China-India border dispute: PLA carries out live-fire artillery drills in the Himalayas

PLA puts its vehicle-mounted howitzer and HJ-10 anti-tank missiles through their paces as Beijing and New Delhi maintain an uneasy peace

Smaller, lighter versions of existing military hardware better suited to mountainous terrain, state broadcaster says

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Flames shoot from a vehicle-mounted howitzer as it fires during an exercise in the Himalayas late last month. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:00pm, 12 Aug 2020Updated: 12:27am, 13 Aug 2020

China has put some of its newest artillery to the test in the Himalayas as it remains embroiled in a border dispute with India, according to state media.

The live-fire exercises, involving the new 122mm (five-inch) vehicle-mounted howitzer and a vehicle-mounted version of the HJ-10 anti-tank missile, were carried out by the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Tibet Military Region at the end of last month, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday.

The drills, conducted at an altitude of about 4,600 metres (15,000 feet), came after similar exercises in the region involving the PLA’s PCL-181 155mm “truck gun” and the original version of the HJ-10, which is mounted on tracked vehicles.

The PLA’s PCL-181 155mm “truck gun” has been involved in drills in Himalayas in recent months. Photo: Weibo

In video footage of the exercises, the new, smaller calibre howitzer – the name of which has not been revealed – appeared to use the same technology and had a similar appearance, except for its shorter barrel, to the 155m version of the gun. It was also mounted on a four-wheeled, rather than six-wheeled truck.

The truck-mounted HJ-10 was also a trimmed down version of the original, featuring a twin launcher rather than a quadruple launcher.

The latest exercises were conducted at an altitude of 4,600 metres. Photo: Handout