Type 68 assault rifle
| Type 68 | |
|---|---|
 The Type 68 rifle | |
| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | North Korea |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1968–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mikhail Kalashnikov[a] |
| Manufacturer | Factory 61/65 |
| Produced | 1968 - |
| Specifications | |
| Cartridge | 7.62×39mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 600–650 rounds/min[3] |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable AK magazines |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The Type 68 (Korean: 68식자동보총, also known as Type 68 NK) is an assault rifle made in North Korea derived from the Soviet AKM designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov
History
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The Type 68 was adopted in 1968 to replace the Type 58[4] since it was too time-consuming to produce the Type 58.
The Type 68 was reported to be exported to the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front covertly in the 1980s.[3] They were also widely distributed in Central and South America.[5]
In 1986 the Peruvian government imported 20,000 Type 68 rifles for US$97[b] (equivalent to $278 in 2024) each. In 1988, 20,000 more were imported and issued to police and paramilitary forces.[6]
Design
[edit]The Type 68 was made with features from the Type 58 with features such as the solid catalpa wood stock, wood pistol grip, handguards and smooth sheet-steel top covers.[3] It has a swivel retaining bracket spot-welded on the left side of the receiver.[3] The pistol grip stud and lower stock tang are riveted in place.[3] The milled gas block is flat on both sides and, like the Type 58, has a sling swivel that extends outward from the left side.[3] The folding stock variant of the Type 68 has the Soviet underfolding design with stamped steel struts and buttplate.[3] The rear sights are graduated to a distance of 800 meters.[3] The trigger group is not based on the Soviet AKM. Instead, the trigger is a double-hook design based on milled receiver-based AKs.[5]
The rifle has a barrel length of 415 mm with a velocity of 715 m/s.[4] Its practical rate of fire is at 40-100 RPM.[4] While it has a sight range of 800 meters, its effective range is at 300 to 400 meters.[4] The Type 68 can also use 20-round magazines aside from 30-round magazines with the capability to fire rifle grenades, based on the PGN-60 and the KGN.[7]
While Type 68s used hangul markings in the fire selectors, exported versions uses non-hangul markings[3] with 1 for semi-auto and an infinity symbol for automatic fire.[5] The markings consist of a five-point star in a circle and Type 68 in hangul.[5]
Stamped steel magazines were first used, although orange synthetic magazines are reportedly used as well.[5] The Type 68 has a knife bayonet used.[8]
Variant
[edit]Type 68-1
[edit]The Type 68-1 features an underfolding stock like the AKMS with holes in it to help reduce overall weight.[9] It also has the Soviet underfolding design with stamped steel struts and buttplate.
Users
[edit]
Cuba: Acquired Type 68s.[10] Provided free of charge due to allegations that the Soviet Union did not want to honor Cuban orders for AK-47s.[7]
Ethiopia: North Korea provided assistance to set up Type 68 production lines in the 1980s.[11]
Nicaragua: Sandinista Popular Army/Ejército Popular Sandinista. In addition to receiving Type 68s, they also received Type 68 magazine pouches and slings.[12]
North Korea[13]
Peru: Type 68, formely used by paratroopers.[6] Currently used by Peruvian National Police, most refurbished by Desarrollos Industriales Casanave.[14] Around 200 were modernized by DC as of 2012.[14]
Syria: Imported Type 68 rifles or components prior to the Syrian Civil War.[2] Produced under license in Syria by the Établissement Industriel de la Défense (EID)/Defense Laboratories Corporation (DLC).[2][15].
Togo: Type 68.[16]
Non-State Actors
[edit]
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front: Also received Type 68 slings and ammunition pouches, probably from Nicaragua.[3]- Hamas[17]
Islamic State: At least 18 Type 68 rifles were found in a weapons stash in northeast Syria in 2022.[2]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Interagency Intelligence Assessment: Grenada: A First Look at Mechanisms of Control and Foreign Involvement. CIA. 19 December 1983.[failed verification]
- ^ a b c d Islamic State Weapons in High-Profile Operations in North-East Syria (Report). London: Conflict Armament Research. January 2024. pp. 34–36. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Iannamico, Frank (4 May 2012). "AK Rifle of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea". Small Arms Review. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Type 68 Assault Rifle". Military-Today.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-25.
- ^ a b c d e Iannamico, Frank (11 September 2018). "DPRK's AKs: Inside the Shadowy World of North Korean AK Rifles". Tactical Life Gun Magazine. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c Ezell (1988), p. 304.
- ^ a b Mitzer & Oliemans (2020), p. 23.
- ^ https://worldbayonets.com/Bayonet_Identification_Guide/North_Korea/north_korea_2.html
- ^ Roodhorst (2015), p. 1420.
- ^ Shea, Dan; Hong, Heebum (27 March 2013). "North Korean Small Arms". Small Arms Defense Journal. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ Mitzer & Oliemans (2020), p. 24.
- ^ "Communist Military Aid to Nicaragua:Trends and Implications" (PDF). CIA.gov. 8 December 1987. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/tip-spear-north-korean-peoples-army-no-joke-167956
- ^ a b "Fusiles De Asalto" (in Spanish). Desarrollos Industriales Casanave Perú. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
- ^ https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/296f328758e143a185d2a31fe5b04fc9
- ^ Ezell (1988), p. 359.
- ^ https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25204967
Bibliography
[edit]- Ezell, Edward Clinton (1988). Small arms today: latest reports on the world's weapons and ammunition (2nd ed.). Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2280-3.
- Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (2020). The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun. Helion and Company. ISBN 978-1910777145.
- Roodhorst, Cor (2015). The Kalashnikov Encyclopedia: Recognition and Weapon Forensic Guide for Kalashnikov Arms and Derivatives II: Italy-Russia. Netherlands: Roodhorst Publications. ISBN 978-90-9027549-9.
- Tucker-Jones, Anthony (2012). Kalashnikov in Combat. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-78303-858-9.