At a recent Independence Day parade held in the capital of Turkmenistan, a Chinese Norinco NSG-127 12.7x108mm anti-material rifle was spotted being carried in the procession of Turkmen troops. In multiple clips we see the rifle being held by Turkmen soldiers while riding on their vehicles, or attached to the vehicles themselves by a simple tie down. Previous media of the parade in years past do not show the NSG-127 on display, and there isn’t any separate material to show that the rifle has been in service with the Turkmen Armed Forces earlier.

What makes this particular presence of the rifle is that it appears to be the first public display in which the NSG-127 appears to be in service, especially outside of China and the People’s Liberation Army.

The NSG-127 appears to be Norinco’s export version of the PLA’s QBU-10 (not the M99, another widely produced Norinco anti-material rifle), also chambered in 12.7x108mm. Both are magazine fed (share the same 5 round magazine), gas operated (long stroke piston operated), and have Picatinny rails for optics. The NSG-127 differs from the QBU-10 with the placement of the bipods, and the lengthening of the Picatinny rail. There is a Pakistani arms brokering company that specifically sells the entire NSG export line to government agencies, to include the NSG-127. They are aptly named “Happy Traders”.

An example of the QBU-10-

These images of the NSG-127 are from Sino Defense Forum and are from Norinco literature on the rifle.