Infantry Weapons

Type 56-1 assault rifle

The 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. In the Yemen Civil War, arms-trafficking investigations and interdiction records link batches of Type 56-1 rifles to Iran-backed supply channels for Houthi-aligned forces.

Yemen Civil WarHouthi-aligned forces

Conflict side: Houthi-aligned forces
Built by: Chinese state arms factoriesNorinco
Built in: China

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

Profile

Type: 7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifle
Conflict side: Houthi-aligned forces
Origin: China
Service note: Cold War design still circulating in recent conflicts

portable small armsrifle7.62mm

Service History

In service: Exported and circulated globally; documented in Yemen-linked arms-trafficking cases during the Yemen Civil War.
Used by: Houthi-aligned forces
Wars: Yemen Civil War

Production History

Designer: Chinese Kalashnikov design lineage
Designed: Type 56 family adopted in 1956; Type 56-1 under-folding variant followed
Built by: Chinese state arms factoriesNorinco
Built in: China
Produced: 1956-present for the Type 56 family
Number built: Millions across the Type 56 family
Variants: Type 56, Type 56-1, Type 56-2, Type 56C

Specifications

Caliber: 7.62x39mm
Operation: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, selective fire
Overall length: 874 mm
Barrel length: 414 mm
Weight: About 3.8 kg
Magazine: 30-round detachable box magazine
Rate of fire: About 650 rounds per minute
Stock: Under-folding metal stock on the Type 56-1 variant

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War: Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Small-unit infantry riflestrike
Type 56-1 rifles were supplied to Houthi-aligned forces through Iran-linked maritime trafficking routes and documented in Yemen or Yemen-bound interdictions; the open sources support supply and fielding context rather than a single named battle.

Type 56-1 assault rifle Images

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

Type 56-1 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2

Type 56-1 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm under-folding-stock assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 3

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Sources

Type 56Publisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports Type 56 family background, Chinese production context, Type 56-1 under-folding stock identification, operating system, and baseline specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 An Iranian Fingerprint? Tracing Type 56-1 assault rifles in SomaliaPublisher: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War conflict usage by documenting Type 56-1 rifles likely originating in Iranian arms shipments supplied to the Houthis. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Iranian weapons supplied to the Houthis may end up in SomaliaPublisher: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War conflict usage by documenting a Type 56-1 rifle in a Sana'a arms storehouse and Type 56-1 rifles supplied to or intended for Houthi-linked Yemen channels. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Maritime interdiction of over a thousand assault rifles en route to YemenPublisher: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War conflict usage by identifying Type 56-1 rifles in Yemen-bound maritime interdictions and assessing the rifles as supplied to Houthi allies in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 U.S. Navy Seizes 1,400 Assault Rifles During Illicit Weapons InterdictionPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War conflict usage by documenting rifles transferred along a route used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Houthis in Yemen; GI-TOC identifies this seizure pattern as Type 56-1 rifles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Chinese Type 56-1 Assault Rifle imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary Type 56-1 rifle image, credited to RRT877 under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Chinese Type 56-1 Assault Rifle other side imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the reverse-side Type 56-1 rifle image, credited to RRT877 under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Chinese Type 56-1 Assault Rifle disassembled imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the disassembled Type 56-1 rifle image, credited to RRT877 under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20