With the deepening of domestic military reform, more and more old equipment has entered a state of technological freeze and is ready to be replaced and updated. Among them, the Type 95 rifle family, which has served the Chinese People's Liberation Army for nearly 30 years, has been replaced by a new generation of rifles, becoming the most extensive and fastest replacement category. The new automatic rifle made its debut at the parade. China has always adhered to the traditional concept of "economy-oriented", so many military enthusiasts have begun to think about how to make reasonable use of these old-fashioned ** that have not yet exhausted their lifespan. They are keen to "find a way out" for these **, and propose that they can be exported to other countries and continue to play a role.
However, this idea may face some regrets – the Type 95 rifle family may not be suitable for export, and disposal measures will likely need to be carried out domestically, such as redistribution to other uniformed units, or some of them for museum display, while most of them may be destroyed. The use of the Type 95 rifle in foreign military exchanges has praised its excellent ammunition performance, which is the foundation of the Type 95 rifle. As early as the 70s, at the sixth meeting of the leading group of the conventional weapons industry of the Military Commission, the requirements for the development of a rifle with "high muzzle velocity, light weight, and great lethal power" were put forward.
In accordance with this request, the Equipment Department of the General Logistics Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army held a meeting in Beijing in March 1971 on the study of light **, also known as the "713 Conference" because of its time. At this meeting, it was decided to develop China's small-caliber shotgun system, and the indicators for tactical and technical demonstration were initially proposed. After years of consultations, China has finally developed the first generation of small-caliber high-speed ammunition - 58*42mm rifle cartridges. Compared to NATO's 556mm and 5 in Russia45mm, domestic 5There has also been a significant change in the shape of the 8mm warhead. The Type 95 rifle family was established as a light ** in the 70-80s, using 58*42mm rifle cartridges.
In a sense, this can be seen as a kind of catch-up with the world's mainstream military powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, France, the United Kingdom, etc.) and the light ** "small-caliber high-speed ammunition". Admittedly, the results were outstanding, as 5The 8*42mm rifle cartridge has the advantages of small recoil impulse, strong penetration, high lethal power, and is more suitable for production and transportation. Moreover, the ammunition was deliberately chosen in the caliber selection at the beginning of the design and the world's military giants, the poles of the Cold War chose a caliber that was not common (US 556*45mm rifle cartridge, Su-545*39mm rifle cartridge, medium 58*42mm rifle cartridges.
In the context of the Cold War, there is also a layer of considerations based on national defense and security - non-universal ammunition can increase the logistical supply difficulty of the invader due to the non-universal nature of the ammunition when the two major military blocs launch an invasion of the Chinese mainland. The unique ammunition specifications made the 95 unsuitable for foreign trade. However, another problem brought about by this caliber with Chinese characteristics is that because the ammunition is not common with all the best on the market, the 95 series gun family is likely to be treated differently in foreign trade because of different ammunition specifications. This is especially true for small countries, which are generally less economically powerful and tend to have more difficult defense strategy choices in favor of making it more difficult to use special-sized munitions.
Most of the smaller countries are not prepared to invest heavily in building independent light ** upstream and downstream production lines, and they prefer to purchase ammunition specifications that are more versatile and have more potential sellers (such as the US-made 5.).56*45mm rifle cartridge or Soviet-made 545*39 mm rifle cartridges). This would make it easier to participate in international tenders, reduce the cost of procurement and use, and maintain ammunition stockpiles. Pakistan is considered to be a potential typical export user of the Type 95 gun family. Due to the relative weakness of the country's strength, during the Cold War, the Pakistani army's light ** has not yet achieved the unification of ammunition specifications, and it is still using a variety of non-universal rifle ammunition.
Some troops use 762*51mm ammunition German-made HK G3 rifle, FN FAL rifle;Other troops use 7Type 62 automatic rifle with 39*56 mm ammunition, AKM automatic rifle;There are also some troops that use 5CZ-806 automatic rifle, M16 automatic rifle with 56*45mm ammunition, etc. The situation in North Korea is slightly different from that of Pakistan, but it still corresponds to the previously mentioned scenario. Almost all of the North Korean infantry** used Soviet-made ammunition specifications. During the Cold War, North Korea was long regarded as a "bridgehead in the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union", and its defense forces received large-scale investment, and it established a more complete military industrial system than other small countries, giving it the ability to produce its own light and ammunition.
In the time since the Cold War, the DPRK has developed a light ** development route with obvious technological inertia, from the Type 63 rifle that imitates the Soviet SKS semi-automatic rifle to the widely distributed individual **-1 automatic rifle, all of which use 762*39 mm ammunition. Since the 80s, the DPRK has been tracking and introducing the technology of "small-caliber high-speed bombs" ** and chose to base it on the Soviet 5Type 45 and Type 88-88 automatic rifles with 39*8mm ammunition. The development of rifles in the DPRK is more inclined to the uniform use of one type of ammunition. For today's rather complex Pakistani infantry light, adding another type of ammunition would add to the already severe logistical pressures.
At the same time, the use of 4 types of ammunition that are incompatible with each other and have no production capacity in the army of one country does not conform to the normal thinking of national defense construction of any country. Considering that the DPRK has a certain military industrial base, it is not difficult to see from its long-term law of light development that the DPRK has always insisted on choosing the Soviet Union's Russian-made caliber specifications and adopted a conservative attitude in increasing the types of ammunition. It can be seen from this that all the infantry light ** in North Korea must be based on the light ** specifications of its own production. Some military enthusiasts have suggested that the civilian markets of the United States, Canada, and other countries with a large number of civilian firearms enthusiasts can be described as "a vast world with great achievements." Why not consider the civilian markets of these countries?
However, the answer is actually simpler - since 1994, when Clinton signed the so-called "assault weapons import ban", all Chinese-made products are not allowed to be exported to the United StatesCanada, which has long been in league with the United States, made a similar ban in 1995. The impact of the Type 95 ban on the U.S. civilian market The ban on the Type 95 rifle has been in place since 1994 and is irreversible. This also means that the Type 95 rifle and its supporters will gradually retire from the stage of history.
Although the Type 95 rifle itself is a rifle with superior performance using special ammunition, however, due to its special ammunition specifications, it is not suitable for widespread use in the army, and it is unlikely to be successfully exported to other countries. Coupled with the restrictions of the ban, even if the Type 95 rifle is modified and adapted, it will not be able to succeed in the vast civilian market of the United States. Despite this regrettable reality, objectively, the Type 95 rifle has no place in the civilian market. References: [1] Light Weapon "On the Advantages and Disadvantages of Type 95 Automatic Rifle" [2] Science and Technology Innovation Herald "From the Design of Type 95 Automatic Rifle to See the Technical and Tactical Performance of the **" [3] Light Weapon "How is "Pakistan Iron" made?
Pakistan's Light ** Development and Equipment Status Quo" [4] Weapons Knowledge "Light ** in North Korea's Military Parade" 5] National Public Radio "The History of the 1994 Offensive ** Ban" [6] Light Weapons "Light ** is not "light" - and on rifle design and its development".