The RPK-16 machine gun: technical characteristics. The Kalashnikov machine gun

At the international presentation of weapons "Army-2016", held in September 2016, was demonstrated a machine gun RPK-16 - the brainchild of domestic gunsmiths. About him and will be discussed in this article.

New domestic Kalashnikov machine gun

RPK-16 was created with the aim of a potential replacement of the RPK-74 machine gun both in the conventional branches of Russian troops and among the special purpose units.

Not departing from the traditional scheme of the device models of weapons (machine gun or machine gun) Kalashnikov, the designers implemented all the developments gained during the creation of the AK-12 machine gun. The same automatic gas removal system with a long stroke of the piston, a locking bolt, fire from a closed shutter.

An additional body kit can be mounted on the Picatinny slats. Drawing an analogy with the latest innovations of domestic weapons, it should be pointed out that RPK-16 is represented with a replaceable trunk. It is possible to install a truncated barrel to fire at short distances or in confined spaces, as well as long - to conduct combat in open terrain. The kit includes a quick-release silencer for special operations.

The RPK-16 machine gun is capable of using any stores from AK-74M or RPK-74. Also, specifically for this model, a drum magazine for 96 cartridges was developed.

Rifle-Rifle

In the conditions of combat in our time, it is always necessary to have at hand a weapon that is able to adapt as much as possible to the conditions in which the battle is taking place. It was this goal pursued by the concern "Kalashnikov", creating a new machine gun RPK-16.

To create a weapon combining a machine gun and an assault rifle is not the first attempt. Suffice it to recall the Israeli automatic Galil, the development of Israel Galilee based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The attempt to combine these types of weapons did not succeed.

Another thing the Singapore model Ultimax 100, created by a team of engineers James Salivan. This model is still in demand. It is for this reason that the concern was assigned the task of creating such weapons, which not only will be in demand as armament of military units or special purpose units, but will also be exported.

Advantages and disadvantages

The appearance of the new weapon allows us to conclude that the product is intended for combat in urban conditions. Power is produced by cartridges of 5.45x39 mm caliber. It is believed that the National Guard of Russia and special services will be interested in a new product.

• Due to its low weight, the RPK-16 with replaceable barrel is easy to use. Drum shop allows you to forget about frequent recharging.
• There is no need to select ammunition, because the classic caliber of a cartridge from AK is used.
• The light machine gun RPK-16 has a low recoil factor, which increases the accuracy and accuracy of the shooting.

Of the negative aspects of the new weapon are only the assumptions of a number of skeptics as to whether the weapon will justify itself. If the already proven "Pecheneg" was created in order to retain control over the territory, the new PKK-16 was created more for lightning attacks.

However, a capacious magazine for 96 rounds and the possibility of installing an elongated trunk make it clear that the possibility of using it for the same purpose as the one mentioned by Pecheneg is still present.

Ultimax 100 against RPK-16

The machine gun, the TTX and other information about which for a long time are kept secret, are of interest to many. But at the moment there are no official sources to draw conclusions about the available characteristics of the new weapons.

However, if we assume that the intent of the concern is to squeeze the Ultimax 100 from the world market, then we should consider the characteristics of these weapons in order to get an idea of what is primarily a PKK-16 machine gun.

The Ultimax 100 features the ability to detect that the machine gun was designed to be powered by a 5.56 caliber, 1024 millimeters in length from the start of the butt to the end of the barrel. In this case, the barrel itself was 508 mm long.

4 kilos and 900 grams is the weight of a cannon without cartridges. Accordingly, the speed of fire varies from 400 to 600 rounds per minute. With a capacity of the store only 100 bullets can not shoot very much. The aiming range covers 800 meters. The characteristics of the most popular model Mk 3, produced serially from the second half of the 1980s, are presented.

In comparison with the ancestor

Speaking about the new Kalashnikov machine gun RPK-16, one should also mention his predecessors.

The PKK model was adopted in 1961 to replace the obsolete Degtyarev RPD-44 machine gun. The novelty was almost a third lighter than its predecessor and proved itself in the ranks of Soviet motorized rifles, paratroopers and marines.

Models with a folding butt bearing the name of the RPCS were also developed; later, after the modernization, it was possible to mount optical sights of the NSPUM and NSPU brands of domestic production.

The appearance of the PKK was a landmark event in the sphere of the national defense industry, because the Soviet military received an automatic and machine gun of similar designs first in the world.

The RPK-16 machine gun inherited the best qualities inherent in the manufacturer of this line of weapons: high strength, reliability and a very long service life.

ТТХ РПК

Thanks to the analogy of the structure of the machine gun and the machine, there is no need to search for the necessary spare parts.

Caliber	7.62 x 39 mm
Weight without cartridges	4,900 kg
Weight with a drum magazine for 75 cartridges	7,140 kg
Weight with carob for 40 rounds	5, 860 kg
Overall length of the product	1040 mm
Trunk	591 mm
Speed Bullets	745 m / s
Store capacity	40, 75 rounds
Rate of fire	600 rpm
Range sighting	1000 m

For 15 years, the PKK remained the leader of the armament of the Soviet Army.

