NORINCO QBU-88 (Type 88)

History

The QBU-88 (also known as the Type 88) is a modern sniper rifle supplied to the People's Liberation Army. The weapon system was developed in the 1980s and entered service by the end of the century. It has been produced in limited numbers since then, and a NATO-friendly variant is also available.

Sniper rifles are issued to various military and security personnel.

The QBU-88 fires 5.8x42mm cartridges from a 10-round detachable magazine. The export version, known as the KBU-97A, fires a 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge that can be fed from a standard STANAG magazine (the Chinese QBU-88 does not have this capability).

The ignition effect of the QBU-88 is achieved by gas operation of a short-stroke piston mechanism with an effective range of up to 800 meters. Available ranges include 3-9x40 and 6-24x44 ranges, as well as basic iron sights.

The QBU-88 is designed to have a polymer bullpup configuration, which means the magazine is located behind the pistol grip. The telescopic sight is mounted on the body of the weapon, while the pistol grip and trigger group are conventional. An optional bipod can be attached to the front of the weapon behind the barrel.

The barrel is equipped with a flash suppressor.

Although the QBU-88 is intended to be used as a sniper rifle, it is more of a sustained fire on enemy targets - kind of like a cross between a real sniper rifle and the infantry's standard assault rifle. In this regard, the QBU-88 element can provide a more accurate form of long-range suppression of the enemy than the squad machine gun. Therefore, QBU-88 units work directly with infantry units.

These types of battlefield components are called "Designated Markers" (DM) units.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes