From Katyusha to PHL‑03 and now PHL‑191 — the long, strange history of the PLA’s most famous artillery brigade. And, Taiwan

On August 6th, China News Service dropped a new PR video on YouTube praising an artillery brigade. Cute production values, lots of smoke trails, and the usual “heroic silhouettes against sunset” aesthetic. But the interesting part isn’t the same old PR video, good quality but still PR, it’s why this particular unit got the spotlight.

PLA lineage:

The Katyusha era:  This unit was formed in September 1945 in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region (晋察冀军区) as the 8th Brigade, then expanded into the 12th Division, 11th Column of the Northeast Field Army during the Chinese Civil War. It converted from an infantry division into the 21st Artillery Division, its three infantry regiments expanded into five artillery regiments, making it the first PLA unit issued BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers. It entered Korea in 1952, returned to China in October 1953, was reorganized in February 1955 under the PLA's Soviet-style restructuring (1955 was a huge year in PLA history). It followed the classic Soviet artillery model: heavy guns, howitzers, anti-tank artillery, and — the part that made it famous — Katyusha rocket launchers.

The Katyusha regiment assigned to the 11th was the first rocket artillery ever issued to a PLA field unit, and that alone made the division stand out. It had plenty of artillery, but the rockets were its prestige piece, the elite badge of the era.


1985 From division to Group Army asset:

During the 1985 PLA downsizing, the 11th Artillery Division was reorganized and absorbed into the 40th Group Army, becoming the key artillery formation of the Shenyang Military Region.

When the PLA finally fielded its first modern heavy MLRS, the PHL-03 300mm system, the 40th Group Army's artillery brigade was the first unit to receive it. Tradition matters in the PLA, and the old Katyusha lineage still carried weight.

2015–2017 reforms — goodbye 40th, hello 79th

The big structural overhaul wiped out the old seven Military Regions and replaced them with today's five Theater Commands. The PLA's 18 group armies were renumbered into 13 new formations (71–83).

The 40th Group Army didn't survive the transition. Its personnel and equipment were folded into the 79th Group Army, part of the Northern Theater Command, facing what I'll call "The Best Korea™."

The artillery brigade that inherited the 40th's lineage and its habit of being "first in line" for new toys. It is now the 79th Artillery Brigade, 79th Group Army, Northern Theater Command.

 

PHL-191 — the newest chapter in the lineage:

Following tradition, the 79th Artillery Brigade is now confirmed as the PLA's first operator of the PHL-191, the modular long-range MLRS that replaces the PHL-03.
This is the logical continuation of the Katyusha → PHL-03 → PHL-191 lineage.
Same unit family, same mission, same prestige slot.

Why this matters?  Because of range, geography, and doctrine: 

 The PHL-191's 370mm rockets (the domestic version of the export Fire Dragon 280 / BRE-6) have a range of 300 km.
Compare that to the older PHL-03:

• Early rockets: 130 km
• Later rockets: 150 km

That range difference is a key consideration regarding Taiwan:

A PHL-03 had to be parked at the narrowest point of the Taiwan Strait (Pingtan) just to reach Taiwan's western coastline. From most of Fujian's coast, it simply couldn't reach inland targets.
 

A PHL-191 absolutely can and it does so with:

• Cheaper rockets than equivalent-range missiles
• Inertial guidance plus BeiDou satellite correction
• Modular pods that can swap calibers and warheads
• Mass-production potential the PLA loves

So,  the PLA finally has a long-range, high-volume, low-cost fires system that fits perfectly into its "Special Military Operation"

 

 
The fun historical tidbit

The unit firing those rockets today is the same lineage that fired the first Katyusha in PLA history.
Different era, different doctrine, different hardware  but the same tradition:
 

"Give the new rockets to the old rocket guys."

Bad pun of the day: the cat is out of the bag.

