JS-67

JS-67
Common configurations of the baseline JS-67, with AN-47 at top for comparison.
Type	assault rifle
Place of origin	Menghe
Service history
In service	1968-present
Used by	Menghean Army
Production history
Designer	Hwasŏng Arsenal 55
Designed	1965-1967
Manufacturer	Chowonsuri 2nd Machine Plant, Taekchŏn
Produced	1967-present
Variants	see below
Specifications (JS-67 production)
Weight	3.9 kg without magazine
Length	984 mm
Barrel length	472 mm
Cartridge	7.62×39mm
Action	Gas operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	600 rpm
Muzzle velocity	735 m/s
Effective firing range	400 m
Maximum firing range	800 m (area target)
Feed system	30 or 45-round detachable box magazine or 100-round drum magazine
Sights	Adjustable iron sights Side rail for attaching optics (JS-93 family)

The JS-67 (Formal designation: 67식 자동 소총 / 六七式自動小銃, Ryuk-chil-sik jadong sochong, "Type 67 Automatic Rifle;" short designation 67식, Ryuk-chil-sik, "Type 67") is a type of assault rifle developed in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe during the mid-1960s. It is chambered in the Letnian 7.62×39mm cartridge, and is based on the Letnian AN-47 assault rifle with some domestic modifications. From 1968 onward it was the main infantry weapon in the Menghean People's Army and the Menghean Army, until being gradually replaced by the JS-103; today it remains common in Menghean reservist units.

Development

At the end of the Menghean War of Liberation, Menghe inherited a vast supply of foreign arms in a bewildering array of calibers. These included AN-47s from Letnia and Polvokia, 7mm M1 rifles from Maverica, and a variety of 7.62×51mm rifles and automatic rifles captured from the Republic of Menghe and its GA allies, as well as older 7.50×50mm rifles kept in service after the Pan-Septentrion War. Anticipating problems with logistics, the newly-formed Menghean People's Army requested that state arsenals develop a single automatic assault rifle which could be standardized across all front-line units.

Hwasŏng Arsenal 55, one of Menghe's main arms producers prior to the end of the Pan-Septentrion War, was reconstituted to work on the rifle, its surviving design employees brought out of retirement. To save time on the design and improve compatibility with future imports, they decided to base the new weapon on the Letnevian AN-47, which had been exported to Menghe in large quantities and remained an easily available import. To save weight and improve manufacturing, the designers also sought to incorporate many of the changes introduced on the ANM.

The first prototype appeared in 1967, and bore a close resemblance to the original AN-47. The version accepted for production differed mainly in adding a permanent 22mm spigot at the end of the muzzle, which could be used to fire rifle grenades. This model was approved for mass production in October 1967, and deliveries to front-line forces began the following year.

Evaluation

Overall, the JS-67 retained its predecessor's reputation for reliability after harsh conditions and exposure to the elements, though this varied by batch. Generally, earlier rifles (especially those made before 1974, when production relocated) are built to looser specifications and more prone to jamming or breaking. Individual parts are not compatible between the JS-67 and AN-47, but the arrangement of the parts is roughly identical, and a soldier trained to maintain and assemble one can easily manage the other.

With the addition of the 22mm grenade spigot, the JS-67 is the longest of the AN derivatives, measuring 984 millimeters from buttstock to muzzle. Once the bayonet is mounted, this increases to 1.256 meters. The weapon could be somewhat unwieldy in trenches, indoors, and while disembarking from armored transports. Some sources claim that the JS-67's longer barrel gave it noticeably better accuracy at range than the AN-47 and ANM, but accuracy varies more strongly with the year of manufacture.

The JS-67's most distinct feature was its universal ability to fire rifle grenades, including hollow-charge rifle grenades, without the need to screw on a separate cup or spigot. In "mass attack" tactics of the kind used in the Menghean War of Liberation and anticipated in future conflicts, this would give ordinary infantry squads a potent ability to attack fortifications and enemy vehicles at medium to close ranges. Once under-barrel grenade launchers became more common, and as tanks' frontal armor steadily improved, this feature lost some of its attractiveness.

Comparison with AN-47

As the JS-67 was based on the original AN-47, it retains the same internal action, and is compatible with Letnian and Polvokian 7.62×39mm magazines. Visually, the original prototype is very similar to the AN-47, and the most easily recognizable difference is the presence of a rifle-grenade spigot on the production variant. In service, the JS-67 can also be distinguished by its long sword-type bayonet, which is based on Menghean bayonets of the Pan-Septentrion War era, as opposed to shorter "knife" and "spike" bayonets used in other AN derivatives. Nevertheless, under close examination the two rifles have a number of significant differences, and their parts are not mutually compatible. Production differences include:

• The JS-67 uses a stamped receiver, like the ANM, rather than a milled one like the AN-47.
• On both the early prototype and the production version, the end of the barrel lacks the slant-cut muzzle brake of the ANM.
• The upper edge of the buttstock is nearly horizontal, while on the AN-47 it descends toward the shoulder.
• The buttstock itself is made of wood rather than plywood laminate, and does not contain a compartment for cleaning equipment. (This is not true of the later JS-93).
• The charging handle is round, like that on the SKS, though the bolt assembly itself resembles that on the AN-47.
• The pistol grip slants back at a slightly sharper angle, and grows wider toward the base.
• JS-67s produced before 1992 lack a mounting rail on the left side of the receiver.
• The bolt carrier is left unfinished, while on ANMs it is blued.
• The wooden handguard extends further forward over the barrel and gas tube, and the openings are cut into the upper section only.
• The gas relief ports are located on either side of the gas tube, rather than along the top.
• The dust cover is smooth rather than ribbed.
• The magazine release mechanism is somewhat longer.
• The disconnector uses a double-hook rather than a single-hook form.

