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| Norinco CQ 5.56 | |
|---|---|
 The NORINCO Type CQ5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle, right side | |
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980s–present |
| Used by | SeeOperators |
| Wars | Soviet–Afghan War[1][2][user-generated source] War in Darfur Ethnic violence in South Sudan Libyan Civil War Syrian Civil War South Sudanese Civil War Sudanese civil war (2023–present) Gaza war[citation needed] 2025 Cambodia–Thailand border conflict[3] |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Norinco |
| Manufacturer | Norinco |
| Produced | 1983–present |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.9 kg (Empty) |
| Length | 1000 mm (39,3 in) |
| Barrel length | 508 mm (20 in.) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO (only non-NATO standard 55-grain M193 "Ball" cartridge),.223 Remington (Semi-automatic sporter model) |
| Caliber | 5.56mm |
| Action | Gas operated,rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 900 RPM (Select-fire version only) |
| Muzzle velocity | 990 m/s (3,200 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 460 m (1,510 ft) |
| Feed system | 20/30-round detachable box magazine (STANAG 4179) |
| Sights | Iron sights |
TheType CQ is an unlicensed Chinese variant of theM16 rifle manufactured by Sichuan Changqing Machine Works, a subsidiary ofNorinco.[4][5] According to the Norinco website, the rifle is officially known asCQ 5.56.[6] CQ stands forChangQing, the name of its manufacturer.[5]
It can be distinguished from otherAR-15 and M16 pattern rifles by its long, revolver-like pistol grip, somewhat rounded handguards, and the unique shape of its stock.
China began manufacturing weapons that were captured during theVietnam War from the Americans and their allies afterNorth Vietnam,Khmer Rouge andPathet Lao forces handed it over to them and as well as other communist allies such asWarsaw Pact andNorth Korea for evaluation.[7][8]
The CQ was first introduced in the early 1980s. This weapon is chambered for5.56×45mm cartridges and it was intended for export sales.[9] Two variants of the CQ rifle were made: theCQ 5.56, also known as the CQ-311 or CQ M-311, the select-fire variant for Military/LE sales; and theCQ M311-1, thesemiautomatic version for the civilian market. Later, a carbine variant was introduced, called theCQ 5.56mm Type A. The semi-auto sport rifle has been successful in the civilian market.[citation needed]
The CQ was never adopted by the Chinese military or even unofficially distributed among Chinese troops. Other military uses of the Type CQ assault rifle have been reported within guerrilla and insurgent movements in the Southeast Asian area.[citation needed]
Though it has the same look as theM16 rifle, there are some modifications to various parts. The most immediately recognizable distinguishing features that tell the Type CQ apart from an M16 rifle are its distinctive handguard and stock, curved pistol grip, and hooded front sight.
The Type CQ rifle, in both its military/LE and civilian variants, has a 1:12 rifling pitch which allows it to properly stabilize the M193 "Ball" variant of the 5.56 mm ammunition or theType CJ Chinese clone, as well as any.223 Remington commercial cartridge variant that can be stabilized by the 1:12 pitch rifling barrel (normally Varmint or other simple sporter cartridges, up to a maximum bullet weight of 55 gr (3.6 g)). The M193 "Ball" 5.56mm cartridge was never aNATO standard until the adoption of this weapon system by other nations. Type CQ is chambered in "5.56×45mm NATO", but it will not optimally stabilize theNATO standard 5.56mm ammunition (the SS109, M855 in US service), which requires a 1:9–1:7 pitch rifling barrel due to a bullet weight of 62 gr (4.0 g).
Also known as theCQ 5.56, theCQ-311 or theCQ M-311, this is theselect-fire assault rifle version intended for military and police use. It is agas-operated,rotating-boltfull-automatic firearm that feeds from factory-made 20- or 30-round magazines (STANAG magazine clones), firing the M193 "Ball"5.56×45mm NATO cartridge (manufactured in China by Norinco as theType CJ cartridge). The Type CQ rifle has a three-position fire selector: safe, single shot, and full-automatic fire. The weapon sports a 508 mm (20.0 in) barrel with a 1:12 rifling twist. The main differences within this weapon and the original American-made M16 are in the shape of some metal and plastic parts (namely the stock, the grip, the handguard, and the flash suppressor), and in the type of metal the rifle is made of. While the American AR-15/M16 rifles are built in T70-74 aluminum, the Chinese Type CQ is built in T60-60 aluminum, used to allow the process ofmetal injection molding to be used instead of forging.
