JS-103
| Type 103 Automatic Rifle (JS-103) | |
|---|---|
| File:ZT-103 main.png Common configurations of the baseline JS-103 | |
| Type | assault rifle |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2004 to present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chowonsuri Small Arms Company |
| Designed | 1996-2003 |
| Manufacturer | Chowonsuri 2nd Machine Plant, Taekchŏn |
| Produced | 2003 - Present |
| Variants | see below |
| Specifications (JS-103 standard model) | |
| Weight | 3.5 kg without magazine 3.9 kg with 30rnd magazine |
| Length | 945 mm (stock extended) 698mm (stock folded) |
| Barrel length | 467 mm |
| Width | 68 mm |
| Cartridge | 5.45x39mm |
| Action | Gas operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 650 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 500 m |
| Maximum firing range | 800 m (area target) |
| Feed system | 15, 30, or 45-round detachable box magazine or 100-round drum magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable iron sights Side rail for attaching optics |
The JS-103 (Menghean designation: 103식 자동 소총 / 一〇三式自動小銃, Il-yŏng-sam-sik jadong sochong, "Type 103 automatic rifle") is a gas-operated, selective fire assault rifle developed in Menghe to replace the earlier JS-67. Unlike its predecessor, which was chambered in 7.62x39mm ammunition, it fires the smaller and lighter 5.45x39mm round. It has replaced the JS-67 in all active-service units of the Menghean Army, though most reservist units still use the older weapon. It is designed by the Chowonsuri Small Arms Company, a subsidiary of the Taekchŏn Heavy Industries Group, and manufactured in the city of Taekchŏn.
Development
State interest in a new assault rifle began in the middle of the 1990s, but it was not until the turn of the century that Menghean small-arms designers presented design prototypes for evaluation. Much of the delay stemmed from indecision over whether to adopt the lighter 5.45x39mm round, which possessed better wounding effects and would allow greater ammunition loads per soldier, or remain with the 7.62x39mm round used by the JS-67. The latter approach materialized in the JS-100, an evolution of the JS-67 with black polymer furniture, a three-round-burst setting, an optional under-barrel grenade launcher, and a larger muzzle brake. Advocates for the JS-100 argued that the lighter 5.45mm round would be ineffective against body armor.
In the end, the then-state-owned Taekchŏn heavy industry company resolved this dispute by developing a new armor-piercing round containing a sharp-nosed steel penetrator, which sealed the dispute in favor of a 5.45mm weapon. Due to production and procurement delays, the weapon was restricted to elite units in its early service. Only after the 2005 military reforms did the new Army leadership step up orders with the intent of fully replacing the JS-67.
Design (JS-103)
The JS-103 has some resemblance to the original JS-67, and it shares the same general internal layout, allowing soldiers trained in one weapon to easily learn how to disassemble and maintain the other. Its most visible change is the use of high-strength black polymer furniture rather than wood, a measure intended to save weight. The metal parts are also given a protective coating intended to reduce wear, and in general the weapon retains the rugged simplicity of its predecessor. Unlike the JS-67, the JS-103’s stock is hinged, and can swing to the left side and lock into position to reduce the weapon’s length.
Although earlier prototypes included a large muzzle brake with two openings per side, the final JS-103 design used a smaller muzzle brake to reduce the effect of gas deflection to soldiers on either side. This muzzle brake has screw threads to permit the installation of a blank-firing adaptor but in its standard variant it cannot accept suppressors, extra muzzle brakes, or other end-of-barrel attachments. The weapon is unable to fire rifle-grenades, and no rifle grenades for the weapon have been put into service. Instead, the JS-103 relies on under-barrel lugs to allow the mounting of a separate YB-42 42mm grenade launcher. This is aimed using a fold-out sighting bar with angle increments for different ranges.
In place of picatinny rails on top of the weapon, the JS-103 has a single rail on the left side, which can be used to mount a variety of sights on specialized adaptor mounts. It is almost always loaded with 30-round magazines, though it can also accept the 45-round box magazines and 100-round drum magazines designed for the GG-103 (see below).
The JS-103 also has under-muzzle mountings for a new type of bayonet, which is shorter and sturdier than the “sword” bayonet used for the JS-67. This bayonet incorporates a rear hook which can be used as a simple can-and-bottle opener or a wire cutter, when paired with the steel edge of the sheath. It is not reverse-compatible with the bayonet mounting on the JS-67, nor can the JS-67’s bayonet be mounted on the JS-103.
In fully automatic mode, the JS-103 has a cyclic rate of fire of about 600-700 rounds per minute. Combat exercises determined that the "effective" rate of fire in combat is closer to 100 rounds per minute. The standard JS-103 safety switch includes settings for fully automatic fire, three-round bursts, and semi-automatic fire. Its effective range against a running target is usually listed as 500 meters but may be closer to 300 in practice for a conscript soldier using iron sights, and the 800-meter "range against area targets" is apparently no longer incorporated into training, though the iron sights do adjust out to 1000 meters.
