PCL-181

The PCL-181 is a Chinese truck-mounted, 155 mm self-propelled howitzer used by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF). The designation "PCL" is an acronym derived from pinyin.

Development
The PCL-181 made its first public appearance during the 70th Chinese National Day Parade on 1 October 2019.

It was designed to replace the 152 mm PL-66 towed gun-howitzer and the 130 mm Type 59-1 towed field guns used by the PLAGF and will complement the PLZ-05, and improve upon its functionality in many ways.

Armament
The gun has a 52-caliber barrel and is exactly the same as that of the PLZ-05 self-propelled howitzer. It has a maximum firing range of up to 40 km with conventional ammunition and 72 km with extended range ammunition. The gun can also fire laser-guided munition which is capable of all-weather operation. Each vehicle can carry 27 rounds of ammunition.

The vehicle features semi-automatic ammo reload, where the operator places the shell on the loading arm and the loading arm loads the round into the breech.

The PCL-181 is equipped with an automatic fire-control system. Following the operator's input of a target's azimuth data, the vehicle-mounted computer can calculate the trajectory of the artillery, and automatically lay the gun.

Mobility
The PCL-181 is based on Taian GM's 6×6 truck chassis.

Due to its comparatively lighter weight of 25 tons, the PCL-181 can also be transported in a Shaanxi Y-9.

Variants

 * PCL-181
 * PLA designation


 * SH-15
 * Export designation

Deployment
According to state media reports, most of the country's five military jurisdictions, known as theater commands, have been equipped with PCL-181 155 mm vehicle-mounted howitzers.

In June 2020, it was reported that the PCL-181 had been deployed in the Tibet Autonomous Region amid tensions with India.

In February 2021, it was reported that at least 18 PCL-181s had been inducted into the PLAGF's Xinjiang Military Command.

Pakistan
In 2019, Pakistan signed a contract for 236 SH-15s. Deliveries started in January 2022, and the SH-15s participated in the Pakistan Day parade on March 23, 2022. As per sources, Pakistan may have acquired TOT to further build these self-propelled howitzers locally at Heavy Industries Taxila. Pakistan acquired it in response to India's acquisition of the K9 thunder self-propelled howitzer.

The SH-15s are Pakistan Army's first 155 mm/52-caliber gun. It is capable of firing VLAP rounds that have a range of 50km. For example, Pakistan ordered 1,332 VLAP in 2017, and acquired ToT to produce further VLAP shells domestically. It can also fire laser-homing, satellite-guided, and top-attack projectiles. These guided shells are cheaper than the guided rockets in Pakistan's inventory. Finally, it can also reportedly fire nuclear artillery. The SH-15's chassis reportedly performs well off-road, but not in more demanding terrain.

Operators
In China's PLAGF, each group army commands one artillery brigade which doctrinally includes two self-propelled or towed artillery (122 mm, 152 mm, or 155 mm) battalions, each of which comprises three batteries of four to six howitzers each.

Current operators

 * People's Republic of China
 * People's Liberation Army Ground Force: 630 units as of 2022.
 * 71st Artillery Brigade
 * 72nd Artillery Brigade
 * 73rd Artillery Brigade
 * 74th Artillery Brigade
 * 75th Artillery Brigade
 * 77th Artillery Brigade
 * 80th Artillery Brigade
 * 83rd Artillery Brigade
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan
 * Pakistan Army
 * Pakistan Army Artillery Corps - 300 units
 * 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
 * Ethiopian Ground Forces: Satellite imagery confirms the arrival of at least 32 SH-15 self-propelled howitzers.
 * 🇲🇲 Myanmar
 * Myanmar Army: 150