 The CS/VP4 “Mountain Cat” is the PLA’s long‑running family of airdroppable, lightweight, amphibious ATVs in service since 2008 and now on its third or fourth iteration. It has always been a “better‑than‑walking” vehicle, never meant to step into a boxing ring or pretend it’s anything more than a mobility aid.

When I look at its evolution, there’s a pattern there. When the PLA finds a platform that fits its doctrine or can be shaped to fit the broader ecosystem, they will stretch it as far as physics and budget allow. I’ve blogged this move before with the Type 59, the Y‑8, and the Y‑5. Hey if it works, they’ll keep squeezing utility out of it until the welds complain.

The Mountain Cat started life as a simple metal box with a 1.4T diesel and enough suspension to haul airborne troops because, at the time, the PLA’s tactical lift options were basically Mi‑171s and a handful of Y‑8/Y‑9s. Light vehicle, light doctrine.

As the PLAAF, PLAN Marines, and PLA Ground Force gained heavier vertical‑lift and air‑transport platforms with more Y‑20s, improved Z‑18s, and Z‑20s, the Cat got permission to bulk up. Suddenly you see heavier weapons, 6×6 and 8×8 variants, and mission kits that would’ve snapped the original frame in half.

 

"And now this" an added frontal armor, because the Y‑20 can actually lift the extra weight. The Cat got fatter (another pun) because the aircraft got stronger. Classic PLA behavior: doctrine expands, platforms follow, and the humble ATV ends up wearing armor plates it was never born to carry.

 

Monday, August 24, 2020

Photos of the day: Prep-ing Lynx all-terrain vehicle for an airdrop

 

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Photos of the day: Airdropping Lynx

Noted that 15th Airborne's Lynx are being carried by Y-8, Y-9 and Il-76

 

Monday, December 24, 2018

Pic of the day: Lynx 8x8 all-terrain 120mm Mortar-Howitzer variant in-service pic

Wishful thinking or the little engine that could? 

https://china-defense.blogspot.com/2018/11/photos-of-day-5th-plan-marine-brigade.html 

The Lynx 8x8 all-terrain (87 hp diesel) has been in PLA service since 2010 and has long been associated with PLA's heliborne assault doctrine development from the get-go.   The Lynx is also widely reported in service in rough terrains such as Xinjiang, Tibet and near the Sion-Vietnam boarder.

CCTV capture from 2010 and photo from 2011

Now it is being aggressively marketed - judging by recent Zhuhai Airshow - as an entire light family of assault and heliborne solutions ranging from transport, indirect and direct fire support, to air defense

 107mm MRL

 Light Trans

 120mm Mortar-Howitzer

  120mm Mortar-Howitzer

  120mm Mortar-Howitzer

Thursday, April 12, 2018

5th PLAN Marine Brigade update (4/12/2018)

Recon elements of the 5th Marine Brigade just received its Lynx 8x8 All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) .   The fact that they are issued ATV instead of dedicated amphibious IFV is a telling story of what their intended role will be.

Photo credit goes to Andrew KC

Note some of the smurfs are still sporting 1970's old "steel helm"

Just Photo: Type99MBT With New Cope Cages / Slat Armor

 

Forever Type 59 MBT Extreme Mod — M1A59, Bad Guy Edition

The PLA’s professional full‑time Blue Force,  the folks paid to be the bad guys in confrontation drills sure has its own flair for theatrics. 

The unit in question here is the 195th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, call it a version of the US Army’s NTC OPFOR (11th ACR) with "Chinese characteristics". And of course, if you’re going to act the part, you might as well look the part. Enter the Type 59 MBT, taken to its logical extreme: vismod to mimic M1A1 for training. It’s the kind of thing that makes PLA‑watching unexpectedly entertaining from time to time.

 

If you want a deeper doctrinal background dive on the PLA OpForce/Blue Force, there are great works by Dennis Blasko to get you started with,  they are: (here) and (here)

Monday, March 05, 2018

PR photos of the day: "Plain Wolf" China's 1st professional opforce blue-army bad guy brigade (A mouthful isn't it?)

