Thread: PLA's Amphibious Howitzer

Originally Posted by xinhui

with cargo carrying/laser rounds (top attack, IR guided), accurately might not be an issue.

Its very much an issue. The "Fan" that the round is fired in to spot the laser reflection is small. They won't be firing Copperheadski from a floating howitzer and having it hit something any time soon.


The Marine Corps tried this back in 1945. Made a few 75mm AmTanks, but the idea that you can fire accurate artillery from a bobbing vehicle is crazy.

If they want to use it in the direct fire/tank support role once it hits shore than not a bad idea. Direct gunfire support in the initial waves, vice having to wait for tanks to come ashore is a good idea. If the enemy is lightly armed.

It doesn't have the protection of a tank, easy to kill it. Better some dismounts with AT-4/SMAW type AT and bunker busting rounds.

Deck space on their amphibs could be better spent. But then again, someone posted pictures of Chinese howitzers on a barge a few years back.

I hope they keep doing such silly stuff. Instead of improving their NGF and air support and figuring out that whole use of the fires triad in support of an amphibious assault stuff.

Gun Grape

thanks for the informative reply. Given the military balance, PLA's land party is unlikely to enjoy either the NGF or the CAP support.

from yesterday's CCTV report

It is official, the designation is PLZ-07B

P = Fire Support
L = Howitzer
Z= Armored.

I don't know if it is such a bad idea. We are all assuming that they want to use it to fire while floating in the water, but I can see a greater degree of utility from just using it to move guns in to shore more safely than is the case in a landing craft. It has a much lower profile and a shallower draft than than just about any landing craft (save for an ACV WRT draft), so it is going to be less vulnerable to both mines and any remaining fire from the shore. If it does get hit the Chinese just lose one gun and crew, as opposed to multiple guns and crews for a landing craft plus the utility of the craft itself for the entire remainder of the landing and for any follow up resupply missons. I see it as a good way for the Chinese to quickly provide indirect fire support to airborne or airmobile troops operating inland early in the operation, without having to bring their NGS right in close.

In the DFS role even though it is reletively lightly armoured the fact that it will be able to fire accurately once the treads hit the sand with just the turret and a little bit of the top showing would reduce the risk of it getting hit in the first place by a substantial degree. The PLA could reduce that risk even further by putting reactive armour on the turret and if they came in under a smokescreen then it would probably get within the minimum range of most of the ATGW's on your average sized beach by the time it had landed. I'd also suggest that it would be a lot less vulnerable than a troop of tanks coming in on a landing craft until they are safely beached.

Capt Steven Miles has written a summary of the Chinese experimentation with floating artillery.

PLA Experimentation with Armed Cargo Ships

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

Capt Steven Miles has written a summary of the Chinese experimentation with floating artillery.

PLA Experimentation with Armed Cargo Ships

am I going batty or is that really a T34/122 on that freighter?