The new QJZ171 heavy machine gun is being quietly fielded in large numbers by the PLA Ground Force, with especially in mountainous regions where its lighter weight and improved portability offer clear advantages. Reports also suggest that the QJZ171 is beginning to replace the older Type QJZ-89 in last-ditch naval applications,
The PLAN has a long tradition of mounting heavy machine guns as a final defensive layer against both aerial and surface threats. The logic is straightforward as heavy machine guns are inexpensive, versatile, and can be mounted or dismounted with relative ease. While they may not match the sophistication of missile systems or close-in weapon systems (CIWS), their simplicity and reliability make them a practical choice for last-ditch defense. And, they can always let them PLAN Marine borrow them.
Monday, September 22, 2025
PLA Photo Of The Day: PLA infantry heavy machine gun platoon in action
Observe the deployment of three QJZ171 12.7mm heavy machine guns in a blocking/barricade role, utilizing defilade to maximize cover and fields of fire. The third QJZ171 is way in the back, it is kinda hard to spot.
Also noted a 3-man crew (gunner, assistant gunner and ammo carrier) with a fourth being the instructor
Tuesday, April 01, 2025
Photo Collection Of The Day: QJZ-171 12.7×108mm Heavy (Light) Machine Gun
The QJZ-171 was created with mountain warfare in the southwest plateau region (read Tibet), hence there is a strong emphasis on its portability. Weighing in only 26.4 lbs, it can be portable by a 2-man crew as seem from a squad of PLA infantry of the 81st Group Army, Central Military Command below.
Thanks to the complex plateau terrain and high altitude, the oxygen content of the air is low, the combatants' physical fitness will be significantly lower than that of the plains, and the combat load of individual soldiers must be lower than that of the plains in order to reduce the physical consumption of officers and men. Furthermore, the ground beneath the plateau terrain is mostly bare sand, snow, frozen soil, or soft moss, and the weapon system must be more adaptable to the ground, so that when used in the aforementioned terrain, the ground does not need to be modified, and the impact on weapon use is minimal.
To reduce weight and make it portable for two people, a plastic 60-round ammo box with a polymer link was specially constructed. However, it can still fire the DShK-38/46-influenced box if necessary. In addition, carbon fiber plastic was utilized for the exterior gun housing, with titanium alloys used for the receiver, bolt carrier, and some belt feed elements.
The QJZ-171 appears to be well-received, outside mountain troops, it has been deployed to MOUT, mounted infantry, and other SpOps formations. Similar to the the Russian Kord Heavy machine gun, it began as a lighter replacement for an existing design and is now used in a variety of applications, from ship mounts to remote weapon stations.
Note the QMK-171 5x magnified optic and the plastic ammo box
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Meet China's new 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) in servcei with both the Marine and the Army
By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/12/27 22:04:00
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1211152.shtml
A new type of heavy machine gun, possibly the lightest of its kind in the world, was recently spotted in an amphibious landing exercise held by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), indicating that the weapon with powerful suppressive fire has now entered Chinese military service.
An enhanced mechanicalized infantry platoon under the PLA Marine Corps recently conducted an amphibious landing and control exercise in a western beach area of South China's Guangdong Province, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday.
In the report's footage, several marine soldiers are seen carrying weapons that seem to be China's newly developed, super-light heavy machine gun, reported eastday.com, a Shanghai-based news website.
The new gun was featured for the first time in a photo released with a report posted on 81.cn, the PLA's website, in 2018. No details were given at that time.
Not yet known by its designation, the new 12.7-millimeter-caliber heavy machine gun boasts a similar structural design to the QJZ-89, a heavy machine gun widely used by the PLA, but many details, including the aiming sight and cartridge box, are very different, eastday.com said.
Citing military commentators, the eastday.com report said that this new gun is likely developed from the QJZ-89 but with a reduced weight. The QJZ-89 weighs 26 kilograms in total, 17.5 kilograms for the gun and 8.5 kilograms for the tripod; but thanks to the new design and new composite materials, the new gun could weigh as little as 20 kilograms, making it the lightest 12.7-millimeter-caliber heavy machine gun in the world.
A heavy machine gun that is light in weight has many advantages, with the most significant being that it can provide high mobility to its user, a Chinese military analyst told the Global Times on Sunday, requesting anonymity.
It enables a single soldier to carry the weapon without much burden at all, the analyst said, noting that heavy machine guns provide very strong suppressive fire on the battlefield, giving friendly troops more tactical options.
Its light weight, however, could also bring about possible weaknesses such as poor accuracy, but the gun's design will have reached a certain balance, the analyst said. "This kind of super-light heavy machine gun could be particularly useful in high-altitude and mountainous regions, or in amphibious landings and fast-reaction operations, when heavier machine guns might prove to be difficult to maneuver with."
After featuring in the exercise by the PLA Marine Corps, the gun has likely entered mass production and military service, eastday.com reported.
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