| RPD | |
|---|---|
 RPD |
|
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Vietnam War, Cambodian Civil War, Cambodian-Vietnamese War, Iran-Iraq War, Afghanistan, various conflicts in Africa and Western Asia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vasily Degtyaryov |
| Designed | 1943–1944 |
| Variants | RPDM, Type 56, Type 56-1, Type 62 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.6 kg (14.55 lb) |
| Length | 1,037 mm (40.8 in) |
| Barrel length | 520 mm (20.5 in) |
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| Cartridge | 7.62x39mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 650 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 735 m/s (2,411 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 100—1,000 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | Non-disintegrating 100-round segmented belt stored in a drum container |
| Sights | Open-type sights with rear sliding notch and semi-hooded front post, 596.6 mm (23.5 in) sight radius |
The RPD is a 7.62mm light machine gun developed in the Soviet Union by Vasily Degtyaryov for the intermediate 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge. It was created as a replacement for the DP machine gun chambered for the 7.62x54mmR Mosin rifle round.[1]
Contents |
History
Work on the weapon commenced in 1943. Three prominent Soviet engineers were asked to submit their own designs: Vasily Degtyaryov, Sergei Simonov and Alexei Sudayev. Among the completed prototypes prepared for evaluation, the Degtyarov design proved superior and was accepted into service with the Soviet armed forces as the 7,62 mm Ручной Пулемёт Дегтярёва, PПД (RPD, Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova or "Degtyaryov light machine gun") model 1944. Although the RPD was ready for mass production during the final stages of World War II, large scale delivery of the weapon did not begin until 1953.[1]
After the introduction of the Kalashnikov-pattern support weapons such as the RPK and PK machine guns in the 1960s, the RPD was withdrawn from most first tier units of the former Warsaw Pact. However, the RPD remains in active service in many African and Asian nations. Apart from the former Soviet Union, the weapon was manufactured in China (as the Type 56), Egypt, North Korea (Type 62) and since 1956—Poland.
Design details
Operating mechanism
The RPD is an automatic weapon using a gas-operated long stroke piston system and a locking system recycled from previous Degtyaryov small arms, consisting of a pair of hinged flaps set in recesses on each side of the receiver. The movement of these flaps and the resulting locking and unlocking action is controlled by carefully angled surfaces on the bolt carrier assembly. The weapon fires from an open bolt.
Features
The RPD is striker fired and features a trigger mechanism that is limited to fully automatic fire only. The bolt is equipped with a spring-loaded casing extraction system and a fixed insert inside the receiver housing serves as the ejector. Spent cartridge casings are ejected downward through an opening in the bolt carrier and receiver. The RPD has a manually operated lever-type safety mechanism that secures the weapon against accidental firing by blocking the bolt catch when engaged.
The weapon has a non-removable barrel with a 3-position gas adjustment valve used to control the performance of the gas system. It is also equipped with a folding bipod, wooden shoulder stock, foregrip and pistol grip. The firearm strips down into the following major groups: the receiver and barrel, bolt, bolt carrier, feed tray and feed cover, the recoil mechanism and the trigger group and stock.
Feeding
The machine gun feeds from the left-hand side from a segmented, open-link metal belt (each segment holds 50-rounds). Two combined belts (linked by cartridge), containing a sum total of 100 rounds are stored in a metal container resembling a drum, attached to the base of the receiver. The feed system is operated by a roller connected to the reciprocating bolt carrier assembly and the belt is pulled during the rearward motion of the bolt carrier.
Sights
The LMG is equipped with a set of open-type iron sights. These consist of a front post (adjustable for windage and elevation) and a notched rear sight mounted on a tangent with a sliding elevation adjustment knob and marked with range indicators from 100 to 1,000 m (graduated every 100 m). A number of machine guns were fitted with a side rail (attached to the left side of the receiver), used to mount the NSP-2 night vision sight.
Accessories
Standard accessories supplied with the weapon include an ammunition container, extra belts, a cleaning rod (carried on the left side of the receiver), cleaning kit (stowed in a compartment inside of the stock), sling and pouches for the ammunition drums.
Variants
During its service life, the weapon was modernized several times. Initially, the gas block was modified as was the rear sight, where the windage adjustment knob for the rear sight was moved to the left side of the notch. Later, the RPD was modified with a non-reciprocating cocking mechanism with a folding charging handle (replacing the fixed charging handle connected to the bolt carrier) that does not move during firing. The feed port received a dust cover, which when open, serves as a feeding ramp for the ammunition belt. This version of the light machine gun was produced mainly in China and Poland. A further modified variant (sometimes referred to as the RPDM) includes an extended gas cylinder and a recoil buffer mechanism in the stock. Late production RPD variants also had the fixed drum attachment removed (instead, the ammunition container was “hung” from the feed port cover) and feature a folding cleaning rod, that is stored in the weapon’s butt (in the Chinese Type 56-1 variant).[2]
Users
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Bangladesh
Bolivia
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
China: Type 56 and Type 56-1. Produced by Norinco. In service with the Chinese armed forces and several other Asian armies and irregular organizations. Type 56-1 still available for production, but has been replaced in PLA service.[citation needed]
Comoros
Cuba
Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
East Germany
Egypt: Manufactured by the Maadi Company for Engineering Industries in Cairo. Used by the Egyptian armed forces and offered for export.
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Finland
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Laos
Libya
Mongolia
Mozambique
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Korea: Built by the state arsenals as the Type 62.
Pakistan
Peru
Poland: Built by what is today the Łucznik Arms Factory in Radom, as the ręczny karabin maszynowy D (rkm D) or "hand-held machine gun model D".
Russia
Somalia- Soviet Union
Sri Lanka
Syria
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Vietnam
Yemen
See also
Notes
References
- Gander, Terry; Charles Q. Cutshaw (February 2002). Jane's Infantry Weapons, 2002–2003. Surrey, United Kingdom: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710624345.
- Woźniak, Ryszard (2002). Encyklopedia najnowszej broni palnej—tom 4 R-Z. Warsaw, Poland: Bellona. ISBN 83-11-09312-1.
External links
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