A larger, more capable ATACMS
Self Propelled Gun/Rocket Launcher
- Thread starter FORBIN
- Start date
But only in small numbers. China lacks mass long range MLRS. They only have 130 PHL 191 and 175 PHL 03. Its too low in numbers.
This is due to the fact that long range MLRS is an group army level asset. There are only 13 group army level artillery brigades and only maybe 1-2 battalion per artillery brigades comprises of MLRS. That's why they have such a low number of long range MLRS. US has much more and Russia A LOT more.
MLRS can be reloaded, they don't need that many. 130 PHL 191 can launch 1040 rockets at once and 175 PHL 03 can launch 2100 additional rockets, if this isn't "mass long range MLRS" then idk what is.
Where did you get this exact numbers from?
As per my Assessment it maybe wrong. PLA has raised the new Long Range Rocket Artillery Brigades comprising PHL191. One each for ETC, STC & WTC already & maybe even more. The PHL191 paraded were of the Brigade from 76th Group Army/ WTC.
So, the numbers maybe much more as per my Assessment
These are numbers from IISS military balance 2025. They are usually quite credible.
It is news to me if PLA developed a new brigade on the group army level with nothing but MLRS. That is a dramatic expansion of rocket artillery from previous force structure. Do you have any source for this?
I have seen multiple sources explain the force structure of the group armies which are composed of maneuver brigades and one artillery brigade. There are other brigades like air defense, air assault and support. But usually only one artillery brigade per group army. MLRS is always subordinate to the artillery brigade and not a separate brigade
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How many LR MLRS do you think the US has compared to LR MLRS of the PLAGF?
Think tube, and payload equivalency per tube.
You keep throwing out these opinions as if they are widely held conclusions or consensus, but you're not backing them up with established numbers or properly equating them system by system.
Edit: hint, think about the payload and range of a 370mm rocket versus a 227mm rocket versus something like ATACMS.
I don't know if there are new units just for the PHL-191, but it wouldn't be surprising if that were true. This particular MLRS unit is simply too useful operationally to treat like regular artillery units. The 370mm rocket is able to reach almost every part of Taiwan from the mainland which means that every bit of ROCA's infrastructure can be knocked out without having to expend any ballistic missiles. Also, rockets, even large rockets are inexpensive; much cheaper than the interceptors which would have to be expended to knock them out.
We've had rumours for a while that ETC has a long range rocket brigade composed of multiple PHL-191 battalions under PLAGF but more subordinate to the direct theater joint command rather than PLAGF theater themselves, in addition to the regular long range MLRS battalion that each GA's artillery brigade has.
I wouldn't be surprised if other theater commands also stand up their own long range rocket brigade in time as well especially for north and western commands.
CMSI mentioned it in one of their articles a year or two back (overall article was okay, mileage varies in some areas).
The rocket brigades have been mentioned in domestic media a couple times, for example during Strait Thunder drills.