Full Breakdown
Beijing Deploys New 155 mm Howitzers to Brigade Facing Taiwan
9/9/2026, 7:03:04 PM
Expanded Artillery Capability Near the Taiwan Strait
State media reported that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has equipped a heavy combined-arms brigade of the 71st Group Army with a batch of PLZ-05 155 mm self-propelled howitzers. The unit, which belongs to the Eastern Theatre Command responsible for operations facing Taiwan, the East China Sea and Japan, replaced its older 122 mm artillery with the newer system during the past two months. The brigade conducted its first live-fire test of the PLZ-05, marking the first assignment of this weapon at the brigade level; previously the howitzer had been fielded only at the group-army level for long-range suppression.
Modernisation of PLA Firepower
The PLZ-05 is a tracked, desert-camouflaged artillery system that offers greater range and firepower than the 122 mm guns it replaces. According to CCTV, the howitzers were transferred from the Western Theatre Command, which has been receiving lighter, wheeled PCL-181 155 mm howitzers better suited to plateau and mountainous terrain. This redistribution reflects a broader PLA effort to standardise and upgrade its artillery assets across different theatres.
Brigade Officer’s Assessment
His comment underscores the PLA’s view that the new system enhances the brigade’s ability to conduct sustained fire missions and respond rapidly to potential contingencies in the Taiwan Strait area.
Potential Regional Impact
The deployment adds a heavier, longer-range artillery capability to the Eastern Theatre Command’s order of battle. While the PLA frames the upgrade as a routine modernization step, observers note that the presence of brigade-level PLZ-05 units could alter the balance of firepower available to forces operating across the strait, potentially affecting deterrence calculations for Taiwan and neighboring states.
