Wikipedia

QLZ-87 grenade launcher

TheQLZ-87[7][8][9](also known asType 87[10]) is anair-cooled,gas operated35×32mmSRautomaticgrenade 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 fireshigh-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
TypeGrenade launcher
Place of originChina
Service history
Wars
Production history
DesignerXiafeng Machinery[5]
DesignedMid-1980s
ManufacturerNorinco
ProducedLate 1980s – present
Specifications
Mass26 lb (12 kg) (base: optical scope & integral bipod, no magazine)
44 lb (20 kg) (including tripod mount)
Length38 in (970 mm)
Cartridge35×32mmSR grenade
ActionAir cooling,gas-operated(direct impingement)
Rate of fire480 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity190 m/s (620 ft/s)
Effective firing range600 m (2,000 ft)
Maximum firing range1,750 m (5,740 ft) (tripod-mounted)
Feed system6- or 15-round drum magazine
SightsIron sights
3x magnification optic
Optic mounting rail fornight visionorthermal sight[6]

The QLZ-87 is being complemented by theQLZ-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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QLZ-87 in bipod configuration

Design

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QLZ-87 carried by Ugandan soldiers on the African Union mission

It can fire a variety of 35 mm grenades stored in the 6-or 15-round cartridgedrum.The Type 87 is described byNORINCOas "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

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The list of warhead types that are available for the 35×32mmSR Type 87:[16]

  • DFS-87(Chinese:DFS-87 sát thương đạn): Anti-personnel fragmentation grenade with HE-Frag warhead.
  • DFJ-87(Chinese:DFJ-87 phá giáp sát thương đạn): Dual purpose, Armor-piercing grenade with HEAT warhead.
  • DFR-87(Chinese:DFR-87 đạn lửa): Incendiary grenade.
  • DFN-87(Chinese:DFN-87 sát thương đạn lửa): High-explosive fragmentation incendiary grenade.
  • DFD-87(Chinese:DFD-87 sương khói đạn): Smoke/marker grenade, with colored smoke.[17]

Variants

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  • QLZ-87B/QLB-06:[7]A newerhandheldsemi-automatic version of the QLZ-87.[18]It features an aluminum receiver, redesigned action, new bipod, no tripod mount, and a conventional pistol grip and fire control. Weight is reduced to 9.1 kg (20 lb) and it is fed by a 4-round drum.[7]

Users

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Map with QLZ-87 users in blue

Non-State Actors

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See also

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International:

References

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  1. ^abSmall 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 fromthe original(PDF)on 5 August 2014.
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnYan 2014,p. 8
  3. ^abSavannah de Tessières (January 2018).At the Crossroads of Sahelian Conflicts: Insecurity, Terrorism, and Arms Trafficking in Niger(PDF)(Report).Small Arms Survey.p. 58.ISBN978-2-940548-48-4.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 12 June 2018.
  4. ^abcSmallwood, Michael (29 April 2016)."Kurdish Forces with Chinese QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launcher & M99 Anti-materiel Rifle".Small Arms Defense Journal.Vol. 8, no. 1.Archivedfrom the original on 22 February 2018.Retrieved22 February2018.
  5. ^"Chiết Giang tiên phong máy móc công ty hữu hạn ( quốc doanh đệ ngũ tam một sáu xưởng )".xian-feng.net.Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2010.Retrieved12 January2022.
  6. ^Yan 2014,p. 15.
  7. ^abcYan 2014,p. 22.
  8. ^Juanjuan Yang; et al. (15 May 2010)."Grenade Launchers in China (Upper)"(PDF).usgovcloudapi.net.Archived(PDF)from the original on 6 August 2022.Retrieved28 April2023.
  9. ^"35x32mm Type 87 – Weaponsystems.net".weaponsystems.net.Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2018.Retrieved29 August2018.
  10. ^Small Arms Survey 2014,p. 240.
  11. ^"QLZ-87 / W87 – Modern Firearms".modernfirearms.net.28 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2017.Retrieved23 September2017.
  12. ^Blasko, Dennis J. (17 June 2013).The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century.Routledge. p. 168.ISBN978-1-136-51997-0.Archivedfrom the original on 11 April 2024.Retrieved20 October2016.
  13. ^"QLZ87".weaponsystems.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2022.Retrieved1 July2022.
  14. ^Yan 2014,p. 18.
  15. ^QLZ87Archived22 February 2018 at theWayback MachineWeapon Systems.
  16. ^"QLZ-87".Guns' World.Archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2019.Retrieved11 April2021.
  17. ^35×32mm Type 87Archived22 February 2018 at theWayback MachineWeapon Systems.
  18. ^"QLB-06 / QLZ-87B – Modern Firearms".modernfirearms.net.28 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2017.Retrieved23 September2017.
  19. ^[1]Archived18 February 2022 at theWayback MachineTaliban Turns Insurgents into Commandos As It Builds 'Fully Capable' Army.20 January 2022.
  20. ^IDEX ABU 2017Archived23 January 2018 at theWayback MachineSmall Arms Defense Journal.17 November 2017.
  21. ^Swan, Melanie (5 January 2024)."Hamas using 'massive' stockpile of Chinese weaponry in Gaza, says Israel".The Telegraph.Archived fromthe originalon 5 January 2024.

Sources

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