QLZ-87
| Industry | Defense |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980s |
| Headquarters | China |
| Products | Firearms, including QLZ-87 automatic grenade launcher |
The QLZ-87 (also referred to as the Type 87) is a Chinese-designed automatic grenade launcher that operates using a gas system and is air-cooled. It discharges 35×32mmSR high-velocity grenades. Developed by Xianfeng Machinery in 1982 and produced by Norinco from the late 1980s onward, it holds the distinction of being China’s first domestically produced automatic grenade launcher. Depending on its configuration, the weapon weighs between 12 and 20 kilograms, allowing it to be carried by a small team, although it has a limited ammunition capacity.
By utilizing 35×32mmSR grenades, the QLZ-87 achieves greater range and a flatter flight path than standard handheld grenade launchers. It is equipped with either a 6-round or 15-round drum magazine, iron sights, and a 3x magnification optic. Additionally, rails enable attachment of night vision or thermal imaging devices. When mounted on a tripod, the effective range can be extended up to 1,750 meters.
This grenade launcher has been actively used in various conflicts including the Chadian Civil War, Sudanese internal conflicts, Somali Civil War, Boko Haram insurgency, Syrian Civil War, and Iraqi Civil War. The QLZ-87 is gradually being supplemented by the belt-fed QLZ-04 model, which offers improved compatibility with tripods and vehicle mounts.
Development
The initial development of an automatic grenade launcher in China began in 1982 at the East China Institute of Engineering (currently known as Nanjing University of Science and Technology). However, progress was slow and halted after four years. In September 1986, the PLA General Staff Department initiated a procurement program that triggered competition among several manufacturers: the East China Institute of Technology (formerly East China Institute of Engineering) along with Factory 5316 (now Zhejiang Xianfeng Machinery Limited), Factory 9449, Factory 925, and Factory 996 competed against military factories based in Hunan province such as Factory 9596 (now Zijiang Machinery Factory), Factory 343, Factory 948, and Factory 9624.
The contract was ultimately awarded to the Hunan consortium due to their more competitive pricing. Within this group, Factory 9596 took charge of developing the grenade launcher itself; Factory 343 focused on anti-personnel ammunition; Factory 9624 was responsible for ammunition fuses; Factory 5618 designed the sighting system; and Factory 9634 produced primers. Meanwhile, the East China Institute of Technology continued independently with its own export-oriented grenade launcher project called the W87 after losing the bid.
In December 1988 during testing, an accidental cook-off caused by inexperienced factory personnel led to a decision to merge efforts between the Hunan factories and East China Institute of Technology. Starting in 1990, they collaborated on what became the QLZ-87.
The launcher officially entered service in February 1996 and was publicly revealed in 1997 alongside the Hong Kong garrison.
Design
The QLZ-87 utilizes various types of 35 mm grenades housed in drum magazines that hold either six or fifteen rounds. NORINCO promotes this weapon under the name "Mini Infantry Artillery." Its main ammunition types include the 35x32SR DFS87 High Explosive (HE) grenade and the DFJ87 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) grenade. The HEDP round can pierce armor up to 80 millimeters thick while delivering lethal fragments within a five-meter radius. The HE variant produces fragmentation capable of causing casualties within a radius of approximately 10 to 11 meters.
This automatic grenade launcher can be mounted on either a tripod or bipod attached near the barrel and is compatible with armored vehicles or helicopters. It is designed to engage both ground targets and low-flying aerial threats effectively.
Ammunition
The 35×32mmSR Type 87 is compatible with a range of warhead variants:
- DFS-87: Anti-personnel fragmentation grenade equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead.
- DFJ-87: Dual-purpose grenade designed for armor penetration, featuring a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead.
- DFR-87: Incendiary grenade intended to ignite targets.
- DFN-87: High-explosive fragmentation grenade combined with incendiary effects.
- DFD-87: Smoke and marking grenade producing colored smoke.
Variants
- QLZ-87B/QLB-06: This variant is a semi-automatic, handheld modernization of the QLZ-87. It incorporates an aluminum receiver, an updated firing mechanism, a redesigned bipod without a tripod mounting option, and a traditional pistol grip along with standard fire control. The weapon weighs and utilizes a four-round drum magazine.
Users
- – Taliban forces
- – People's Liberation Army including the Hong Kong garrison
- – Certain locally manufactured models
- – Kurdish Peshmerga forces
- – Pakistan Army
- – Some units captured by Al-Shabaab militants
- – Produced under the name "ABBA" by MIC; employed by Sudan-backed Chadian insurgents and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North
Non-State Actors
See also
- QLZ-04
- QLU-11, the successor model to the QLZ-87
- Type 91 grenade launcher
- Comparison of automatic grenade launchers
International:
Sources
External links
- ↑ Swan, Melanie (5 January 2024). "Hamas using 'massive' stockpile of Chinese weaponry in Gaza, says Israel". The Telegraph.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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