PKM

Summary

Country	🇨🇳 Ex-USSR
Category	Light machine gun
Manufacturer	Kalachnikov

Technical specifications

PKM
Fire Rate	650 rounds/min.
Caliber	7.62 x 54 mm
Magazine	belt of 100, 200 ou 250 rounds
Length	1173 mm (46.2 in)
Weight	8.99 kg (19.8 lb)
Range	600 m (1969 ft)

Description

The PK, or Pulemyot Kalashnikova, is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×54mmR cartridge. In 1955, the Main Artillery Directorate of the Soviet Union adopted specifications for a new 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun. Prototypes from G.I. Nikitin and Yuri M. Sokolov (PN1) and a team led by M.T. Kalashnikov underwent testing in the late 1960s. The Kalashnikov design was preferred due to factors including water resistance, ease of maintenance and manufacture, and compatibility with existing ammunition belts. Adopted in 1961, the PK was put into production at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant, using the tripod mount and ammunition belt boxes originally designed for the Nikitin-Sokolov prototype. The modernized PKM variant, featuring several enhancements over the original PK, was introduced in 1969 to replace the SGM and RP-46 machine guns. The Nikitin-Sokolov machine gun design was later utilized in the 12.7 mm NSV heavy machine gun adopted in 1971. As of June 2024, the PKZ is reported to eventually replace the PKM in Russian military service.

The PK machine gun series is a gas-operated weapon employing a rotating bolt for breech locking, drawing from the design principles of Kalashnikov-pattern arms. Unlike the AKM and RPK, it features an open bolt design, which improves heat management during automatic fire and helps prevent cook-offs. It is chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge and feeds from the right side using non-disintegrating metal belts. Due to the rimmed nature of the ammunition and the use of closed-link belts, it utilizes a two-stage feed mechanism with preliminary extraction of the cartridge from the belt link. The quick detachable barrel assembly is chrome-lined and features a folding carry handle/grip for transport and safe change-outs. Early barrels were partially fluted, which was omitted on the PKM. Various muzzle devices can be attached, including conical or slotted flash suppressors. The rear sight is a tangent leaf calibrated from 100 to 1,500 meters, while the front is a protected post. Some variants feature a side rail for mounting optical sights such as the 1P29 or night vision optics. The trigger assembly is for automatic fire only. Furniture was originally birch plywood laminates, later replaced by black glass-filled polyamide on modernised versions. PK machine guns can be used on a detachable bipod, tripod mounts, or vehicle mounts.

Variants of the PK include:

• The original PK

• The PKS (PK mounted on the Samozhenkov 6T2 tripod)

• The PKB (pintle mounted for vehicles)

• The PKT (coaxial tank version with a longer/heavier barrel and electric solenoid trigger)

• The PKM (most common modern variant, featuring various improvements for reduced weight and simplified production).

Further specific variants include the PKMN/PKMSN with side rails for night sights, and modernised vehicle versions like the PKTM and PKBM. A significant development is the PKP Pecheneg, featuring a heavy, fixed barrel with forced-air cooling. Foreign licensed and derivative versions include the Yugoslav/Serbian Zastava M84/M86/M09/M10, the Chinese Norinco Type 80, Bulgarian Arsenal MG variants, the Romanian Cugir Mitraliera md. 66, and Ukrainian Mayak KM-7.62/KT-7.62/KTM-7.62 models.

The PK machine gun remains in use as a front-line infantry and vehicle-mounted weapon with Russia's armed forces and has been exported extensively. Various models are manufactured locally around the globe under license. The PKM and other variants are currently in production. A remotely controlled PKT version was reportedly entered service in November 2023. The weapon series has seen extensive use in conflicts across multiple decades since its introduction.

The PK series has been utilized in numerous armed conflicts including the Vietnam War, Laotian Civil War, Rhodesian Bush War, South African Border War, Cambodian Civil War, Ethiopian Civil War, Lebanese Civil War, Angolan Civil War, Egyptian–Libyan War, Ogaden War, Cambodian–Vietnamese War, Sino-Vietnamese War, Salvadoran Civil War, Soviet–Afghan War, Iran–Iraq War, Lord's Resistance Army insurgency, First Nagorno-Karabakh War, First Afghan Civil War, Tuareg rebellion, Gulf War, Somali Civil War, Yugoslav Wars, Second Afghan Civil War, Burundian Civil War, First Chechen War, First Congo War, Third Afghan Civil War, Eritrean–Ethiopian War, Second Congo War, Second Chechen War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War, Cambodian–Thai border dispute, Russo-Georgian War, Boko Haram insurgency, First Libyan Civil War, Syrian Civil War, Mali War, Russo-Ukrainian War (including the War in Donbas and Russian invasion of Ukraine), Second Libyan Civil War, Yemeni Civil War (including the Saudi Arabian-led intervention and Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict), Ethiopian civil conflict (including the Tigray War and War in Amhara), Wagner Group rebellion, and Gaza war.