Manufacturer catalog

Norinco

Norinco is the public export and manufacturer label most often used for China North Industries Corporation and the wider Norinco Group / China Ordnance industrial system. For this catalog, the profile groups Chinese-built infantry weapons, artillery, rockets, and guided weapons where public sources identify Norinco as the maker, exporter, designer, or system integrator.

21 weapons

China North Industries Corporation describes itself as the pioneer and leader of China's military-trade business and as a core international operating arm of the ordnance sector. Its official company profile presents Norinco as an export-facing multinational with defense products, petroleum, minerals, international engineering, specialized civilian products, and strategic emerging-industry investments, supported by a global operating network.

The broader Norinco Group, formally China North Industries Group Corporation Limited / China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation Limited, is a state-owned defense-industrial group. Its official group profile says it supports China's national security and defense construction, supplies equipment and technical support across multiple Chinese services, and builds tanks, armored vehicles, long-range fires, air-defense systems, smart ammunition, optoelectronics, and other products.

On this site, Norinco should be read as a catalog manufacturer facet rather than a conflict-use claim. The connected records include older small arms such as the Type 56 family, export artillery such as the AH-4 155 mm howitzer, long-range rocket systems such as the AR2 / PHL-03 family, and guided-weapon entries such as HJ-10 and Blue Arrow-7.

military export and defense cooperationinfantry weaponsartillery and rocket systemsguided weapons and smart ammunitionarmored assault systemsair defense and missile defenseunmanned systemsoptoelectronics and C4ISR

Notable Systems

Type 56 assault rifle family

7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle

Chinese 7.62x39 mm Kalashnikov-pattern rifle family represented in this catalog by the Type 56 and Type 56-1 entries; Modern Firearms supports Norinco/Poly Technologies export-production context for the family.

Sources: Modern Firearms Type 56

AH-4 155 mm howitzer

155 mm lightweight towed howitzer

Norinco lightweight 155 mm / 39-caliber towed howitzer, documented by Army Recognition as a Norinco system with a 4,500 kg class weight and export-service context.

Sources: Army Recognition AH4 UAE

AR2 / PHL-03 300 mm multiple rocket launcher family

300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcher

Long-range 300 mm rocket-artillery family; Army Recognition describes the PHL-03 / AR2 as a Norinco-associated 12-tube system firing 300 mm rockets.

Sources: Army Recognition PHL-03 AR2

HJ-10 / Red Arrow 10 anti-tank guided missile

Anti-tank guided missile

Guided anti-armor missile family connected in the catalog to Norinco and CASIC system work; Army Recognition documented Norinco's Red Arrow 10 display on a VN1 8x8 APC at IDEX 2019.

Sources: Army Recognition Red Arrow 10 IDEX

Manufacturer History

Early 1980s
Norinco military-trade lineage begins
Norinco's official profile describes more than 40 years of development from a military import-export company into a multinational enterprise combining trade, industry, and financial operations.
Sources: NORINCO company profile
2024
Norinco Group reports large state-owned industrial scale
The official group profile reports more than 50 subsidiary groups and directly managed units, operations or offices across more than 70 countries and regions, 2024 year-end assets of RMB 590.4 billion, and about 226,000 employees.
Sources: Norinco Group profile
2025
Norinco company profile reports RMB 220 billion-plus sales
The official Norinco company profile says 2025 sales revenue exceeded RMB 220 billion and describes overseas income, profit, and asset shares as dominant parts of the company's business mix.
Sources: NORINCO company profile
2026-06-20
Norinco exhibits at Eurosatory 2026
Norinco's official English news release says the company exhibited at Eurosatory 2026 with armoured assault, firepower strike, air and missile defense, unmanned systems, and military-technology solutions.
Sources: NORINCO Eurosatory 2026

Website links

NORINCO official site NORINCO company profile NORINCO international defense cooperation Norinco Group profile

Open sources often blur China North Industries Corporation, the export-facing Norinco company, and China North Industries Group / China Ordnance Industries Group, the wider state-owned ordnance group. This profile keeps Norinco as the catalog facet because the connected weapon records use that public manufacturer label, while notes identify where a source speaks about the narrower company or the broader group.

