Type 81 assault rifle

Type 81
Type 81
	Type 81-1 (top) and Type 81 (bottom).
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	1983 – present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Sino-Vietnamese conflicts; Sri Lankan Civil War; Internal conflict in Burma
Production history
Designed	1971
Variants	Type 81-1; Type 81 light machine gun; Type-81S; Type 87; Type 87-1
Specifications
Mass	3.4 kg (7.50 lb) (loaded)
Length	955 mm (37.6 in)
Barrel length	445 mm (17.5 in)
Cartridge	7.62×39mm (Type 81); 5.8×42mm DBP87 (Type 87)
Action	Short stroke gas piston, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Approx. 700–720 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	750 m/s (2,461 ft/s)
Effective firing range	500 m (547 yd)
Feed system	30-round detachable box magazine, 75-round detachable drum magazine
Sights	Adjustable iron sights

The Type 81 assault rifle is an automatic rifle that was used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army from the mid-1980s until 1995.

History[]

The weapon was introduced into PLA service in 1981 but did not become widely distributed until the late 1980s. It replaced the Type 56 rifle. Its first combat use came during the Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts of the mid-1980s. Currently the PLA is in the process of replacing the Type 81 with the Type 95 or Type 03 series of weapons, but full conversion is not expected until the mid-2010s.

Characteristics[]

The Type 81 incorporates elements of the Dragunov, SKS, and AK series rifles.

The rifle is cosmetically influenced on the Type 56 license produced AK-47, but with a SKS-like short-stroke gas-piston design and improvements to reduce the recoil and muzzle jump, giving better firing accuracy.^[1]

The Type 81 rifle retains the general layout of AK-47 but isn't an improved variant of the license produced AK-47 (the Type 56); major differences include the positioning of the sights and stock of the rifle.^[1]

The most easily distinguishable feature is an exposed muzzle part of the barrel. The foresight is moved back for a modification to fire rifle grenades from the barrel.^[1]

There is a significant gap between the trigger guard and the magazine on Type 81 rifles, while on the Type 56 series the magazine is adjacent to the front of the trigger guard. The Type 81 rifle is a short-stroke gas-operated design, while the Type 56 are long-stroke designs.

On Type 81 rifles the non-detachable spike-shaped bayonet was also replaced with a detachable knife-bayonet.

Like its predecessors, the Type 81 is a series of weapons. The Type 81 and Type 81-1 are assault rifles with 30-round magazines and the heavier Type 81 squad machine gun fitted with a 75-round drum magazine is used in the squad automatic weapon (SAW) role.^[1]

The Type 81 was extensively upgraded. It can be fitted with a Picatinny rail, bipod, foregrip, flashlight, and much more.^[2]

Specifications[]

R.A — Soldiers of Rapid Action Battalion, an elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of Bangladesh Police, with BD-08 (Type 81) assault rifle

	Type 81	Type 81-1	Type 81 machine gun
Overall length	955 mm (37.6 in)	750 mm (29.5 in) (butt folded)	1,004 mm (39.5 in)
Bore diameter	7.62 mm (0.300 in)
Cartridge	7.62x39 mm
Weight	3.50 kg (7.7 lb)	3.40 kg (7.5 lb)	5.15 kg (11.4 lb)
Effective range	500 m (550 yd)	500 m (550 yd)	500 m (550 yd)
Muzzle velocity	720 m/s (2,400 ft/s)	720 m/s (2,400 ft/s)	735 m/s (2,410 ft/s)
Rate of fire (theory)	N/A	N/A	720 r/min
Rate of fire (sustained)	N/A	N/A	120 r/min
Cartridge capacity	30 rounds	30 rounds	75 rounds

Variants[]

A prototype called the Type 87 was introduced in the late 1980s. It served as a development platform for the next generation of PLA small arms, being used as a test-bed for the then new 5.8x42mm DBP87 ammunition. It never went into full-scale production but has been in service with PLA special forces.^[3]

Type 81 (7.62 mm assault rifle with a fixed butt)^[3]
Type 81-1 (7.62 mm assault rifle with a foldable butt)^[3]
Type 81 LMG 7.62 mm squad machine gun^[3]
Type 81S (late production export version with fixed butt)
Type 87-1 (5.8x42mm experimental assault rifle, used to develop and test 5.8 mm DBP87 cartridge for QBZ-95 rifle)
Type 87 5.8 mm squad machine gun (prototype)

Users[]

Algeria ^[4]^[5]
Bangladesh: Under license by the Bangladesh Ordnance Factories as BD-08 Assault Rifle (Bangladesh-2008)^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]
Benin Used by Beninese peacekeepers in northern Mali.^[11]
China The Type 56 replaced by Type 81 and 95 in PLA front line service, but the Type 56 remains in use with reserve and militia service.^[3]^[12]
Comoros ^[13]
Djibouti ^[14]^[15]^[16]
Gabon ^[17]
Ghana ^[18]
Guinea ^[19]^[20]
Iraq Used by Iraqi Police.^[21]
Ivory Coast^[22]^[23]^[24]
Kyrgyzstan ^[25]
Laos ^[26]
Myanmar ^[27]
Nepal ^[28]
Niger ^[29]
Nigeria: Produced under license by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria. ^[30]^[31]
Pakistan: Used by the Pakistan Army.^[32]^[33]^[34]
Rwanda: Used by Rwandan United Nations Police in the Central African Republic. ^[35]^[36]^[37]
Senegal: Used by Senegalese Peace Keepers in Mali. ^[38]
Sierra Leone ^[39]
South Sudan ^[40]
Sri Lanka ^[41]^[42]
Sudan ^[43]^[44]
Tajikistan ^[45]
Tanzania^[46]^[47]^[48]
Uganda ^[49]
Zimbabwe: Used by Zimbabwean military police officers. ^[50]

Notes[]

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Type 81 assault rifle and the edit history here.

