www.China-Defense.com

One series of pictures captures MRLs mounted on the deck of a commercial container ship as they fire against a distant target. Most of these pictures are video captures from television, and are particularly grainy making accurate recognition of the launchers difficult. Identification is further hampered by obstructions on the deck. Like so many photographs of PLA equipment, these obstructions may or may not be just chance. The launchers could be land-based MRLs chained to the deck like the tanks on the cargo ship. Regardless of the launcher type, they all appear to have a limited traverse due to the obstructions on the deck and the container cranes. All seem to be firing simultaneous volleys indicative of a "daisy chain" installation, this agrees with the Zhang Fanghui article that states, "based on the need, (the launchers) can fire by mechanical input, electronically input, and remote wireless input."

While the evidence examined leads one toward believing that arming of cargo ships is a result of the PLA earnestly searching for additional fire support, that conclusion is not exclusive of the possibility that a deception plan is also in the works. It is quite possible that some examples of armed cargo ships, such as the MRL installations, may represent an actual component of wartime plans, while others, such as tanks chained to the decks, may only be a ruse. Regardless of the motivation for these experiments, clearly advances are being made that make the PLA increasingly capable of supporting amphibious operations.