Mainland China deploys more amphibious weapons along coast in Taiwan mission
- Satellite images published in military magazine show Type 05 amphibious vehicles deployed to PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command
- Armoured fighting vehicles belonging to ground force are capable of speedy landing operations
Recent satellite images published in the latest edition of the influential military magazine Kanwa Asian Defence show more Type 05 amphibious armoured vehicles have been deployed to the Eastern Theatre Command, which claims jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait.
The ZTD-05 is a Type 05 amphibious armoured fighting vehicle developed for the PLA Marine Corps and is designed for speedy landing operations.
However, rather than a blue colour, the green camouflage of the Type 05 amphibious armoured vehicles indicate they belong to the ground forces.
The PLA ground forces have 13 army groups and many of the infantry divisions were split into nimble combined-arms brigades during the unprecedented military overhaul staged by Xi, who also chairs the powerful Central Military Commission.
“The PLA ground forces want to play an active role in the Taiwan issue because so far their weapon systems are powerful enough to attack Taiwan without the help of missile force,” Kanwa Asian Defence chief editor Andrei Chang said.
“Further evidence is that the PLA are also deploying the powerful Type PCL191 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to the ground forces of the Eastern Theatre Command.”
Chang said all the PCL191 rocket launchers, which have a range of 350km (220 miles), were able to cover the whole of western Taiwan, including Taipei.
“The Taiwan Strait is just 180km across. The PCL191 rocket launchers are able to destroy all military bases and government buildings on the island accurately because the weapons were equipped with the BeiDou navigation satellite system,” Chang added.
The PLA has deployed a PCL191 brigade in Xiamen, Fujian province, the nearest point on the mainland to Taiwan, a military source told the South China Morning Post late last year. The source asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
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“Under the reunification of Taiwan mission, the infantry force understands that the need for amphibious combat involved in island seizure is more important than land fights,” Song said.
“However, the personnel ratio of existing marines is not enough to meet today’s warfare needs. While the infantry has enough manpower and powerful amphibious weapons, it’s quite natural for them to make such changes to play a more active role.”
Song said the American military had also made such a change because both its ground forces and marines were competing for more of the budget.
