RPK
Summary
| Country | 🇨🇳 Ex-USSR |
| Category | Light machine gun |
| Manufacturer | Kalachnikov |
Technical specifications
| RPK | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 600 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 7.62 x 39 mm |
| Magazine | 40 - 75 rounds |
| Length | 1040 mm (40.9 in) |
| Weight | 5.0 kg (11.0 lb) |
| Range | 600 m (1969 ft) |
Description
The RPK (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova) is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, concurrently with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the Soviet Army's small arms, replacing the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun.
Based on the Kalashnikov rifle series, the RPK shares the same 7.62×39mm ammunition and functions identically to the AK-47. Modifications were incorporated to enhance effective range and accuracy, improve sustained fire capability and strengthen the receiver. Key features include a thicker and longer barrel permanently fixed to the receiver, a new front sight base, a folding bipod near the muzzle, and a threaded muzzle. The barrel is pinned to a reinforced trunnion, and the receiver is stamped from a thicker 1.5 mm steel sheet. It utilizes a modified AKM recoil spring assembly, a laminated wood foregrip, and a club-foot buttstock for prone firing. The RPK uses a standard AKM pistol grip and can accept standard AKM box magazines, most commonly used with 40-round box or 75-round drum magazines. Moderate parts interchangeability exists between the RPK and AKM. The rear sight is elevation adjustable up to 1,000 meters and includes a unique windage adjustment knob. Standard accessories include spare magazines, cleaning rod and kit, sling, oil bottle, and magazine pouches.
Variants include:
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The base RPK chambered in 7.62×39mm
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The RPKS with a side-folding wooden stock
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The RPK-74 (introduced in 1974), chambered in 5.45×39mm
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The RPKS-74, the paratrooper variant of the RPK-74 with a folding stock.
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The RPK-74M, a modernized variant from the mid-'90s featuring black, glass-filled polyamide furniture including a folding stock, a side-rail bracket for optics
Export variants include the RPK-201 in 5.56×45mm NATO and the RPK-203. Night fighting configurations like the RPKN and RPK-74N feature a side rail for night vision sights. The RPK-16, developed around 2016, is chambered in 5.45×39mm and features interchangeable barrels, Picatinny rails, a detachable bipod, and a folding stock and uses primarily a 95-round drum magazine.
The RPK continues in service with the military of post-Soviet states and several African and Asian nations, including Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China (Type 81 LMG), Cuba, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, North Korea (Type 64), Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe, among others. It has also been adopted by various non-state actors including al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Houthis, Islamic State, Popular Mobilization Forces, and Syrian Democratic Forces. Former users include East Germany and Yugoslavia. The RPK and its variants have been manufactured under license or domestically produced in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Iraq, North Korea, East Germany, and Yugoslavia.