T91

Summary

Country	🇹🇼 Taiwan
Category	Assault rifle
Manufacturer	205th Armory

Technical specifications

T91
Fire Rate	800 - 850 rounds/min.
Caliber	5.56 x 45 mm OTAN
Magazine	30 rounds
Length	880 mm (34.6 in)
Weight	3.17 kg (7.0 lb)
Range	600 m (1969 ft)

Description

The T91 (Chinese: 聯勤5.56公釐T91戰鬥步槍) is a gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, designed and produced by the 205th Armory of National Defense in Taiwan (Republic of China). A development of the T86 assault rifle, the T91 incorporates experience and user feedback from previous designs. Development was completed in 2002, with full production beginning in 2003. The T91 was designed partly in response to the People's Liberation Army's use of the Type 81 and QBZ-95 rifles.

The T91 is a select-fire rifle chambered for 5.56×45mm NATO, capable of magazine or drum feed. It utilizes a short-stroke gas system from the T86 and retains controls and ergonomics similar to an M16. Lighter and shorter than the T65 it replaces, it provides higher mobility. It features a 4-position selector switch: Safe, Semi-automatic, Three-round burst, and Automatic. Sights are M16A2-style with a front post and a rear peephole sight mounted on a detachable handle, adjustable for windage and elevation. Control operation is similar to the M16, although the T91 lacks a forward assist and has a less pronounced brass deflector. The action is based on the T65 series, but parts are not interchangeable due to a shorter bolt lug. The rifle utilizes a modular gas piston system inherited from the T86 for ease of maintenance. The telescoping stock, based on M4 Carbine experience, improves recoil transfer and handling, and includes a rubber recoil pad. Handguards are triangular. The rifle has a 416mm barrel with a flash suppressor and a 1:178mm rifling twist. Chamber and bore are chrome-lined, allowing it to fire all standard 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. Standard 30-round magazines feature indicator holes and protrusions to prevent over-insertion, and the rifle is compatible with standard STANAG magazines. Accessories can be mounted via MIL-STD-1913 picatinny rails on the top receiver, handguard, and front-sight block. An M-LOK rail is also issued to some troops. It can be equipped with the T85 40mm grenade launcher. An indoor shooting simulator and a paintball conversion kit are available for training. Optical sights like red dot sights and holographic sights can be fitted. Uppers have been exported to the United States.

Variants include:

• The base T91 assault rifle

• The T91CQC, which features a barrel shortened to 349mm and adds a tactical rail and grip to the handguard

• The T91S, which features a thickened barrel for improved accuracy and extended firing time, a lightweight handguard with a tactical rail, and a Magpul stock

• The T91K1, which incorporates a heavier barrel, a new handguard with a tactical rail, a UTG front grip bipod, and a Magpul MOE SL stock

Other variants are the T91K2 and T91K3, which features polygonal rifling for enhanced barrel life and accuracy and has a potential nickel-boron finish development for reduced lubrication needs.

In 2003, the Taiwanese Army placed an order for 101,162 T91 rifles intended as a force-wide replacement for service rifles between 2004 and 2008, at a total budget of NT$1,803 million. By April 2006, nine Taiwanese Army brigades had fully converted to the T91. The Taiwanese Military Police ordered 12,069 units in 2005 for garrison units in the Taipei capital region, with delivery over three years. The T112 assault rifle is designated as the intended replacement for the T91. On March 8, 2023, the ROC Marine Corp reported the loss of two T91s from its 99th Marine Brigade.

The T91 is used by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gambia, Haiti, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. Specific quantities include Bosnia and Herzegovina (5,000), Haiti (100), India (1,000), Jordan (20,000), Kuwait (18,000), Taiwan (240,000), and the United Arab Emirates (10,000). Gambia's quantity is unknown.