The PLZ-05 or the Type 05 is an advanced family of 155 mm self-propelled howitzers developed by the People's Liberation Army

People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

 of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 to replace the Type 83

Type 83

The Type 83 is a 152 mm self-propelled howitzer used by the People's Liberation Army of China.This self-propelled gun system was developed by Factory 674 and based on a tracked chassis. The project's development started in the late 1970s and the prototype was completed in February 1980,...

 152mm. The PLZ-05 was officially unveiled at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution

Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution

The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, or China People's Revolution Military Museum is a museum located in Beijing, China immediately west of central Beijing in Haidian District...

 to mark the 80th anniversary of the PLA in July 2007.

Design

There are two self-propelled howitzers in the family: the PLZ05 and the PLZ04.

The PLZ-05 is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer with a 52 caliber

Caliber

In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....

 barrel

Barrel

A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...

 and is apparently offered for export

Export

The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...

. The more powerful PLZ-04, with a 54 caliber barrel are deployed only with the People's Liberation Army

People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

.