The Chinese QJB-201 Light Machine Gun

By Lynndon Schooler

The QJB-201 is a significant addition to the new series of small arms designed to modernize the Chinese PLA ground forces. It is intended to replace the QJB-95 and QJY-88 light machine guns and is China’s response to the US SAW. This new weapon and the QZB-191 family of firearms marks a shift in the PLA infantry structure, a clear sign of the modernization of the PLA forces.The QJB-201 moves away from a bullpup magazine-fed weapon for the squad automatic weapon role to a dual feed system, primarily with the belt-fed increasing the suppressive fire capability of the infantry squad, significantly increasing their lethality. This is another step in modernizing the Peoples Liberation Army’s comprehensive plan and updating its ground-based fighting force. However, operational evaluation is urgent, and immediate action is required to fully understand its potential.

The 201 series produced by Norinco has three machine guns: two light machine guns and one

Source: The Firearm Blog