China's new military equipment experiment regulations eye combat capability boost

A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command taxies on the runway to the takeoff point prior to an air combat flight training exercise on January 17, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wu Gaoming)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently signed an order promulgating a set of regulations on the testing and assessment of military equipment, which stressed efficient, combat-oriented tests under the development trend of informatization and intelligentization throughout the equipment's entire life spans.

The regulations raised higher requirements for weapons and equipment to be used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and will contribute to boosting the troops' combat capabilities, analysts said on Sunday.

Consisting of 56 articles in 11 chapters and having taken effect on Thursday, the regulations stipulate the basic tasks, contents and management mechanisms of military equipment testing and assessment under new circumstances, and serve as the fundamental rule of relevant work, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

The new regulations come at a time when China is facing a drastic change in global security structures and is forced to enhance preparedness for possible military conflicts, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In order to have weapons and equipment to play their intended roles in real combat, they must go through tests and assessments in realistic, diverse and complex battlefield environments, Song said.

The new regulations are of significance in that they are expected to set higher standards and requirements for weapons and equipment to be used by the PLA, so the weapons and equipment can further boost the troops' combat capabilities and win wars, Song said.

Eyeing realistic combat-oriented test requirements of equipment, the regulations adjusted work procedures for experiment and assessment, as the work flow now consists of capability testing, status appraisal, combat testing, design finalization and in-service assessments throughout the entire life spans of the equipment, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.

This means that new military equipment will go through tough, scientific and combat-oriented testing not only before they are commissioned, but also during their service, analysts pointed out, noting that more problems and room for improvements can only be found during actual use.

Keeping a foothold on the development trend of informatization and intelligentization, the regulations improved the work pattern of testing and assessment so it will become combat-oriented, flexible and efficient, according to the CCTV report.

Experts said the new regulations focus not only on mechanization aspects of military equipment, but also informatization and intelligentization aspects, which are trends of modern warfare.

This is not the first set of regulations on military equipment Xi signed recently.

For example, in January 2021, Xi signed an order to release revised regulations on military equipment, defining the basic tasks, contents and management mechanisms for military equipment work under the new situation and system. In November 2021, Xi signed a new set of regulations on military equipment procurement focusing on war preparedness and combat capabilities.

During a military conference on weaponry and equipment-related work in October 2021 in Beijing, Xi urged efforts to break new ground in the development of the country's military weaponry and equipment, and contribute to the realization of the goals set for the centennial of the PLA in 2027.

China aims to basically complete the modernization of national defense and armed forces by 2035 and fully transform the PLA into a world-class military by the middle of the century, Xinhua reported.

China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and its military equipment development also follows that policy, analysts said.