According to the manufacturer's website, the Type CQ assault rifle can be equipped with an under-barrelgrenade launcher.Norinco manufactures several models of grenade launchers in different calibers, generally clones of the AmericanM203 (known as the LG2-I and LG2-II) or to the RussianGP-25/GP-30 (known as the LG-1, seen mated to theQBZ-95 assault rifle), and a wide array of anti-riot underbarrel launchers. However, seen the lack on the Type CQ assault rifle of a quick-attachment/detachment design hand guard as instead present on the AmericanM16A2 assault rifle andM4 carbine, the installation of an underbarrel grenade launcher on the Type CQ assault rifle requires partial replacement of the handguard.[10]
Also known as theCQ 311-1 or theCQ M311-1,[1] this rifle is thecivilian version of the above-mentioned Military model. Nothing changes from the select-fire version, except that the CQ M311-1 rifle is not capable of fully automatic fire, and that the most recently manufactured models shift from the distinctive Type CQ curved pistol grip and hooded front sight to more standard parts, similar to the ones found on other AR-15 rifles. It is manufactured with a semi-automatic only trigger group, and the selector switch only has two positions, for Safety and Fire. The 1:12 barrel rifling allows the rifle to properly shoot and stabilize light.223 Remington commercial cartridges (55 gr (3.6 g) and under) and the military surplus5.56×45mm M193 "Ball" ammunition widely available on the market.
The CQ M311-1 was first available in the North American market in 1987, when only 500 units were sold before the import was halted;[1] reasons for this halt are stated to be several by many sources: the restrictions applied in the United States since 1989 (an import ban signed byGeorge H. W. Bush on 41 types of military-style firearms in the aftermath of theStockton massacre), a copyright infringement lawsuit fromColt against Norinco or an agreement between the two companies; however none of these claims can be supported by official sources. The CQ M311-1 semiautomatic rifle was available in Canada until it was reclassified as a Prohibited Firearm on May 1, 2020,[11] while any further import into the United States still remains impossible due to restrictions that apply since 1986 and after other pieces of legislation passed in the 1990s and in the early 2000s.
The gun is also available in Europe (particularly Italy), where it is sold with a 10-round detachable clear plastic magazine manufactured in the United States byDPMS Panther Arms (this because the Norinco CQ M311-1 rifles and the DPMS Panther Arms products are imported in Italy by the company NUOVA JAGER srl).[citation needed]
This variant introduced in the year 2006 in several defense expos worldwide including the MILIPOL, is a copy of the AmericanM4A1carbine.[12] It features a telescoping stock, a removable carrying handle mounted on a Picatinny rail, and a 368.3 mm (14.5 in) barrel. The CQ Type A carbine variant is able to stabilize both M193 "Ball" and SS109/M855 variants of the 5.56 mm cartridge, as would be expected from a rifle with a 1:9 barrel rifling twist. It will quickly accept the installation of grenade launchers due to the quick attachment/detachment handguard design and to the step-cut barrel.
The CQ 5.56 mm Type A assault carbine is the only Type CQ variant known to be in official use with a regular armed force, having been purchased in significant quantities by the DECEI (Destacamento Conjunto de Empleo Inmediato, "Joint Rapid Deployment Detachment") of theParaguayan Army.[13] A semi-automatic version of this carbine was available on the civilian market for sports shooters in Canada until their prohibition,[12][11] Italy,[14]Ukraine,[15] and South Africa.[12]
TheCS/LM11 [zh]squad automatic weapon was unveiled in 2010 at foreign weapons expo conventions, made by Huaqing Machinery Company.[16] It can fire both SS109 and M193-based 5.56 NATO ammunition.[16] It is an offshoot of the CQ, with improvements made to barrel from 6,000 to 12,000 rounds fired.[16]
In the year 2003, theDefense Industries Organization ofIran began marketing theS-5.56 (Sayyad) rifle, an unlicensed clone of the Type CQ.[17] It is also known as SRAG-15. It was first unveiled in the West[specify] in 2001.[18] It was originally designed for export sales, but has been shown in use byQuds Force, the special forces of the IranianIslamic Revolutionary Guard.[19]
The rifle itself is offered in two variants. TheS-5.56 A1 with a 19.9 in (510 mm) barrel and 1:12 pitch rifling (1 turn in 305 mm), optimised for the use of the M193 Ball cartridge.[19] TheS-5.56 A3 with a 20 in (510 mm) barrel and a 1:7 pitch rifling (1 turn in 177, 8 mm), optimized for the use of the SS109 cartridge.[19]
There is also a variant with quad-rail handguards and telescopic CAA CBS-style buttstock and sometimes with extended quad-rail and cut carry handle.
