Kind of funny, so many pictures available now, but only more questions.
If the CS/LR17 style launcher is adopted, it would almost guarantee that the hand guard needs to be swapped since the additional mounting points of CS/LR17 don't exist on the new rifle. That means whatever controls were in the foregrip need to be swapped in some alternate way, since there are pictures with no foregrip, that must have been considered. Could also mean that whatever "smart gear" is needed for a QTS-11 type launcher could be swapped in.
Although I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. PLA has always been a little stingy. Such a system would be very expensive. I think the comparison between CS/LR17 and new rifle was already made before, and some of the changes look cost driven (simpler mountings points, plastic handguard and magazine vs. metal).
If the CS/LR17 style launcher is adopted, it would almost guarantee that the hand guard needs to be swapped since the additional mounting points of CS/LR17 don't exist on the new rifle. That means whatever controls were in the foregrip need to be swapped in some alternate way, since there are pictures with no foregrip, that must have been considered. Could also mean that whatever "smart gear" is needed for a QTS-11 type launcher could be swapped in.
Although I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. PLA has always been a little stingy. Such a system would be very expensive. I think the comparison between CS/LR17 and new rifle was already made before, and some of the changes look cost driven (simpler mountings points, plastic handguard and magazine vs. metal).