Manufacturer Sources

NORINCO company profilePublisher: China North Industries Corporation | Note: Official Chinese company profile supporting Norinco's military-trade role, more-than-40-year operating history, global network, industry mix, Beijing contact context, and 2025 business-scale claims. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
NORINCO international defense cooperationPublisher: China North Industries Corporation | Note: Official English page supporting Norinco's description as a major supplier of Chinese Army weaponry and equipment and listing full-spectrum product areas such as fire strike, armored assault, integrated air defense, smart ammunition, C4ISR, and unmanned equipment. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
Norinco Group profilePublisher: China North Industries Group Corporation Limited | Note: Official group profile supporting state defense-industrial context, equipment support across Chinese services, major product areas, subsidiary/global footprint, 2024 assets, employee count, and Fortune Global 500 ranking statement. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
DoD Section 1260H ListPublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: U.S. government source supporting the ownership caveat that Norinco Group is identified as directly owned and controlled by SASAC and affiliated with SASTIND and the PLA for Section 1260H purposes. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
NORINCO Eurosatory 2026Publisher: China North Industries Corporation | Note: Official English news release supporting current international defense-marketing context and listed 2026 exhibit areas including armored assault, firepower strike, air and missile defense, unmanned systems, and military technologies. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
Army Recognition PHL-03 AR2Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports Norinco background and technical context for the PHL-03 / AR2 300 mm multiple rocket launcher family used as a notable catalog system. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
Army Recognition AH4 UAEPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the AH-4 notable-system entry, including Norinco manufacturer context and technical/export background for the lightweight 155 mm howitzer. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
Army Recognition Red Arrow 10 IDEXPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports Norinco manufacturer context for the Red Arrow 10 / HJ-10 notable-system entry and related missile-display details. | Accessed: 2026-07-01
Modern Firearms Type 56Publisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports Type 56 family manufacturer/background context used for the notable-system entry. | Accessed: 2026-07-01

Produced weapons

82 mm 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortar, 82 mm automatic gun-mortar, Artillery

1979 Soviet-Afghan War, 2011 Syrian Civil War +2 more82 mm 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortar82 mm automatic gun-mortarBuilt in: Soviet Union; Hungary; ChinaThe 82 mm 2B9 Vasilek is a Soviet automatic gun-mortar that combines mortar trajectories with clip-fed rapid fire from a wheeled carriage. Source-backed conflict records place the family in Soviet-Afghan fire-support accounts, Syrian government and opposition use, Russian-side use in Ukraine, and captured Armenian equipment in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.

120mm Type W86, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery

2012 Sahel Insurgency120mm Type W86120 mm towed heavy mortarBuilt in: ChinaThe 120mm Type W86 is a Chinese smoothbore heavy mortar developed by Norinco as a longer-ranged replacement for older Type 55-pattern 120 mm mortars. It uses a conventional tube, bipod, baseplate, sight, and two-wheel carriage, with public sources documenting Chinese origin, export service, vehicle-mounted installations, W86-pattern ammunition, and a 2025 Sahel conflict event involving jihadist use of a Type W86 mortar with rocket-assisted ammunition.

2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 1990 Gulf War +5 moreM-46130 mm towed field gunBuilt in: Soviet Union / ChinaThe M-46 is a Soviet 130 mm towed field gun built for long-range counter-battery and field-artillery missions. Its high-velocity gun, long standard range, and licensed Chinese Type 59 branch kept the design in Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Russian, and Ukrainian conflict contexts decades after its first Cold War fielding.

2020 Tigray WarAH-2 155 mm howitzer155 mm / 52-caliber towed gun-howitzerBuilt in: ChinaThe AH-2 is Norinco's longer-barrel 155 mm / 52-caliber export development of the AH-1/PLL01 towed howitzer family, combining NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition with an auxiliary power unit and longer-range ordnance. Public references identify Algeria and Ethiopia as users, and the clearest conflict-specific claim found for this entry is a secondary report that Ethiopian forces used AH2 towed guns during the 2020-2022 Tigray War.

AH-4 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm lightweight towed howitzer, Artillery

2023 Sudan WarAH-4 155 mm howitzer155 mm lightweight towed howitzerBuilt in: ChinaThe AH-4 is a Chinese Norinco 155 mm/39-caliber lightweight towed howitzer built around rapid emplacement, sling-load mobility, and export-compatible ammunition. Open sources describe a 4,500 kg gun with 25-40 km range depending on projectile type, while 2023 Sudan War evidence ties AH-4-class artillery to RSF fire-support positions near El Fasher and Zamzam and to RSF-abandoned materiel in Khartoum.

