China has the largest and combat ready artillery force in the world?

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China's WS-2 rocket

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China's WS-2 rocket



Although, on paper, Russia and North Korea have larger quantities of artillery, it is China that probably has the largest, combat ready, artillery force on the planet. This force includes towed and self-propelled guns, as well as multiple rocket launchers. Meanwhile, many Russian systems are unmanned, and the North Korean artillery is older and often in poor repair. China's stuff has trained crews available, and is of more recent manufacture. China has over fifty different models, amounting to over 17,000 guns, howitzers, mortars and rocket launchers. Most of these are mortars used by the infantry.  


China has developed some interesting new systems, including GPS guided 406mm rockets, carried in self-propelled rocket launchers. The WS-2 system consists of an 8x8 truck mounting six canisters, each holding a 1.3 ton, 406mm WS-2 rocket. The WS-2 has a max range of 200 kilometers. The WS-3 version has GPS guidance, a smaller warhead and a longer range (over 300 kilometers). While the original WS-2 rocket was unguided, and could land within 600 meters of the aiming point at maximum range, the WS-3, using GPS or inertial navigation, as well as terminal homing guidance, can take out very small targets.



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China's WS-2 rocket


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China's WS-3 rocket


China is one of a handful of nations that still maintains artillery divisions. Russia and North Korea are the other two major users of these units. Artillery divisions were first organized during World War I, as a means of more effectively organizing huge (hundreds of cannon) barrages in support of major attacks.


China still has six of them, but has adapted to new technologies.The artillery division can supervise training and maintenance of the cannon, rocket and missile units, along looking after lots of ammunition.


The Chinese 1st Artillery Division, which is stationed near the Taiwan Strait, is one of the best equipped, and ready-for-combat units in the army. The division also has units for detecting the location of enemy artillery (using specialized radars and computers) along with other computers for planning elaborate attacks using different types of cannon and rockets.


Smart shells and rockets have once more changed the game. Large scale use of artillery is no longer beneficial if you have the GPS guided weapons. (From Strategy Page)



Does China have the largest and combat ready artillery force in the world?

The Neck of China

If ever war starts, and irregardless where it starts from - Southern Tibet, Taiwan, Kwangsi Chuang's border with Vietnam, or even Mongolia, most likely the counter-attack or America's so-called "UN"-led forces will attack Tianjin and Dalian and QIngdao from Japan and S. Korea.  The military thinking would be to go for the jugular and take Beijing and shorten the war by half.  I bet you war plans are already on the Pentagon's table, as well as in that "pacifiist" Japan's war room, and also India's war-mongers' room.