Type 56 assault rifle

The Type 56 is a Chinese assault rifle which is a copy of the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle. The Type 56 was first used by the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War along with the Soviet AK-47 and AKM assault rifles. The Type 56 is used by many armies and battlefields in Africa, Western Asia and Asia.

Type 56 assault rifle
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	China
Service history
In service	1956–now
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War and many other conflicts in Africa and Asia
Production history
Designed	1956
Produced	1956–now
Variants	Type 56 Type 56-1 Type 56-2
Specifications
Mass	8.5 lbs (3.9 kg) empty 10.5 lbs (4.8 kg) loaded
Length	34.3 in (87 cm)
Barrel length	16.4 in (41.6 cm)
Cartridge	7.62×39mm
Caliber	7.62 mm
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	600 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	710~730 meters/second
Effective firing range	400 meters
Feed system	30 round magazine
Sights	Iron sights

A Chinese naval officer holds a Type 56 assault rifle.

Variants

• Type 56: Copy of the AK-47.
• Type 56-1: Copy of the AKS-47.
• Type 56-2: Same as the Type 56-1 but with a side folding stock instead of a under folding stock.

Users

The Type 56 assault rifle is used in many countries. These include:

Users

Afghan students with Type 56 at the Special Police Training Center .

Syrian soldier aims a Type 56.

•  Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan^[1]
•  Albania^[2] Locally produced under small modification of the Albanian Army needs. Main armament of the army until recently when it's being replaced with ARX-160, and M4A1.
•  Algeria^[3]
•  Bangladesh^[4]
•  Benin^{[5][better source needed]}
• Boko Haram : Type 56 and Type 56-1^[6]
•  Bolivia^{[7][better source needed]}
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina^{[8][better source needed]}
•  Burundi: Burundian rebels.^[9]
•  Cambodia^[10][11]
•  Central African Republic^[12]
•  Congo-Brazzaville^[13]
•  Congo-Kinshasa^{[14][better source needed]}
•  Chad^[15]
•  China^[16]
•  Croatia: Used by Croatia in its war of independence.^[17]
•  Djibouti^{[18][better source needed]}
•  East Timor^[19]
•  Ecuador^[20]
•  Estonia^[21]
•  Finland: Purchased in the 1990's and used by Finnish Army rerserve personnel. Now in long-term storage.^[22][23]
•  Gambia^{[24][better source needed]}
•  Iran^{[25][better source needed]}
•  Iraq^[26][27]
  •  Iraqi Kurdistan^{[28][better source needed]}
•  Ivory Coast^[29]
•  Kosovo^[30]
•  Laos^[2]
•  Liberia^[31]
•  Mali^[2]
•  Malta^[2][32]
•  Myanmar^[33]
•    Nepal: Used by the Nepalese Army and formerly by the People's Liberation Army rebels^[34]
•  Nicaragua: Contras.^[35]
•  Niger^{[36][better source needed]}
•  North Korea^[2]
•  Pakistan^[2]
•  Rwanda^[37]
•  Tajikistan^[38]
•  Sierra Leone^[39]
•  Somalia^{[40][better source needed]}
•  South Sudan: South Sudan Liberation Movement, South Sudan Democratic Movement, Sudan People's Liberation Army and Lou Nuer militias.^[41]
•  Sri Lanka^[2] During the war that ended on 19th May 2009 between the Sri Lankan government armed forces and the LTTE terrorist group.
•  Sudan^[42]
•  Syria^[43]
•  Uganda^[44]
  • Lord Resistance Army^[44]
•  Vietnam^[16]
•  South Vietnam: Captured from Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War.^[45]
•  Yemen^{[46][better source needed]}
•  Zimbabwe^[47]