Appendix C -- China

THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY AT A GLANCE

Ground Forces

Strength: 2,110,000

Group armies (main forces)

35 armies, comprising:
 118 infantry divisions
 13 armored divisions
 17 artillery divisions
 16 antiaircraft artillery divisions

 At least 71 independent regiments and 21 independent battalions
(artillery, antiaircraft artillery, signal, antichemical warfare,
reconnaissance, and engineer)

Regional forces

73 divisions
140 independent regiments

Major weapons systems

Armor
 Type 80 main battle tank--105mm gun, 38 tons, had not yet entered
production in 1987
 Type 69 main battle tank--105mm gun, 36 tons, improved Type 59
tank
 Type 59 main battle tank--100mm gun, 36 tons, improved copy of
Soviet T-54 tank
 Type 63 light tank--85mm gun, 18 tons, improved version of Soviet
PT-76 amphibious light tank
 Type 62 light tank--85mm gun, 21 tons, reconnaissance
version of Type 59 tank
 T-34 main battle tank--85mm gun, 32 tons, Soviet manufacture, may
be given to regional forces
 M-1984 armored personnel carrier--6 x 6 wheeled type with 23mm gun
 M-1974 armored personnel carrier--2 crew, 20 passengers, 12.7mm
machine gun, tracked, amphibious
 M-1967 armored personnel carrier--4 crew, 10 passengers, tracked,
amphibious

Artillery
 152mm gun--Type 83, entered service in 1980s
 152mm self-propelled howitzer--Type 83, entered service in 1980s
 152mm gun howitzer--Type 66, towed, copy of Soviet D-20
 152mm howitzer--copy of Soviet M-1943
 130mm field gun--Type 59-1, towed, same chassis as 122mm gun
 122mm gun howitzer--Type 83, copy of Soviet D-30
 122mm gun--Type 60, towed, copy of Soviet D-74
 122mm howitzer--Type 54, towed, copy of Soviet M-1938
 122mm self-propelled howitzer--Type 54 howitzer mounted on
 M-1967 armored personnel carrier
 85mm antitank gun--Type 55, towed, copy of Soviet D-44
 130mm rocket launcher--Type 70, 19-tube, armored-personnel-
carrier-mounted
 130mm rocket launcher--Type 63, 19-tube, truck-mounted
 122mm rocket launcher--Chinese version of Soviet BM-21
 107mm rocket launcher--Type 63-1, 12-tube, towed
 M-1979 antitank minelaying rocket launcher--10 tubes

Antiaircraft artillery
 100mm antiaircraft gun--Type 59, radar, towed, copy of Soviet KS-
19
 85mm antiaircraft gun--radar, towed, copy of Soviet KS18
 57mm antiaircraft gun--Type 59, radar or optic, towed, copy of
Soviet S-60
 37mm antiaircraft gun--Type 65, optic, towed, twin-barrel
 37mm antiaircraft gun--Type 55, optic, towed, copy of Soviet M-
1939
 14.5mm antiaircraft machine gun--Type 58, optic, towed, 4-barrel
copy of Soviet ZPU-2
 14.5mm antiaircraft machine gun--Type 56, optic, towed, twin-
barrel copy of Soviet ZPU-4

          * * * * *

Air Force

Strength: 390,000, including 220,000 air defense personnel

Combat elements organized in group armies of varying numbers of air
divisions

Weapons
 100 surface-to-air missile sites
 16,000 antiaircraft guns

Aircraft
 30 F-8 Finback fighters (indigenous model derived from Soviet
designs)
 200 F-7 Fishbed fighters (copy of MiG-21)
 3,000 F-6 Farmer fighters (copy of MiG-19)
 400 F-5 Fresco fighters (copy of MiG-17)
 500 F-4 Fagot (copy of MiG-15) and A-5 Fantan (derived from
F-6) ground attack fighters
 120 B-6 Badger bombers (copy of Tu-16 intermediate-range bomber)
 500 B-5 Beagle bombers (copy of Il-28 medium-range bomber)
 550 transports (Y-5, Y-7, Y-8, Il-14, Il-18, Tridents, etc.)
 400 helicopters (Z-5 6, Z-9, Alouette, Super Frelon, Bell, Super
Puma, and Sikorsky)

          * * * * *

Navy

Strength: 350,000 including Coastal Defense Forces, Naval Air
Force, and Marine Corps

Ships and boats

Submarines
 2 Xia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN)
(See Strategic Missile Force)
 3 Han-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN)
 1 Golf-class ballistic missile submarine (SSB) (trials)
 90 Romeo-class diesel attack submarines (SS)
 20 Whiskey-class diesel attack submarines (SS)
 2 Ming-class training submarines (SS)

Surface combatants
 11 Luda-class destroyers
 4 Anshan-class destroyers
 20 Jianghu-class frigates
 2 Jiangdong-class frigates
 4 Chengdu-class frigates
 5 Jiangnan-class frigates
 14 patrol combatants
 181 patrol craft--large and river coastal
 877 fast-attack craft (gun, missile, or torpedo)
 33 mine warfare ships
 613 amphibious warfare ships and craft
 49 support ships

Naval Air Force
 50 B-6 Badger bombers
 130 B-5 Beagle bombers
 600 fighters, including F-4, F-5, F-6, and F-7

          * * * * *

Strategic Missile Force

Strength: 100,000 in 6 or 7 divisions

Nuclear warheads: estimated between 225 and 300

Missiles
 50 Dongfeng-2 (CSS-1) medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM)
(650nm)
 60 Dongfeng-3 (CSS-2) intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM)
(1,620nm)
 4 Dongfeng-4 (CSS-3) limited-range intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBM) (3,780nm)
 2 Dongfeng-5 (CSS-4) full-range intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBM) (8,100nm)

Submarines
 2 Xia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN),
each with 12 CSS-NX-4 IRBMs (1,190nm to 1,620nm)

Source: Based on information from United States Defense
Intelligence Agency, Handbook on the People's Liberation
Army, Washington, 1984, various pages; and International
Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance, 1986-
87, London, 1986, 140-45.