"The Type 79 should have been retired years ago, yet here it is, still soldiering on," writes the China-Defense blog after a recent CCTV PR video put the venerable submachine gun back on screen.
CCTV PR video: a Cantonese-speaking officer and a Type 79 cameo
China Central Television (CCTV) released a public‑safety PR video that includes an unexpected visual: the Type 79 (79式) submachine gun. The blog reports the clip pairs the weapon with a Cantonese‑speaking officer delivering a public‑safety message, and notes a screen shot taken from the YouTube version of the video.
Which Type 79 appeared — 9×19 mm in the headline, earlier posts mention 7.62x25mm
The blog's headline identifies the model as the "Type79 9×19 mm submachine gun." Elsewhere in the same blog feed, prior entries refer to a "vintage 7.62x25mm Type79" being upgraded. The blog therefore presents both designations across its posts: the current PR video is described as showing a Type 79 9×19 mm, while earlier commentary and photos discussed tactical modifications to a 7.62x25mm example.
Police-issue appearance and visible modernization
The gun in the CCTV footage is described as a police‑issue Type 79 wearing a set of modernized accessories. The blog specifically notes an updated stock, an accessory rail, and a red‑dot‑style sight as clearly visible. The post characterizes those changes as "modest, official upgrades that keep a 1980s design limping along in 2026."
Earlier displays: PAP, tactical mods, and Guangzhou City's Thunder SWAT
The blog ties this recent appearance into a longer pattern of public displays and upgrades. A December 18, 2024 entry and an earlier February 23, 2018 gallery are cited: the 2018 post showcased photos of Guangzhou City's Thunder SWAT "showing off," noting Thunder is one of the 36 SWAT units in that southern city "of 14 million." A separate remark in the feed reads, "The PAP seemed to having a fantastic fun upgrading the vintage 7.62x25mm Type79 with tactical accessories that are more expensive than the gun itself."
What this means for Guangzhou City's Thunder SWAT, the PAP, and CCTV/public‑safety communicators
- Guangzhou City's Thunder SWAT: The earlier gallery and the blog's observation that Thunder is "one of the 36 SWAT units" in a city of 14 million suggest continued public display and local use of upgraded Type 79 examples.
- The PAP: The blog explicitly remarks that "the PAP seemed to having a fantastic fun upgrading the vintage 7.62x25mm Type79," indicating a willingness within that force to fit older platforms with modern accessories.
- CCTV and public‑safety communicators: By placing a visibly modernized Type 79 alongside a Cantonese‑speaking officer in a PR video, CCTV has repurposed an older platform into a contemporary visual element of messaging, according to the blog's account and screen shot from YouTube.
The cumulative picture drawn by the blog is straightforward: an older weapon design continues to appear in official publicity, fitted with contemporary accessories and presented to urban viewers. The post groups the Type 79 with other long‑lived hardware, calling it part of a parade of Chinese "forever" platforms, and explicitly names the Type 59 MBT, the Y‑5 transport, and the CJ‑6 trainer as fellow examples of equipment that "simply refuse to disappear."
That judgment—born of a juxtaposition between an evidently aging platform and visible, cosmetic modernization—frames the blog's reporting. Whether conceived as a practical retention of serviceable kit, a symbolic nod to continuity, or a media choice for a public‑safety spot, the Type 79's on‑camera return is documented in the CCTV clip and the blog's archival posts.
For readers who want to view the original coverage and the screen shot referenced in this article, the blog post is available at the source link below.
