In recent years, the Chinese Army has not introduced new tanks or rocket launchers, leading many to wonder where the military budget is being allocated for this force, often dubbed the "strongest on the planet."
This year, China's defense budget has been announced, totaling 1,665.54 billion RMB, an increase of 7.4% from last year.
Most of these funds are directed towards the navy and air force, with the army not acquiring much new equipment. So, where is all this money going?
The answer is simple: logistics support.
In fact, the army's budget is relatively small, accounting for less than one-third of the total military budget.
The majority of the funds are allocated to the air force and navy.
The army's budget of over 500 billion RMB needs to support over a million personnel and maintain and update various equipment, which is already quite economical.
In recent years, the Chinese Army has invested heavily in logistics.
When it comes to PLA logistics, many people think of soldiers' dietary support. However, logistics support encompasses much more than providing quality food.
A comprehensive logistics system also includes financial management, soldiers' salaries and benefits, barracks construction, water supply, clothing supply, medical services, material maintenance, fuel supply, and combat supplies replenishment.
Additionally, logistics involve managing military logistics warehousing and planning and implementing combat support operations.
These tasks are not only complex but also require a high level of organization and expertise to ensure the army can maintain strong combat capabilities under any circumstances.
The Chinese Army still has many shortcomings in logistics.
Firstly, there is insufficient vertical transportation capacity on the front lines. Although drones and self-heating meal kits provide new methods for modern military supply, drones have limited carrying capacity and cannot handle large-scale material transport tasks.
Additionally, drones are susceptible to electromagnetic interference, making them unsuitable for critical moments.
In contrast, helicopters, especially large transport helicopters, are extremely important in the military field.
They can quickly transport large amounts of supplies and personnel in complex terrains and adverse weather conditions and can timely transport wounded soldiers.
Therefore, helicopters are the lifeline on the battlefield.
However, in the field of helicopters, China still cannot compare with Russia and the United States.
China lacks a general-purpose helicopter, and the current Z-20 is only barely usable, leading China to purchase Russia's Ka-52.
At the beginning of this year, the first batch of Ka-52 helicopters was delivered.
It is clear that China hopes to accelerate the development of its own general-purpose helicopters through this model, which requires substantial funds.
Secondly, there is a lack of all-terrain unmanned transport vehicles.
This is currently a key focus for the army’s logistics support vehicles.
All-terrain unmanned transport vehicles can transport about 2 tons of ammunition and food to the front lines, have some armor protection, and can attack enemy infantry, supporting ground forces in combat.
Compared to helicopters, these transport vehicles move on the ground, making them harder to detect by radar, consume less fuel, and are cheaper to produce.
Previously, the PLA planned to use the "Lynx" as a general-purpose unmanned transport vehicle, but its armor protection was insufficient and now needs upgrading.
Lastly, there is insufficient long-range delivery capability.
Long-range transport of troops and supplies requires large transport aircraft. Although China already has the Y-20, the number is still inadequate.
The Y-20 also needs upgrading, with new engines exposed in 2021, with a larger diameter, nicknamed the "big barrel" by military enthusiasts.
With new engines, the Y-20's maximum takeoff weight will reach 220 tons, with a payload capacity of 66 tons.
Currently, China has over 80 Y-20s, but this is far from enough; at least 120 more are needed.
Do not think that the Y-20 is just a transport aircraft.
It is closely related to the army, representing a country's ability to project military power in emergencies.
Compared to the US and Russia, China still has a gap in this area.
The key to warfare lies in logistics support.
Once the logistics supply line is cut off, the combat effectiveness of front-line soldiers drops to zero.
The 21st-century army needs an all-weather, multi-dimensional logistics supply network, which must be very tight, with corresponding transport tools both in the sky and on the ground.
From squad to brigade-level combat units, appropriate transport tools must be equipped. Once a gap appears in the network, it must be quickly repaired.
If this capability is lacking, there will be situations like the early stages of the Russia-Ukraine war, where a large number of heavy equipment were abandoned due to lack of fuel.
Logistics support is very expensive, and most countries cannot afford it.
Therefore, the full set of equipment exported by China is mostly at the synthetic battalion level, while the logistics support for heavy synthetic brigades can only be afforded by wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia during wartime.
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