News & Discussions (Strictly)

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China (CCP).

The People's Liberation Army's insignia consists of a roundel with a red star bearing the Chinese characters for "Eight One" referring to August 1, the date of the 1927 Nanchang Uprising.

The PLA is the world's largest military force, with approximately 3 million members, and has the world's largest (active) standing army, with approximately 2.25 million members.

Military service is compulsory, in theory, for all men who attain the age of 18; women may register for duty in the medical, veterinary, and other technical services at ages as young as 14. However, a draft in China has never been enforced due to large numbers of volunteers from China's huge population. Demobilized servicemen are carried in a ready reserve, which is reinforced by a standby reserve of veterans and by the militia.

The PLA is formally under the command of the Central Military Commission of the CCP; there is also an identical commission in the government, but it has no clear independent functions. The Ministry of National Defense, which operates under the State Council, does not exercise any authority over the PLA and is far less powerful than the Central Military Commission (CMC).

The ministry assures continuing CCP control over the armed forces, and its primary role is that of a liaison office with foreign militaries. The political and military leaderships has made a concerted effort to create a professional military force restricted to national defense and to the provision of assistance in domestic economic construction and emergency relief.

This conception of the role of the PLA requires the promotion of specialized officers who can understand modern weaponry and handle combined arms operations. Troops around the country are stationed in seven military regions and more than 20 military districts.

 

[Lankan Ranger]

PLL05 120mm Self-Propelled Mortar-Howitzer

The PLL05 (or Type 05) is the self-propelled mortar-howitzer system based on a WZ551 6X6 wheeled chassis. The system combines features of the conventional mortar and the howitzer, firing projectiles at both short-range, high-arcing ballistic trajectories and longer-range, less steep ballistic trajectories for indirect fire. The PLL05 has been equipped by the 127th Light Mechanised Infantry Division of the 54th Group Army since 2008. A track-based version of the system is currently in development.

Design

The PLL05 uses a 6X6 wheeled chassis derived from the ZSL92/WZ551 armoured personnel carrier (APC) with steeled hull. The combat weight is 16.5 tonnes, enabling the vehicle to be airlifted by a Y-8-sized transport aircraft. A crew of four (commander, driver, gunner, and loader) are protected inside the hull with collective NBC protection system.

Armaments

The main armament is a 120mm rifled gun, with no muzzle break or fume extractor. The gun has an elevation range of -4°~+80°, and an azimuth range of 360° (in contrast to the +/-35° azimuth range of the 2S23). The maximum range is 9.5km when firing the howitzer projectile, 8.5km when firing the mortar projectile, and 1.2km when firing the HEAT projectile.

The artillery could also fire the rocket-assisted mortar projectile, which has a maximum range of 12.8km. The artillery is capable of both in-direct and direct firing. Fire accuracy is attained by a fire-control system, which allows three aiming methods: automatic, semi-automatic, and manual.

While the 2S9/2S23 is manually loaded, the PLL05 is equipped with a semi-automatic loader, which gives a rate of fire of 6~8 rounds/minute (howitzer projectile), 10 rounds/minute (mortar projectile), and 4~6 rounds/minute (HE-AT projectile).

The turret is fitted with a cylinder-shape electro-optical device, which may allows the use of smart ammunitions like the Russian KBP Gran laser-guided mortar round. 36 rounds are carried inside the turret and hull.

Secondary weapon includes a Type 85 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the commander copula. There are two sets of smoke grenade launchers in group of three, with one fitted on each side of the turret.

Propulsion

The vehicle is powered by a BF8L413F 4-stroke, 8-cylinder, turbo-charged, air-cooled diesel engine, which produces a standard power of 235kW (320hp) at 2,500rpm. The vehicle is capable of a maximum speed of 85km/h on paved road and 8km/h when afloat. Two propellers are fitted at the rear of the vehicle for swimming.

 

[unicorn]

Defense minister says China has 510,000 in military reserves

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Minister of National Defense said on Tuesday it had reduced the country's military reserves forces from 600,000 to 510,000 men and women over the past five years.

China has also reduced the number of people in its militias from 10 million to eight million during the same period, said Gen. Liang Guanglie in an interview with Xinhua.

It is the first time the Chinese government has given the exact number of people in the reserve forces and militias. In times of emergencies, the reserve forces and militias can be ordered to assist China's 2.3-million regular troops, the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Although China has experienced around 30 years of peace, Gen. Liang said the PLA has never relaxed its military preparations and vigilance especially at a time when "regional military conflicts can not be ruled out."

In times of peace, the PLA's reserves conduct regular military training and participate in non-combat military operations, such as disaster relief work.

The minister said the PLA had pushed forward military reforms in the past five years to build a more powerful military with upgraded weapon systems and high-quality personnel.

Currently, 80 percent of the PLA's officers have four years of higher education compared with 25.8 percent in 1998, Gen. Liang said.

To improve the quality of military personnel, the Chinese government has encouraged university graduates to join the armed forces since 2009. More than 100,000 college graduates gained their uniforms in 2010.

In the past five years, China has dispatched more than 13,000 United Nations-commissioned peacekeepers to carry out 13 U.N. missions around the world, according to Liang.

The PLA also sent professional units to Haiti, Pakistan and other countries and regions for disaster relief efforts and to give medical aids and other humanitarian relief, he said.

Defense minister says China has 510,000 in military reserves

 

[mil-avia]

Type 99 MBT : front, rear, top and side view diagrams :

Source : 海外军事媒体关注解放军新型140毫米坦克炮(&#22270

 

[no_name]

The link you gave seems to mix both typr 98 and type 99 photos.
The article talks about a new version of type 99 (and 98, some people lump 98 and 99 together) with 140mm main gun.

Can you read chinese, mil-avia ?

 

[no_name]

This also means that this tank may use solely autoloader and forsake manual loading because 140mm shell is too cumbersome. This means that the crew may potentially be reduced to three.

The 140mm gun seems to borrow german design, and can fire AP rounds with 22 MJ energy, compared to 11 MJ for 120mm.

 

[mil-avia]

Type 86 tracked MICV :

 

[mil-avia]

Type 80 MBT :

 

[mil-avia]

Type 86-1 / WZ-501A amphibious tracked IFV :

 

[mil-avia]

Type 86-1 / WZ-501A amphibious tracked IFV :

Link

 

[mil-avia]

Inside a command & intelligence vehicle of Chinese Army :

 

[mil-avia]

Type 63A amphibious light tank being overhauled :

 

[mil-avia]

Type 63A amphibious light tank in landing drill :

 

[mil-avia]

Four photos of Beijing underground great wall :

 

[mil-avia]

Diagram of Beijing underground great wall :