| RPK | |
|---|---|
 RPK |
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1961–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Vietnam War, Cambodian Civil War, Soviet war in Afghanistan, Second Chechen War, various others |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mikhail Kalashnikov |
| Designed | 1961 |
| Produced | RPK: 1961–1978 RPK-74: 1974-present |
| Variants | RPKN, RPKS, RPKSN, RPK-74, RPK-74N, RPKS-74, RPKS-74N |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | RPK: 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) RPKS: 5.1 kg (11 lb) RPK-74: 4.7 kg (10 lb) RPKS-74: 4.85 kg (10.7 lb) |
| Length | RPK, RPKS: 1,040 mm (40.9 in) RPKS: 820 mm (32.3 in) stock folded RPK-74, RPKS-74: 1,060 mm (41.7 in) RPKS-74: 845 mm (33.3 in) stock folded |
| Barrel length | 590 mm (23.2 in) |
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| Cartridge | RPK, RPKS: 7.62x39mm M43 RPK-74, RPKS-74: 5.45x39mm M74 |
| Action | Gas operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 600 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | RPK, RPKS: 745 m/s (2,444 ft/s) RPK-74, RPKS-74: 960 m/s (3,149.6 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 100–1,000 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | RPK, RPKS: 40-round curved magazine, 75-round drum magazine RPK-74, RPKS-74: 45-round box magazine |
| Sights | Front: semi-shrouded front post, rear: sliding tangent with adjustable notch 555 mm (21.9 in) sight radius |
The RPK (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, Russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова or "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun") is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created as part of a program designed to standardize the small arms inventory of the Red Army, where it replaced the 7.62x39mm RPD light machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the armed forces of countries of the former Soviet Union and certain African and Asian nations. The RPK was also manufactured in Bulgaria and Romania.
Contents |
Design details
Operating mechanism
The RPK operates on the same basis as the AKM assault rifle, it uses the same 7.62x39mm ammunition and has a similar design layout, the only differences between both weapons are the result of increasing the RPK's effective range, enhancing its sustained fire capability and strengthening the receiver housing.
Features
The RPK has a new, heavier and extended barrel with an increased heat capacity. The chrome-lined barrel is permanently fixed to the receiver and cannot be replaced in the field. It is fitted with a new front sight base, gas block (lacks the bayonet lug) and an under-barrel cleaning rod guide. The barrel also features a folding bipod, mounted near the muzzle and a front sight base with a lug that limits the bipod's rotation around the barrel. The barrel's muzzle is threaded, enabling the use of a blank-firing adaptor. When the blank-firing attachment is not used, the threading is protected by a thread protector cap from the AK. The barrel is pinned to the receiver in a modified trunnion, reinforced by ribbing, and is slightly wider than the trunnion used in the AKM. Symmetrical bulges on both sides of the barrel chamber ensure proper fit inside the receiver.
The RPK receiver cover is stamped from a smooth 1.5 mm (0.1 in) sheet of steel (compared to only 1 mm sheet metal used in the AKM). Interchangeability of parts between the RPK and AKM is quite significant.
The RPK uses a different recoil mechanism as compared to the AKM, which consists of a rear spring guide rod from the AK, and a new forward flat guide rod and coil spring.
The RPK features a thicker wooden forearm, a fixed wooden buttstock shaped like the RPD stock, optimized for prone firing, and a pistol grip from the AKM.
The weapon is fed from box magazines with a 40-round capacity or a 75-round drum magazine, both are compatible with magazines used with the AK-47 and AKM series.
Sights
The weapon's sights are graduated for ranges of 100 to 1,000 m in 100 m increments and the rear sight leaf has an adjustable notch.
Accessories
Supplied with the RPK are: spare magazines, a cleaning rod, cleaning kit (stored in a hollowed compartment in the buttstock), a sling, oil bottle and magazine pouches (a single-pocket pouch for a drum magazine or a 4-pocket pouch for box magazines).
Variants
RPKS
A variant of the RPK equipped with a side-folding wooden stock and intended primarily for use with air assault infantry (in the former Soviet Union the RPK was issued mainly to motorised units). Changes to the design of the RPKS are limited only to the shoulder stock mounting, at the rear of the receiver. It uses a trunnion riveted to both receiver walls that has a socket and tang, allowing the stock to hinge on a pivot pin. The trunnion has a cut-out on the right side designed to engage the stock catch and lock it in place when folded. The wooden stock is mounted in a pivoting hull, which contains a catch that secures the buttstock in the extended position. The rear sling loop was moved from the left side of the stock body to the right side of the stock frame.
