The 'Ground Forces of the
People's Liberation Army' (PLA) (ä¸å›½äººæ°‘解放军陆军) deploys over 8,000
tanks, 4,000 armored vehicles, and 25,000
artillery pieces. Although it is currently equipped with large numbers of antiquated Soviet era weaponry, the PLA Ground Forces are undergoing major upgrades and re-structuring to deal with future land warfare.
Formations and Units
Current Chinese military regions and Group Armies
The PLA has 18 group armies (corps size), divided among the seven
military regions - Shenyang,
Beijing, Lanzhou,
Jinan, Nanjing,
Guangzhou, and
Chengdu - and are currently downsizing some of their divisions into brigades.
The
IISS currently attributes the PLA Ground Force with 9 active tank divisions consisting of a number of armoured brigades. Dennis Blasko wrote in 2000 that the traditional structure of PLA divisions consisted roughly of three regiments - ''tuan'' - of the main arm, each of three battalions plus support units, a fourth regiment of infantry (in an armoured division) or armour (in an infantry division), an artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft regiment or battalion, and signals, engineer, reconnaissance, and chemical defence battalions or companies, plus combat service support units.
A typical PLA armoured brigade has 4 tank battalions (124 main battle tanks)- each tank battalion has 3 tank companies (30 + 1 tank for the battalion commander), 1 mechanised infantry battalion (40 armoured personnel carriers), 1 artillery battalion (18 self-propelled howitzers) - 3 batteries of 6 guns each and 1 anti-aircraft battalion (18 self-propelled howitzers) - 3 batteries of 6 guns each.
There are 8 active artillery divisions consisting of a number of artillery brigades. A typical PLA artillery brigade has 4 artillery battalions each with 18 guns in 3 batteries and 1 self-propelled anti-tank gun battalion (18 vehicles).
Infantry Equipment
Flag of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force.
Pistols
★ '
QSZ-92' - newest pistol, 9 mm and 5.8 mm versions
★ '
Type 84' - 7.62 mm mini pistol for security and police forces
★ '
Type 77' - standard 7.62 mm for People's Armed Police and civil police
★ '
Type 67' - 7.62 mm silenced pistol for scout and special operations
★ '
Type 64' - 7.62 mm silenced pistol, better performance and reliability over
Type 54
★ '
Type 54' - 7.62 mm, copy of the Soviet
TT1930/1933, currently being phased out
Submachine guns
★ '
Type 05' - newest smg, 9 mm and 5.8 mm versions
★ '
Type 85' - updated Type 79, reduced firing noise, also suppressed and 5.8 mm versions
★ '
Type 79' - 7.62 mm for airborne, scout and special operations
★ '
Type 64' - low flash, suppressed 7.62 mm for scout and special operations
Rifles
PLA Special Operation Forces (Ground Force) with Type 88 sniper rifles acting as OpFor
★ '
Type 03' - The newest rifle using 5.8x42 mm ammo and with a traditional design.
★ '
Type 95' - family of 5.8x42 mm bullpup design assault rifle, carbine and squad machine gun. Factory names are 'QBZ-95', 'CAR-95' and 'QBB-95', respectively.
★ '
Type 87' - 5.8 mm assault rifle and squad machine gun, improved version of Type 81, refused by PLA because of outdated layout, technology used in Type 95
★ '
Type 81' - 7.62 mm assault rifle and squad machine gun, replaced the
Chinese Type 56 Assault Rifle and
Chinese Type 56 Carbine, both copies of the Soviet
AK-47 and Soviet
SKS.
