China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears to be developing an amphibious armoured vehicle fitted with a laser weapon and additional sensors to counter drones, potentially giving frontline forces greater protection during a possible Taiwan landing operation. The new variant of the Type 19 8×8 combat vehicle was seen in unverified images posted on Chinese social media on August 29, as Taiwan moves to rapidly expand its own drone capabilities.The development comes as Taipei prepares to spend billions of dollars on uncrewed systems. On September 3, Taiwan’s cabinet proposed a NT$145.7 billion ($4.6 billion) supplementary defence budget that includes more than 600 coastal surveillance and reconnaissance drones and over 40,000 coastal attack drones. The package still needs legislative approval.The combination points to a battlefield in which drones could play a major role on both sides. For PLA forces attempting to land and establish a foothold in Taiwan, a mobile system capable of detecting and disabling drones could help protect troops and armoured vehicles from attacks and surveillance.The Type 19 family is already associated with PLA amphibious formations. Defence intelligence provider Janes reported in 2023 that vehicles from the family had entered service with the 73rd Group Army under the Eastern Theatre Command. The command includes amphibious brigades that would be expected to play a major role in any Taiwan landing operation.If the newly seen vehicle retains the Type 19’s amphibious capability, it could potentially accompany troops during an assault and provide short-range protection against uncrewed surveillance aircraft and loitering munitions.Timothy Heath, founder of defence consultancy Perceptum and a former senior China analyst at Rand Corporation and for the US military, said it was difficult to know without more technical data whether the modifications affected the Type 19’s amphibious performance, but he believed operating the laser system while afloat “should be possible”.The vehicle’s additional equipment could, however, create technical challenges. The laser, sensors and associated systems would add weight to an amphibious platform where buoyancy is critical. The equipment would also have to withstand exposure to salt water.Heath said the added weight could potentially be offset by reducing the crew size or other equipment, although the system would also need to be protected from salt water.
Taiwan is building a large drone force
Taiwan has been expanding its use of uncrewed systems as it prepares for a potential conflict with China. Days before the proposed supplementary budget, Taiwanese lawmakers approved a separate six-year NT$240 billion framework for domestically produced drones after rejecting a competing government plan.The island has also reorganised parts of its military around drone warfare.The army finalised drone battalions across three operational combat zones in April. The marine corps had earlier established a drone battalion as part of a restructuring that also included disbanding tank and self-propelled artillery battalions.During Taiwan’s Han Kuang 42 military exercise in August, aerial drone units carried out battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance, intelligence transmission and attack missions, according to the island’s defence ministry.For an amphibious force, drones could pose several threats beyond direct attacks. They could track troop movements, identify vehicles and positions and help direct artillery, missiles and other weapons towards exposed forces.That makes a mobile counter-drone system potentially valuable during the most vulnerable phase of a landing operation.Heath said the laser-based counter-drone system could be “very useful in a Taiwan conflict” in which Taiwanese forces might use drone swarms to target amphibious vehicles coming ashore.The cost of firing a laser can also be much lower than repeatedly using conventional missiles or ammunition against relatively inexpensive drones. That could become important in a conflict involving large numbers of uncrewed systems.Heath added that the laser system’s low operating cost could make it particularly useful against such attacks.
Lessons from Ukraine and earlier drone warfare
The apparent development also fits a wider shift in military thinking after recent conflicts demonstrated how vulnerable armoured and frontline forces can be to drones.In the Russia-Ukraine war, uncrewed aircraft have been used extensively for reconnaissance, artillery spotting and attacks on tanks, artillery and other military equipment.Heath said the new Type 19 variant was consistent with lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, where drones had proved effective against tanks, artillery and other frontline targets, increasing the value of mounting counter-drone systems directly on individual platforms.He said the PLA had “almost certainly” drawn similar lessons from earlier fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where drones had shown an ability to bypass traditional air-defence systems.Those lessons appear to be driving a broader PLA effort to protect troops and vehicles from drones. Possible approaches include additional armour, conventional guns and missiles, as well as newer directed-energy systems such as lasers and microwave weapons.The Type 19 could represent another step in that evolution by putting sensors and counter-drone capabilities directly on an armoured vehicle that can move with mechanised formations.Other militaries are pursuing similar concepts.South Korea’s Hanwha this week unveiled a Tigon 8×8 armoured vehicle fitted with a 50-kilowatt counter-drone laser. The company has built a prototype and plans serial production by the end of 2027.In the United States, AeroVironment’s 20kW-class Locust system has been mounted on Army Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. JLTV-mounted Locust systems were delivered to the US Army in December under a prototyping programme.The PLA system seen in the Type 19 images, however, remains less certain.Janes assessed the vehicle as a Type 19-based counter-drone variant, but it is not clear whether it is operational, undergoing trials or being used only as a technology demonstrator.Why the laser matters, and its limitsA laser could give an amphibious formation a potentially deep magazine against drones because it does not rely on carrying a conventional interceptor for every target. It could also complement existing guns and other air-defence weapons.But directed-energy weapons have limitations.Their effectiveness can be reduced by weather, smoke and dust. They also require substantial electrical power and cooling. These factors could be particularly important during a contested amphibious operation, where vehicles may have limited opportunities for maintenance or resupply.That may explain why the newly seen vehicle appears to retain its autocannon alongside the laser and additional sensors.The combination would give crews more than one way to respond to a drone threat. A laser could be used when conditions allow, while the cannon could provide another option against targets that are difficult to engage with directed energy.The larger significance of the Type 19 variant may therefore lie less in the laser itself and more in how the PLA appears to be adapting armoured forces for a battlefield increasingly shaped by drones.If the vehicle eventually enters operational service, it could provide amphibious units with a mobile layer of counter-drone protection as they move towards and across Taiwan’s coastline. But until more information emerges about its performance, power requirements, amphibious capability and operational status, its role in a future conflict remains uncertain.