Chinese military rockets used in live-fire drills around Taiwan may change face of war, observers say
- Eastern Theatre Command and PLA Daily both reference new firepower used in recent drills as hi-tech reforms continue for armed forces
- Long-range rockets cost less than tactical missiles and may help distract enemy defences, Army Academy professor says
Military mouthpiece PLA Daily also said a new type of rocket was used in the Taiwan drills, the long-range fire force indicating the stronger combat capability and hi-tech advances achieved in the latest round of armed forces reform.
This comes as the Chinese military continues to upgrade its artillery, the front-page report on Saturday said, adding the long-range artillery that took part in the 2021 International Army Games also showed strong combat capability.
Neither the Eastern Theatre Command nor PLA Daily identified the missiles used in the Taiwan Strait drills. However, footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed PCL-191 rockets landing in waters near Pingtan, an island off Fujian province marked as the closest point to Taiwan.
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A commentary on the front page of PLA Daily the same day said the new variety and quality of military hardware would not only change the form and appearance of war but also the concept and cycle of preparing for armed combat.
The long-range PCL-191 had debuted at the military parade in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in 2019, observed as National Day.
The multiple launch rocket system can carry eight 370mm (14.6 inch) rockets to hit targets up to 350km (217 miles) away, or two 750mm Fire Dragon 480 tactical ballistic missiles capable of flying up to 500km.
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It had been reported that PCL-191 units were first assigned to the 72nd Group Army under the Eastern Theatre Command and deployed in Xiamen in southeastern Fujian, the mainland province nearest to Taiwan-controlled territories, as well as the 74th Group Army under the Southern Theatre Command.
An updated version of the PCL-191 was seen in photos published on the 74th Group Army’s official social media account in 2021, with a different payload than previously seen in public. It had 10 rocket launchers of 300mm in two five-pack containers, instead of the eight 370mm launchers in two four-packs on the original version that rumbled through Tiananmen Square on the back of heavy trucks in 2019.
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Li Hongfeng, a professor at the PLA’s Army Academy of Artillery and Air Defence, said long-range rockets cost less than tactical missiles and could be used to distract enemy defences.
“On the future battlefield, the targets will be diverse and numerous, and the firepower consumption will be huge … Compared with the army’s tactical missiles, long-range rocket launchers are more economical to use and have a higher cost-effectiveness ratio,” he wrote in a recent article for Globe magazine, affiliated with state news agency Xinhua.
“During wartime, they can … consume a large amount of air defence and anti-missile resources of the opponent. There is more flexibility in using long-range rocket launchers to effectively strike various targets at different ranges and meet diverse firepower requirements.”
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Military observer Wang Shichun said that the new type of rockets, which come at a third of the cost of missiles, could hit bases where most of the Taiwanese air force wings are located.
The rocket will also be commissioned in the Xinjiang and Tibet military commands, Wang said in an article published last year on guancha.cn – a Shanghai-based news website.
