Type 80 machine gun explained

Type 80 general-purpose machine gun
Origin:China
Type:General-purpose machine gun
Is Ranged:yes
Service:1983–present
Used By:See Users
Wars:Lebanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
War in Darfur
Sri Lankan Civil War
Somali civil war (2009–present)
South Sudanese ethnic violence
Sudanese conflict
Syrian Civil War
Boko Haram insurgency
Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present)[1]
Designer:Mikhail Kalashnikov[2]
Design Date:1980
Manufacturer:
Production Date:1983–present[3]
Variants:See Variants
Weight:12.62NaN2
Length:1192mm
Part Length:658mm
Cartridge:
Action:Gas-operated, open bolt
Rate:700–800 round/min
Velocity:840 m/s (2,776 ft/s)
Range:1,640 yd (100—1,500 m sight adjustments)
Feed:Belts in 100/200/250 round boxes
Sights:Open sights. Optical/Night vision scope can be outfitted.

The Type 80 is a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) manufactured by Norinco in China, based on the Soviet PKM. The machine gun was certified for design finalisation in 1980 and entered the PLA service in the mid-1980s, specifically in 1983.[3] The Type 80 was intended as a successor to the Chinese independently developed Type 67, doing well in tests conducted in the Chengdu Military Region before it was dropped and instead, opted to keep the Type 67 GPMG in use.[3]

Only a few Type 80s were used in the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps and airborne units, and a modified Type 80, named as Type 86, was then accepted by PLA armor units.[4]

History

The development of the GPMG started when Chinese firearms engineers studied PKMs that were captured from Vietnamese forces during the Sino-Vietnamese War.[4]

Changfeng Machinery was subcontracted to create the CS/LM4 in order to have it chambered to 7.62 NATO caliber.[5] The CS/LM4 has been marketed to countries that have used Soviet/East European/Chinese-made small arms, but have oriented to use NATO-based ammo.[5]

Design

The Type 80 uses the 7.62×54mmR round. It is a gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed, fully automatic firearm. It can fire on both the tripod and the foldable bipod on the gas tube below the barrel.[6]

Belts are used from 100-round boxes in the light machine gun configurations, and from 200- or 250-round boxes in tripod-mounted applications. The machine gun uses an open iron sight, but can also be fitted with an optical or night-vision sight.[6]

Variants

Foreign variants

Users

Captured from various insurgents in the Kashmir valley and used by Indian troops.[13]

Non-State Actors

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: https://twitter.com/war_noir/status/1747716616996171977.
  2. This is due to the Type 80's basis from the PK general-purpose machine gun.
  3. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120302121723/http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2007-09-03/0843462409.html. http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2007-09-03/0843462409.html. zh:中国80式7.62毫米通用机枪至今仍大量出口(图). 2010-05-04. 2012-03-02. zh. Sina.
  4. Web site: 深度：俄抱怨中国山寨太强 这么好的机枪都抄袭到手. mil.sina.cn. 10 May 2016. zh.
  5. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20151115211129/http://www.firearmsworld.net/china/mg/type80/type80.htm. Firearmsworld.net. 2020-04-13. zh:80式通用机枪. 2015-11-15. zh.
  6. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20071016150656/http://sinodefence.com/army/crewserved/type80gpmg.asp. Type 80 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun. 2007-08-13. 2013-04-29. 2007-10-16.
  7. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120302121813/http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2007-10-16/0820467739.html. 中国研制成功新型CF06式7.62毫米通用机枪(图). 2013-04-29. Sina. 2007-10-16. 2012-03-02. zh.
  8. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120302123802/http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/p/2007-10-16/0820467740.html. 图文：国产CF06式7.62毫米通用机枪结构示意图. 2013-04-29. Sina. 2007-10-16. 2012-03-02. zh.
  9. Web site: 中国CF06式7.62毫米通用机枪. 18 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170618220532/http://www.zgjunshi.com/Article/Class38/Class88/Class120/200903/20090302110159_2.html. 2017-06-18.
  10. Web site: 中国CF06式7.62毫米通用机枪. 25 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170725012453/http://www.zgjunshi.com/Article/Class38/Class88/Class120/200903/20090302110159.html. 2017-07-25. zh.
  11. Web site: Archived copy . 2020-06-13 . 2017-05-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170520032850/http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/facts-figures/sudan/HSBA-IDEX-2015.pdf . dead .
  12. Web site: Vojničke puške - mup.hr. 16 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140316182158/https://www.mup.hr/main.aspx?id=148928. 2014-03-16.
  13. Web site: Type 56 Assault Rifle: A Curious Case of Indian Army using Chinese Weapon. Admin -. News Buzz India. en-US. 2020-06-01.
  14. News: Personnel reveal shortcomings inside Maltese armed forces. Malta Today. 14 July 2018 . Matthew . Agius .
  15. August 1998 . 10. 4. Sudan - Global trade, local impact: Arms Transfers to all Sides in the Civil War in Sudan. 25. Human Rights Watch Report.
  16. Book: Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and guns. https://web.archive.org/web/20140805164422/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Highlights-EN.pdf. dead. August 5, 2014. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2014/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2014-Chapter-7-EN.pdf. Weapons tracing in Sudan and South Sudan. Cambridge University Press. 2014. Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey. 241. .
  17. Noir . War . war_noir . 1813754788053676067 .
    1. Somalia : Al-Shabaab (part of #AlQaeda) ambushed Somali Forces in El Dher, #Galgaduud. Militants captured #Chinese Type 56-2 rifles, rare LG2 grenade launcher, Type 69 RPG Launcher, Type 69-3 HEAT rounds, Type 80 MGs. The weapons were obtained by Somali Army in 2024/2023.
    . Twitter.
  18. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120614142402/http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2007/6/15568.html. Chinese arms, radar for Sri Lanka military. 2010-05-04. 2012-06-14 . 2007-06-05.
  19. Web site: Kula . Mehmet Ali . Türkiye, Çin'den 3 binden fazla makineli tüfek aldı! . DefenceTurk . 24 September 2023 . tr . 13 September 2022.
  20. en. At the Crossroads of Sahelian Conflicts: Insecurity, Terrorism, and Arms Trafficking in Niger. Savannah de Tessières. 978-2-940548-48-4. Small Arms Survey. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612184751/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/U-Reports/SAS-SANA-Report-Niger.pdf. dead. June 12, 2018. January 2018. 55. .
  21. Web site: Hamas fights with a patchwork of weapons built by Iran, China, Russia and North Korea . 2024-01-15 . ABC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240119053008/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/hamas-fights-patchwork-weapons-built-iran-china-russia-106381152. 2024-01-19.
  22. Book: Islamic State Weapons in Iraq and Syria: Analysis of weapons and ammunition captured from Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. September 2014. Conflict Armament Research. Conflict Armament Research. 6, 9. .
  23. Web site: Mitzer . Stijn . Oliemans . Joost . Tracking Arms Transfers By The UAE, Russia, Jordan And Egypt To The Libyan National Army Since 2014 . Oryx Blog . 23 March 2021.
  24. Sudan Issue Brief. 19 April 2011. 6–9. Reaching for the gun: Arms flows and holdings in South Sudan. 7 January 2024 . Small Arms Survey.

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