"All-in-one copycat version 97 rifle, if it weren't for the armband: you might think it was People's Liberation Army "
I don't know if you have ever thought that there will be such a country where the army is somewhat similar to the People's Liberation Army, and this country has Next to us, the rifle they hold is very similar to the Type 97 rifle of China's foreign trade. They also use a non-support design, and the appearance and structure are very similar. And their military uniform camouflage is also similar to the marine camouflage of the PLA Navy. Look at the picture below. If you don’t distinguish carefully, just look at the uniforms, rifles, and people’s skin color, I’m afraid someone will regard them as Marines.
This country is Myanmar. In fact, Myanmar is also a country equipped with more Chinese weapons and equipment. It is equipped with Type 69-Il medium and Type 63 light amphibious tanks imported from China, WMA301 self-propelled assault gun, Yun-8 transport aircraft, K8 trainer, SH-1 155mm self-propelled artillery, J-7 fighter and Yun-12 transport aircraft, etc. At the same time, Myanmar is also the second country after Pakistan to be equipped with JF17 "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets. In 2019, Myanmar's military parade was publicly displayed for the first time. According to relevant reports, Myanmar has adopted a total of 16 JF17 "Fierce Dragon" fighters. Used to replace the old J-6 and J-7 fighters to enhance the overall strength of the Myanmar Air Force.
But Myanmar has not purchased China's Type 97 foreign trade rifles in large quantities. This means that the new rifle that Myanmar is equipped with is similar to the Type 97 rifle and is not the Type 97 rifle. According to the information we have consulted, this rifle equipped by Myanmar is the EMER K-1 automatic rifle developed and produced by Myanmar itself, among which EMER is the name of the manufacturer, but this rifle has a certain relationship with the Type 97 rifle of my country's foreign trade.
In the past, Myanmar has been subject to long-term arms embargoes by the United Nations and the United States, resulting in the Myanmar army’s weapons that have not yet reached modern standards. Standard rifles are also very messy and backward. They are very messy to use, which is not conducive to military operations. To this end, in order to promote the unification of standard rifles, Myanmar has purchased a batch of foreign trade 97 rifles from China in small quantities for evaluation purposes. If they are suitable for use by the Myanmar army, they may consider bulk purchases. However, the extreme right-wing regime in Myanmar has had a certain impact on the relationship between the two countries. Therefore, it has not been able to purchase more Type 97 rifles. China has also rejected the order for Type 97 rifles. It is only used by special forces and police.
97 rifle
For this reason, local engineers in Myanmar tried to design a new rifle based on the model 97 remaining in the country, and made some modifications, hoping to create a rifle that can meet the needs of the Myanmar army. Excellent rifle. At the same time, due to the lack of machinery for producing firearms in Myanmar, it has also purchased machinery for making weapons from countries such as Singapore and Israel. This Type 97 was originally designed as a new rifle and was named "EMER K-1".
Burma’s EMER K-1 automatic rifle
so that the appearance of the EMER K-1 automatic rifle is very similar to the 97-type rifle, and it also uses a non-support design, barrel, air guide, protective cover, trigger, and recoil The spring, firing mechanism, butt stock and sighting device are also very similar. It can be said that the gun is basically a copy of the original version except for the magazine, sighting star and bayonet. The butt part is more similar to the British SA80 unsupported rifle. . Internally, according to public information, the gun is similar to the Austrian Steyr AUG assault rifle.
In fact, in the 1990s, Myanmar produced its own MA series rifles with the help of Israel. Since then, the idea of self-developed light weapons has emerged. However, due to the poor industrial foundation of the country, there is no complete system for the design and manufacture of firearms, the materials are not reliable, the processing technology is rough, and the materials suitable for manufacturing firearms are lacking, so that the reliability of imitated guns has not been high. The
, even the EMER K-1 automatic rifle, often jams and breaks down. The reliability is not high. It is only used by troops and police in a small amount, and is not favored by the army and police. Most of them appear in military parades. The reliability is not high, but it can still show the results achieved by Myanmar.
Burmese soldiers equipped with MA-3 MKIII short-barreled submachine gun
material, 97 type rifle uses a large amount of nylon engineering plastics and aluminum alloy, the purpose is to reduce the quality of firearms and improve durability, while the Burmese imitation EMER K-1 automatic The rifle is replaced by inferior phenolic plastic, which is far less durable and strong than nylon engineering plastic. In this way, even if Myanmar imitates the appearance of the Type 97 rifle, the excellent performance of the Type 97 rifle cannot be imitated.
Myanmar’s MA-2 MKIII light machine gun
and Myanmar not only copied the Type 97 rifle, but even the entire 97 family, as well as a short-barreled submachine gun version, a machine gun version and a grenade-launchable version, corresponding The models are MA-2 MKIII light machine gun, MA-3 MKIII rifle and MA-4 MKIII rifle.
The Type 97 rifle
equipped by the Philippine police has the same caliber as the Type 97 rifle, using NATO standard 5.56×45mm caliber bullets. The magazine capacity is 30 rounds and the maximum rate of fire is 650 rounds per minute. The weight of the gun is slightly higher. It weighs 4.5 kilograms, and the 97 rifle is 3.32 kilograms, which may be related to the poor quality of the material or the change in size. The
97 rifle is the foreign trade version of our country's 95 rifle . Compared with the 95 type rifle, the 97 has not changed much, and there are minor changes in appearance. The bullet calibers used are also different. The 95 rifle uses a 5.8 mm caliber bullet, and the 97 fires a 5.56 mm caliber bullet that is commonly used in the world, and uses the corresponding 30 rounds of STANAG magazine for the ammunition. The difference of Type 95 is that the magazine socket is more protruding.
Cambodian soldiers equipped with Type 97 automatic rifles
At present, Type 97 rifles have been successfully exported to more than 10 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Philippines, Laos, Venezuela and Pakistan. They are mainly used to equip special forces, police and border defense. Troops etc. However, up to now, the Type 97 rifle has not received large-scale purchases from overseas countries, and has become the main firearm equipped by the military of overseas countries, most of which are purchased in small quantities for trial.
Venezuelan soldiers equipped with Type 97 short-barreled submachine guns
Compared with the sales and reputation of similar products in Western countries, Type 97 rifles are obviously inferior. The reliability is unknown to many countries and the competitiveness is insufficient. This may be independent of our country. It is related to the late launch of the guns into the international market, such as the CQ assault rifle.
(by Periscope on December 11, 2020, please do not reprint without authorization, plagiarism must be investigated!)
