QTS-11

Type 11 Integrated Combat System
Type Dual barrel integrated Bullpup Airburst grenade launcher/Assault rifle multi-weapon system
Place of origin China
Service history
In service 2015–present
Used by People's Liberation Army Ground Force[1]
Production history
Designer Norinco
Designed 2000s
Unit cost US$78,000 [2]
Produced 2011–present
No. built At least 50,000 as of Jan, 2018 [2]
Specifications
Weight

4.27 kg (9.4 lb) (Empty, less optics) [3]
5 kg (11 lb) (Loaded, less optics) [3][4]

Up to 7 kg (15 lb)(Full system)[1]
Length 950 mm
Barrel length
  • KE Module: 467 mm (18.4 in)[5]
  • HE Module: Unknown
Cartridge
Action
Muzzle velocity
  • 220 m/s (720 ft/s) (HE)
Effective firing range
Feed system
Sights
  • fire control system with laser range finder (Integral)
  • electronic-optic sight with high definition camera (Optional)
  • fiber-optic transmitted single-eye goggle (Optional)

The Type 11, (Chinese: 11式单兵综合作战系统; pinyin: 11 Shì dānbīng zònghé zuòzhàn xìtǒng; literally: "Type 11 individual integrated combat system") designated as QTS-11, is an air burst grenade launcher integrated with the QBZ-03 assault rifle in service of Chinese military since 2015.[6][4][3][7][8]

History

Early development

In February 2011, photos began to appear about a Chinese weapon that called QTS-11 previously was known as ZH-05 by rumors.[5][9][10]

Deployment

On February 22nd, 2018, state-owed Global Times announced the introduction of the weapon with the Sky Wolf Commando Unit, a branch of PLA Special Operations Forces from the Western Theater Command.[1] The Sky Wolf Commando was publicly revealed recently on August 2nd, 2017.

Chinese marines use QTS-11 in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

Design

The QTS-11 system combines the QBZ-03 assault rifle with a 20 mm airburst grenade launcher and weighs between 5 kg and 7 kg when fully loaded. This makes China the third country to develop an airburst infantry weapon, after the American XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon and XM25 CDTE, and the South Korean S&T Daewoo K11. Unlike other nations' airburst weapons, the QTS-11 has a single-shot grenade launcher that requires each round to be manually loaded and reloaded after every firing, while the others are magazine fed as it would be easier to change munition-type after initial PLA trials. The reason the manual reloading is that the PLA does not have multi purpose munition but instead have different munition to reduce the electronics and increase the firepower of the munition. Additionally, only the laser range finder and fire control system are integrated with the weapon, leaving optics optional and modular.[3] These changes make it the lightest of all the airburst weapons in its base configuration.

The primary weapon of the system is the 20 mm grenade launcher, with the 5.8 mm rifle for secondary use. Grenades are pre-programmed through electronic sight with fire control system and loaded manually through bolt-action. Five types of grenade rounds available are impact detonation, airburst, armor-piercing, improved fragmentation and shotgun-type rounds. The U.S. encountered problems with the lethality of small 20 mm grenades during OICW development, causing the switch to larger 25 mm grenades for the XM25. China claims their grenades have less electronics in them to carry more explosives and fragments to cause adequate wounding capability. The grenades are reportedly capable of a 7.7 m (25 ft) damage radius and an 800 m (0.50 mi) range with 220 m/s muzzle velocity.[11][12][13][14][15]

QTS-11 can be equipped with a additional eyepiece device mounted on the helmet allowing soldiers to shoot around corners. Image will be streaming from the electronic sight to the single-eye goggle. The fire control system can also be turned off for purely optical sighting without airburst programming capability.[4]

Weapon Empty Weight Loaded Weight Rifle ammunition Grenade ammunition Cost
QTS11 4.27 kg (9.4 lb) (less optics) Up to 7 kg (15 lb) 20 rounds 5.8 mm 1 round 20 mm US$78,000
XM29 6.8 kg (15 lb) 8.2 kg (18 lb) 30 rounds 5.56 mm 5 rounds 20 mm US$12,000
XM25 6.4 kg (14 lb) none 5 rounds 25 mm US$25,000-$35,000
K11 6.1 kg (13 lb) 30 rounds 5.56 mm 5 rounds 20 mm US$14,000

Users

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 PLA arms ground force unit with integrated warfare system – globaltimes.cn, 22 February 2018
  2. 1 2 "PLA infantrymen now have powerful rifles, but still lag US". Asia Times. Asia Times. January 22, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "ZH-05 OICW is now QTS-11". www.china-defense.blogspot.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Weapons: Being First Is Often The Worst". www.strategypage.com.
  5. 1 2 Chinese missile complex QTS-11 (ZH-05), Weapon News
  6. ↑ "Chinese Commandos Deploy with QTS-11 Integrated Combat System – The Firearm Blog". 15 March 2018.
  7. ↑ ARG. "ZH-05 Assault Rifle with Integrated Grenade Launcher – Military-Today.com". www.military-today.com.
  8. ↑ "ZH-05 OICW is now QTS-11 单兵综合作战系统". china-defense.blogspot.com.
  9. ↑ "ZH-05 – Modern Firearms". 20 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Tarantola, Andrew. "China's Laser-Guided Grenade Launchers Are Deadly from Half a Mile".
  11. ↑ Russian Website shows New Chinese QTS11 Assault Rifle / Grenade Launcher – Guns.com, 2 February 2011
  12. ↑ China’s Take on the Objective Individual Combat Weapon – Kitup.Military.com, 28 February 2014
  13. ↑ China; Army's new ZH-05 assault rifle Archived 2014-03-17 at the Wayback Machine. – Dmilt.com, 3 March 2014
  14. ↑ China’s Got a Supergun – Medium.com/War-is-Boring, 4 March 2014
  15. ↑ China Builds A Lighter OICW – Strategypage.com, 10 March 2014
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