Type 81 | |
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![]() Type 81 on display | |
Type | Assault rifle |
Place of origin | China |
Service history | |
In service | 1983–present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | Sino-Vietnamese conflicts Cambodian–Vietnamese War Soviet–Afghan War Iran-Iraq War[citation needed] Sri Lankan Civil War Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Kargil war Boko Haram insurgency Persian Gulf War Baren Township conflict Croatian War of Independence Bosnian War Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War Syrian Civil War Internal conflict in Myanmar |
Production history | |
Designer | Wang Zijun |
Designed | 1979-1981 |
Manufacturer | Manufactured by:
Marketed by:
Licensed by: |
Produced | 1983-2023 |
No. built | ~400,000 (Type 81)[1] |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3.4 kg (7.50 lb) (empty, rifle) 4.5 kg (9.92 lb) (loaded, rifle) 5.15 kg (11.35 lb) (loaded, LMG) |
Length | 955 mm (37.6 in) 730 mm (29 in) (stock folded) 1,004 mm (39.5 in) (LMG) |
Barrel length | 445 mm (17.5 in) 520 mm (20 in) (LMG) |
Cartridge | 7.62×39mm |
Action | Short stroke gas piston, rotating bolt |
Rate of fire | 700–720 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 750 m/s (2,461 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
Maximum firing range | 2,000 m (6,600 ft)+ |
Feed system | Proprietary 30-round detachable box magazine (20 rounds for CS/LR14), 75-round detachable drum magazine |
Sights | Adjustable iron sights |
The Type 81 (Chinese: 81式自动步枪; literally; "Type 81 Automatic Rifle") is a Chinese-designed selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle based on Kalashnikov and SKS actions adopted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and has been in service since the mid-1980s. It was designed as a replacement to both the Type 56 assault rifle, as well as the Type 63 assault rifle, mostly being a further development and design improvement over the Type 63. Later, the Type 81 would be used under the designation Type 87 as testing for the PLA's new 5.8x42mm firearms, namely the QBZ-95.[2]
It is a small arms family that consist of the Type 81, the Type 81-1 and the Type 81 LMG.[3]
It was primarily in service in the mid to late 1980s during the height of the Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts when the PLA showed the Type 56 rifle ineffective, but also saw use well throughout the Middle East. Other countries as well as Chinese police still have the Type 81 in service to this day.
The PLA's first attempt to replace their aging Type 56 carbine (a Chinese license produced SKS) and Type 56 assault rifle (a Chinese license produced AK-47) was the Type 63 assault rifle.[4] This weapon, however, ended in failure due to a variety of issues resulting in a switch back to the weapons it intended to replace. The beginning of the Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts showed the PLA that their Type 56s were not as effective as they thought, causing their small arms development program to spring back to life.[4]
The weapon was introduced into PLA service in 1981 but did not become widely distributed until the late 1980s. It replaced the Type 56 carbine[5] and the Type 56 assault rifle, succeeding where the Type 63 failed. Its first combat use came during the latter part of the Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts of the mid-1980s.[6] The PLA has replaced most of its Type 81s with the Type 95 or Type 03 series of weapons, though it is still in service in the reserves and armed police.
An improved version is used by the Bangladesh Army under the designation BD-08.[7]
The Type 81 incorporates elements of the Dragunov, SKS, and AK series of rifles. The design criteria it met included accuracy of 1.78 in (4.5 cm) R50, 50% of the hits within a 1.78 in (4.5 cm) diameter at 100 m (330 ft); improved controllability in full-automatic; the same reliability of the AK but a longer service life to approximately 20,000 rounds; and the ability to use AK and SKS production tooling at the time.[8] Development was placed under Wang Zi Jun after the end of the Sino-Vietnamese border clashes in 1979.[6]
The rifle retains the general layout of the AK-47 and Type 56 assault rifles, but it has an SKS-like short-stroke gas-piston design and other improvements to reduce recoil and muzzle jump, giving better firing accuracy. Notable physical differences from the Type 56 assault rifle include the stock of the rifle, the length of the action, bayonet, and the positioning of the front sight.[9] The most easily distinguishable feature of the Type 81 is the more exposed muzzle part of the barrel. The front sight has been moved back as a modification to be able to fire 22mm rifle grenades, which are slid over the unobstructed barrel muzzle now formed into a spigot-type rifle grenade launcher.[9]
A horizontal crossbar was added to cover the rear sight notch, as the finish on the non-hooded rear sight leaf on the Type 56 assault rifles were found to be wearing off during service in the Sino-Vietnamese conflicts (1979–1991), creating glares that disrupts the shooter's aim. The T-shaped aperture created by the addition of the crossbar could be used as a makeshift rear aperture in a pinch.
There is a significant gap between the trigger guard and the magazine on Type 81 rifles, while on the Type 56 assault rifle the magazine is adjacent to the front of the trigger guard.
The non-detachable swing-out spike-shaped bayonet of the Type 56 carbine and assault rifle was also replaced on Type 81 rifles with the detachable Type 81 knife-bayonet.[10]
Like its predecessors, the Type 81 is a series of weapons. The Type 81 (fixed stock) and Type 81-1 (folding stock) are 7.62×39mm caliber assault rifles with 30-round magazines, and the heavier Type 81 light machine gun (LMG) fitted with a 75-round drum magazine is used in the squad automatic weapon (SAW) role.[9] Its sight remains at the front of the LMG barrel.
The Type 81 can be fitted with a Picatinny rail, bipod, foregrip, and flashlight.[11] One such attempt to market Picatinny rails for the Type 81 came from Bao Wa, a Hong Kong-based law enforcement supplier.[12]
Clip-fed firearms | |
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Clip only (internal/fixed magazine) | Bergmann 1896 • Mannlicher M1894 • Roth-Steyr M1907 • Mauser C96 • Steyr M1912 • Mosin-Nagant • Gewehr 98 • Karabiner 98k • M1903 Springfield • M1917 Enfield • Mannlicher M1895 • Carcano • Pedersen • Schönberger-Laumann 1892 • SKS • Type 11 LMG • Type Kō • M1 Garand • M1941 Johnson • OA-96 carbine • |
Dual use (clip and magazine) | Ag m/42 • AVS-36 • Bergmann–Bayard • Lee–Enfield • Mauser Model 1889 • Gewehr 43 • K31 • MAS-49 • Ruger Mini-14 • SVT-40 • T48 rifle • Type 63 • Type 81 • |
Other |