Infantry Weapons

Type 56 assault rifle

The Type 56 is a Chinese 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle derived from the Soviet AK-47 and exported widely through state, surplus, and illicit channels. In the 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.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: Chinese state arms factoriesNORINCO
Built in: China

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

Image source: AK-47 and Type 56 image

Profile

Type: 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: China
Service note: Cold War design still circulating in recent insurgencies

portable small arms rifle7.62mm

Service History

In service: Chinese service and export from the late 1950s onward; documented in Boko Haram-related seizures and captured materiel in Niger during 2015-2016.
Used by: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: Chinese Kalashnikov design lineage
Designed: Adopted in 1956
Built by: Chinese state arms factoriesNORINCO
Built in: China
Produced: 1956-present for Type 56-family production and export variants
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
Distinctive features: Fixed wooden stock on the baseline rifle and a folding spike bayonet on many military examples

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Small-unit assault rifle and captured stockpile weaponstrike
Chinese Type 56 rifles were documented among weapons seized from Boko Haram members in Niger in 2015-2016 and among materiel taken by Boko Haram during the June 2016 Bosso camp attack, showing their use as insurgent small arms in the Lake Chad basin.

Type 56 assault rifle Images

Type 56 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1 — Source: AK-47 and Type 56 image

Type 56 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2 — Source: Bangladesh Navy sailor fires a Type-56 assault rifle

Type 56 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 3 — Source: 7RAR soldier with Type 56 assault rifle

Type 56 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 4 — Source: Chinese Type 56 AK47 schematic

Related Weapon Systems

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Sources

Type 56Publisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports Type 56 background, Chinese production context, Type 56-family variants, operating system, and baseline specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 At the Crossroads of Sahelian ConflictsPublisher: Small Arms Survey | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency conflict usage by documenting Type 56 rifles captured and used by Boko Haram after the June 2016 Bosso camp attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Diversion Analysis FrameworkPublisher: Stimson Center | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency conflict usage by documenting Chinese Type 56 and Type 56-1 assault rifles seized from Boko Haram members between 2015 and 2016, evidence of rifles used by the insurgent side. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 The West Africa-Sahel ConnectionPublisher: Small Arms Survey | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency conflict usage by documenting Chinese Type 56 and Type 56-1 assault rifles seized from Boko Haram members, evidence of rifles used by the insurgent side. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 AK-47 and Type 56 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary Type 56 comparison image, a U.S. Department of Defense public-domain photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Bangladesh Navy sailor fires a Type-56 assault riflePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Type-56 rifle-in-service gallery image, a released U.S. Navy public-domain photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 7RAR soldier with Type 56 assault riflePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the captured Type 56 gallery image, sourced to the Australian War Memorial under CC0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Chinese Type 56 AK47 schematicPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Type 56 mechanism schematic, released by the uploader into the public domain. | Accessed: 2026-06-21