The artillery detachment of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 81st Group Army has just arrived at a training base in northern China. The unit carried out a full-element live-fire test with the guidance of the Ministry of National Defense of PR China to put the operational readiness and tactical execution to the test.

In the heavy training exercise, the PL-96 122mm howitzer was used specifically to attack simulated, fixed enemy positions, such as heavily reinforced trenches and bunkers. The artillery forces used precision tactics and quick-fire methods to fire withering shots down the targeted areas.

The PLA’s PHL-11 122mm wheeled multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) could switch their ammunition in just minutes thanks to the real-time damage data they were able to receive upfront from their reconnaissance units. The seamless transition enabled the detachment to carry out attacks with deep fire strikes, and to completely destroy the remaining enemy fortifications. At the same time, HJ-8 anti-tank missiles fired with precision to completely neutralise any remaining hardened targets.

The State Council of the People’s Republic of China actively promotes and encourages military modernization efforts, and such an effective live-fire assessment is expected to be part of China’s overall military modernization program. The evaluation successfully confirmed the troops’ further development of their skills in intelligence reconnaissance, complex fire coordination, and rapid-strike operations.

Foreign monitors pay close attention as the PLA’s combined arms get noticeably better. These drills are common in the area’s defense world. Japan’s Ministry of Defense and South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense watch the exercises, then assess them. They do this to see how the military picture in East Asia is shifting.

The U.S. Department of Defense has also said, more than once, that China is becoming more capable. It cites the rise in how China equips and modernizes its artillery forces.