26 October 2020

PLAGF brigade displays urban combat skills in training exercise

by Amael Kotlarski & Gabriel Dominguez

China’s People’s Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) is aiming to enhance the capability and preparedness of its troops to conduct military operations in urban terrain (MOUT), as shown in video footage released by state-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on 24 October.

Images from CCTV footage released on 24 October showing troops from the PLAGF’s 71st Group Army conducting urban warfare training at an undisclosed location. The image on the left shows a PLAGF soldier using the CF-06 system, while that on the right shows another soldier employing what appears to be a man-portable, wall-penetrating radar. (CCTV)

Weihutang, a CCTV programme on military affairs, released footage showing members of a brigade belonging to the 71st Group Army conducting an urban combat training exercise in what appeared to be a mock village that included several large, multi-storey buildings.

The heavily edited video showcases some of the specialist equipment and skills the unit is employing to conduct its assault on the mock village. These include the use of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as what appears to be dropping leaflets over the village. The latter is likely intended as a psychological operations tactic or as a warning to the civilian inhabitants.

Other notable equipment shown in the footage includes the use of a handheld tubular charge – similar to that of a Bangalore torpedo – used to clear obstacles such as mines and other anti-personnel defences.

Some of the soldiers are also seen using a system similar to the Israeli-made CornerShot system, known as the CF-06, while others are employing what appears to be a man-portable, wall-penetrating radar.

China’s People’s Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) is aiming to enhance the capability and prepar...

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