AH-1 155 mm Howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, Artillery

2020 Tigray WarAH-1 155 mm Howitzer155 mm towed gun-howitzerBuilt in: ChinaThe AH-1 is a Chinese 155 mm towed gun-howitzer in Norinco's WA-021/PLL01 artillery family, retaining the 45-caliber ordnance while adding export-market refinements such as an auxiliary power unit. Its clearest conflict record is the 2020 Tigray War, where Oryx documented seven AH-1 howitzers among heavy weapons operated by the Tigray Defence Forces.

AR2 300 mm multiple rocket launcher, 300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcher, Artillery

2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict, 2020 Tigray WarAR2 300 mm multiple rocket launcher300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcherBuilt in: ChinaThe AR2 is Norinco's export designation for China's PHL-03 300 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcher, a long-range 12-tube system derived from the BM-30 Smerch pattern. Its public conflict record is clearest in Ethiopia, where Tigrayan forces captured Ethiopian AR2 launchers in November 2020 and Oryx reported their subsequent use against Ethiopian forces.

273 mm WM-80 multiple rocket launcher, Wheeled 273 mm multiple rocket launcher, Artillery

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict273 mm WM-80 multiple rocket launcherWheeled 273 mm multiple rocket launcherBuilt in: ChinaThe WM-80 is a Chinese 273 mm wheeled multiple rocket launcher developed by NORINCO from the Type 83 family with two four-round rocket pods. Open-source reporting ties Armenian service to a 1999 transfer, later public parade appearances in Yerevan, and documented 2020 losses to Azerbaijani loitering munitions.

Type 80/PKM-T80 general-purpose machine gun, 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun, Infantry Weapons

2010 Armed Insurgencies in Greater Upper Nile, 2014 War Against the Islamic State +1 moreType 80/PKM-T80 general-purpose machine gun7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gunBuilt in: ChinaThe Type 80 is a Chinese PKM-pattern, belt-fed 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun also encountered under M80 and PKM-T80 designations. Direct conflict evidence spans Small Arms Survey documentation of Type 80 guns with South Sudanese anti-government militias in 2011, Conflict Armament Research records of Chinese M80 guns captured from Islamic State forces in Syria in 2014, and AP reporting on Type 80 or PKM-T80 weapons with Hamas fighters in Gaza.

Type 56 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons

2009 Boko Haram InsurgencyType 56 assault rifle7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifleBuilt in: ChinaThe Type 56 is China's 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle family, adopted in 1956, built in very large numbers, and exported widely through state, surplus, and illicit channels. Its early rifles followed the Soviet AK-47 with milled receivers, later production used AKM-style stamped receivers under the same designation, and many examples are recognizable by a permanently attached folding spike bayonet. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, Small Arms Survey and Stimson reporting link Chinese Type 56 rifles to weapons seized from Boko Haram members and to materiel captured during the 2016 Bosso camp attack in Niger.

Type 56-1 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifle, Infantry Weapons

2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, 2014 Yemen Civil WarType 56-1 assault rifle7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifleBuilt in: ChinaThe Type 56-1 is the under-folding-stock member of China's Type 56 Kalashnikov-pattern rifle family, chambered for 7.62x39mm ammunition and built for compact carriage by infantry and irregular forces. Modern Firearms and museum records identify it as a Chinese Type 56-family rifle made by state arms factories and NORINCO, while field and interdiction reporting links Type 56-1 rifles to Boko Haram seizures in Niger and Iran-backed supply channels for Houthi-aligned forces in Yemen.

W85 heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons

2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, 2014 Russia-Ukraine War +3 moreW85 heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gunBuilt in: ChinaThe W85 is a Chinese 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun associated with Norinco export channels and the QJC-88 vehicle-mounted variant. It is lighter than many older DShK-pattern heavy machine guns and can be used from tripod, pintle, vehicle, or improvised pickup mounts. Conflict reporting documents W85-family guns with ISWAP-linked forces in Nigeria, Ukrainian mobile anti-drone teams, YPG/SDF improvised armor in Syria, Iraqi PMU militias, and Wagner-linked imagery from Mali, while sources caution that export paths and quantities are often unclear.

QLZ-87 automatic grenade launcher, 35 mm automatic grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons

2001 War in Afghanistan, 1991 Somali Civil War +5 moreQLZ-87 automatic grenade launcher35 mm automatic grenade launcherBuilt in: ChinaThe QLZ-87 is a Chinese 35x32 mm automatic grenade launcher built for portable infantry fire support, with light bipod and heavier tripod configurations fed by drum magazines. Its cataloged conflict record is strongest where photographs or arms-monitoring reports identify specific examples: AMISOM weapons in Somalia, SPLM-N captures in Sudan, opposition and Islamic State appearances in Syria, Séléka stocks in CAR, Kurdish weapons in Iraq, a Boko Haram capture in Niger, and a Taliban capture in Afghanistan.

