Operators
People's Republic of China
- People's Liberation Army Ground Force – 50+ units as of 2021. [13]
| PHL-16 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiple rocket launcher |
| Place of origin | China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2019–present |
| Used by | People's Liberation Army Ground Force |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 45t |
| Length | 12m |
| Width | 3m |
| Height | 3m |
| Crew | 3 |
| Caliber | 370mm |
| Barrels | 8 |
| Effective firing range | 130 km (using BRE3 rocket) [1] |
| Maximum firing range | depends on armament, 280 km (174 mi) (using BRE8 rocket), or 360 km (using TL-7B anti-ship missile) [2] |
Main armament | 2 modular launch cells, each can either carry: 1 × 750mm TBM or 4 × 370mm rocket or 5 × 300mm rocket |
| Engine | Diesel, 8×8 wheeled |
The PHL-16, [3] also known as PCL-191, [4] is a truck-mounted self-propelled multiple rocket launcher (MRL) system developed by the People's Republic of China.
It is based on the AR-3 MRL [5] developed by Norinco. [6] The AR-3 was marketed in 2010. [7] The PHL-16 was unveiled during the Chinese National Day Parade in 2019; unlike other rocket systems in the parade, the vehicles were unlabelled. [5]
The launcher vehicles are operated in a firepower battery. The system also capable of autonomous operation. A typical battery includes six launcher vehicles, several reloading vehicles, command post vehicle, meteorological survey vehicle and other service support vehicles. [8]
Unlike the earlier PHL-03, which is loaded with a fixed type of ammunition, the new PHL-16 has two modularized launch cells, which can carry different types of ammunition. Each launch cell can carry either five 300 mm rockets or four 370 mm rockets. [6] [3] The export version of the new multiple rocket launcher, the AR-3, can even switch to the 750 mm Fire Dragon 480 tactical ballistic missile and 380 mm TL-7B anti-ship missile. [9] [10] This capability is possibly transferred to the PLA variants.
The configuration displayed during the 2019 National Day Parade was with 8 370 mm rockets. [5]
The vehicle chassis is based on the 45 ton WS2400 8×8 special wheeled vehicle chassis. [11]
In February 2023, PHL-16 was observed in deployment by 73rd Group Army of the Eastern Theatre Command, which responsible for the Taiwan Strait area. [12]
People's Republic of China 
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