PKK in other countries of the world

In addition, the PKK is in service in approximately 19 countries around the world to this day. In 1964, the automaton under the code Model K was adopted in the army of the GDR. In terms of its functions and appearance, it is the same domestic PKK.

Yugoslavia, Romania and Vietnam to this day produce exact copies of the PKK or slightly upgraded versions of the domestic machine gun.

The appearance of the RPK-74

With the development of domestic weapons and the emergence of a new cartridge for the AK-74, the next step was the creation of a machine gun, which would be powered by a new caliber.

This is how RPK-74 was born. This model suffered the same fate - there was a folding version of RPK-74 and variations with optical sights RPKN-74 and RPKSN-74.

It was mentioned above that the new Russian RPK-16 machine gun should replace the RPK-74. For a better understanding, you should consider the parameters of the machine gun-predecessor.

Manufacturer	Izhevsk Machine Building Plant, Tula Arms Factory
Caliber	5.45 x 39 mm
Weight with full magazine	5.46 kg
Length of the weapon	1060 mm
Barrel Length	590 mm
Initial speed of the bullet	960 m / s
Store capacity	45
Rate of fire	600 rpm
Sighting range	1000 m

Obvious shortcomings

With the proliferation of the PKK-74, the question of the merits and demerits of the new model began to develop.

The magazine for 45 rounds has a not very convenient design in terms of both use and transportation in the uniform of the soldier. Foreign analogues at that time already had a much more convenient ribbon-boxed feeding. Because of this, we had to use shops from AK-74, designed for 30 rounds.

Another drawback is characteristic of all world machine guns, developed on the basis of an assault rifle or an assault rifle - this is an immobile trunk. The machine gun barrel, which has been exposed to wear, begins to have a negative effect on the rate of fire with time.

These shortcomings identified long ago formed the basis for the task of creating a new PKK-16 5.45 mm. It was necessary to leave these missteps.

Advantages

These include the most obvious advantages, based on the identity of the machine gun and the machine gun from one manufacturer. This is an undoubted presence of interchangeable nodes and elements.

The novelty in the design of the RPK-74 was a chrome-plated barrel with a thick wall, allowing for the most intense shelling, and also on the machine gun, folding bipods were installed to conduct fire from the shelter or from the shelter.

In comparison with the PKK, the butt has been repeatedly strengthened. The new Russian light machine gun RPK-16 absorbed all the best from its predecessor.

Tape or store?

Returning to the world arms market, we should pay special attention to the fact that simultaneously with the appearance of the PKK in the 1970s, there was an increasing interest in weapons with replaceable power. And here you can not pass by the Belgian machine gun FN Minimi, well-proven at that time.

Power supply system "Minimi" consists of a NATO cartridge of small caliber. It is worth noting that the developers have abandoned the idea of bringing the machine gun model to uniformity with a weapon series of assault rifles produced by the same company. That is, FN Minimi was created from scratch and has a unique design.

Than it is fraught, on what risks, connected with search of necessary details (in case of need of replacement), there were designers, it is possible to assume, not going into detailed studying of the design documentation. The risk was justified.

The main feature of Minimi is the interchangeable food. The choice between ribbon feed and store is the subject of long discussions of weapons designers around the world. Over this issue worked not one dozen children and not one dozen people. And each time one of the parties gained the upper hand in the discussion, while the other remained in its opinion and on its path of development. As a result, different models of weapons were created with different types of combat equipment. That is, assault rifles and assault rifles (with store type separately), belt-type machine guns.

On the one hand, the links of the tape weigh very little, equipped with ammunition - they fit comfortably into machine guns of any shape, which allows you to carry a considerable amount of ammunition. On the other hand, the parts of the tape are easily susceptible to corrosion, which, if caught in the system of dispatching the cartridge in a machine gun, can lead to misfiring or even disable the weapon. Not to mention the fact that with such a system of supplying cartridges to the chamber, dirt, dust and sand can also get caught, which will definitely lead to stopping the work of the weapon, not at once, but after a certain time.

Stores significantly simplify this task. It implies the use of a store from an assault rifle, which is very convenient, but this way of feeding badly affects the amount of ammunition and transportation, which does not go into an appropriate correspondence with the weight being carried.

A loose machine-gun belt, designed for 200 rounds, is placed in a plastic box. The feeding compartment is located on the left side of the product. At the same time the carton with cartridges is attached from below. This functionality was implemented even on the Soviet RPD long before the appearance of FN Minimi.

In case the tape ends, and the other is not at hand, it is envisaged to use the magazine from an assault rifle with the same cartridges. It was this principle that incorporated the new PKK-16.

Armory conclusion

If you take into account all the listed samples that intend to outperform the designers, creating weapons of the PKK-16, and also to remember that in addition to this machine gun, the "Tokar" assault machine is being developed as part of the "Soldier of the Future" outfit called "Ratnik" Domestic weapons industry should make a real sensation in the world market.

Progress does not stand still, the need to create advanced types of weapons that meet modern combat realities and objective world integration processes requires constant improvement of both the economic and defense industries. The products of the Kalashnikov concern are known all over the world. Samples of the famous machine gun are still in service in many states.

What will be the new Kalashnikov machine gun, RPK-16, as it will prove itself, will be known very soon.