QJY-88

The QJY-88, also called the Type 88 light machine gun, is a general purpose machine gun made by the Chinese state arms maker NORINCO for the People's Liberation Army. It was developed during the 1980s but did not get approval for serial production until the late 1990s, and it replaced the older Type 67 general purpose machine guns that dated to 1967. It is gas operated, belt fed, air cooled and fitted with a quick-change barrel so that an overheated barrel can be swapped without damaging the gun. It fires the Chinese 5.8x42mm cartridge from belts of 100 or 200 rounds held in an ammunition case, and a crew of two operates it, one firing and clearing jams while the other feeds the belts. It can be set up as a lighter 7.6 kilogram light machine gun on a bipod or as an 11.8 kilogram general purpose gun on a tripod. Some Chinese police elements also use it.