Why PLA’s laser-equipped Type 19 vehicle could matter in a Taiwan conflict

The People’s Liberation Army may be seeking to give its frontline mechanised units mobile protection against the kind of drone-saturated battlefield that could emerge in a Taiwan conflict.

Unverified images posted on mainland Chinese social media on August 29 show a new variant of the Type 19 amphibious 8x8 combat vehicle featuring a turret-mounted laser weapon and extra sensors alongside its standard autocannon.

Janes, an open-source defence intelligence provider, reported in 2023 that vehicles from the Type 19 family had entered service with the 73rd Group Army under the Eastern Theatre Command, which includes amphibious brigades expected to play a major role in a potential Taiwan landing operation.

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Assuming the new variant retains the base platform’s amphibious capability, it could accompany frontline units in a possible landing operation, providing defence against uncrewed surveillance and loitering munitions.

Timothy Heath, founder of defence consultancy Perceptum and a former senior China analyst at Rand Corporation and for the US military, said it was difficult to know without more technical data whether the modifications affected the Type 19’s amphibious performance, but he believed operating the laser system while afloat “should be possible”.

The added weight could potentially be offset by reducing the crew size or other equipment, although the system would also need to be protected from salt water, he said.

Heath said that if those challenges could be overcome, the laser-based counter-drone system could be “very useful in a Taiwan conflict” in which Taiwanese forces might use drone swarms to target amphibious vehicles coming ashore.

The laser system’s low operating cost could make it particularly useful against such attacks, Heath added.