China China’s military puts advanced rocket launch system to the test at high altitude, striking range up to 500 kilometers

xizhimen

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Zhou Chenming, a researcher with the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank in Beijing, said the range of the rocket launch system had been extended to 500km. That would mean it could hit any Indian military base along the Line of Actual Control – the de facto boundary – from Chinese-controlled territory.

They had shown that “the PCL191 brigade could be deployed anywhere in the country, from the coast to the Himalayas, and take on challenges like the border dispute with India, or even a Taiwan contingency”, according to Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor and military commentator.

 
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According to Chinese military magazine Modern Ships, it can carry eight 370mm (14½ inch) rockets – each with a range of 350km (220 miles) – or two 750mm Fire Dragon 480 tactical ballistic missiles – each capable of flying up to 500km.

This artillery range is amazing, New Delhi is only 320 kilometers from the Chinese border. This mean the whole city of New Delhi is within China's artillerty fire coverage.

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China’s military puts advanced rocket launch system to the test at high altitude​

  • PLA said to have used PCL191 to hit a target several kilometres away during recent test at a desert shooting range
  • It was reported on state television as China and India began another round of talks on their protracted border stand-off


Published: 11:00am, 19 Jul, 2022

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The PLA recently tested its advanced rocket launch system at high altitude. Photo: CCTV

China’s military has put the precision strike capability of its new rocket launch system to the test at high altitude, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The People’s Liberation Army used the PCL191 multiple launch rocket system – which is mounted on a truck – to hit a target several kilometres away at a desert shooting range in the west of China during a recent test, Sunday’s report said.

It was reported on state television as the PLA and Indian Army began a 16th round of talks to resolve a protracted border stand-off in the Ladakh region, where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese troops were killed in 2020 – the worst clash on the disputed border in decades.

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The PCL191 multiple launch rocket system reportedly hit a target several kilometres away during the test. Photo: CCTV

Military analysts said the recent test aimed to show the PLA’s firepower and combat-readiness for any border contingencies.

The advanced, long-range rocket launch system made its public debut at China’s National Day parade in October 2019.

According to Chinese military magazine Modern Ships, it can carry eight 370mm (14½ inch) rockets – each with a range of 350km (220 miles) – or two 750mm Fire Dragon 480 tactical ballistic missiles – each capable of flying up to 500km.

Zhou Chenming, a researcher with the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank in Beijing, said the range of the rocket launch system had been extended to 500km. That would mean it could hit any Indian military base along the Line of Actual Control – the de facto boundary – from Chinese-controlled territory.

“The PCL191 is more capable when it’s deployed at high altitude, with its maximum range having been extended several times,” Zhou said.

He added that it also benefited from the support of China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system as well as other Chinese devices and radar systems.

The system was being used by an artillery brigade in the Western Theatre Command’s Xinjiang military district in April last year, according to the official PLA Daily. The brigade was deployed to an area 5,200 metres (17,000 feet) above sea level in the Himalayas, near the border with India.

They had shown that “the PCL191 brigade could be deployed anywhere in the country, from the coast to the Himalayas, and take on challenges like the border dispute with India, or even a Taiwan contingency”, according to Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor and military commentator.

Both China and India have upgraded their firepower along the LAC since the 2020 clash. Indian media reported in September that the country’s army had used helicopters to send M777 howitzers to the front line. The PLA responded by deploying its PCL191 brigade and a hundred PCL181 truck-mounted howitzers.

The PCL191 has also been used by the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command – in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, according to PLA Daily, and in Xiamen in Fujian, the nearest point on China’s mainland to Taiwan, the South China Morning Post reported earlier.

 
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They had shown that “the PCL191 brigade could be deployed anywhere in the country, from the coast to the Himalayas, and take on challenges like the border dispute with India, or even a Taiwan contingency”, according to Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor and military commentator.
Taiwan strait, the whole of Taiwan is within the range, no naval power needed.

