Originally published on February 20, 2014
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A survey has found that Chinese soldiers have grown taller and wider over the past two decades, which has led to cramped tanks and other equipment problems.
According to the Global Times, a research institute with the People's Liberation Army's General Armament Department has found that the average Chinese soldier is two centimeters taller and five centimeters larger around the waistline than 20 years ago. More than 20,000 current soldiers took part in the survey.
The report also said soldiers can feel "cramped" in some commonly used tanks, as they were designed for smaller average physiques decades ago, Global Times reported. Rifle stocks are also too short for some soldiers, limiting their accuracy.
"The configuration of the armaments should match the military personnel's physiques, because that is the only way to ensure handy use of the equipment," the daily quoted Ding Songtao, who is in charge of the statistics, telling the South China Morning Post. China has the second-largest defense budget in the world after the United States.
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