Khaybar KH2002

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Khaybar KH2002
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Iran
Service history
In service	2004-present
Used by	Iran
Production history
Designed	2001
Manufacturer	Defense Industries Organization
Produced	2003-present
Specifications
Weight	3.8kg
Barrel length	780 mm, 730 mm, 680 mm

Cartridge	5.56x45mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	800 to 850 round/min, cyclic
Muzzle velocity	900 to 950 m/s
Effective range	450 m
Feed system	Various STANAG Magazines.

Khaybar/KH-2002 is an Iranian designed assault rifle, derived from the DIO S 5.56 assault rifle and further developed by Iran's Defense Industries Organization (DIO).

1 Overview
2 Design
3 Origin of the name
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Overview

The KH-2002 is an Iranian indigenously produced 5.56 mm bullpup rifle, built on what seems to be a bullpup conversion of the lower receiver of a DIO S-5.56 assault rifle, an Iranian version of the Chinese Norinco CQ rifle, by itself a clone of the M16-A1. It is similar in appearance to the Chinese Norinco QBZ-97 5.56 mm assault rifle and the French FAMAS, and essentially could be considered bull-pup plastic shell conversion kit for the DIO S-5.56 assault rifle, although this would be incorrect since the bull-pup layout calls for a totally new lower receiver rather than for the use of a standard AR-15 one.

The "Khaybar" KH2002 can be considered as a bull-pup conversion of the M-16 rifle at least as far as it concerns its working system, which is an almost exact copy of the AR-15 Gas-operated rotating bolt. It comes in three variants: standard assault rifle, short-barreled assault carbine, long-barreled designated marksman weapon. It has a fire selection switch for Safe, Single Fire, 3-rounds Burst and Full-Autofire, feeding from either 20-rounds or 30-rounds magazines.

[edit] Design

The KH-2002 features a unique four-position fire selector lever which is situated toward the rear of the left side butt-stock behind a 20/30-round magazine housing. The selector offers single shot, automatic fire and three-round burst options, with the safety selection in the forward position.

The DIO promotes the KH-2002 as a "low-recoil, highly accurate, lightweight" weapon, with "modular construction for easy maintenance" and a rotating bolt-cocking mechanism, presumably designed to facilitate ambidextrous firing, protected under a carrying handle that contains the rear sight. The carrying handle can also be used to mount optical or night sights.

The weight of the KH-2002 with the long barrel and a 30-round empty magazine is given as 3.7kg. The weapon can also be fitted with a bipod and a bayonet.^[1]

The KH 2002 appears to be made of two plastic shells, one holding the grip barrel and gas tube and the other housing the M16 type bolt and hammer. Online pictures have shown some KH2002 rifles with ejection ports on the left or the right. This is probably done by making two types of rear bodies and bolts.

[edit] Origin of the name

Khaybar is an oasis approximately 95 miles east of Medina, which was once the largest Jewish settlement in Arabia; the name was chosen as a reminder of the Battle of Khaybar.