BEIJING: The Chinese military has tested the precision strike capability of its new rocket launch system at high altitude, state broadcaster CCTV reports. In a recent test, the People's Liberation Army used the PCL191 multiple launch rocket system, which is mounted on a truck, to hit a target at a shooting range in a desert in western China.
State television carried the report as the 16th round of talks between the Indian Army and the PLA to end a protracted border standoff in the Ladakh region, where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers have died in 2020 It was the deadliest conflict on the disputed border. decade.
According to military analysts, the purpose of the recent test was to demonstrate the PLA's firepower and combat readiness for any border emergency.
In October 2019, the sophisticated, long-range rocket launch system made its public debut at China's National Day Parade.
According to the Chinese military magazine Modern Ships, it could carry two 750 mm Fire Dragon 480 tactical ballistic missiles, each with a range of 500 km or eight 370 mm (1412 in) rockets, each with a range of 350 km (220 mi). Is.
According to Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Beijing-based Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, the range of the rocket launch system has been increased to 500 km. This would mean that it could strike any Indian military base along the Line of Actual Control, which serves as the de facto border with the area under Chinese control.
According to Zhou, the maximum range of the PCL191 has been increased several times, making it more effective when deployed at higher altitudes.
The system was used by an artillery brigade in the Xinjiang Military District of the Western Theater Command in April last year, according to the official PLA Daily. The brigade was stationed in an area in the Himalayas that is 5,200 meters (17,000 ft) above sea level and close to the Indian border.
According to Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor and military commentator, he had demonstrated that "the PCL 191 Brigade could be deployed anywhere in the country, from the coast to the Himalayas, and border disputes with India, or even that may face similar challenges. Taiwan contingency."
Since the 2020 conflict, both China and India have improved their firepower along the LAC. In September, Indian media reported that the nation's military had sent M777 howitzers to the front lines using helicopters. In response, the PLA sent out one hundred PCL181 truck-mounted howitzers and the PCL191 Brigade. the PCL191 has also been used by the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, reportedly in Xiamen, Fujian, the closest location to Taiwan on the Chinese mainland, and Huzhou, Zhejiang province.
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