PLA Ground Forces

Brigade Reform and
the Recent PLA Development

• Introduction
• The Brigades' Role in the PLA's WarZone Campaign Doctrine
• Rapid Reaction Units and Pockets Of Excellence:
• Training and Organization
• New Laws and Regulations
• The Brigades
• Table of Equipment
• Notes

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Brigade Reform and the Recent PLA Development

by Xinhui

Table Of Equipment:

According reports from a number of Mainland Internet sites, the independent armored brigade has the following components:

• 4 tank battalions (31 tanks each)
• 1 mechanized infantry battalion (40 Armor Personal Carrier)
• 1 artillery battalion (18 Self Propelled guns)
• 1 AAA battalion (18 Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft guns)

Each tank battalion has three tank companies, with one tank for the battalion commander.

An artillery battalion attached to the armored brigade has three batteries of 6 guns each.

According to Military Balance, in 1985 there were 17 field artillery divisions and a dozen of independent field artillery brigades. Since then, the number of artillery division in service with the PLA has dropped to 8 while, number of artillery brigade increased to 17.

A typical PLA RRU artillery brigade has the following components:

• 4 artillery battalions
• each artillery battalion has 18 guns total of three companies
• company (battery) has 6 guns

• 1 Self Propelled Anti-Tank Gun (SP-ATG) Battalion of 18 guns

A non-RRU PLA artillery brigade has 6 artillery battalions with older equipment and less training.

Similar to the artillery brigade, the Air Defense brigades has a similar setup of 4 to 6 battalions.

• 2 SAM battalions, armed with everything from shoulder launch MANPANs to longer ranged and more capable Surface to Air Missiles (SAM)
• 2 to 4 AAA battalions. Main weapons include 25mm AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery), and 37mm AAA

Currently, three group armies have all their divisions converted into brigades; they are 27th and the 40th and two other GA. [59] The 1st, 16th, 21st, 26th, 31st, 47th, 54th, 63rd, 65th, GA downsized one of their motorized infantry division to brigade. 12th, GA, 23rd, GA, and Tibet area field combat formations downsized two of their divisions to brigade, since then, a total of 22 motorized infantry divisions had been converted into brigades.