Rifle grenades

The production variant of the JS-67 is equipped with a 22mm spigot at the end of the barrel for launching rifle grenades. As with other spigot-based rifle grenades, it is possible to reduce the initial velocity by sliding the grenade only partway onto the spigot; three launch settings are marked on the spigot and in the training trajectory manual. At the lowest two settings, it is safe to fire from the shoulder, but for the highest range setting training manuals recommend bracing the buttstock against the ground. For aiming, it is possible to attach an adjustable rifle-grenade sight onto a peg on the left side of the receiver. The adjustable sight, rifle grenades, and high-strength blank rounds are all enclosed in an attachment to the shoulder bag carrying the soldier's magazines. On paper, two soldiers in each squad are issued these modified bags, though all rifles in the squad have rifle grenade spigots. In DPRM-era training manuals, each soldier in a fireteam would be issued one or two rifle grenades prior to a massed assault or ambush, where massed explosive fire at the beginning of the engagement was important; otherwise, one grenadier per fireteam would be responsible for rifle-grenade support.

Originally, two types of rifle grenade were produced: the Type 68, which uses a 48mm hollow charge capable of penetrating 100 millimeters of rolled homogeneous armor, and the Type 70 GP, a high-explosive round with a heavy prefragmented outer sleeve. Both carry a fuse in the base of the projectile, and are armed by unscrewing a pin attached to a wire ring. Their trajectories are broadly similar.

In 1980, the Army introduced the Type 80 rifle grenade, which uses an improved 57mm hollow charge with a claimed armor penetration of 250 millimeters. This model includes a more compact piezoelectric fuse in the nose, and uses a bullet trap in the rear, eliminating the need to issue star-crimped rifle grenade cartridges alongside bags of rifle grenades. Like the Type 68 and the Type 70 GP, it generates heavy recoil and should be fired with the rifle butt braced against the ground.

A third rifle grenade, the Type 96, entered service in 1995 as a replacement for the Type 70. It uses a large number of smaller fragments around the explosive charge, each one roughly cube-shaped and 3 millimeters per side. Through the use of a thinner fragmented layer, a smaller projectile, and a more efficient explosive charge, it is also considerably lighter and smaller than the Type 70 GP - sufficiently light that it can be fired directly from the shoulder at full power.

The JS-67 could also fire smoke grenades, which bore the designations Type 70 YM for the first series and Type 96 for the series using a bullet trap.

Variants

Major derivatives of the JS-67 rifle. From top to bottom: JS-93 (x2), JjS-67 (x2), GCh-67.

• JS-67: Standard assault rifle variant produced between 1968 and 1993. It is the most common rifle in the JS-67 family.
• JjS-67 (67식 짧은 소총, ryuk-chil-sik jjalbŭn sochong): Carbine or "short rifle" variant with a 224-millimeter barrel and a folding skeletal stock. It also uses a modified gas port assembly which directly supports the iron sights. It is 482 millimeters long with the stock folded. Relatively few were produced for domestic service, as the lightweight stock bent easily and the high recoil made it difficult to control without the stock extended.
• GCh-67 (67식 기관총, ryuk-chil-sik gigwanchong): Light machine gun derived from the Letnevian RPN. It retains the JS-67's V-shaped stock, unlike the RPN which used a spade-shaped design. The GCh-97 can be loaded from conventional 30-round magazines, extended 45-round magazines, or drum-shaped 100-round magazines. The weapon is 1.08 meters long overall and weighs 4.7 kilograms.
• JS-93: New variant produced from 1993 onward. It is almost identical to the JS-67, but incorporates a number of minor improvements, earning it a designation as a separate rifle. For greater durability, the solid wood furniture is replaced by laminated wood, usually in a much paler color. The buttstock includes a cylindrical compartment with cleaning equipment. The designers also added a permanently attached flip-up sight to allow easier aiming of rifle grenades. When switched to the "up" position, this also closes the gas port, preventing further cycling of the rifle and diverting all pressure down the barrel. There is also a small metal rail on the left side of the receiver, which can be used to mount magnifying optics and night-vision equipment: the optic itself is centered on top of the dust cover, but the mount wraps around the side of the receiver and attaches to the side rail. The same mounting system is used on the JS-103.

• GCh-93: Post-1993 production of the GCh-67 incorporating the laminated furniture and left-side optics rail used on the JS-93. Also incorporates a heavier chrome-plated barrel to reduce wear and overheating.

• JS-95: Mid-1990s bullpup conversion evaluated for urban combat units. Overall length of 608 millimeters. One prototype built; not accepted for service.
• JS-98: Limited-production variant chambered in 5.56×45mm ammunition, with the ability to accept STANAG magazines. It was developed for the export market, and advertised to both foreign civilians (in a semi-automatic variant) and foreign militaries.
• JS-100: Variant using black polymer furniture in order to save weight. It is easily mistaken for the JS-103 7.62x39mm export variant, but differs in having a different foresight and safety lever.

Users

• Idacua (reserve and paramilitary service)
• Menghe: no longer in active service, but standard among reserve units.

See also

• JS-103
• GCh-77
• BS-75