Oryx documented 12.7 mm Type 77 guns in the pre-war Yemeni Army inventory, while separate reporting describes Chinese Type 85/W85-family heavy machine guns used in Yemen by regular and insurgent forces; the entry therefore treats Yemen as a Type 77-family attribution rather than a confirmed baseline Type 77 sighting.
Role detailsInfantry Weapons
Type 77 heavy machine gun
Also known as
- Chinese Type 1977 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun
The Type 77 is a Chinese 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun developed as a lighter crew-served replacement for the Type 54/DShK. Its Type 85 successor kept the anti-aircraft and ground-support role with improved handling, and the catalog treats Yemen and M23 evidence as Type 77-family use when sources name Type 77, Type 85, or W85 variants rather than a single confirmed model.
Role in Conflicts
- Role in conflict
- Rebel crew-served heavy machine gun
A Commons-hosted Al Jazeera English image from Bunagana Hill shows an M23 soldier with a Type 85 heavy machine gun during the 2012 rebellion; this row covers the Type 85 successor within the Type 77 family rather than a confirmed baseline Type 77 gun.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- China
- Built by
- Hunan Ordnance Zijiang Machinery
- Type
- 12.7 mm heavy machine gun
- Service note
- Cold War design, still encountered in modern conflicts
- Designer
- Chinese state ordnance industry
- Designed
- 1971-1977
- Produced
- Type 77 from about 1980 to 1985; Type 85 from about 1985
- Developed from
- Type 54 / DShK-pattern heavy machine gun
- Developed into
- Type 85 / W85 heavy machine-gun family
Specifications
- Caliber
- 12.7x108 mm
- Feed
- Belt-fed, commonly 60-round belts
- Action
- Gas-operated direct-impingement action, firing from an open bolt
- Rate of fire
- About 650-700 rounds per minute
- Muzzle velocity
- About 825 m/s
- Weight
- About 28 kg gun only plus 28.3 kg tripod for Type 77
- Length
- About 2.15 m overall
- Sights
- Iron sights with provision for optical or night sights
Variants
Chinese 12.7 mm Type 77-family references often separate the original Type 77 from the later Type 85/QJG-85 and W85 export or vehicle-mounted branch; conflict notes keep those model names explicit when sources do.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Type 85 / QJG-85 | Improved successor | Later 12.7 mm successor retaining the ground and anti-aircraft role while reducing weight and improving handling compared with the Type 77. Sources: Type 77, Indigenous Machine Guns of China: Part Two - Heavy Machine Guns |
 | Export and vehicle-mounted branch | Closely related W85/QJC-88-family reporting is tracked separately where sources identify W85 or Type 85 guns rather than the original Type 77. Sources: W-85 HMG, Export and combat use of Chinese 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns |
Ammunition Fired
The Type 77 and Type 85 family is documented as firing the Soviet-origin 12.7x108 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Heavy machine-gun cartridge | Type 77 references identify the weapon family as a 12.7x108 mm belt-fed heavy machine gun, matching the cataloged 12.7x108 mm cartridge family. Sources: Type 77, Type 77 HMG |
Family And Attribution Notes
The page groups the original Type 77 with the immediately related Type 85/QJG-85 successor, but conflict notes keep the sourced model name visible when evidence points to Type 85 or W85 rather than a baseline Type 77.
| Designation | Relationship | Reader note |
|---|---|---|
| Type 77 | Original model | Chinese 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun adopted in the late 1970s to replace Type 54/DShK-pattern guns. |
| Type 85 / QJG-85 | Successor | Later lighter model that retained the anti-aircraft and ground-support role; the M23 image evidence names this variant. |
| Adjacent export family | Tracked separately for conflict rows where sources identify W85 or Type 85/W85-family guns instead of the Type 77. |
Timeline
Type 77 heavy machine gun Key Events
Type 77 development begins
Chinese sources summarized by specialist references place Type 77 development in the 1970s as a lighter 12.7 mm replacement for the Type 54/DShK pattern.
Sources: Type 77, Indigenous Machine Guns of China: Part Two - Heavy Machine Guns
Adopted by China
The Type 77 designation reflects the gun's Chinese adoption period, with production following around 1980 according to specialist references.
Sources: Type 77, Indigenous Machine Guns of China: Part Two - Heavy Machine Guns
Type 85 successor follows
The Type 85/QJG-85 successor and W85-related branch kept the 12.7x108 mm heavy machine-gun role while reducing weight and changing handling details.
Sources: Type 77, W-85 HMG
Type 85 photographed with M23
An Al Jazeera English image on Commons shows an M23 soldier with a Type 85 heavy machine gun at Bunagana Hill during the 2012-2013 M23 rebellion.
Sources: M23 Soldier With Type 85 Heavy Machine Gun Image
Yemeni stocks enter civil-war context
Oryx documented Type 77 guns in pre-war Yemeni Army holdings, while later reporting described Type 85/W85-family guns in Yemen's civil-war fighting.
Sources: The Oryx Handbook of Pre-war Yemeni Fighting Vehicles, Export and combat use of Chinese 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns
Media
Type 77 heavy machine gun Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Type 77Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Type 77 and Type 85 background, development dates, manufacturer context, and technical specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Indigenous Machine Guns of China: Part Two - Heavy Machine GunsPublisher: Small Arms Defense Journal | Note: Supports background on Chinese adoption, Type 77 design, Type 85 development, and the ground or anti-aircraft role. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Type 77 HMGPublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports operating mechanism, feed, mount, and role details for the Type 77 heavy machine gun. | Accessed: 2026-06-29W-85 HMGPublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports W85 background and its relationship to the Type 85/QJC-88 branch of Chinese 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. | Accessed: 2026-06-29The Oryx Handbook of Pre-war Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War context by documenting 12.7 mm Type 77 guns fielded by the Yemeni Army before the Houthi takeover and available to Yemeni parties on the battlefield. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Export and combat use of Chinese 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gunsPublisher: TopWar | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context, reporting Chinese Type 85/W85 family heavy machine guns used by regular army units and insurgents in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Chinese Type 1977 12.7mm Anti-Aircraft Gun ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary Type 77 image, credited to Gary Todd and licensed CC0. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Type 77 Heavy Machine Gun Panoramio ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an additional Type 77 gallery image, credited to zhanyoun and licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-29M23 Soldier With Type 85 Heavy Machine Gun ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports 2012 M23 Rebellion direct use by showing a Type 85 heavy machine gun fielded by an M23 soldier at Bunagana Hill; also supports image provenance, credited to Al Jazeera English/Peter Greste and licensed CC BY-SA 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-29