A new type of vehicle-mounted anti-tank missile is now being deployed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The new missile is more powerful than its predecessors due to the larger caliber, and is highly mobile when mounted on an off-road assault vehicle that can run in complicated terrain. The recently revealed missile is China’s third-generation homing missile capable of attacking targets from above, or top attack, effectively destroying modern battle tanks among other targets. The official video website of the People’s Liberation Army, which did not give any further details on the missile.
Compared with current anti-tank missiles in service with the PLA, this new missile has a larger caliber. Top attack is a very effective method for destroying heavily armored targets like tanks, because their armor on the top is usually the thinnest part. A larger caliber means the missile is likely to be more powerful than its predecessors. The new missile can be mounted on China’s Mengshi series off-road assault vehicle or infantry fighting vehicles. This means the missile is very mobile and can be operated in complicated terrain, the expert said. China operates a wide selection of anti-tank missiles, including portable ones and those launched by attack helicopters, drones, armored vehicles and assault vehicles.
