New PZH-11 122mm MLRS Multiple Launch Rockets System enters service with Chinese army
The Chinese Ministry of Defense has announced that the 71st Army Group of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been equipped with the next-generation PZH-11 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) as well as air defense missiles, command vehicles, and ammunition supply vehicles. These state-of-the-art weapons and systems boast impressive maneuverability, rapid response, and high precision, enabling them to handle diverse operational tasks such as fire assault, support, and blockade across various terrains like plains, plateaus, and deserts.
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The official ceremony of the handover of the new PZH-11 MLRS to the Chinese 71st Army Group. (Picture source China MoD)
A U.S. Congress report from November 2020 quoted a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson stating that the PLA (People's Liberation Army or Chinese Army) had achieved its modernization milestone of "general mechanization" as previously established by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership. This implies that the PLA is actively modernizing its weapons and equipment to function as interconnected "systems of systems" that can leverage advanced technologies for "information" and "intelligence" warfare.
The PLA (People's Liberation Army or Chinese Army), with roughly two million personnel in its regular forces, has been focusing on modernizing its capabilities and enhancing its proficiency across all warfare domains. This is to ensure that it can effectively execute a wide range of land, air, and maritime operations as well as space, counter-space, electronic warfare (EW), and cyber operations. As joint operations, information flow, and swift decision-making are crucial in contemporary warfare, the PRC continues to prioritize modernizing the PLA's ability to command complex joint operations in both near and distant battlefields.
The PRC (People's Republic of China) is working to improve the PLA's joint command and control systems, joint logistics systems, and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. Additionally, the PRC is modernizing, diversifying, and expanding its nuclear forces while also enhancing the PLA's interoperability and integration with paramilitary and militia forces.
The PZH-11, an upgraded version of the PZH-10, is a Chinese-made MLRS based on a tracked chassis armored vehicle, similar in design to the American M-270. It was first unveiled during field testing in 2012 and entered service with the Chinese Army in 2017. Operated by a crew of three, the PHZ-11 features a fully enclosed, aluminum-armored cab that protects against small arms fire and artillery shell fragments. Firing operations can be performed from within the crew cabin, which can be outfitted with a land navigation system (LNS) and a computerized Fire-Control System (FCS) for autonomous operation.
Equipped with two pods of 20 launchers for 122mm rockets, the PHZ-11 can fire various types of unguided solid propellant 122mm rockets with a range of 15 km to 30 km. The modular design of the PZH-11 allows for the firing of rockets of different calibers, including 220mm and 300mm. The system requires only a few minutes to prepare and execute a fire mission and can quickly move to another position to avoid counter-battery fire.
The PZH-11 is a new generation of Chinese-made MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System which has a design similar to the American M-270. (Picture source China MoD)