Chinese Upgrade Army With Camouflage Shower Trucks

The Chinese military has added showers and cooking trucks to its ever more sophisticated arsenal, state media reported.

The camouflaged vehicle can be set up in five minutes and allows 20 men to shower simultaneously within a narrow 10-square-metre (108-square-foot) space, the Xinhua news agency said.

The introduction of the shower vehicle means China's men and women in uniform can now get a hot shower once a week while out in the field, according to Xinhua.

China's military budget is set to rise 17.8 percent this year, triggering fears abroad about how the rising Asian power plans to spend the money.

"The shower vehicles can automatically adjust water temperature and store quite a large amount of water," said Li Chunyuan, head of logistics of the division under the Chengdu Military Command (成都军区).

He said his division undertook long journeys and high-plateau exercises each year. The inhospitable conditions of the campsites meant servicemen had to suffer from inadequate drinking water, while a hot water shower had been a luxury. The low air pressure at high elevations also made cooking difficult.

In addition to the shower truck, vehicles for cooking and water storage were also recently introduced to the division.

The cooking vehicle is resistant to cold, strong winds and is equipped to automatically raise air pressure. Each vehicle can prepare food dishes for more than 100 servicemen at a time.

The water storage vehicle has various functions. These include purification, storage and transport. In addition, each company of the division is allocated two water storage bags when they go for field exercises. The vehicle and bags guarantee the soldiers have enough access to drinking water even under difficult conditions.

Source: AFP, Xinhua