The PCL-161 is a truck-mounted 122 mm

self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

used by the

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People's Liberation Army Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chine ...

Development

The PCL-161 was first unveiled while doing exercises in

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a Provinces of China, province-level Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China in Southwest China. I ...

in October 2020. It is speculated to be a successor of the 122 mm truck mounted howitzer PCL-09.

Design

PCL-161 features a 122 mm howitzer with semi-automatic loader and digital fire control system. The range is 22 km with conventional ammunition and 30 km with

rocket-assisted projectile A rocket-assisted projectile (RAP) is a cannon, howitzer, Mortar (weapon), mortar, or recoilless rifle round incorporating a rocket motor for independent propulsion. This gives the projectile greater speed and range than a non-assisted Ballistics, ...

s. It features various improvements over the PCL-09, including better firing accuracy, the ability to fire directly in the forward direction of the vehicle. The PCL-161 features a semi-automatic loading system that is identical to the one found on the

PCL-181 The PCL-181 is a truck-mounted 155 mm self-propelled howitzer used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Development The PCL-181 made its first public appearance during the Chinese National Day Parade on 1 October 2019. It was designed to r ...

, where the operator places the shell on the loading arm and the loading arm loads the round into the breech. The fire control system is also identical to that of the PCL-181, featuring automatic calculation and gun-laying via the vehicle-mounted fire control computer. The truck chassis is based on the

FAW MV3 The FAW MV3 is the third generation military truck developed by First Automobile Works (FAW). Since 2011, FAW MV3 is the standardized military truck used widely by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The utility truck has two configurations, 4x ...

series of tactical trucks, specifically the 4x4 CTM-133 variant. During combat, two front vertical stabilizers and two rear stabilizers are extended and dug into the ground to dampen the recoil.

Operators

* :

References

;Notes ;Bibliography {{PRCAFVs Self-propelled artillery of the People's Republic of China Wheeled self-propelled howitzers Military vehicles introduced in the 2020s