[Cutshaw2011-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Cutshaw, Charles Q. (28 February 2011). Tactical Small Arms of the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 192–193. ISBN 978-1-4402-2709-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=55szjc6g520C&pg=PA193. Retrieved 27 July 2013.

[2] ttp://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/07/25/chinese-peoples-armed-police-tacti-cool-type-81-upgrade/

[Miller2003-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Miller, David (2003). The illustrated directory of twentieth century guns. Zenith Imprint. pp. 278–279. ISBN 978-0-7603-1560-6.

[4] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[5] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170202025558/http://www.360doc.com/content/15/0929/11/7536781_502181424.shtml

[6] ttp://www.bdmilitary.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=324&Itemid=138

[7] ttp://www.bdmilitary.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=124

[8] ttp://www.bdmilitary.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=334&Itemid=139

[9] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[10] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[11] ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/minusma/9325147575/in/photostream/

[12] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[13] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[14] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[15] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[16] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170202045250/http://www.usaraf.army.mil/NEWS/NEWS_110308_DJIBOUTI_RAPID_REACTION.html

[17] ttps://www.dvidshub.net/image/3089764/gabon-us-train-fight-illicit-activity

[18] ttps://newsghana.com.gh/ghana-armed-forces-hold-annual-open-day/

[19] ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica/12902622955/in/datetaken/

[20] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20190623100902/http://www.firearmsworld.net/china/rifle/1981/81.htm

[21] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[22] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[23] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[24] ttps://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/border-security/ivory-coast-army-retakes-border-town-after-attack-kills-13/?catid=87%3Aborder-security&Itemid=188

[25] ttp://wap.eastday.com/node2/node3/n403/u1ai597773_t72.html

[26] ttp://www.laosgpsmap.com/tag/laos-self-guided-tour/

[27] ttp://english.sina.com/china/2013/0128/554889.html

[28] ttps://books.google.ca/books?id=z3O6DQAAQBAJ&pg=PT452&lpg=PT452&dq=%22nepal%22+type+81&source=bl&ots=WLW8YgmSfN&sig=ACfU3U0nuBVrUHygo5EsOn3ZR2m-xZmISA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi90-muuqnnAhVTCc0KHXsoAssQ6AEwGnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22nepal%22%20type%2081&f=false

[29] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170510174739/http://www.militaryfirearm.com/Forum/showthread.php?5901-Got-AK-porn-if-n-ya-want-it!/page5

[30] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[31] ttp://venturesafrica.com/you-probably-didnt-know-that-nigeria-already-manufactures-these-weapons/

[32] "Type 81 / 81-1". http://nazarian.no/wep.asp?id=359&group_id=5&country_id=88&lang=0&p=1.

[33] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[34] ttp://nazarian.no/wep.asp?id=359&group_id=5&country_id=88&lang=0&p=1

[35] ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/unminusca/16652872611/

[36] ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/unminusca/16654415265/

[37] ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/unminusca/16653376112/

[38] ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/minusma/9394721110/in/photolist-fjbphb-qrvUPu-uWtAC-nHdgPM-6s2XnB-nLyFWk-o697Z3-4oSyr4-DjPAt-6czjAo-nZ39Mj-9WgAK9-aUJQfD-dMBJH4-7wk8Us-8oXoNa-o6EpAP-7XDQdP-gTUbwW-nHM5UX-nJMpoR-9fHC7g-Djzih-4jZpmS-e3fjnG-29THJ3-9B8XjM-opN6P3-75yD6Z-q4AnX-eF7VjD-pQBnmt-6cBAP1-bVAf4w-c4PPcf-qK6DpL-bmXx55-o2CpCR-ee4KwE-aCUjky-6iqVrM-pqVhZb-8bjqUG-9tZAv3-q5tHrB-rdNe5A-hH8m95-81Qs8G-GMS3cP-e3R3qm

[39] ttps://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publication/bringing-regional-politics-to-the-study-of-security-sector-reform

[40] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170808083211/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/29/world/south-sudan-to-try-rebel-leaders-risking-fragile-cease-fire/

[41] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[42] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[43] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[44] ttps://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/03/24/sudanese-future-soldier-system/

[45] ttps://21stcenturyasianarmsrace.com/2015/06/11/tajikistan-army-is-now-using-chinese-made-weapons/

[46] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160331185453/http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?weapon=AA04%20-%20Type%2081

[47] ttps://bbs.tiexue.net/post2_5181791_1.html

[48] ttps://africasustainableconservation.com/tag/un-force-for-car/

[49] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170510163847/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/11/01/world/african-intervention-force-finally-nears-reality/

[50] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20161025110252/http://allafrica.com/stories/201209120158.html

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