82nd GA special operations battalion members during training
View attachment 120469
There's a wechat article that this is from and goes into more detial.
That picture was taken in 2022, and it seems like it was likely taken during his instruction for the Chinese team prior to the 2022 International Military Competition.
If all PLA SOF units were equipped like this then it would be a bit of a step up for them (albeit still NOD-less), but so far the only most consistent appearance of this kit (vests, helmet and earpro) seems to be when they are training for a tactical/shooting competition. Of course given how rarely we get such imagery, it is not a representative sample, but whenever I see these kind of images it is always important to apply some generous cold water to be aware of how rare this kind of kit is and to question how often it is actually used.
And even on the soldiers being instructed, it seems at least two of them are wearing their vests too low, which is something we've also seen consistently before.
