[H3]
Heavy equipment[edit][/H3]
Type 99A main battle tank
IS-2 tanks on display at the 10th anniversary of the founding of the PRC in 1959
The PLA Ground Force is heavily mechanized with armored platforms, advanced electronic warfare capability, concentrated firepower, and modern weapon systems that are competitive against
Western counterparts. The PLA ground force is divided into highly mechanized heavy, medium, and light combined arms units. Heavy combined arms brigades are armored with main battle tanks and tracked infantry fighting vehicles, medium combined arms brigades are armed with tracked or wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, and light combined arms brigades are mobilized with
armored personal carriers,
MRAP trucks, or
armored cars.
[6]
At
combined corps level, the PLAGF employs combined arms
brigades, heavy artillery systems, medium-range air defense systems, special forces, army aviation units, and various engineering, and electronic warfare support systems. Weapon systems at this level include
PLZ-05 howitzer,
PCL-181 howitzer,
PHL-03/
16 multiple rocket launcher, and HQ-16 air defense system. Air assets within the aviation brigade include
Z-10 attack helicopter, Z-19 recon helicopter, and Z-20 utility helicopter, etc.
Unmanned aerial systems are employed extensively in PLA formations of all types.
At combined arms brigade level, brigade HQ can deploy various combined arms
battalions composited with tanks, assault guns, and infantry fight vehicles (IFV) such as the
ZTZ-99A tank, the
ZBD-04A IFV, the
ZBL-08 IFV, the
ZTL-11 assault gun, and the
CSK-181 MRAP fast-attack vehicle. Fire support, reconnaissance, and air defense battalion are equipped with
PLZ-07,
PLL-09,
PCL-161/
171 self-propelled artilleries,
PHL-11,
PHZ-11 multiple rocket launchers,
AFT-9/
10 missile carriers,
PGZ-09/
95,
PGL-12/625,
HQ-17/A air defense systems, and such as large amount of unmanned aerial vehicles.
[8][21][28]
At battalion level, battalion HQ can direct tank company, assault gun company, mechanized infantry company, and firepower company (
Chinese: 火力连;
pinyin:
Huǒlìlián) to provide rapid close-combat maneuver, with support assets including the
PCP-001 rapid-firing mortar,
PLL-05/
PLZ-10 self-propelled gun-mortars,
AFT-8 missile carrier,
MANPADS, and crew-served weapon systems such as
QJG-85 heavy machine gun,
PP-87 or newer
PBP-172 mortar,
QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher, and
HJ-8E wire-guided missile.
Under each mechanized infantry
company are standard infantry
platoons and a firepower platoon (
Chinese: 火力排;
pinyin:
Huǒlìpái), which is equipped with lightweight
mortar,
anti-material rifle,
35 mm automatic
grenade launcher, various
rocket launcher, and
heavy machine gun.
At platoon level, a
mechanized infantry squad consists of nine infantrymen, in which seven members are dismounted during combat. Infantry squads vary in composition based on the type of combined arms battalions. Medium and light infantry squads equip reusable rocket launchers to improve anti-armor and anti-fortification capability, whereas heavy infantry squads have no squad-level rockets, instead relying upon fire support from the firepower platoon, or their own
ZBD-04A infantry fighting vehicle.
Chinese Defense
