The physical brawl and stone-pelting between the patrolling parties of the Indian Army (IA) and PLA Ground Forces’ (PLAGF) Border Defence Regiment (BDR) at an altitude of more than 5,000 metres in the Naku La sector in north Sikkim on May 9, 2020 afternoon (which was triggered after IA soldiers blocked an “aggressive” PLA-BDR patrol party in the area ahead of Muguthang) is most likely attributable to a jittery PLA-BDR being over-anxious to find out whether or not the IA was monitoring a PLAGF mechanised infantry exercise that has been underway for the past one week at the Gamba Country further up north.
This exercise, by all means a routine one, is being conducted to ensure the operational synchronisation of all elements of combined-arms manoeuvre warfare in various portions of the Tibetan Plateau. In Gamba, this involves the deployment for the very first time of the ZTQ-105/Type 15 main battle tanks (MBT) whose export designation is the VT-5, the PCL-181 (SH-15 being its export designation) 155mm/52-cal mounted gun system (MGS) and the Type 04A tracked ICV. Deliveries of all three type of weapon systems to the Tibet Military District (TMD) had commenced in late 2017 and their first combined-arms exercises were conducted since late December last year at the Seni-Nagqu Training Base.
The 35-tonne NORINCO ZTQ-105/Type 15 MBT, powered by a 780hp diesel engine (a clone of the USSR-era V46-6 engine), comes armed with a 105mm rifled-bore cannon. It was publicly unveilled at last year’s October 1 parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the PLA. In terms of vectronics, it incorporates almost all that is to be found on the heavier VT-4/MBT-3000 MBT.
The 25-tonne, air-mobile PCL-181 MGS started entering service in the Western Theatre Command’s TMD back in 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. It uses a 6 x 6 wheeled Shaanxi truck chassis with an armoured cabin at the front (that also houses the digital ballistics computer and communications radios) and the AH-2 155mm/52-cal howitzer mounted at the rear. The howitzer has a powered traverse of 25 degrees left and right and powered elevation from 0-degree to 67.5 degrees. The howitzer is protected against firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. The armoured cab also has two large bulletproof windows at the front and there are two doors on each side. The truck chassis is powered by a 400hp diesel engine with a 15.68hp/tonne power-to-weight ratio.
The PCL-181 can fire all NATO-standard 155mm ammunition and it uses a semi-automatic loading system. The barrel is fitted with a double-baffle muzzle-brake and when travelling, the barrel is held in position by a clamp, located to the immediate rear of the cab, which is operated by remote control. When the PCL-181 is deployed in the firing position, two large spades are lowered at the rear to provide a stable firing platform. For this, the truck chassis is fitted with a hydro-pneumatic suspension system. The PCL-181 has a minimum firing range of 20km and 53km with a rocket-assisted artillery projectiles. The entire MGS is operated by a crew of five. On each side of the truck chassis, there are storage boxes containing charges and ammunition, elevation and traverse are hydraulic with manual controls being provided as a back-up. Maximum rate of fire is up to six rounds per minute.
PLAGF ORBAT Of Tibet Military District
15 Engineer Brigade(located at Dazi, Lhasa) or Unit-77619, comprising the 308 Field Artillery Regiment, Lhasa; (Unit-77611), 16 Vehicle Regiment, Lhasa; Communications Battalion, Lhasa; and Special Operations Division, Lhasa (Unit-77606).
52 Mountain Brigade (located at Bayi village, Linzhi County) or Unit-77675, comprising an Artillery Regiment (located at Nixi, Bayi village, Linzhi County) or Unit-77678; 1st Battalion (Bujiu village, Linzhi County); 2ndBattalion (Yongjiu village, Linzhi County); 3rd Battalion (Yongjiu village, Linzhi County); and the 4th Battalion (Bujiu village, Linzhi County).
53 Mountain Brigade (Linzhi City, Milin County) or Unit-77680, comprising an Artillery Regiment (Jiage village, Linzhi City, Milin County) or Unit-77683; 1stBattalion (Wolong village, Linzhi City, Milin County); 2nd Battalion (Gangga village, Linzhi County); 3rd Battalion (Linzhi County); and the 4th Battalion (Wolong village, Linzhi City, Milin County).