TheTerab rifle manufactured by the MIC (Military Industry Corporation) ofSudan is a clone of the IranianDIO Sayyad-5.56, itself a clone of the Norinco CQ.[20] The manufacturer's website lists it as a7.62×51mm NATO which would make it more of a copy of theAR-10.[21] The Sudan has a background in military usage of the AR-10, having employed it as its standard service rifle from 1957 to 1989. Recent updates show that MIC lists the Terab with a caliber of 5.56 NATO.
TheArmada rifle is a clone of the Norinco CQ manufactured by Shooter's Arms Manufacturing or S.A.M., also known as Shooter's Arms Guns & Ammo Corporation, headquartered inMetro Cebu, the Philippines.
S.A.M. launched the Armada rifle in 2009, making it available to local government units and/or active law enforcement and military agencies in thePhilippines and abroad. The Armada is a select-fire rifle composed of two receivers (upper and lower) manufactured in forged aluminum, uses a 22 in (560 mm) barrel with a 1:9 right-hand twist (able to stabilize both M193 "Ball" and SS109/M855 variants of the 5.56mm cartridge), Norinco CQ-style plastic parts (grip, stock, handguard), flip-up rear sight adjustable for windage, front post sight adjustable for elevation, and feeds bySTANAG magazines. The total weight of the weapon unloaded is claimed to reach 3.3 kg (7.3 lb), with an overall length of 38.5 in (980 mm).[22]
A carbine version of the Armada rifle, similar to the Norinco CQ 5.56mm Type A, has also been launched under the name ofTrailblazer.[23]
The CQ-D is an export-specific automatic rifle of the CQ family, featuring upgraded Picatinny rails and foregrip and offered by the China Jing An Import & Export Corp.[24]
Cambodia: Type CQ 311 used byRoyal Cambodian Army,[12] along with M16 rifle. CQ 5.56mm Type A used by 911 Para-Commando Special Forces.[citation needed]
China: Said to be used by thePeople's Armed Police Snow Leopard Commando Unit[12] and Chongqing Police's SWAT unit (Lightning Assault Team).[5]
Ghana: Seen in the hands of Ghanaian peacekeepers in Mali, and used by theGhana Navy[citation needed]
Iran: Used byRevolutionary Guards special forces.CQ 5.56mm andCQ Type A (limited quantity) variants. Iran locally produces its own variant, S-5.56.[25]
Libya: Used byNational Liberation Army.[26]
Malaysia: Used by theRELA Corps Department as a training weapon alongside theM16A1. Some rumours state that manyM16A1 have had the standard forwards grips (old or damaged parts) changed to CQ grips for cost saving purposes.
Myanmar: Produced locally.
North Korea: CQ and CQ-A used byKorean People's Army Ground Force[27]
Paraguay: Norinco CQ-5.56mm Type A adopted by theParaguayan Army Forces.[13]
Philippines: 6000 units of the CQ-A5 rifle were donated by the Chinese government to the AFP were transferred to the PNP in two batches in June and October 2017 respectively.[28]
Russia: 1000 CQ-A rifles were shipped to Russia in 2022 from China.[29]
Senegal[30]
South Sudan: Used bySudan People's Liberation Army/Movement,South Sudan Liberation Movement andLou Nuer andMurle militias[31]
Sudan: CQ M311-1 Used by theSouth Sudan Democratic Movement/Army[citation needed]
Syria: Used by theSyrian Arab Army, captured fromrebels in theSyrian Civil War.[32][33]
Thailand: Sold to theRoyal Thai Navy and Air and Coastal Defense Command.[12]
Yemen[34]
ISIL: Captured from Shiite Militia andSyrian Army.[33][35]
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