Guided Fire Assaults

Prasun K. Sengupta

Pakistan has yet again proven to be China’s most valued customer. This is for the latter’s home-grown military hardware through its latest procurement of a sizeable package that comprises 236 22-tonne SH-15 155mm/52-calibre mounted gun system (MGS), along with GP-155B GPS-guided projectiles and Sky Saker FH-500 tactical-recce unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The USD512 million contract for this package was inked on June 27 this year between the Pakistan Army (PA) and China North Industries Corp (NORINCO) for equipping 12 medium field artillery regiments of the former. In addition, a separate contract was signed for upgrading the PA’s 268 Type 85-IIAP main battle tanks (MBTs) that were procured back in the early Nineties.

China’s PCL-181 155mm 52-cal MGS

The SH-15 is the export designation of the PCL-181 MGS, with started entering service with an independent artillery regiment of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) in the Western Theatre Command’s Tibet Military District back in mid-2017 and has since also entered service with the artillery brigades of the PLAGF’s 71st, 72nd (9th Artillery Brigade, or Unit-73031) and 77th Group Armies. The SH-15 had made its international debut at the 10th international defence exhibition and seminar (IDEAS), which was held from November 27-30 last year at the Karachi expo centre (see FORCE January 2019 pages 46-49). The PA, whose present-day holdings of medium and heavy field artillery assets include 40 M-110A2 tracked 203mm howitzers, 152 M-109A2 and 115 M-109A5 tracked howitzers, 124 M-198 towed 155mm/39-cal howitzers, 72 Panter towed 155mm/52-cal howitzers, 87 type 59-1 130mm towed and 179 D-30 122mm towed howitzers, has been on the lookout for motorised 155mm/52-cal MGS for the past 18 years tha