Type 56 assault rifle
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Categories: Assault rifles | Cold War weapons of China | Cold War rifles | Cold War infantry weapons | 7.62 mm firearms | Kalashnikov derivatives
The Type 56 assault rifle is a Chinese copy of the Kalashnikov AK-47, which has been manufactured since 1956. Originally, the Type 56 was a direct copy of the third generation AK-47, and featured a milled receiver, but starting in the mid-1960s, the guns were manufactured with stamped receivers, a change intended to copy the Soviet AKM. Visually, all versions of the Type 56 are distinguished from the AK-47 and AKM by the fully-enclosed hooded front sight (all other AK pattern rifles, including those made in Russia, have a partially open front sight). Some versions of the Type 56 also have a folding "spike" bayonet attached to the barrel just aft of the muzzle, and others have a rounded pistol grip similar in design to that of the Czech Sa 58. Also, the receiver metal is thinner than the AK-47 in order to reduce costs, though this also reduces durability. The Type 56 was replaced by the Type 81 in PLA service during the 1980s. The Type 56 is believed to be one of the most widely proliferated AK-47 copies in the world, having shown up on battlefields in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, etc. While exact production figures are not known, it is commonly estimated that as many as 10-15 million Type 56 rifles have been produced since the 1950s, which means they may account for nearly one-fifth of the world's AK production.
Service HistoryImage:AK-47 and Type 56 DD-ST-85-01269.jpg
Type 56 (top) and AKS-47.
The Chinese Type 56 assault rifle has been the standard issue assault rifle of the Chinese military from the late 1950s until the 1980s when it was replaced by the newer Type 81 assault rifle and the rifles were sent to second-line Chinese forces. During the Cold War period, the Type 56 was exported by the Chinese to communist forces in the Third World that were loyal to Maoism and Beijing. Chinese support for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam prior to the mid-1960s meant that the Type 56 was frequently encountered by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, in the hands of either NVA soldiers or Viet Cong guerrillas. In fact, the Type 56 was discovered in enemy hands far more often than Russian-made AK-47s or AKMs, and was sometimes referred to by U.S. soldiers as the "Chicom" assault rifle. When relations between China and the Vietnamese government declined in the 1970s and the Sino-Vietnamese War began, the Vietnamese government still had large numbers of Type 56 rifles in its arsenals while the People's Liberation Army still used the Type 56 as its standard weapon. Thus, Chinese and Vietnamese forces fought each other using the same Chinese-made Type 56 rifles. 
During the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, many Chinese Type 56 assault rifles were given to Afghan Mujahideen guerrillas to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan by both the Chinese and the Americans. The Type 56's use in Afghanistan also continued well into the 1990s and the early 21st century as the standard rifle of the Taliban when Taliban forces seized control of Kabul in 1996. The Taliban's use of the Type 56 was a stark contrast to the weapons of the Afghan Northern Alliance, which were exclusively Russian-made small arms like the AKM and the AK-74. The exclusive use of Chinese small arms by the Taliban and the exclusive use of Russian small arms by the Northern Alliance provides evidence to the support that nations like Pakistan and the People's Republic of China gave to the Taliban as well as the kind of support Russia (and the Central Asian nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States) gave to the Northern Alliance during the 1990s and the early 21st century. The Chinese Type 56 assault rifle saw considerable action in the hands of Iranian forces during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980's with Iran purchasing large quantities of weapons from China for their war against Iraq. During the war, Iraq purchased a small quantity of Type 56 assault rifles from China despite Iraq being a major recipient of Soviet weapons and assistance during the Iran-Iraq War. Consequently, the Iran-Iraq War became another conflict in which both sides used the Type 56, much like the Sino-Vietnamese War. Since the end of the Cold War, the Type 56 has been used in many conflicts across the world by the military forces of various nations. During the Croatian War of Independence and the Yugoslav Wars, the Type 56 was used by the armed forces of Croatia alongside other small arms and weapons the Croatians possessed. During the late 1990s, the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo were also major users of the Type 56, with the vast majority of the weapons originating from Albania, which received Chinese support during the Cold War. In recent times, the Type 56 has been used by the Janjaweed in the Darfur region of Sudan with pictures and news footage showing members of the Janjaweed carrying Type 56 rifles (most of them, provided by the Sudanese government). The Type 56 has also been seen regularly in the hands of militants from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas in the Palestinian territories; these weapons are most likely provided by Iran, which is both a known supporter of Hamas and a major consumer of Chinese weaponry. In the mid-1980s, Sri Lanka started to replace their old British L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles (SLR) and HK G3s with the Type 56. Currently, they use the fixed stock, under-folding stock and sideways folding stock variants. The under-folding stock version is often referred to amongst Sri Lankan soldiers as "Picky Butt" due to its difficulties when firing. Type 56 variants
A variant chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO was also produced for the export market, known as either the Type 56-1S or the Type 84S. Type 56 carbineThe "Type 56" designation was also used for Chinese version of the SKS, known as the Type 56 carbine, but the designs are entirely distinct. UsersSee alsoNotes
External links
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