The QLZ-87[7][8][9] (also known as Type 87[10]) is an air-cooled, gas operated 35×32mmSR automatic grenade launcher (AGL)[11] that is crew transportable (12–20 kg (26–44 lb)) with limited amounts of ammunition.[12] Unusual for handheld grenade launchers, the QLZ-87 fires high-velocity grenades of 35x32 mmSR caliber, which provides a longer range and flatter firing trajectory.[13]
QLZ-87 (Type 87 Grenade Launcher) | |
---|---|
![]() A Type 87 grenade launcher mounted on a tripod on display in Beijing | |
Type | Grenade launcher |
Place of origin | China |
Service history | |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designer | Xiafeng Machinery[5] |
Designed | Mid-1980s |
Manufacturer | Norinco |
Produced | Late 1980s – present |
Specifications | |
Mass | 26 lb (12 kg) (base: optical scope & integral bipod, no magazine) 44 lb (20 kg) (including tripod mount) |
Length | 38 in (970 mm) |
Cartridge | 35×32mmSR grenade |
Action | Air cooling, gas-operated (direct impingement) |
Rate of fire | 480 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 190 m/s (620 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
Maximum firing range | 1,750 m (5,740 ft) (tripod-mounted) |
Feed system | 6- or 15-round drum magazine |
Sights | Iron sights 3x magnification optic Optic mounting rail for night vision or thermal sight[6] |
The QLZ-87 is being complemented by the QLZ-04, which is fed from a belt and thus is better suited to be mounted on tripods and vehicles.[14]
Development
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Design
editIt can fire a variety of 35 mm grenades stored in the 6-or 15-round cartridge drum. The Type 87 is described by NORINCO as "Mini Infantry Artillery". The two most common types of grenades are the 35x32SR DFS87 HE (High Explosive) and DFJ87 HEDP (High Explosive, Dual Purpose) variants.[2] The HEDP 35 mm grenade pierces armour up to 80 mm thick and produces fragments to kill or wound personnel within 5 meters of the point of impact.[2] The HE 35mm grenade has a stated fragmentation casualty radius of 10–11 meters.[2] The Type 87 can fire on a tripod or by using the bipod fixed on the barrel. It can also be mounted on armoured vehicles or helicopters. The launcher is capable of attacking low-flying air targets as well as targets on the ground.[15]
Ammunition
editThe list of warhead types that are available for the 35×32mmSR Type 87:[16]
- DFS-87 (Chinese: DFS-87杀伤弹): Anti-personnel fragmentation grenade with HE-Frag warhead.
- DFJ-87 (Chinese: DFJ-87破甲杀伤弹): Dual purpose, Armor-piercing grenade with HEAT warhead.
- DFR-87 (Chinese: DFR-87燃烧弹): Incendiary grenade.
- DFN-87 (Chinese: DFN-87杀伤燃烧弹): High-explosive fragmentation incendiary grenade.
- DFD-87 (Chinese: DFD-87烟雾弹): Smoke/marker grenade, with colored smoke.[17]
Variants
editUsers
edit- Afghanistan[19]
- Bolivia[2][4]
- China: People's Liberation Army
- Ethiopia[2] Some locally made
- Iraqi Kurdistan: Kurdish Peshmerga[4]
- Namibia[2]
- Niger[3]
- Pakistan: Used by Pakistan Army.[2]
- Somalia, some captured by the Shabaab.[2]
- Sudan: Known to be made as "ABBA" by MIC.[20] The QLZ-87 is also used by Sudan-backed Chadian rebels and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North.[2]
- Syria[21]
- Tanzania[2]
- Uganda[2]
Non-State Actors
edit- Hamas: Some allegedly seized from Hamas arms caches.[22]
- Syrian National Coalition[2]
See also
edit- QLZ-04
- QLU-11, the replacement of the QLZ-87
- Type 91 grenade launcher
International:
- Milkor MGL – (South Africa)
- Neopup PAW-20 – (South Africa)
- Mk 19 grenade launcher – (United States)
- Mk 47 Mod 0 Striker – (United States)
- AGS-17 – (Soviet Union)
- AGS-30 – (Russia)
References
edit- ^ a b Small Arms Survey (2014). "Weapons tracing in Sudan and South Sudan" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and guns (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 226. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Yan 2014, p. 8
- ^ a b Savannah de Tessières (January 2018). At the Crossroads of Sahelian Conflicts: Insecurity, Terrorism, and Arms Trafficking in Niger (PDF) (Report). Small Arms Survey. p. 58. ISBN 978-2-940548-48-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Smallwood, Michael (29 April 2016). "Kurdish Forces with Chinese QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launcher & M99 Anti-materiel Rifle". Small Arms Defense Journal. Vol. 8, no. 1. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ "浙江先锋机械有限公司(国营第五三一六厂)". xian-feng.net. Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Yan 2014, p. 15.
- ^ a b c Yan 2014, p. 22.
- ^ Juanjuan Yang; et al. (15 May 2010). "Grenade Launchers in China (Upper)" (PDF). usgovcloudapi.net. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "35x32mm Type 87 – Weaponsystems.net". weaponsystems.net. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ Small Arms Survey 2014, p. 240.
- ^ "QLZ-87 / W87 – Modern Firearms". modernfirearms.net. 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ Blasko, Dennis J. (17 June 2013). The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century. Routledge. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-136-51997-0. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ "QLZ87". weaponsystems. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Yan 2014, p. 18.
- ^ QLZ87 Archived 22 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Weapon Systems.
- ^ "QLZ-87". Guns' World. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ 35×32mm Type 87 Archived 22 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Weapon Systems.
- ^ "QLB-06 / QLZ-87B – Modern Firearms". modernfirearms.net. 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ [1] Archived 18 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine Taliban Turns Insurgents into Commandos As It Builds 'Fully Capable' Army. 20 January 2022.
- ^ IDEX ABU 2017 Archived 23 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine Small Arms Defense Journal. 17 November 2017.
- ^ "New Chinese aid for Syria sets off alarms in Israel". Breaking Defense. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ Swan, Melanie (5 January 2024). "Hamas using 'massive' stockpile of Chinese weaponry in Gaza, says Israel". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024.
Sources
edit- Yan, Timothy (August 2014). The Chinese QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launcher (PDF). Arms & Munitions Brief 1. Armament Research Services Pty. Ltd. ISBN 9780992462420.