Quoting a PLA Daily report (April 18) the South China Morning Post (April 19) said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed an advanced long-range rocket launcher to the Himalayas, in a move aimed at reinforcing China’s border defence and acting as a deterrent to India.  It pointed out that this is the first time that the PLA has confirmed the deployment of long-range rocket systems to the border with India, after the neighbours last week failed to reach an agreement in their latest round of corps commander-level talks over full disengagement along the disputed frontier. The frontpage PLA Daily report disclosed that an artillery brigade stationed 5,200 metres (17,000 feet) above sea level in "Xinjiang military district" has intensified its drills using a rocket system during full-wing combat-ready training. The report did not give the type or firing range of the weapon, but said it was a system with a long-range rocket with precision strike capability, and had entered service in 2019. HongKong-based military commentator and former instructor in the PLA’s Artillery Corps, Song Zhongping said “The new weapon system should be a long-range rocket launcher that can carry multiple 300mm [12-inch] or even bigger rockets with more than 100km of firing range”, adding that “Only a long-range MLRS is powerful enough to act as a deterrent to India, as the Indian troops are also stepping up military deployment along the borders.” Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Tong said the long-range MLRS mentioned by PLA Daily was likely to be the most advanced PHL-16, or the Type PCL-191. The Type PCL-191, whose name was disclosed by Chinese military magazine Modern Ships, debuted in the National Day Parade in 2019, but with its name concealed. The Modern Ships also said the modular rocket system of the PCL-191 is able to carry eight 370mm rockets, each with a range of 350km (220 miles), or two 750mm Fire Dragon 480 tactical ballistic missiles, each capable of flying up to 500km. The South China Morning Post said it is not known how many PCL-191 units China has built, but according to a military source an artillery brigade equipped with the cutting-edge weapon system was in December 2019 deployed to Zhejiang province under the Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait.

(Comment: Use of the new rocket launcher by an Artillery Brigade in "Xinjiang Military District" suggests that the equipment is deployed in the South Xinjiang Military District which includes the Hetian and Ali Military Sub-Districts.)