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QBZ-191
Chinese assault rifle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The QBZ-191 Automatic Rifle (Chinese: 191式自动步枪; pinyin: Yāo jiǔ yāo Shì Zìdòng Bùqiāng) is a Chinese assault rifle chambered for the 5.8×42mm intermediate cartridge, designed and manufactured by Chongqing Jianshe as a new-generation service rifle for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and People's Armed Police (PAP). The rifle's designation "QBZ" stands for "light weapon (Qīng Wǔqì) – rifle (Bùqiāng) – automatic (Zìdòng)".[8]
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The new rifle was formally revealed at the 70th Anniversary National Day military parade on 1 October 2019,[9] carried by personnel of the PLA Ground Force and People's Armed Police.
It is designated as part of the Type 20 (Chinese: 20式; pinyin: 20 Shì) weapon family by the People's Liberation Army.[1][10]
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History
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The Chinese military initiated the development of conventional-layout service rifles in 2014, with multiple manufacturers involved in the development and bidding process. Various prototypes of the new weapon platform were leaked online in 2016 and 2017.[11][12]
The QBZ-191 rifle was designed by Norinco's 208 Research Institute,[1] which also designed the bullpup QBZ-95 assault rifle. According to the director of the 208 Research Institute, QBZ-191 is a component of the new "Integrated Soldier Combat System" (单兵综合作战系统), which aims to overhaul the PLA's infantry equipment.[4]
The QBZ-191 was first announced in the 2019 Chinese national parade and would gradually replace the QBZ-95 rifle family in Chinese military service. The QBZ-191 features several improvements, aiming to resolve the unsatisfactory issues, such as ergonomics, of the Type 95 platform.[11][5] It was reported since 2021 that the QBZ-191 would eventually replace the QBZ-95 and QBZ-03 in PLA service.[13]
Since August 2023, Chinese special forces units use the QBZ-192 with armored infantry units following suit.[14]
During the "Laos-China Friendship Shield-2024" military exercises in July 2024, Chinese troops presented the QBZ-191 to their Laotian counterparts.[15]
In August 2024, Thailand reportedly was the first nation to acquire the QBZ-195T for Thai special forces, based on their experience from interactions with Chinese soldiers in joint exercises including “Assault-2023” and “Blue Assault-2023".[16] This is part of Thai efforts to diversify sources of military hardware.[17]
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Design
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Compared to the bullpup QBZ-95, the QBZ-191 uses a conventional configuration similar to the QBZ-03, with greatly improved ergonomics, ambidextrous usability, and better reliability across different environments.[11] The platform features various barrel lengths and handguard configurations. A shorter carbine version was carried by vehicle crews during the 2019 parade.[18]
The QBZ-191 rifle features a full-length Picatinny rail on the top and comes standard with new 3× daylight prismatic optics called QMK152 and QMK-171A, while a thermal sight is also available. The DMR variant is equipped with a new 3–8.6×[7] scope called QMK-191,[19] and the weapon can also be equipped with the IR5118 digital night vision/thermal scope.[20] The rifle is also equipped with backup iron sights that can be folded down when not in use.[11] The main body is divided into the upper and lower receivers, both are made of aluminium alloy and connected by two assembly pins, while the handguard, pistol grip and telescoping stock are made of polymer material.[11][5] The reciprocating charging handle is located on the right side, while the bolt-release button sits on the left, above the "rock-and-lock" magazine insertion well.[4][5]
The weapon features a short-stroke piston gas-operation design with rotating bolt.[4][5] The rotating bolt has four locking lugs and a helical cam-in locking mechanism. A three-position gas regulator is located at the gas block attached to the handguard via dovetails. The fire control group is a self-contained modular unit, with a fire selector in the order of safe, full auto, and semi-automatic firing.[3]
The rifle has improved ergonomics, modularity, and customization options, featuring a 4-position adjustable buttstock, ambidextrous fire selector, and a lengthened magazine release lever located in front of the trigger guard for speed-reloading or easier manipulation when wearing gloves. The new polymer magazine has a redesigned surface texture for better grip and a transparent ammunition-checking window.[4] with a design similar to that of Magpul PMAG.[21] The weapon can also feed from the transparent 30-round polymar magazine,[19] older 30-round QBZ-95 magazines,[6] and from the 75-round magazines of the QJB-95 light support weapons.[6] The handguard has provisions at its 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions, which allow small sections of Picatinny rails to be selectively installed through screw holes, so that various accessories such as flashlight, laser module, foregrip and bipod can be attached.[11][5] The weapon platform can also be mounted with bayonets, suppressors, and under-barrel grenade launchers.[5]
The QBZ-191 rifle is chambered in the Chinese-proprietary 5.8×42mm caliber with a redesigned DBP-191 ammunition that has better ballistic performance at medium to long ranges.[21][22] The rifle has been designed into three variants: a standard rifle version with a 368.3 mm (14.5 in) barrel, a carbine version with a 266.7 mm (10.5 in) barrel called QBZ-192, and a long-barreled DMR version called the QBU-191.[23] The standard QBZ-191 has a full-auto rate of fire at 750 rounds per minute.[3] The full-auto capability is retained on the QBU-191 designated marksman rifle, which could be easily configured into a light support weapon with a drum magazine.[3]
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Variants
- QBZ-191
- Assault rifle with a 14.5 in (368.3 mm) barrel.[3]
- QBZ-192
- Carbine variant with a 10.5 in (266.7 mm) barrel.[3]
- QBU-191
- Designated marksman rifle with an 800 m (870 yd) effective range.[1] It is fitted with an accurized long, heavy free-floating barrel, extended handguard, 30-round box magazine, and a QMK-191 variable-magnification (3–8.6×) telescopic sight.[7] Selective fire with full-auto mode is retained on the marksman rifle, improving its fire suppression capability.[3]
- QBZ-195T
- A variant of the QBZ-191 meant to be chambered in 5.56mm NATO ammo.[16]
- CS/LR42
- A variant of the QBZ-191 chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.[24]
- CS/LR42A
- A variant of the QBZ-192 chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.[24]
- CS/LR43
- A variant of the QBZ-191 chambered in 7.62×39mm.[24]
- CS/LR43A
- A variant of the QBZ-192 chambered in 7.62×39mm.[24]
- CS/LR44
- A variant of the QBU-191 chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO.[25]
Users
China: Being adopted by the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police.[26]
Thailand: Acquired the QBZ-195T for Thai special forces units from August 2024.[28]
References
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