Infantry Weapons

W85 heavy machine gun

The 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, or vehicle mounts. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, open-source reporting documents W-85 guns recovered from ISWAP-linked forces and describes the type as usually mounted on trucks for anti-personnel and anti-aircraft fire support.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: NORINCO
Built in: China

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

Image source: File:SecureRoute2018-13.jpg

Profile

Type: 12.7 mm heavy machine gun
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: China
Service note: 1980s Chinese heavy machine gun design still encountered in modern conflicts

heavy machine gun12.7 mmvehicle-mountedair defense

Service History

In service: 1980s-present
Used by: Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked forces, People's Liberation Army vehicle crews, Export customers
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: Chinese state ordnance industry
Designed: Mid-1980s
Built by: NORINCO
Built in: China
Unit cost: Not publicly standardized
Produced: 1985-present
Number built: Not publicly confirmed
Variants: W-85, QJC-88 vehicle-mounted variant

Specifications

Caliber: 12.7x108 mm
Operation: Gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed, automatic-only heavy machine gun firing from an open bolt
Feed: Belt-fed; 50-round belts reported for the QJC-88 configuration
Weight: 18.5 kg gun body; about 39 kg with tripod assembly
Overall length: 1,500 mm reported for the QJC-88 tank machine gun
Rate of fire: Approximately 550-600 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity: Approximately 850 m/s
Mounting: Infantry tripod, pintle or vehicle mount, and improvised gun-truck mount in conflict reporting
Sights: Iron sights with provision for optical or anti-aircraft sights

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Truck-mounted heavy machine-gun fire supportstrike air defense
HumAngle documented Chinese W-85 heavy machine guns among 12.7 mm HMGs recovered from Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked forces in northeast Nigeria, including a June 2021 Nigerian military recovery from an ISWAP squad in the Lamboa area of Borno State; the reporting describes W-85 and Type 85 guns as usually truck-mounted anti-personnel and anti-aircraft weapons.

W85 heavy machine gun Images

W85 heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - view 1 — Source: File:SecureRoute2018-13.jpg

W85 heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - view 2 — Source: File:TankBiathlon2016Final-11 (cropped).jpg

W85 heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - view 3 — Source: File:IPAS 2017 Police Equipment Exhibition (013).jpg

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Sources

W-85 HMGPublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports W85 background, Norinco export context, QJC-88 relationship, operating system, feed, weight, caliber, and rate of fire. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Indigenous Machine Guns of China: Part Two - Heavy Machine GunsPublisher: Small Arms Defense Journal | Note: Supports QJC-88 and W-85 technical background, including caliber, gun weight, belt feed, rate of fire, gas operation, and vehicle/tank mounting context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 NORINCO W-85 (QJC-88) Heavy Machine GunPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports general W85/QJC-88 background, Norinco manufacturer attribution, cartridge, action, weight, rate of fire, muzzle velocity, and vehicle or tripod mounting context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Arms Seizures, Destruction Shadow Nigeria's War Against Terror Groups In NortheastPublisher: HumAngle | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct use: W85 heavy machine guns used by Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked forces, including W85 guns recovered from an ISWAP squad in Borno State and described as usually truck-mounted for anti-personnel and anti-aircraft roles. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Lake Chad: A Large Part Of Insurgents' Weaponry Are From Regional State ArsenalsPublisher: HumAngle | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct use: W85 heavy machine guns used by Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked forces, with reporting that W-85 and Type 85 HMGs were usually mounted on trucks as anti-personnel and anti-aircraft weapons. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 File:SecureRoute2018-13.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary W85 image, credited to Pavel Gerasimov / Mil.ru under CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 File:TankBiathlon2016Final-11 (cropped).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a close QJC-88/W85 vehicle-mounted view, credited to Vitaly V. Kuzmin under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 File:IPAS 2017 Police Equipment Exhibition (013).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a W85 exhibition view, credited to Soheil Sahranavard / Fars Media Corporation under CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21