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China-India border dispute
ChinaMilitary

The cheap, light howitzer China is rolling out in Tibet

  • The PCL-181 has been on show in the rugged Himalayas, close to a border conflict with India
  • It is designed to be highly adaptable to mountainous terrain

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The PCL-181 advanced vehicle-mounted howitzer is designed to adapt tp rugged terrain. Photo: Weibo
Liu Zhen
China has deployed a new howitzer designed for rugged terrain to its border regions, as tensions mount with India in the aftermath of a deadly clash in the Himalayas earlier this month.

Most of the country’s five military jurisdictions, known as theatre commands, have been equipped with PCL-181 155mm vehicle-mounted howitzers, according to state media reports.

The most recent recipient of the artillery is the Southern Theatre Command’s 75th Group Army headquartered in Kunming, Yunnan province, which took delivery earlier this month.

According to footage aired on state broadcaster China Central Television, the weapon was put through its paces in January in a military exercise by the Western Theatre Command in Tibet, where China has a long disputed border with India.

Since the border stand-off began in May, a number of the weapons were reportedly transported to the Tibetan Plateau, together with other weapons specifically designed for high elevations, such as Type 15 lightweight tanks.

Howitzers are favoured in mountainous terrain because of the higher arc of the shells, and observers say the PCL-181 is likely to be the People’s Liberation Army’s light, quick and powerful gun of choice should a conflict arise on the plateau.

The weapon is cheaper and, at 25 tonnes, lighter than tracked, self-propelled howitzers in the PLA’s arsenal.

It also has an edge in engine speed, endurance and flexibility over its predecessors, especially in the oxygen-depleted Himalayan border areas.

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