General Facts

TYPE
Automatic grenade launcher

ORIGIN
China

NICKNAMES
-

DESIGNED
Early 2000's

DESIGNER
Norinco

PRODUCTION
Mid 2000's - present

PRODUCERS
China - Norinco

QUANTITY
Unknown

UNIT COST
Unknown

CHARACTERISTICS
Limited weight
Mediocre effective range

Introduction

The QLZ-04 is an automatic grenade launcher of Chinese origin. It was developed in the early 2000's as an alternative to the older QLZ-87 for use as a crew served or vehicle mounted weapon. The same ammunition as the QLZ-87 is used but the belt fed design is better suited at providing support fire.

Design

The QLZ-04 is a gas operated weapon and its 'free bolt mechanism' might refer to the use of the blowback principle. The belt feeds from the left and the belt box can be attached to the weapon. The QLZ-04 is tripod or pintle mounted and is fitted with spade grips. Normally an optical sight is used and crude backup iron sights are available in the carrying handle.

Firepower

The QLZ-04 fires 35mm Type 87 grenades from a 30 round belt. The cyclic rate of fire is 350 to 400 rpm and the maximum range is 1.75 km. All types of 35mm rounds can be fired. A drawback is that switching ammunition types requires reloading and no dual purpose ammunition is available.

Users

The QLZ-04 is reportedly in Chinese service and has been exported in small quantities. It is likely to supplement or even replace the QLZ-87 as a crew served or vehicle mounted weapon since it is much more capable in that role.

QLZ-04

The QLZ-04 is produced only in a single version. It might be tripod or vehicle mounted but unlike the QLZ-87 it is not available as a personal weapon. The barrel and muzzle look similar to the QLZ-87 but the two are easily distinct. The QLZ-04 is belt fed, has a rectangular receiver and is fitted with spade grips.