I think that video mainly showed the system for loading ammunition and propellant from outside the SPG and for dispensing propellant and not the full autoloading system.
Self Propelled Gun/Rocket Launcher
- Thread starter FORBIN
- Start date
We do not know what, if any vehicle/SPH it is implemented on.
That is to say, the default assumption, until proven otherwise, is that the loading system shown on the video clip is unrelated to this new SPH (PLZ05B)
Technically speaking, this equipment belongs ti combat engineers, but since we don't have a separate thread for that……Mine laying rockets.
Indeed, a separate thread for engineering vehicles would be good.
by78
General
Why don't you at least give us a summary of this 24-page report? What are the relevant points and passages? What are your thoughts on them? What did you find interesting or new?
Don't just lackadaisically copy and paste the report's title and think that suffices, because this forum isn't a place for your usual lazy Twitter links and low-effort information saturation.
Summary:
"With its fielding of the PCH191 multiple rocket launcher (MRL) and its variety of long-range precision munitions, the PLA Army (PLAA) has become arguably the most important contributor of campaign and tactical firepower during a joint island landing campaign against Taiwan. No longer simply the primary source of amphibious and air assault forces, the PLAA is now capable of using its multiple battalions of PCH191 MRLs to support maritime dominance, the joint firepower strike, and ground forces landing on Taiwan’s shores and in depth. The Chinese ordnance industry has developed multiple low-cost rockets, an anti-ship cruise missile, and a tactical missile to be used with the PCH191, as well as its export variant, the AR3, including munitions that can quickly and precisely strike targets in the Taiwan Strait, across the island, and beyond. Recent demonstrations of the PCH191 during PLA training events and Eastern Theater Command response actions to politically charged visits, in addition to the fielding of new reconnaissance assets capable of providing targeting and battle damage assessments to the MRL, make it clear the Army intends to use the system to achieve effects in a future Taiwan crisis that formerly would have been the responsibility of other PLA services."
So what I get is basically the PLA is gonna use it's modular MRL assets to do precision strikes and even anti-shipping roles on top of area suppression/saturation fire role. Meaning that grunts landing in Taiwan, rather than relying to ship/air based precision strikes, have the option to call their own army units instead and provide it from MRL units from across the strait.
"With its fielding of the PCH191 multiple rocket launcher (MRL) and its variety of long-range precision munitions, the PLA Army (PLAA) has become arguably the most important contributor of campaign and tactical firepower during a joint island landing campaign against Taiwan. No longer simply the primary source of amphibious and air assault forces, the PLAA is now capable of using its multiple battalions of PCH191 MRLs to support maritime dominance, the joint firepower strike, and ground forces landing on Taiwan’s shores and in depth. The Chinese ordnance industry has developed multiple low-cost rockets, an anti-ship cruise missile, and a tactical missile to be used with the PCH191, as well as its export variant, the AR3, including munitions that can quickly and precisely strike targets in the Taiwan Strait, across the island, and beyond. Recent demonstrations of the PCH191 during PLA training events and Eastern Theater Command response actions to politically charged visits, in addition to the fielding of new reconnaissance assets capable of providing targeting and battle damage assessments to the MRL, make it clear the Army intends to use the system to achieve effects in a future Taiwan crisis that formerly would have been the responsibility of other PLA services."
So what I get is basically the PLA is gonna use it's modular MRL assets to do precision strikes and even anti-shipping roles on top of area suppression/saturation fire role. Meaning that grunts landing in Taiwan, rather than relying to ship/air based precision strikes, have the option to call their own army units instead and provide it from MRL units from across the strait.
The article's most useful parts are the order of battle and organizational aspects.
The specs of the payloads given aren't amazing and look based off export variants.
But yes, what PCH-191 (or PHL-191, or PHL-16, whatever it's called) with the 370mm rocket payload offers a credible and meaningful way of conducting strikes against Taiwan island in a Taiwan contingency at realistic and useful inland distances due to their range and payload and guidance system. Whether it is contributing to precision strikes against high value targets, doing repeat attacks, or softening/suppression in the lead up to an amphibious assault, or a combination of all of them, the PHL-191 can absolutely do it yes.
The PHL-191 will provide a significant element of strikes against surface/land based targets for the PLA, but it is a bit much to suggest that at the entire PLA's level they will not also have significant contributions from air or other surface launched platforms. I expect air and other surface launched fires would still meaningfully contribute to PLA fires.
It is also very much speculative to suggest that PHL-191 will be used for anti-shipping missions, given the plethora of the PLA's extensive anti-shipping capabilities in other aspects (coastal AShM TEL units, PLAN naval forces, and most importantly PLA military aviation maritime strike capabilities). The mere fact that PHL-191/AR3 is offered with an AShM option doesn't mean the PLA will adopt it and tbh I do not expect it to.
I wonder if the anti-ship MLRS rockets should still be useful for attacking smaller-sized and non-defended/lightly-defended ships and crafts, such as LSTs, LSMs and LCACs? As long as proper ISTAR coverage is available, those ships and crafts most likely won't require the more expensive AShMs to engage, which should allow those AShMs to be used against more capable enemy warships at longer distances.
IMHO, the anti-ship MLRS rockets can be deployed for for littorial-denial and island/shore-defenses against enemy infiltration (for intel-gathering/sabotage) and/or amphibious assault operations by the enemy in the South and East China Seas.
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The paper isn't talking about anti ship rockets in relation to PHL-191, but rather it is talking about TL-7B which is the conventional airbreathing subsonic AShM that is offered as one of the payload options for PHL-191.
I don't think it's worth talking about the idea of an anti ship MLRS rocket given no such payload with the requisite guidance system exists for this system.
(Obviously MLRS rockets with actual guidance systems for anti ship capability exist in the world, but there's no need to discuss it in relation to PHL-191 if no such product exists for the platform)
Overall, paper's interest in considering the role of PHL-191 for anti ship roles seems less about thinking how the PLA as a whole would do the maritime strike mission in a Taiwan contingency and the assets they currently have to do it with, and more just about talking about the options that exist for it rather than whether it makes sense for the PLA to buy it.