A testing vehicle for self-propelled artillery defense has been
invented by the China Military Academy of Ordinance and
Engineering. This vehicle is seen as a vital component in the
capability of the defense forces. The invention coincides with the
first enrollment of students for a self-propelled artillery studies
program as petty officers in the Chinese army.
This invention attempts to address the problems posed by
performance checking and fault diagnosis on vital artillery
equipment. The self-propelled artillery vehicle has recently passed
successfully through the testing phase of its development cycle,
and has been put into batch production. It is understood to have
addressed the gaps in this area with great success, People's
Liberation Army Daily reported.
To
coincide with this happy event, the 28th August saw the first 40
junior college students enroll in the artillery studies program at
the China Artillery Academy Nanjing Branch. The enrollment
examination for the course was sponsored by the Chinese military
universities. The students of the course will learn the skills and
techniques of operating, repairing and maintaining this complex
piece of equipment. They will be the first men amongst the Chinese
army petty officer corps to acquire these skills.
In
the past number of years, and in-step with Chinese army
modernization, a greater amount of artillery equipment and
expertise has been demanded. In particular, there has been a need
for expert handling of self-propelled artillery repair and
operation. However, due to the limitations of educational
opportunities in this field, owing to a shortage of teaching
systems in the area and a reliance on internal training, strong
basic theory for single technologies has been slow to develop. This
naturally presented a problem for the armed forces. The enrollment
of the new course is therefore seen as a major step towards
training development for a highly expert field within the army.
The duration of the course is 3 years and will include 1 year's
practical training in the army. The students will learn physics,
machine theory, mechanical drawing, chassis repair skills,
self-propelled artillery operation and control as well as lessons
in cultural and military professionalism.
(china.org.cn by Wang Zhiyong, October 10, 2002)