| MA-1 Mk. III | |
| Origin: | Myanmar |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Service: | 2012-Present |
| Used By: | Myanmar |
| Wars: | Myanmar civil war |
| Designer: | Duo Yingxian[1] |
| Manufacturer: | Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries |
| Production Date: | 2012-Present |
| Variants: | See Variants |
| Cartridge: | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Cartridge Weight: | Short-stroke piston, rotating bolt |
| Rate: | 650 rounds/min |
| Feed: | 30-round magazine |
| Ref: | [2] |
The DI MA-1 Mk. III is a family of bullpup assault rifles made by the Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries, chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO, based on the QBZ-97s that were exported to Myanmar in 2009.[3] [4] The MA-1 Mk. IIIs were made without any licensing agreements with China, and Myanmar claimed that they were made without foreign assistance.[5] [6]
The DI designation on the weapon refers to Defence Industry (of the Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries), while the MA designation means Myanmar Army.[7]
Myanmar decided to redesign a bullpup rifle after Tatmadaw troops reported multiple failures with the EMER-K1, an earlier bullpup rifle clone of the QBZ-97, ranging from gun jams to stoppages. At the time, some of them were issued to Tatmadaw forces on patrol duties at the Yadana gas field in 1998.[8] Myanmar originally wanted to acquire QBZ-97s and eventually set up a production line to manufacture them on their own, but China refused to honor them due to arms sanctions against the State Peace and Development Council.[3] Subsequently, the QBZ-97s previously sold to Myanmar were not returned.[1]
The QBZ-97 rifles with Myanmar were reverse engineered again; they did not seek Chinese assistance in creating the MA-1 Mk. IIIs.[6] [5] During analysis of the rifles in 2009,[4] they were reported to be suitable for the Tatmadaw in jungle operations.[9]
The MA-1 Mk. IIIs were first shown in public in 2012.[10] They were subsequently shown at various Tatmadaw Armed Forces Day parades.[11]
Plans were made to fully adopt the MA-1 Mk. III by 2016, but it was delayed due to quality issues.[9] At the time, it was reported that the MA-1 Mk. IIIs had poor reliability in the field.[12] Chinese media criticized Myanmar for cloning the QBZ-97 without permission after the rifle was publicly revealed.[13]
In 2020, Myanma social media photos showed an improved version of the MA-3 Mk. III, implying that production issues were mostly resolved.[14]
According to the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), the rifle family is reportedly being manufactured at DDI's KaPaSa 22 factory.[15]
While the MA-1 Mk. III has visual similarities with the QBZ-97, the difference lies with the use of phenolic plastic materials instead of engineered plastics, which gives off the brown finish.[5] [16] Another difference is the shape of the handguard and the vent holes on it.[17]
The MA-1 Mk. IIIs do not use the same Type 95 bayonet made for the QBZ-95.[18] [19] Instead, the Tatmadaw uses a clone of the Type 81 bayonet for the rifles.[5] Only the MA-1/3 Mk. III have bayonet lugs installed as a default option.[9]
There were unconfirmed reports that Myanmar sought the assistance of Singaporean defense companies in order to improve on the manufacture of the MA-1 Mk. III[16] by secretly acquiring machinery for the factories.[12] This supposedly resulted in the improvement of using engineered plastics and the rifle's design.[16] For the MA-3 Mk. III, some of the more recently made carbines have carry handles that have a more rectangular shape, more ergonomic front handguard and vent holes, making it resemble the QBZ-97.[20]
The standard assault rifle variant based on the QBZ-97.[21]
The light machine gun variant with a long barrel and a bipod.[22]
A carbine variant.[23] Known to be used by Myanma special forces units.[24]
A variant of the MA-1 Mk. III equipped with an underbarrel grenade launcher.[25] It is also known to be used by Myanmar special forces units.[24]
Myanmar