#PKM

Special Operations Command recently posted a solicitation on the government ran Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) resource in regards to a need for a domestic U.S. manufacturer to produce exact copies of the Soviet 7.62x54r mm PKM medium machine gun, and the 12.7x108mm KSV heavy machine gun (Entry is fourth from bottom on web page). With these U.S. made machine guns, SOCOM intends to supply foreign forces the command is advising with higher quality machine guns. Explicitly mentioned in the solicitation is that secret squirrels are having issues with leading and mentoring indigenous forces but lack the capability of quality weapon systems or replacement parts. The plan calls for a completely U.S. made product, on U.S. soil, using domestic labor to create a “facsimile” of these machine guns

Recent photographic evidence has shown that Assad’s Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is equipped with DNS-1 Day & Night Vision Sights from the Belarusian company “Belarusian Optical & Mechanical Association”. These optics have been seen mounted on both AK74Ms and PKMs using a Picatinny rail on a standard Kalashnikov optic mounting platform in use on many Soviet small arms designs. Although these optics haven’t been seen in large quantities, their presence in two photographs signifies at least a small order of such DNS-1 optics. The DNS-1 appears to have an infrared capability in addition to a standard daytime usage mode, very similar to the U.S. Army’s discontinued Day/Night AN/PVS-10 of the 1990s and early OIF/OEF eras. Although these sights were cutting edge technology when they were introduced, today they tend to be overweight compared to numerous other equivalent optics available. For the Syrian Army, these optics would be a tremendous advantage over the rebels they are fighting, especially during periods of low light.

Russian Northern fleet mechanized infantry units (also referred to as Arctic forces) have recently held training maneuvers in Murmansk, Russia. Among expected equipment such as skis and snowmobiles, they were also practicing to ride reindeer and dog sleds.

Russia has adopted a small arms training system called 1U35M (1У35М)․ It is designed by a company called TsNII Toch Mash (ЦНИИ Точ Маш, stands for Central Scientific – Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering). The system simulates both the gun report and the recoil impulse. So it is as close to a real gunfire as possible.

Russian company “FRONT – Tactical Systems” has developed, patented and manufactures a backpack style ammunition belt storage and feeding system called Scorpion. It works with 7.62x54R ammunition and with PKM machine gun and its versions.

Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi translates to “Popular Mobilization Forces” and is an Iraqi Government sponsored umbrella group composed of people’s militia, to augment Iraqi Military forces in the fight against the so called Islamic State. Photographs of the remote firing device first came out in September of this year, and were spread on a number of Iranian and French news sources. The Iranian connection to many of the Shi’a militias in Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi is very strong, and is possibly why the photographs are showing up overwhelmingly in Iranian sources.

Here is a cool video of some Russian Special Forces practicing shooting from a seated position in an unstable platform. This simulator gives the shooters a similar sensation to riding in a moving vehicle where they will have to shoot out of. Once they get the basics of firearm manipulation they move onto actually shooting from a moving vehicle and work on lagging their targets. The twin PKPs dumping rounds looks like fun.

What happens when you take the two concepts of a traditional, full-power rifle and machine gun round, and a small-caliber, high-velocity round, and smash them together? You get one of the most extreme military small arms calibers ever developed, and one of the last small arms projects from the twilight of the Soviet Union.

Modern? Sure, but let’s take a step back… Way back. It’s 1890 and smokeless powder has just been invented. There’s this guy named Rubin going around and spreading the gospel of the small caliber, high velocity .30″ bore round. You’re in Imperial Russia; what’s your country to do to keep up with this new tide of ammunition innovation?

The Russian Army will be upgrading its automatic infantry support weapons soon. The legacy 7.65x54mmR PKM belt-fed general purpose machine gun will be supplanted in the dismounted role by the PKP “Pecheneg” automatic rifle designed at the end of the 20th Century, reports ArmyRecognition.com:

Facebook page Международный Учебный Центр Cил Специального Назначения has some cool videos of soldiers training with PKMs.

Everything on this wall is full auto.

Russia’s next-generation infantry modernization program is in full swing, and while here at TFB we’ve covered two of the rifles, the AEK-571/A545 and AK-12, competing for orders as part of the program, but the program as a whole is more extensive than just a new infantry weapon. The project, called Ratnik (a Russian word equivalent to “warrior”) is a total modernization of infantry equipment, introducing over 40 new items, including camouflage, comms gear, sights, body armor, navigation equipment, designators, and, of course, small arms. A three-year order for Ratnik equipment was placed in October of last year, and is expected to consist of deliveries of 50,000 units per year.

Photographer Konstantin Lazarev is a reliable source for photos of the latest and greatest small arms to come out of Russia. His latest batch of photos shows several different Pecheneg and PK machine guns, configured with night vision and holographic optics. Some of the photos are below:

The new Arsenal MG-1M (a PKM variant) is taken to full-auto and and slow-motion task by Larry Vickers. The new machine gun is a blend of the original design but makes use of some modern tricks including a fluted and finned barrel that uses a CHF and chrome-lined barrel to increase the longevity of the barrel (Arsenal contends 30%).