QJY-88

The QJY-88, also known as the Type 88 LMG (Chinese: 88式通用机枪; pinyin: 1988 shì tōngyòng jīqiāng; trans. "1988 model general purpose machine gun"), is a 5.8x42mm Chinese light machine gun designed in the late 1980s by China North Industries Corporation, otherwise known as Norinco. It was intended to replace the obsolete Type 67 machine gun in service with the PLA.^[1]

QJY-88 machine gun
Type	Light machine gun
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	Late 1990s
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designer	China North Industries Corporation
Designed	1989
Manufacturer	China North Industries Corporation
Variants	Light mode/Heavy mode
Specifications
Mass	Light mode:7.6 kg (17 lb), Heavy mode:11.8 kg (26 lb)
Length	Light mode:1,151 mm (45.3 in), Heavy mode:1,321 mm (52.0 in)
Barrel length	600 mm (24 in)
Crew	2: gunner and ammunition feeder
Cartridge	5.8×42mm DBP87 "Heavy rounds"
Action	gas-operated
Rate of fire	650–700 rounds/min, 300 rounds/min (sustained fire)
Muzzle velocity	895 m/s (2,940 ft/s)
Effective firing range	800–1,000 m (2,600–3,300 ft)
Feed system	Belt, 100 & 200 round cartridge case
Sights	Iron sight

Design

The GPMG was created with first prototypes designed in 1989 before it was approved for production in 1999.^[2] A variant with a heavier barrel, longer flash hider, and an electric solenoid trigger that replaces the buttstock, named QJT88 (QJT5.8), is designed for vehicle coaxial usage.^[3]

Variants

QJY-88

base variant.

QJT-88

coaxial machine gun with electric solenoid trigger

Users

QYJ-88 mounted on a tripod.

• China: Claimed to have been retired by the PLA and replaced by QJY-201.^[4] Still in use by Chinese law enforcement.^[5]

Non-state actors

• Tamil Tigers^[6]

See also

• QJS-161 – (China)
• QBB-95 – (China)
• HK MG4 – (Germany)
• HK MG5 – (Germany)
• IMI Negev – (Israel, Vietnam)
• RPL-20 – (Russia)
• Daewoo Precision Industries K3 – (South Korea)
• Ultimax 100 – (Singapore)
• FN MAG – (Belgium)
• FN Minimi – (Belgium)
• FN EVOLYS – (Belgium)
• M60 machine gun – (United States)
• M249 light machine gun – (Belgium, United States)
• PK machine gun – (Soviet Union)
• PKP Pecheneg machine gun – (Russia)
• Sumitomo Type 62 – (Japan)