QLZ-87 grenade launcher explained

QLZ-87 (Type 87 Grenade Launcher)
Origin:China
Type:Grenade launcher
Is Ranged:yes
Wars:
Designer:Xiafeng Machinery[2]
Design Date:Mid-1980s
Manufacturer:Norinco
Production Date:Late 1980s – present
Weight:26 lb (12 kg) (base: optical scope & integral bipod, no magazine)
44 lb (20 kg) (including tripod mount)
Length:38 in (970 mm)
Cartridge:35×32mmSR grenade
Action:Air cooling, gas-operated (direct impingement)
Rate:480 rounds/min
Velocity:190m/s
Range:600m (2,000feet)
Max Range:1750m (5,740feet) (tripod-mounted)
Feed:6- or 15-round drum magazine
Sights:Iron sights
3x magnification optic
Optic mounting rail for night vision or thermal sight

The QLZ-87[3] [4] (also known as Type 87) is an air-cooled, gas operated 35×32mmSR automatic grenade launcher (AGL)[5] that is crew transportable (NaNkg (-2,147,483,648lb)) with limited amounts of ammunition.[6] Unusual for handheld grenade launchers, the QLZ-87 fires high-velocity grenades of 35x32 mmSR caliber, which provides a longer range and flatter firing trajectory.[7]

The QLZ-87 is being complemented by the QLZ-04, which is fed from a belt and thus is better suited to be mounted on tripods and vehicles.

Design

It can fire a variety of 35 mm grenades stored in the 6-or 15-round cartridge drum. The Type 87 is described by NORINCO as "Mini Infantry Artillery". The two most common types of grenades are the 35x32SR DFS87 HE (High Explosive) and DFJ87 HEDP (High Explosive, Dual Purpose) variants. The HEDP 35 mm grenade pierces armour up to 80 mm thick and produces fragments to kill or wound personnel within 5 meters of the point of impact. The HE 35mm grenade has a stated fragmentation casualty radius of 10–11 meters. The Type 87 can fire on a tripod or by using the bipod fixed on the barrel. It can also be mounted on armoured vehicles or helicopters. The launcher is capable of attacking low-flying air targets as well as targets on the ground.[8]

Ammunition

The list of warhead types that are available for the 35×32mmSR Type 87:[9]

Variants

Users

Non-State Actors

See also

International:

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. 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. 5 August 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. 226. .
  2. Web site: 浙江先锋机械有限公司（国营第五三一六厂） . xian-feng.net . 12 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100503004005/http://www.xian-feng.net/index.htm . 3 May 2010 . dead.
  3. Web site: Grenade Launchers in China (Upper). 28 April 2023. usgovcloudapi.net. 15 May 2010. Juanjuan Yang. et. al.. 6 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220806083229/https://ndiastorage.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/ndia/2010/armament/WednesdayLandmarkBJuanjuanYang.pdf. live.
  4. Web site: 35x32mm Type 87 – Weaponsystems.net. weaponsystems.net. 29 August 2018. 29 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180829175247/http://weaponsystems.net/weaponsystem/BB01+-+35x32mm+Type+87.html. live.
  5. Web site: QLZ-87 / W87 – Modern Firearms. 28 October 2010. modernfirearms.net. 23 September 2017. 2 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171102014242/http://modernfirearms.net/grenade/ch/qlz-7-w7-e.html. live.
  6. Book: Blasko, Dennis J.. The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century. 17 June 2013. Routledge. 978-1-136-51997-0. 168. 20 October 2016. 11 April 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240411003620/https://books.google.com/books?id=G1SauJF3GqwC&pg=PA168#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  7. Web site: QLZ87 . weaponsystems . 1 July 2022 . 10 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220810042405/https://www.weaponsystems.net/system/905-QLZ87 . live .
  8. http://weaponsystems.net/weaponsystem/BB02%20-%20QLZ87.html QLZ87
  9. Web site: QLZ-87. Guns' World. 11 April 2021. 8 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190908040033/http://pewpewpew.work/china/gl/qlz87/qlz87.htm. live.
  10. http://weaponsystems.net/weaponsystem/BB01%20-%2035x32mm%20Type%2087.html 35×32mm Type 87
  11. Web site: QLB-06 / QLZ-87B – Modern Firearms. 28 October 2010. modernfirearms.net. 23 September 2017. 6 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170806150121/http://modernfirearms.net/grenade/ch/qlb-06-qlz-7b-e.html. live.
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcr685vTIfA
  13. Kurdish Forces with Chinese QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launcher & M99 Anti-materiel Rifle. Small Arms Defense Journal. 8. 1. 29 April 2016. Michael. Smallwood. 22 February 2018. 22 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180222165013/http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=3533. live.
  14. 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. 12 June 2018. January 2018. 58.
  15. http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=4132 IDEX ABU 2017
  16. News: Swan . Melanie . Hamas using 'massive' stockpile of Chinese weaponry in Gaza, says Israel . The Telegraph . 5 January 2024 . https://archive.today/20240105182833/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/05/hamas-stockpile-chinese-weaponry-gaza-israel-investigates/#selection-2633.0-2633.12 . 5 January 2024.

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