Development and testing of the XT112 rifle, which is set to replace the existing models used by Taiwan’s military, would be completed this year, the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau said on Friday at the 2023 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Industry Exhibition.
The entirely domestically developed and built rifle features numerous improvements over the T91 and T65K2 models, said Lieutenant Lee Chien-ting (李建霆), who is involved in the research and development of the rifle at the bureau.
The barrel of the XT112 rifle is thicker than the T91 and T65K2 models, resulting in the XT112’s improved accuracy. The XT112 shoots groupings of 9.8cm from a range of 100m compared with the T91’s groupings of 14.5cm at 100m, Lee said.
Photo courtesy of the GACC
In addition, the selector lever, the magazine release button and cocking handle latch are on both sides of the XT112 to allow easy access regardless of the user’s dominant hand, whereas on the previous models, they are only on one side, he said.
The rail mount is built to international specifications to allow greater freedom for mounting accessories such as grenade launchers, sights, and laser aiming modules, which can now be mounted all along the rail depending on the user’s needs, while on previous models these accessories could only be mounted on fixed positions, he said.
The foregrip contains a retractable bipod that snaps into place when needed, helping with firing from at low postures, he said.
The magazine has a see-through case that allows the user to check the ammunition level at a quick glance and is made of a composite plastic material, making it more durable and less prone to jamming compared with the aluminum magazine on the T91 or T65K2, he said.
The tip of the steel flash suppressor comes with indentations, meaning it can be used as a melee weapon and a wire cutter, Lee said, adding that while such flash suppressors are only on previous rifle models by request, they would be standard on the XT112s.
The XT112s are expected to undergo operational testing this year and if they pass would gradually replace rifle models in use across military services, Lee said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
An apartment building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) collapsed last night after a nearby construction project earlier in the day allegedly caused it to tilt. Shortly after work began at 9am on an ongoing excavation of a construction site on Liuzhang Street (六張街), two neighboring apartment buildings tilted and cracked, leading to exterior tiles peeling off, city officials said. The fire department then dispatched personnel to help evacuate 22 residents from nine households. After the incident, the city government first filled the building at No. 190, which appeared to be more badly affected, with water to stabilize the
EARTHQUAKE: Taipei and New Taipei City accused a construction company of ignoring the Circular MRT’s original design, causing sections to shift by up to 92cm The Taipei and New Taipei City governments yesterday said they would seek NT$1.93 billion (US$58.6 million) in compensation from the company responsible for building the Circular MRT Line, following damage sustained during an earthquake in April last year that had shuttered a section for months. BES Engineering Corp, a listed company under Core Pacific Group, was accused of ignoring the original design when constructing the MRT line, resulting in negative shear strength resistance and causing sections of the rail line between Jhonghe (中和) and Banciao (板橋) districts to shift by up to 92cm during the April 3 earthquake. The pot bearings on
DEEPER REVIEW: After receiving 19 hospital reports of suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health applied for an epidemiological investigation A buffet restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is to be fined NT$3 million (US$91,233) after it remained opened despite an order to suspend operations following reports that 32 people had been treated for suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. The health department said it on Tuesday received reports from hospitals of people who had suspected food poisoning symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, after they ate at an INPARADISE (饗饗) branch in Breeze Xinyi on Sunday and Monday. As more than six people who ate at the restaurant sought medical treatment, the department ordered the
RSS