Type 19 laser-equipped variant

A Chinese armoured vehicle with an apparent counter-drone laser, identified as Type 19-based in Janes imagery analysis.

Overview

Janes identified an eight-wheeled vehicle combining a 30 mm cannon and a laser on an unmanned turret in its September 2026 assessment. The publication could not establish whether it was operational, under test or a demonstrator.

This entry covers the photographed configuration. “Type 19 laser-equipped variant” is a descriptive label; the reviewed material does not establish a separate official designation or laser manufacturer.

Development

Janes dated the photographs' circulation to late August 2026. Its November 2023 report had identified newly inducted PLA infantry fighting vehicles as probably Type 19, also called Type 22, and described their hull as matching the earlier ZBL-09. That report concerned the conventional vehicle, not this laser installation. The ZBL-08 family entry provides background on the preceding wheeled platform.

China's wider counter-drone programme includes several forms of interception. Xinhua's account of the September 2025 parade, carried by the Chinese defence ministry, listed missile-gun systems alongside high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons. It did not identify the later Type 19 configuration.

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