RPK-74
Introduced in 1974 together with the AK-74 assault rifle and chambered for the new 5.45x39mm high-velocity cartridge. The RPK-74 is derived from the AK-74 rifle, and the modifications implemented mirror those made to the AKM, while working on the RPK light machine gun. The RPK-74 also uses a longer and heavier chrome-plated barrel which has a new gas block with the gas channel drilled at a 90° angle to the bore axis, and a ring for the cleaning rod. The RPK-74 was also equipped with a folding bipod and a different type of front sight tower. The muzzle is threaded for a flash suppressor or blank-firing device.
The rear stock trunnion was strengthened and the magazine well was reinforced with steel inserts.
Additionally, the RPK-74 has a modified return mechanism compared to the AK-74, which uses a new type of metal spring guide rod and recoil spring. The rear sight assembly, forward handguard and receiver dust cover were all retained from the RPK.
The RPK-74 feeds from a 45-round plastic magazine, interchangeable with magazines from the AK-74, and is designed to be charged from stripper clips.
Standard equipment includes: eight magazines, six stripper clips (15 rounds per clip), a speedloader guide, cleaning rod, cleaning kit, sling, oil bottle and two magazine pouches.
It is in widespread use by member states of the former Soviet Union, as well as Bulgaria and the Polish Armed Forces (limited).
RPKS-74
The RPKS-74 is the paratrooper model of the RPK-74, equipped with a wooden folding stock from the RPKS.
Night variants
The RPK family of light machine guns is also available in a night fighting configuration. The weapons are then designated RPKN, RPKSN, RPK-74N, RPKS-74N and equipped with a side rail mounting on the left side of the receiver which is used to attach a NSP-3, NSPU or NSPUM night vision sight.[1]
RPK-74M
An improved variant known as the RPK-74M was developed that includes a polymer foregrip, pistol grip and side-folding stock as well as a side rail for mounting optics. An export variant chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO was also introduced, designated the RPK-201. Also for export is the RPKM chambered in 7.62x39mm; it uses the same polymer furniture as the RPK-74M variant.[2] A series of semi-automatic rifles based on the RPK receiver are manufactured by the "Molot" factory in Russia, these are known as the the Vepr and Vepr 2. They are offered in several chamberings, including: .223 Remington, 7.62x39mm and .308 Winchester. They are intended mainly for the civilian market.
Users
Afghanistan
Albania
Bulgaria: Produced by Arsenal as the LMG in three different calibers, 7.62x39mm, 5.45x39mm and 5.56x45mm NATO. A folding stock variant is known as the LMG-F.[3][4][5]
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Chad
Comoros
Cuba
Djibouti
East Germany
Egypt (locally produced)
Ethiopia
Iraq: Produced a heavy-barreled version of the AKM called the Al-Quds,[6] with other designations as Al-Kuds or al-Guds. Made as a combination of the ex-Yugoslav M72 light machine gun and the receiver being based on the RPK and its cooling-fins on either side of the gas-block assembly.
Iran
India
Hungary
Mali
Moldova
Mongolia
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Korea
Romania: Built by Fabrica de Arme Cugir SA as the 7.62 mm Puşcă Mitralieră model 1964 ("model 1964 light machine gun")[7] and later, a 5.45 mm version based on on the PA md. 86 – the Mitralieră md. 1993 ("model 1993 light machine gun").[8]
Russia- Soviet Union
Sudan
Ukraine
Vietnam
See also
References
- ^ RPK-74N2 Light Machine Gun (1974). Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
- ^ Modern Firearms' RPK Page. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
- ^ Arsenal's LMG Page, 7.62 x 39 mm. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
- ^ Arsenal's LMG Page, 5.56 x 45 mm. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
- ^ Arsenal's LMG Page, 5.45 x 39 mm. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
- ^ "US Marines and the Republican Guard". British Broadcasting Corporation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/world/02/military_fact_files/v3_special_forces/html/weapons.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ Fabrica de Arme Cugir SA's LMG Page. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
- ^ Fabrica de Arme Cugir SA's LMG Md. 1993 Page. Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: RPK |
- EnemyForces.com
- Modern Firearms—RPK
- Modern Firearms—RPK-74
- Kalashnikov.guns.ru
- Video of operation (RPK-74) at YouTube (requires Adobe Flash) (Japanese)
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