After long-distance maneuvering, hundreds of combat vehicles of an amphibious mechanized division under the Nanjing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reached a beach for maritime assault training in mid-August 2012.
The PLA started to organize and establish its new-type amphibious mechanized troops in 1999. The division has had two equipment renewals within 10 years. Its new-type amphibious combat vehicle equipped with domestically made top-notch information-based weapons including anti-tank guided-missile system, fire-control computer and laser rangefinder is superior in land and sea maneuvering performance and strong in firepower, possessing strong comprehensive protection capability and high information-based level. Its deployment marks that the amphibious combat equipment of the PLA army has reached world advanced level.
Currently, the officers and men of an amphibious mechanized division can drive the amphibious assault combat vehicles for limit training of maritime, super-long-distance and direct-sailing attack in organic troop units. The newly-equipped amphibious self-propelled howitzers are also incorporated into the echelon for landing drill so as to provide strong fire cover.
In autumn of 2009, the PLA three services conducted a joint combat drill. During the drill, an amphibious mechanized division successfully established a command information system for the first time which connected various campaign and tactical levels of the troop units of the three services participating in the drill, organized and accomplished combat operations including joint fire strike, joint maritime defense, ground-air electronic confrontation and multi-directional three-dimensional breakthrough, marking the transformation of the PLA army’s amphibious operation from the single-arm operation to the joint operation of the three services based on information system.
