Zijiang M99

Last updated
M99
Type Semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle
Place of originChina
Service history
In service2005-present
Used bySee Users
Wars Syrian Civil War [1]
Iraqi Civil War [2]
Myanmar Civil War [3]
Sudanese civil war (2023–present) [4]
Production history
ManufacturerZijiang Machinery Company (Arsenal 9656) [5]
Produced2005-present [5]
VariantsM99-II
M06
Specifications
Mass12 kg [6]
Length150 cm [6]

Cartridge 12.7×108mm [6]
Action Semi-automatic
Muzzle velocity 800 m/s[ citation needed ]
Maximum firing range1500-1700 meters [5]
Feed system5-round box magazine

The ZijiangM99 is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle first introduced in 2005. It has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Navy and Marine Corps in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, [5] and has been seen in the hands of various rebel groups involved in the Syrian Civil War. [1]

Contents

Overview

The Type 99 is a lightweight 12.7x108 mm, direct impingement gas-operated, anti-materiel rifle. It features a large muzzle brake to aid in the mitigation of the recoil produced by its cartridge. A 2006 trial conducted by the Pakistan Army indicated that the rifle is capable of 1.6 MOA accuracy with the appropriate precision ammunition. [5] The acquisition of the M99 by rebel forces in Syria is thought to have been brokered through Qatar [5] or Sudan. [7]

Variants

Users

Non-State Actors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.50 BMG</span> Rifle cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

The .50 BMG, also known as 12.7×99mm NATO, and designated as the 50 Browning by the C.I.P., is a .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber cartridge developed for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. Under STANAG 4383, it is a standard service cartridge for NATO forces, as well as many non-NATO countries. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor-piercing (AP), incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are made into a continuous ammunition belt using metallic links.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sniper rifle</span> Type of rifle used for long-range engagements against enemy personnel

A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include high accuracy, reliability, and mobility, concealment, and optics, for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses by military snipers. The modern sniper rifle is a portable shoulder-fired rifle with either a bolt action or semi-automatic action, fitted with a telescopic sight for extreme accuracy and chambered for a high-ballistic performance centerfire cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-materiel rifle</span> Rifle designed for use against military equipment

An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel) targets. Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed to eliminate equipment such as engines and unarmored or lightly armored targets. Although not originally designed for use against human targets, the bullet weight and velocity of anti-materiel rifles gives them exceptional long-range capability even when compared with designated sniper rifles. Anti-materiel rifles are made in both bolt-action as well as semi-automatic designs.

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an Australian-owned, American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition located in Christiana, Tennessee. It was founded in 1982 by Ronnie G. Barrett for the purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the .50 BMG ammunition, originally developed for and used in M2 Browning machine guns. Barrett began this work in the early 1980s, and the first working rifles were available in 1982, hence the designation M82. Barrett personally designed every part of the weapon. He marketed the weapon and mass-produced it utilizing private funds. He continued to develop the rifle through the 1980s, and developed the improved M82A1 rifle by 1986. Barrett was acquired by the NIOA Group on 17 January 2023, solidifying the long-standing relationship between the two companies.

M99 or M-99 may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12.7×108mm</span> Rifle cartridge

The 12.7×108mm cartridge is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and anti-materiel rifle cartridge used by the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries, including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and many others. It was invented in 1934 to create a cartridge like the German 13.2mm TuF anti-tank rifle round and the American .50 Browning Machine Gun round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrett M82</span> American military recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel sniper system

The Barrett M82 is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accuracy International</span> Specialist British firearms manufacturer

Accuracy International Limited is a British firearms manufacturer based in Portsmouth, England. The company specializes in sniper rifles and anti-materiel rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSVK 12.7</span> Anti materiel sniper rifle

The KSVK 12.7 or Degtyarev sniper rifle is a 12.7mm anti-materiel rifle developed in Russia for the purpose of counter sniping and penetrating thick walls, as well as light armored vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steyr HS .50 / HS .460</span> Anti-materiel rifle

The Steyr HS .50 and the Steyr HS .460 are single-shot anti-materiel rifles manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher and chambered in .50 BMG and .460 Steyr, respectively. Unlicensed variants of the HS. 50 include the AM-50 Sayyad produced by Iran, the Golan S-01 produced by Syria and the Ghoul produced by the Al Qassam Brigades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrett M99</span> Anti-materiel rifle

The Barrett M99 is a single-shot anti-materiel rifle that was first introduced in 1999 by the Barrett Firearms Company as a less expensive alternative to the company's higher-priced offerings. The rifle uses a bullpup configuration with a pistol grip. Its primary market was long-range competitive target shooters and in 2001, a shooter set a world record at 1,000 yd (910 m) with the M99 by shooting a 5-shot group which measured 4.09 in (10.4 cm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QLZ-87 grenade launcher</span> Type of Grenade launcher

The QLZ-87 is an air-cooled, gas operated 35×32mmSR automatic grenade launcher (AGL) that is crew transportable with limited amounts of ammunition. Unusual for handheld grenade launchers, the QLZ-87 fires high-velocity grenades of 35x32 mmSR caliber, which provides a longer range and flatter firing trajectory.

