China’s Next Generation Artillery Promises World Leading Performance: First Images Show SH16 in Field Trials

New images have for the first time confirmed that the Chinese SH16 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer is undergoing field trials. Images released on Chinese social media showing an unknown howitzer were widely reported to be the next generation system, which is expected to enter service before 2027, and may be formally unveiled at the People’s Liberation Army’s upcoming landmark military parade on September 3, 2025. The system is expected to introduce a number of revolutionary new features, one of which is a modular unmanned turret that reduces crew requirements to just two personnel — one driver and one gunner/commander. The vehicles are expected to combine high levels of automation with a focus on rapid redeployment capabilities and rapid sustained firing rates.The SH16’s is a comprehensive system that incorporates a turret with subsystems for firepower, information and control, while maintaining a turret weight of under 14 tons improve mobility. With a barrel length that is 52 times its 155mm caliber, the howitzer’s range and accuracy are expected to be exceptional.

The SH16’s predecessor in service, the the PLZ-05, has already been considered a world leader in its capabilities since it entered service in 2008, and still remains one of the newest designs in the world. Very few other countries having developed a clean sheet high calibre self propelled howitzers since the end of the Cold War. The system entered service in 2008, and uses a semi-automatic loading system that can fire busts of up to four rounds every fifteen seconds, with a sustained rate of fire of eight to ten rounds per minute. Fully automatic deployment allows for crew to remain inside the vehicle while operating it. The system is unrivalled in its engagement range with the ability to strike targets up to 100km away using WS-35 rounds. The SH16 is expected to further improve on these capabilities, widening the gap between the PLA Ground Force’s’ artillery and those of rival services abroad. Advances in China’s ground forces have often been overshadowed by those in its Navy and Air Force, primarily due to the fact that any conflict between the country and the Western Bloc states is expected to take place at sea. The rate of advances have nevertheless remained outstanding.