54 Armoured Brigade (Lhasa City, Duilongdeqing County) or Unit-77625, comprising an Artillery Regiment operating PCL-09 22.5-ton 122mm motorised howitzers (now converted to the PCL-181 MGS), three Mechanised Infantry Battalions equipped with ZBD-04 tracked infantry combat vehicles (ICV); Medium Battle Tank Battalion using Type-96As (now converted to the VT-5 ZTQ-105 Type 15 MBT; and a Chemical Warfare Battalion.
The 308th Independent Artillery Brigade, armed with PCL-181 155mm 52-cal motorised howitzers, which was raised in the latter half of 2017 at Linzhi.
The 651 Independent Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade at Bayi Nyingchi. Since late 2012, this Brigade began taking over responsibilities from the HQ-12 ADK-12 KS-1D medium-range surface-to-air missiles of the PLA Air Force’s (PLAAF) 11th Anti-Air Artillery Brigade’s 22nd Regiment. The 651st today comprises a regiment of LY-80E 70km-range MR-SAMs (containing 16 TELs each loaded with six MR-SAM vertical launch-cells), a Regiment of 18 tracked PGZ-04As (each armed with four FN-6 VSHORADS launchers missiles and four 25mm cannons), a Regiment of FM-90 SHORADS, and a composite Battalion that has 108 FN-6 VSHORADS/MANPADS launchers, 24 Type 73 towed 37mm anti-aircraft guns and 18 towed twin 35mm PG-99 ‘Giant Bow’ anti-aircraft guns. Also included are LIMAN ground-based jammers, JY-27A VHF-band anti-PGM volume-search radars as part of the LY-80E MR-SAM regiment, YLC-18 S-band 3-D acquisition radars for the FM-90s (now replacing the older LSS-1/Type 120 L-band 2-D low-altitude acquisition radars), and YLC-6 S-band 2-D low-level air-defence radars for the FN-6s, Type 73s and PG-99s. For airspace surveillance, there are three Army-operated YLC-2V 3-D S-band acquisition radars. This Brigade stayed put at its peacetime location throughout the standoff period.
Supplementing the above-mentioned formations were the following Border Defence Regiments of Military Sub-Districts under TMD:
* 1stBorder Defence Regiment (Shannan City, Longzi County) Unit-77629: China-India LAC and China-Bhutan Border.
* 2ndBorder Defence Regiment (Shannan City, Cuona County) Unit-77635: China-India LAC and China-Bhutan Border.
* 3rdBorder Defence Regiment (Shigatse City, Tingri County) Unit-77639: China-India LAC and China Nepal Border.
* 4thBorder Defence Regiment (Chayu, Linzhi), Unit-77643: China-India LAC.
* 5thBorder Defence Regiment (Shigatse City, Saga County) Unit 77646: China -Nepal Border.
* 6thBorder Defence Regiment (Shigatse City, Yadong County) Unit-77649: China-India LAC and China Bhutan Border. (Nathu La outpost is the first outpost of South West, Zhangniangshe Outpost of the 6th Border Defense Regiment is the Yunzhong Outpost).
*1stIndependent Battalion (Shigatse City, Gyantse County) Unit-77655: China-India LAC and China-Bhutan Border.
* 2ndIndependent Battalion (Shigatse City, Gangba County) Unit-77656:China-India LAC. (Chaguola Outpost). Khamba Dzong (Gamba County for the Chinese) is not located close to Arunachal Pradesh, which is bordered by the Prefectures of Shannan and Nyingchi, but near the strategic Chumbi Valley—and the Siliguri Corridor.
* 3rdIndependent Battalion (Beibeng village, Linzhi City, Medog County); Medog Garrison, Mofan.
* 4thIndependent Battalion (Nanyi Township, Linzhi City, Milin County): China-India LAC.
* 5thIndependent Battalion (Shannan City, Luoza County): China-Bhutan Border.
* 6thIndependent BattalionUnit-77659: China-India LAC.