The Gepárd anti-materiel rifles are a family of Hungarian weapons manufactured by Sero International Kft. designed to destroy unarmored and lightly armored targets. These long-range large-caliber rifles have high accuracy and muzzle velocity. In 1987, the Hungarian People's Army sought to obtain a compact, mobile weapon that could damage lightly armored targets. The project, led by Ferenc Földi, culminated in the creation of the Gepárds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zastava M93 Black Arrow</span> Anti-materiel rifle

The M93 Black Arrow is a 12.7×108mm anti-materiel rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms.

The Type CQ is an unlicensed Chinese variant of the M16 rifle manufactured by Norinco. According to the Norinco website, the rifle is officially known as CQ 5.56.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OSV-96</span> Anti-materiel rifle

The OSV-96 is a Russian semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle chambered for 12.7×108mm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 80 machine gun</span> General-purpose machine gun

The Type 80 is a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) manufactured by Norinco in China, based on the Soviet PKM. The machine gun was certified for design finalisation in 1980 and entered the PLA service in the mid-1980s, specifically in 1983. The Type 80 was intended as a successor to the Chinese independently developed Type 67, doing well in tests conducted in the Chengdu Military Region before it was dropped and instead, opted to keep the Type 67 GPMG in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Liberation Army (Libya)</span> Libyan military organisation

The National Liberation Army, officially the National Liberation Armed Forces of the Free Libyan Republic, formerly known as the Free Libyan Army, was a Libyan military organisation affiliated with the National Transitional Council, which was constituted during the First Libyan Civil War by defected military members and civilian volunteers, in order to engage in battle against both remaining members of the Libyan Armed Forces and paramilitia loyal to the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Its self proclaimed chief commander was General Khalifa Haftar, although the National Transitional Council preferred to appoint Major General Abdul Fatah Younes Al-Obeidi as its commander-in-chief. It had prepared for some time in portions of Eastern Libya controlled by the anti-Gaddafi forces for eventual full-on combat in Western Libya against pro-Gaddafi militants, training many men before beginning to go on the offensive. They have battled for control of Benghazi, Misrata, Brega, Ajdabiya, Zawiya and Ra's Lanuf as well as several towns in the Nafusa Mountains. They finally began the Battle for Tripoli in August 2011 when they attacked from the west of the city, as well as fomenting an internal uprising on 20 August.

The Desert Tech Hard Target Interdiction (HTI) is a bullpup bolt-action sniper and anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured in West Valley City, Utah, United States by Desert Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QBU-10</span> Semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle

The QBU-10 or Type 10 sniper rifle is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured by Norinco. First introduced in 2010, it has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, and Marine Corps.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rival rebel factions fight in Syria's largest city". CBC News. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 Smallwood, Michael (29 April 2016). "Kurdish Forces with Chinese QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launcher & M99 Anti-materiel Rifle". sadefensejournal.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023.
  3. War Noir [@war_noir] (15 December 2023). "#Myanmar (#Burma) 🇲🇲: A quite interesting photo of a fighter of Ta'ang National Liberation Army (#TNLA) in #Shan State. The fighter is using a rare 12.7x108mm Zijiang M99 anti-materiel rifle; originally made by #China 🇨🇳 and likely seized from Tatmadaw. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024 via Twitter.
  4. Noir, War [@war_noir] (30 June 2024). "#Sudan 🇸🇩: Rapid Support Forces (#RSF) fighters released a new video after reportedly destroying an armored vehicle belonging to Sudanese Forces. Some of the fighters also seen with rare weapons including Chinese Zijiang M99 anti-materiel sniper rifle and MP5A3 submachine gun" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "The Chinese M99 50-caliber Anti-material rifle". Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Modern Firearms - M99". 27 October 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Syrian Rebels are using the Chinese M99 large-caliber Sniper Rifle". The Firearm Blog. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  8. M99 Chinese 12.7mm Sniper Rifle OE Data Integration Network (ODIN)
  9. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (6 March 2021). "Qatar's Purchase of BP-12A SRBMs: A Guppy Sprouts Teeth". Oryx Blog. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023.
  10. Martin, Guy (26 February 2015). "Sudan unveils 122 mm self-propelled howitzer, armoured vehicles at IDEX". defenceWeb. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  11. "Syrie: l'EI inflige un revers aux FDS dans l'est, mais reste acculé". France Soir (in French). 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023.
  12. "JADE AND CONFLICT - Myanmar's Vicious Circle" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.