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http://www.scaic.com.cn/nimages/ws2.wmv
Type 83, 273 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher
WM-80, 273 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher
The Chinese 273 mm multiple rocket system utilises a modular design similar to the US MLRS. The Type 83 (also known as WM-40) Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL), mounted on a tracked vehicle chasis, has four tubes arranged in a single line. The chassis was derived from the Type 63 APC.
The Type 83 was originally developed in the early 1980s to provide the PLA with a long-distance rocket firepower. The production of the Type 83 stopped in 1988, with only a small number delivered to the PLA. Currently some Type 83 are in service with the independent artillery division in some Military Regions.
The modernised and upgraded WM-80 Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher, mounted on the rear of a Shandong Taian TA-550 8X8 cross-country truck chassis, has eight tubes arranged in two lines of four tubes.
The WM-80 features a reload time of 5 to 8 minutes, and a digital ballistic computer which provides positioning and fire direction for an accuracy of less than 2% of the range to the target. The 273 mm rocket is a fin stabilised high explosive rocket. The rocket is olive drab with black markings, and weighs 484 kilograms (1,067 pounds).
Currently the WM-80 is merely for export market, and has not been seen in service with the PLA.