Chinese marines are getting a new light turreted assault gun:
The new Chinese ZTQ 05 light tank has shown up in the bluish camouflage used by the Chines marines. The marines do not use the ZTQ 05 as a tank but as an assault gun, with its 105mm gun providing close (line of sight where the gunner can see the target) artillery support. The new marine brigades each have two marine infantry battalions and one armor battalion. The armor battalion contains Type 96A medium tanks as well as ZTQ 05 light tanks operating mainly as assault guns to help the marines fight their way off the beach as quickly as possible. Tanks often operate as assault guns for the infantry but the marine ZTQ 05s will carry mostly high-explosive shells and use crews trained to handle assault gun jobs.That's a high ratio of mobile armor to infantry and looks more like a traditional mechanized infantry unit--except for the infantry being foot mobile.
But the infantry will have more easily transported light armor to provide direct fire support to blast through opposition (assuming it isn't blasted apart for being so lightly armored).
But any significant advance from the landing point will rely on follow-up Chinese army units.
Do all the Chinese marine brigades have this organization? Or just the new expansion brigades?
Because I had assumed the marines would be more useful for taking islands in the South China Sea and East China Sea. But with such a high proportion of armor, they don't seem appropriate for lightly defended small islands (but they'd be good for taking the Pescadores Islands off of Taiwan).
I've long been conflicted over China's marines. Some analysts dismiss China's ability to invade Taiwan by noting the small size of the Chinese naval infantry force (not that long ago just two brigades). I never thought China needed these brigades at all to invade. With seven brigades now, China could well think they have enough for small island missions, seizing the Pescadores Islands off of Taiwan, and spearheading a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Although I suspect the assault guns and other vehicles of a Chinese naval infantry brigade used fo an invasion of Taiwan would be more likely to unload into a Taiwanese port from a RO/RO vessel than churning up a beach in a traditional D-Day-style invasion--which I don't believe would be the model for a Chinese invasion.
