TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Senior Taiwanese generals announced Saturday (April 6) the Taiwan Army will purchase its first batch of 25,000 T112 rifles next year.

Originally revealed as the “XT112 rifle” at the 2023 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition, the rifle was developed by Taiwan’s 205th Arsenal of the Armaments Bureau, per CNA. The bureau claims that the T112 has better range and accuracy while weighing 3.5 kg, per Liberty Times.

Currently, Taiwan’s troops are armed with the T91 rifle, which is based on the M16 rifle and M4 carbine. The T112 will use the same 5.56x45mm cartridge as the T91.

Lieutenant Li Chien-ting (李建霆), systems analyst for the T112, said that several human factors were incorporated into the new rifle. “To accommodate operational needs and facilitate left-handed shooting, the design adopts ambidextrous charging handles and shooting mode selectors on both sides,” the lieutenant said.

Li also explained that the rifle features ambidextrous magazine release and bolt catch buttons. A shell deflector is added on the right side of the rifle's body to ensure that ejected casings are directed towards the shooter's 3 o'clock direction, preventing the shooter from being burned by ejected casings during shooting, he said.

Li said the effective range is also increased from 400 to 600 meters, and the barrel life is increased from 6,000 to 10,000 rounds. The shooting modes on the T91 are semi-automatic, three-round burst, and fully automatic, but the T112 is semi-automatic, two-round burst, and fully automatic.

Additionally, the 205th Arsenal has also developed a bolt-action “T112 sniper rifle.” Equipped with a foldable stock and weighing at 12 kg, the rifle uses a heavy 12.7x108mm cartridge and has an effective range of 2,000 km.