The Ministry of National Defense has proposed a budget of NT$8.1 billion (US$264.14 million) to procure T112 rifles as the army’s new standard infantry weapon from next year through 2029, Legislative Yuan documents showed.
Lawmakers today are scheduled to begin reviewing the budget request for 86,114 of the new rifles, as well as laser illuminators and other accessories, the legislature said in a report.
The T112, built on the AR-15 design and chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge, features superior precision, a high firing rate and laser illumination capabilities to enhance the lethality of the infantry, the ministry said.
Photo: Wu Che-yu, Taipei Times
The new rifles, which entered mass production last year, would replace the T91 rifles that have been in service for 20 years, it said.
The army plans to buy 14,248 rifles this year and 24,534 rifles next year, it said, adding that regular army units, the Military Police Command and the Armed Forces Reserve would also receive them.
The phased-out T91 rifles would be used to equip reserve units as substitutes for the T65K2 rifles first produced in 1976, providing an upgrade in capabilities without changing the military’s standard-issue cartridge, the ministry said.
Developed by the Armament Bureau’s 205 Arsenal, the T112 bears external resemblance to the T91, but has a heavier-profile barrel with polygonal rifling that boosts accuracy by 30 percent, the ministry said.
The improved barrel extends the component’s service life to 10,000 rounds, up from the 6,000 rounds of the T91, it said.
The 205th Arsenal previously said that the T112 has a selection switch for single shot, two-shot bursts and full-automatic fire, as well an ambidextrous design.
An army public relations video released on Sept. 3 showed that the Army Infantry Training Command was using T112 rifles equipped with optical sights, laser illuminators and foregrips in training of new recruits.
Infrared laser illuminators assist with shooting while using night-vision optics.
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