Taipei [Taiwan], October 9 : Amid rising tensions with China, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense's (MND) Armanenets Bureau on Wednesday unveiled updated T112 assault rifles and redesigned bullet-resistant panels, Taipei Times reported.
Indigenous T112 Assault rifles have improvements to the trigger and grip. They also feature a new shell ejection deflection, MND said.
As per Taipei Times, the bullet resistant panels have recieved significant updates, as they can now withstand 5.8mm steel core bullets, researcher Hsu Yen-wei with the Materiel Production Center's 205th Arsenal in Kaohsiung said at a media event.
Even though Taiwan's military could not obtain the 5.8mm bullets, which are used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, for testing, they emulated them by changing the velocity of 5.56mm bullets, Hsu said.
The current bullet resistant panels used by Taiwan security forces can only withstand regular 7.62mm bullets. However, the new panels weigh slightly more (2.2kg) than the current panels (1.9 kg), Taipei Times reported.
Bureau informed that about 60,000 units are to be produced in the first batch set for delivery next year.
On the other hand, the T112 assault rifles have recieved enhancement based on the feedback since it was first unveiled at the Taipei International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition in September last year under the name XT112, the MND said.
Apart from the better trigger and grip the sling of T112 has a quick detach system that allows for more configurations based on operational needs.
The gun's close-quarters combat capabilities have been enhanced due to its "dual-sided design," the MND said.
The range of the rifles has also been extended from 400m to 600m, and the barrel lifespan has been extended from 6,000 to 10,000 rounds, as reported by Taipei Times.
The T112 rifle's "three-round burst" mode has been changed to a "two-round burst" based on US battlefield experience, the MND said.
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