Soldier assigned to a combined brigade with the 81st Group Army under the PLA Central Theater Command helps his teammate wear a "CHINA OPFOR" arm-badge prior to an actual combat training exercise. The brigade, nicknamed "Plain Wolf", has participated in over 40 major military confrontation training exercises such as the "Stride-Zhurihe" exercise since it was established 6 years ago. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Shen Dongdong)

Monday, June 08, 2015

Stride-2015: Bigger Longer & Uncut

 Nine changes in Stride-2015 Zhurihe series exercise
( Source: China Military Online  )         2015-June-3 16:36

　　HOHHOT, June 3 (ChinaMil) -- The curtain of the PLA's trans-military area command (MAC) actual-troop confrontation training in 2015 has risen with the "Stride 2015• Zhurihe A" series exercise kicking off at the Zhurihe training base in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on June 1.

　　According to a person from the exercise commanding team, the "Stride 2015 • Zhurihe" series exercise has nine new changes compared with last year.

　　Larger scale: ten combined brigades of the PLA Army will participate in the "Stride 2015 • Zhurihe" while the number of the brigades in last year's exercise was seven.

　　More rounds of confrontation: compared with last year's single round of positional battle of attacking and defending, this year's confrontation has three more rounds of troops' advancing and deploying, positional battle of attacking and defending, and seizure of city landmarks.

　　Intensified operational commanding training: the "Stride 2015 • Zhurihe" highlights building up of strategic mindset, application of IT-based commanding system, planning of precision operations, improvement of combat tactics, and asymmetrical combat fighting method innovation and practice.

　　Intensified systemic confrontation: according to operational requirements, new strength including air force, army aviation force, special troops, technical reconnaissance troops, electronic countermeasure troops and psywar units will coordinate the participating land forces in the "Stride 2015 • Zhurihe" .

　　Higher difficulty and intensity: the battlefield maneuvering distance of wheeled vehicles in the exercise is increased by 100km, and 10km is added to the march distance in the long-range raid. Participating troops will come cross difficult situations including dangerous terrain conditions, complex electromagnetic environment, air reconnaissance, long-range strike, harassing attack by special operation forces, nuclear and biochemical attacks in the exercises while they are given less time for launching a combat than last year.

　　Verification of operational experiments highlighted: the participating troops are scheduled to use the operation testing system in the combined operation experiment center of the training base to verify their combat schemes before the actual troop confrontation begins.

　　Night combat training enhanced: It is stipulated that the maneuver distance at night in the periods of long-distance force projection and battlefield maneuver shall be no less than 100 km. The number of night-time targets for live ammunition shooting training was increased, and aviation was also dispatched at night to carry out reconnaissance and attack for battlefield maneuvering and on evacuation areas.

　　Realizing air-to-ground simulated confrontation: The air force actual-troop combat system is improved and the interconnection between the actual-troop combat systems of the ground and air forces has become possible for the first time, which ensures the preliminary integration of the ground and air battle situations.

　　Stringent avoidance system: The group armies to which the participating troops belong are not allowed to interfere in the operational commanding in the exercise. The members of the exercise directing team coming from the PLA's military area commands shall not participate in the directing and evaluating of the exercises conducted by the troops from their own military area commands.

 

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

"Stride 2016•Zhurihe A" exercise enters position attack phase

Soldiers from the "Red Army" provide security for their tanks during an attack to the "Blue Army". "The "Stride 2016•Zhurihe A", a trans-Theatre Commands(TC) confrontation drill held by the PLA Army, entered the actual-troop confrontation and position attack phase at the Zhurihe Training Base in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on July 19, 2016. An armored brigade attached to the 1st Group Army with the PLA Eastern Theatre Command acted as the "Red Army" and assaulted another Army brigade acting as the opposing force "Blue Army"