★ '
Type 88/QBU-88' - 5.8 mm newest sniper rifle
★ '
Type 85' - improved version of
Type 79, higher rate of fire but shorter range
★ '
Type 79' - 7.62 mm sniper rifle, copy of Soviet
Dragunov SVD
Machine Gun
★ '
Type 88/QJY-88' - new 5.8 mm GPMG, replacing Type 67
★ '
Type 80' - 7.62 mm general purpose machine gun (copy of the Soviet
PKM)
★ '
Type 67' - 7.62 mm general purpose machine gun, replacing the Type 53 (SG43) and Type 57 (SGM) 7.62 mm general purpose machine guns
Shoulder Launched Weapons
★ '
PF-98' - 120 mm
Anti-tank Weapon
★ '
PF-97' - 80 mm
fuel air explosive launcher
★ '
PF-89' - 80 mm Lightweight
Anti-tank Weapon, comparable to the
United States M136
AT4
★ '
FHJ-84' - twin 62 mm rocket launcher, slowly replacing the Type 69-1 (copy of
RPG-7)
Vehicles
Main Battle Tanks
★ '
Type 98/99' - newest MBT (300~500 as of 2005)
★ '
Type 85/96' - (2,000 to 2,500)
★ '
Type 80/88' - (400 to 500, production stopped in 1995)
★ '
Type 69/79' - redesigned Type 59 (mostly retired)
★ '
Type 59D and Type 59D1' - upgraded versions of Type 59-IIA, Type 59-II, Type 59-I and Type 59 (copy of the
Russian
T-54)
Light/Amphibious Tanks
★ '
Type 63A' - new and redesigned amphibious tank, the only dedicated modern amphibious tank in the world, 14 km/h water speed, 105 mm gun (500+ near the Taiwan Strait)
★ '
Type 63' - amphibious tank, similar to Russian
PT-76
★ '
Type 62' - light tank
Infantry Fighting Vehicles
★ 'Type 97' - Next-generation
infantry fighting vehicle - sightings report Chinese chassis with licensed Russian
BMP-3 turret
★ '
ZBD2000' - airborne IFV, similar to Russian
BMD-3
★ 'Type 90/
92A/
ZSL-92A/
WZ 551' - upgraded version of
Type 92
★ 'Type 92/
ZSL-92/
WZ551' - (1200) amphibious IFV, similar to the
French VAB
★ '
Type 86/
WZ 501/
WZ 501A/
WZ 503/
WZ 504' - copy of Russian
BMP-1
Armored Personnel Carriers
★ '
Type 89/
YW 534' - amphibious APC based on Type 85, replacing over 2000
Type 63s
★ '
WZ 523' - also known as M1984, design similar to
South African Ratel
★ '
Type 85/
YW 531H' - export model amphibious APC
★ '
Type 77/
Type 77-1/
Type 77-2' - improved version of Russian
BTR-50 (+200)
★ '
Type 63/
YW 531C/D/E' - also known as
K-63,
M1967 and
M1970
Rocket Artillery
★ '
WS-1 and WS-1B' - an 8 and 4 tube 320 mm multiple launch rocket system
★ '
A-100' - 10 tube 300 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher System
★ '
WM-80''' and '
Type 83/WM-40' - 273 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems
★ '
Type 85/YW 306' (on a YW 531H) and '
Type 82' (on a Yanan SX250 6X6 truck) - 30 tube 130 mm multiple rocket launcher replacing the 19 tube 130 mm multiple rocket launcher of the Type 70 (on a YW 531C) and Type 63 (on a 4X4 truck)
★ '
Type 90' (on a Tiema SC2030 6X6 flatbed truck) and '
Type 89' (tracks) - 40 tube 122 mm multiple launch rocket systems replacing the Type 81 (copy of the soviet BM-21 Grad)
Gun Artillery
★ '
PLZ-45' - 155 mm self-propelled howitzer might replace the obsolete '
Type 83' which is a 152 mm self-propelled howitzer
★ '
YW 323 D30' (based on the YW 531H) and the '
Type 89' (based on the Type 77 APC) - amphibious 122 mm self-propelled howitzers replacing the Type 85 (YW 531C chassis) and Type 70 (YW 531B chassis)
★ '
Type 90' - 122 mm self-propelled howitzer wheeled (based on a WZ-551 chassis)
★ '
Type 89' - 155 mm towed gun/howitzer based on the
GC-45 howitzer
★ '
Type 66' (copy of the soviet D-20) 152 mm towed gun/howitzer and the 'Type 83' 152 mm towed gun are replacing the Type 54 itself a copy of the soviet ML-20(M1937).
★ '
Type 59 and Type 59-1' - copy of the soviet M46 130 mm towed field gun
★ '
Type 85' - 122 mm towed howitzer derived from the soviet D-30 (M1963) and replaced the Type 54 howitzer
★ '
YW 382' (120 mm) and '
YW 383' (82 mm) - amphibious mortar carriers based on the YW 531H replacing the YW 381 and YW 304 respectively which where based on the YW 531C
Anti-Aircraft
★ '
Type 80' - twin 57 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft equivalent to the ZSU-57-2 but using the Type 69 tank chassis.
