Chinese state-owned media have revealed new details of the mortar-carrying variant of the Dongfeng Mengshi CTL181A 6×6 protected vehicle in service with the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF).
Video footage broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV) on 1 September shows that, contrary to what was previously presumed, the vehicle does not feature a small lifting device in the cargo area behind the cab to facilitate the rapid dismounting and re-mounting of the 120 mm mortar.
Instead, the mortar is stored on the vehicle in a disassembled state, with the tube, bipod, and baseplate separated when on the vehicle.
A screengrab from footage released by CCTV on 1 September showing PLAGF personnel unloading a mortar and related rounds from the back of a modified CTL181A 6×6 protected vehicle. (CCTV)
In operation, the crew of four must retrieve the individual mortar components and quickly assemble the mortar, after which they are free to conduct their fire mission. Once this has been completed, the crew then disassemble the mortar into its constituent pieces before loading them into the back of the vehicle.
At least six such modified CTL181As were shown in the footage being used during a live-fire exercise held at an undisclosed location in China.
As Janes reported, the mortar appears to be a fairly basic design intended for dismounted operations by the crew, lacking any indicators of automation features such as automatic laying or computerised fire control.
The CTL181A has been used as the baseline platform for several new PLAGF systems, with notable recent examples being a self-propelled howitzer, commonly referred to as the PCL-171, and a new bridging system.
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