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xizhimen

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Funny thing is that US sailed its aircraft carriers through this narrow water passage several times to provoke China. No ships can survive this narrow strap of water.
 

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These rockets are super cheap and can be mass produced and deployed in millions, which will make all super expensive counter weapons designed to intercept them meaningless. They are also highly mobile making tracking them impossible.
 

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China fired at least 50 guided missiles towards the Taiwan Strait​

 

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China's Version of HIMARS Could Be 'Game Changer' if Beijing Attacks Taiwan​

BY ZOE STROZEWSKI ON 8/5/22 AT 1:33 PM EDT

long-range Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) that has been described as China's version of the HIMARS could be a "game changer" in a potential direct conflict with Taiwan, according to one expert.

Lyle Goldstein, the director of Asia Engagement at the Defense Priorities think tank, shared pictures from the Chinese television channel CCTV-7 on Twitter Friday that he said showed the MLRS being fired in the Taiwan Strait on August 4.

"They might not look as impressive as the missiles shot over Taiwan, but these systems could be the game changer," he wrote, referencing China's ongoing military drills around Taiwan in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the islandthis week. "This is economical firepower and implies thousands of strikes per day, ranging the whole island."

A video correspondent with the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English language newspaper, directly replied to Goldstein's tweet to add that they are the "Chinese version" of HIMARS and part of the Weishi, or "Guardian," family of MLRS.


U.S.-supplied HIMARS, an acronym for M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, have become a key part of Ukraine's counteroffensive in the ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine said Friday that just this week, its forces have used the HIMARS to hit more than 10 Russian control points. The comparison with the HIMARS indicates that China's Weishi MLRS could have a major impact if a war were to break out with Taiwan, with experts saying that certain factors would need to be in play in order for this to come to fruition.

When asked whether he agreed that the Chinese MLRS could be its version of HIMARS, Goldstein told Newsweek that he did, saying that he believes the systems are very similar, but it can depend on the accuracy of each.

He believes that HIMARS have been making a "big splash because it's probably more accurate than most of these systems."

"And part of the reason it's so accurate is, I think, the intelligence," Goldstein said. "In other words, all of the thinking that goes into where they want to put it has been excellent."

He added that he believes Chinese weapons would also be supported by a "huge intelligence system" and see success similar to what HIMARS have seen. China's MLRS would probably have "comparable accuracy" to U.S. HIMARS as well, Goldstein added, noting that versions of the Weishi systems are guided.

These MLRS are attractive to China because they're cheap, something that would be important if the nation is seeking a "barrage of firepower."

"If you can lob missiles over that are cheap, then you can launch thousands of them," he said.

Sean Spoonts, editor-in-chief of SOFREP (Special Operations Forces Report), told Newsweek that the Weishi MLRS could be China's version of HIMARS, but with stipulations. In his assessment, the same goes for whether they could truly be a game changer in a conflict between China and Taiwan.

Spoonts said that while the U.S. has several hundred HIMARS, he believes that China only has a brigade strength of the Weishi systems, which is about 20 of them. They could be a game changer if China managed to create 300 or 400 of them and if they had several thousand, or even 10,000, of the rockets for the systems at the ready because each can shoot several at a time, putting China at risk of running out of ammunition quickly.

In terms of accuracy, Spoonts noted that China says the rockets have a satellite uplink navigation system that allows them to receive in-flight telemetry instructions to their targets. If this is the case, a satellite can be jammed and the signal could even be spoofed to send the rockets different instructions, he explained.

Spoonts said that China does have a "pretty good" satellite system, but the question remains on how susceptible it is to being jammed.

There's also a lot of "malfunctioning" among China's systems because they're cheap, Spoonts added. The U.S., in comparison, doesn't "spare any expense" on its own systems.

Therefore, whether China's Weishi MLRS can become its version of HIMARS and a game changer in an attack depends on whether the systems are reliable, if China can invest in creating hundreds of them and if the country carries a rocket inventory in the thousands, he said.

 
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