B-10 recoilless rifle, 82 mm smoothbore recoilless rifle, Infantry Weapons

1991 Somali Civil WarB-10 recoilless rifle82 mm smoothbore recoilless rifleBuilt in: Soviet Union / ChinaThe B-10 recoilless rifle is a Soviet 82 mm smoothbore recoilless rifle introduced in 1954 and built around a wheeled, tripod-firing carriage. WeaponSystems.net identifies Chinese Type 65, Type 65-1, Type 78, and East German RG82 family copies, while Human Rights Watch and a 2024 UN report document Somali insurgent use decades after Soviet production ended.

Type 69 RPG Launcher, Reusable shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons

2001 War in Afghanistan, 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency +2 moreType 69 RPG LauncherReusable shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launcherBuilt in: ChinaThe Type 69 RPG is a Chinese NORINCO-built derivative of the Soviet RPG-7, using a reusable 40 mm launch tube for over-caliber anti-armor and support rockets. The record now tracks direct Type 69 documentation across captured Taliban stocks in Afghanistan, Boko Haram materiel losses in Niger, Ukrainian training imagery, and Cambodian firing videos from the 2025 Thailand-Cambodia border clash.

Fire Dragon 140A rocket, 300 mm guided rocket, Munitions

Fire Dragon 140A rocket300 mm guided rocketBuilt in: ChinaFire Dragon 140A, also identified as BRE3 or FD140A, is a Chinese 300 mm guided rocket from NORINCO's Fire Dragon family. Official NORINCO material describes it for AR2 and AR3 multiple-rocket launchers, while Janes, Deagel, NASIC, and cmano-db sources place it in the PHL-03 / AR2 / AR3 launcher ecosystem with inertial-plus-satellite guidance and roughly 130 km range-class performance.

BRE2 300 mm rocket, 300 mm high-explosive artillery rocket, Munitions

BRE2 300 mm rocket300 mm high-explosive artillery rocketBuilt in: ChinaThe BRE2 is a Chinese 300 mm high-explosive fragmentation artillery rocket in the PHL-03 / AR2 launcher family. Janes names BRE2 among the 300 mm rockets used by the 8×8 PHL-03, while Missilery and GlobalSecurity place it in the 60-130 km range class with an approximately 190 kg fragmentation warhead.

Blue Arrow-7 air-to-surface missile, Air-to-surface missile, Munitions

2014 Second Libyan Civil WarBlue Arrow-7 air-to-surface missileAir-to-surface missileBuilt in: ChinaThe Blue Arrow-7 is China's export designation for the LJ-7 air-to-surface missile carried on Wing Loong-class UAVs. Reporting from Libya tied BA-7 remnants to Wing Loong II drones used in strikes by UAE personnel supporting the Libyan National Army.

HJ-10 anti-tank guided missile, Anti-tank guided missile, Munitions

HJ-10 anti-tank guided missileAnti-tank guided missileBuilt in: ChinaThe HJ-10, also reported as Red Arrow 10 and AFT-10, is a Chinese anti-tank guided missile family tied to Norinco and CASIC system work. Open sources describe a 43 kg, 10 km class missile with fiber-optic guidance, seeker-updated HJ-10B variants, tracked and wheeled launch vehicles, and reported L-15B aircraft carriage.

GB50A guided bomb, Guided aerial bomb, Munitions

2023 Sudan WarGB50A guided bombGuided aerial bombBuilt in: ChinaThe Norinco GB50A is a Chinese 50 kg-class guided aerial bomb documented with RSF drone operations in Sudan. Amnesty International said fragments recovered after a 9 March 2025 strike near al-Malha in North Darfur showed 2024 manufacture markings and marked the first documented combat use of the type.

BRC4 300 mm rocket, Unguided 300 mm artillery rocket, Munitions

BRC4 300 mm rocketUnguided 300 mm artillery rocketBuilt in: ChinaThe BRC4 is a Chinese unguided 300 mm artillery rocket documented in NORINCO's AR1-A / PHL-03 / AR2 family. Open reporting describes it as the family's extended-range round, and Janes places the launcher-rocket combination at roughly 130 km.