Back টাইপ ৮১ রাইফেল Bengali/Bangla Typ 81 (Sturmgewehr) German Type 81 Finnish Norinco Type 81 French Type 81 Croatian Type 81 Italian 81式自動歩槍 Japanese 81식 소총 Korean Karabinek Typ 81 Polish Type 81 (fuzil de assalto) Portuguese
| Type 81 | |
|---|---|
 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.