The W87 grenade launcher is a prototype Chinese automatic grenade launcher.
History[]
The W87 was designed in the 1987 as a support weapon which enhances the firepower capabilities of a squad; little else is known about the history of the weapon. The W87 was later developed into the QLZ-87, which has seen service in Hong Kong and China.
Design Details[]
The W87 is a fully-automatic, air-cooled, select-fire grenade launcher that uses gas operation. A bracket is located on the left hand side of the weapon and can accept a wide variety of sights. There is a muzzle brake located at the end of the barrel to hep reduce muzzle climb and mitigate recoil. The W87 accepts 9- or 12-round drum magazines as standard. The W87 also has a carrying handle to make transportation easier; to make transportation of the weapon even easier, the weapon's drum magazine can be swapped out for a six-round box magazine.
The W87 comes standard with a bipod, though it can also be fitted onto an 8 kilogram (17.6 pounds) tripod, which has various adjustable features. The pistol grip is located on the bottom of the receiver, unlike the QLZ-87's which is mounted on the right side of the weapon. The weapon's charging handle is located on the right hand side of the weapon and folds down so that it does not stick out and catch onto things when being transported. The weapon's wooden shoulder stock is equipped with a rubber buffer which absorbs the shock when fired.
Ammunition[]
The W87 uses 35×63mm grenades, slightly bigger than the 35×32mm grenades that the QLZ-87 fires.
Variants[]
There are at least two known variants of the W87; one with a bottom mounted pistol grip and another that quite heavily resembles the QLZ-87, bar a wooden stock.