Appendix C -- China
THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY AT A GLANCE
Ground Forces
Strength: 2,110,000
Group armies (main forces)
35 armies, comprising:
118 infantry divisions
13 armored divisions
17 artillery divisions
16 antiaircraft artillery divisions
At least 71 independent regiments and 21 independent battalions
(artillery, antiaircraft artillery, signal, antichemical warfare,
reconnaissance, and engineer)
Regional forces
73 divisions
140 independent regiments
Major weapons systems
Armor
Type 80 main battle tank--105mm gun, 38 tons, had not yet entered
production in 1987
Type 69 main battle tank--105mm gun, 36 tons, improved Type 59
tank
Type 59 main battle tank--100mm gun, 36 tons, improved copy of
Soviet T-54 tank
Type 63 light tank--85mm gun, 18 tons, improved version of Soviet
PT-76 amphibious light tank
Type 62 light tank--85mm gun, 21 tons, reconnaissance
version of Type 59 tank
T-34 main battle tank--85mm gun, 32 tons, Soviet manufacture, may
be given to regional forces
M-1984 armored personnel carrier--6 x 6 wheeled type with 23mm gun
M-1974 armored personnel carrier--2 crew, 20 passengers, 12.7mm
machine gun, tracked, amphibious
M-1967 armored personnel carrier--4 crew, 10 passengers, tracked,
amphibious
Artillery
152mm gun--Type 83, entered service in 1980s
152mm self-propelled howitzer--Type 83, entered service in 1980s
152mm gun howitzer--Type 66, towed, copy of Soviet D-20
152mm howitzer--copy of Soviet M-1943
130mm field gun--Type 59-1, towed, same chassis as 122mm gun
122mm gun howitzer--Type 83, copy of Soviet D-30
122mm gun--Type 60, towed, copy of Soviet D-74
122mm howitzer--Type 54, towed, copy of Soviet M-1938
122mm self-propelled howitzer--Type 54 howitzer mounted on
M-1967 armored personnel carrier
85mm antitank gun--Type 55, towed, copy of Soviet D-44
130mm rocket launcher--Type 70, 19-tube, armored-personnel-
carrier-mounted
130mm rocket launcher--Type 63, 19-tube, truck-mounted
122mm rocket launcher--Chinese version of Soviet BM-21
107mm rocket launcher--Type 63-1, 12-tube, towed
M-1979 antitank minelaying rocket launcher--10 tubes
Antiaircraft artillery
100mm antiaircraft gun--Type 59, radar, towed, copy of Soviet KS-
19
85mm antiaircraft gun--radar, towed, copy of Soviet KS18
57mm antiaircraft gun--Type 59, radar or optic, towed, copy of
Soviet S-60
37mm antiaircraft gun--Type 65, optic, towed, twin-barrel
37mm antiaircraft gun--Type 55, optic, towed, copy of Soviet M-
1939
14.5mm antiaircraft machine gun--Type 58, optic, towed, 4-barrel
copy of Soviet ZPU-2
14.5mm antiaircraft machine gun--Type 56, optic, towed, twin-
barrel copy of Soviet ZPU-4
* * * * *
Air Force
Strength: 390,000, including 220,000 air defense personnel
Combat elements organized in group armies of varying numbers of air
divisions
Weapons
100 surface-to-air missile sites
16,000 antiaircraft guns
Aircraft
30 F-8 Finback fighters (indigenous model derived from Soviet
designs)
200 F-7 Fishbed fighters (copy of MiG-21)
3,000 F-6 Farmer fighters (copy of MiG-19)
400 F-5 Fresco fighters (copy of MiG-17)
500 F-4 Fagot (copy of MiG-15) and A-5 Fantan (derived from
F-6) ground attack fighters
120 B-6 Badger bombers (copy of Tu-16 intermediate-range bomber)
500 B-5 Beagle bombers (copy of Il-28 medium-range bomber)
550 transports (Y-5, Y-7, Y-8, Il-14, Il-18, Tridents, etc.)
400 helicopters (Z-5 6, Z-9, Alouette, Super Frelon, Bell, Super
Puma, and Sikorsky)
* * * * *
Navy
Strength: 350,000 including Coastal Defense Forces, Naval Air
Force, and Marine Corps
Ships and boats
Submarines
2 Xia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN)
(See Strategic Missile Force)
3 Han-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN)
1 Golf-class ballistic missile submarine (SSB) (trials)
90 Romeo-class diesel attack submarines (SS)
20 Whiskey-class diesel attack submarines (SS)
2 Ming-class training submarines (SS)
Surface combatants
11 Luda-class destroyers
4 Anshan-class destroyers
20 Jianghu-class frigates
2 Jiangdong-class frigates
4 Chengdu-class frigates
5 Jiangnan-class frigates
14 patrol combatants
181 patrol craft--large and river coastal
877 fast-attack craft (gun, missile, or torpedo)
33 mine warfare ships
613 amphibious warfare ships and craft
49 support ships
Naval Air Force
50 B-6 Badger bombers
130 B-5 Beagle bombers
600 fighters, including F-4, F-5, F-6, and F-7
* * * * *
Strategic Missile Force
Strength: 100,000 in 6 or 7 divisions
Nuclear warheads: estimated between 225 and 300
Missiles
50 Dongfeng-2 (CSS-1) medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM)
(650nm)
60 Dongfeng-3 (CSS-2) intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM)
(1,620nm)
4 Dongfeng-4 (CSS-3) limited-range intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBM) (3,780nm)
2 Dongfeng-5 (CSS-4) full-range intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBM) (8,100nm)
Submarines
2 Xia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN),
each with 12 CSS-NX-4 IRBMs (1,190nm to 1,620nm)
Source: Based on information from United States Defense
Intelligence Agency, Handbook on the People's Liberation
Army, Washington, 1984, various pages; and International
Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance, 1986-
87, London, 1986, 140-45.
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