JjS-103
The JjS-103 (103식 짧은 소총, Il-yŏng-sam-sik jjalbŭn sochong, "Type 103 short rifle") is a carbine variant of the JS-103, with a shortened barrel and a lighter stock. Otherwise, it uses the same receiver as the full-size weapon. Because the barrel is shorter, the weapon has a lower muzzle velocity and greater dispersion, reducing the effective range to 400 meters. It is also unable to mount the standard 42mm grenade launcher. In Menghean Army service, the JjS-103 is generally issued to the crews of armored vehicles, who may have to store the weapon in a confined space and quickly carry it out of a hatch when exiting the vehicle. It is 713 mm long with its stock extended, 518 mm long with its stock folded to the left, and weighs 2.7 kilograms without a magazine.
GCh-103
The third partner in the original JS-103 triad, the GCh-103 (103식 기관총, Il-yŏng-sam-sik gigwanchong, "Type 103 machine gun") is a light machine gun built in the same style as the GCh-67 before it. It has a longer, heavier chrome-plated barrel, which increases accuracy in automatic fire at range. The new barrel is also more resistant to overheating, but lacks a quick-change mechanism, reducing the sustained rate of fire compared to a dedicated light machine gun. The Menghean Army deemed these sacrifices worthwhile, as the weapon is mainly intended for small Mechanized Infantry squads which have fewer footsoldiers than APC-borne units and can usually rely on the firepower of their IFV.
Save for a few modifications to the return mechanism and recoil spring, the GCh-103 uses the same receiver parts as the JS-103, aiding in training and maintenance. It can also be recognized for its "club-foot" stock and always carries a bipod. It is generally issued with 100-round drum magazines; a 45-round box magazine also exists but production was discontinued after the drum magazine was demonstrated to be sufficiently reliable. The magazines are interchangeable; if a squad exhausts all its drum magazines, the GCh-103 can be loaded with 30-round box magazines carried by other riflemen, and vice versa.
The GCh-103 is 1.082 meters long (it lacks a folding stock) and weighs 5.03 kilograms empty.
GCh-115
In 2011 Chowonsuri unveiled a new variant of the GG-103, designated the GCh-115. Like the JS-107 described below, it incorporates a balanced recoil system (BARS), and also widens the gas port and shifts it further back. In combination with the heavy barrel and bipod, this allows for greater accuracy during sustained automatic fire. Army officials initially delayed procurement due to concern that this change would reduce the size of the beaten zone, trading away area-suppression capability for precise fire on individual targets. Nevertheless, after 2015 the Army ordered the GCh-115 into large-scale production, apparently with the aim of fully replacing the GCh-103 in Class 4 units.
JS-107
Although it was not part of the original design requirement, the Chowonsuri small arms company developed an experimental variant of the JS-103 with a balanced recoil system extending forward over the barrel. Due to its lengthened barrel and revised muzzle brake, also intended to improve accuracy, the weapon is six centimeters longer than the JS-103 and 800 grams heavier. Early trials conducted by Chowonsuri in 2005 claimed that the weapon "virtually eliminated recoil and muzzle climb, allowing highly accurate automatic and burst fire," but fed suspicion in the procurement agency that the manufacturer was exaggerating the weapon's capabilities in order to win sales. The remaining members of the old establishment also expressed concern that the added moving parts could make the weapon more prone to jamming, a fear which later proved unsubstantiated.
In 2007, the Army ordered a batch of JS-107 rifles for Gunchal rear-area patrol units, but did not place any additional orders for several years. A state news agency, quoting mid-level Army news bureaus, suggested that the program had been killed, but in 2012 the Army's Airborne Assault Forces placed large orders for new JS-107s with the aim of replacing the JS-103 in all of its combat units. The Marine Infantry followed suit in 2014.
At an October 2016 news conference, however, the Procurement Board of the Menghean Army confirmed that it would place orders for regular Army units "beginning in 2017." This announcement, along with leaked documents about the status of the BSCh-12 IFV program, led to speculation in defense circles that the implementation date for the Class 5 Army Reorganization had been moved ahead from 2025 to 2020.
Other Variants
- JS-99: Rival prototype design from 1997, chambered in 5.45x39mm.File:ZT-103 derivatives.pngJS-103 derivatives listed to the left.
- JS-100: 7.62x39mm prototype competitor, based on the JS-67 with polymer furniture and a new trigger mechanism.
- JjS-99: Carbine variant of the JS-99.
- JjS-106: A dedicated variant for the special forces, based on the JjS-103 but with a built-in suppressor. It has been seen with both 15-round and 30-round magazines.
- JS-108: Alternate export variant of the JS-103 chambered in 5.56x45mm ammunition and built with a STANAG-compatible magazine port.
- JjS-108: Carbine variant of the JS-108, identical in dimensions to the JjS-103.
- JS-110 Naean: A dedicated variant for Internal Security units, the JS-110 lacks a fully automatic fire mode and is almost exclusively issued 15-round magazines. It is extremely rare, though it has been spotted in border units tasked with stopping the illegal trade in drugs and small arms, and with Gunchal special assault teams in some cities.
- JS-111: 5.56x45mm export version of the JS-107, first showcased in 2009.
Users
- Menghe: The JS-103 is the main service rifle of the Menghean Army and the Marine Infantry.
Qusayn: In 2008 the Qusayni Army adopted the JS-103 as its main service rifle.