★ '
HQ-2J' (Hongqi-2) - anti-aircraft missiles based on the Type 77 transporter, the missiles are upgraded versions of the HQ-1 which is a copy of the
SA-2 Guideline
★ '
HQ-10' - licensed built
S-300PMU-1 (SA-20A GARGOYLE) anti-aircraft missiles
★ '
HQ-9' - land and naval based anti-aircraft missile
★ '
HQ-15' - licensed built
S-300PMU-2 Favorit (SA-20B GARGOYLE)
★ '
KS-1' - First Chinese SAM to adopt
phased array radar
★ Various
MANPAD:
★
★
HN-5: only in second line reserve militia units
★
★
QW-1
★
★
QW-2
★
★
QW-3
★
★
QW-4
★
★
QW-11
★
★
QW-18
★
★
FN-6
Non-combat vehicles
★ '
Type 84' - Tank laying bridge using the Type 69 tank chassis
★ '
Type 653' (Type 69 tank chassis) and '
Type 59' (Type 59 tank chassis) - armoured recovery vehicles
★ '
YW 703' (based on the YW 534), '
Type 85' (based on the YW 531H APC) - amphibious recovery vehicles
★ '
Type 85' (based on the YW 531H), '
WZ 701' (based on the YW 531C), '
WZ 506' (based on the WZ 501) and a version based on the Type 77 - amphibious command vehicles
★ '
Type 77-2' (based on the Type 77) - amphibious artillery ammunition carrier
★ '
WZ 751' (based on the YW 531H), '
YW 750' (based on the YW 531C), '
WZ 505' (based on the WZ 501) and a version based on the Type 77 - amphibious armoured ambulances
★ '
Bv206'
Swedish tracked all-terrain multipurpose vehicle
★ '
Type 77 and Type 60/
WZ 420/
Wz 421' tracked tractors
★ '
Type 82' consists of the HY473 (tractor truck) and HY962 (semi-trailer) - Heavy Equipment Transporter up to 75 tons
★ '
TA580/TAS5380' (20 ton 8x8), '
TAS5450' (25 ton 8x8), '
TAS5500' (28 ton 10x10), '
TAS5570' (30 ton 10x10) and '
TAS5690' (42 ton 12x12) series special heavy duty trucks
★ '
WS2300'(6x6), '
WS2400'(8x8) and '
WS2500'(10x8) 20 ton series special heavy duty trucks
★ '
XC2200' (copy of the
German Mercedes-Benz 2060) 7.5 ton 6x6 heavy duty trucks
★ '
SX2190' (copy of the
Austrian Steyr-91) 7 ton 6x6 trucks replacing the JN252, CQ261 and SX250 heavy duty trucks
★ '
SX250/SX2150' series 5 ton 6x6 heavy duty trucks
★ '
EQ2102' series 3.5 ton trucks replacing the CA30 (copy of the 2.5 ton soviet
ZIL 157)
★ '
CA141/CA1091' series trucks replacing the CA10 (copy of the 3.5 ton soviet ZIL 150)
★ '
EQ240/EQ2081 and
EQ245/
EQ2100' series 2.5 ton trucks
★ '
EQ2050A' series
High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) copied from the US
M998
★ '
NJ2045/2046' series 1.5 ton lightweight vehicle
★ '
BJ212/BJ2020' series 0.5 ton lightweight 4 x4 vehicle
Aircraft
★
Mi-17 multi-role helicopter
★
Mi-8 transport helicopter
★
Mi-6 transport helicopters
★
S-70C Black Hawk transport helicopter
★
AS 332L Super Puma
★
Z-8A utility helicopter
★
Z-9 multi-role light helicopter
★
Aérospatiale Alouette III utility helicopter
★
Aérospatiale Gazelle attack helicopter
See also
★
People's Liberation Army
External links and Sources
★ Chapter 8, PLA Ground Forces, by Dennis J Blasko, in The People's Liberation Army as Organisation, RAND, CF182
★ Military Balance 2006, International Institute for Strategic Studies
★
Sinodefence.com - Chinese military information website
★
Global Defence Forum
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