Machine gun - small arms designed for individual or group use, used to defeat enemy personnel. Assault machine gun "Turner" - the weapon, which will be discussed in this article. It should be said that most of the information about this model is classified.
Russian submachine guns in the past
“The weapon that broke through the siege of Leningrad” - this is the nickname of the brainchild of the Sestroretsk Tool Plant, created in conditions of hunger, lack of resources (both human and raw). In honor of its inventor - Alexander Ivanovich Sudarev - the weapon was called the submachine gun of Sudarev (PPS-43). For its high combat performance, it was adopted in 1943. The prerequisites for creating this type of weapon were the need to find an alternative to the already used PPSh-41 (Shpagin submachine gun). The indicated model was not very convenient for tank, landing and reconnaissance forces due to its large size, and it was also required to carry a large number of ammunition due to the high rate of fire of the model.
Russian PP now
In the 90s, for the needs of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the PP-91 “Cedar” models with a caliber of 9 × 18 PM and PP-9 “Wedge” were produced, which was an improved “Cedar”. Caliber 9 × 18 mm PMM. Subsequently, the specified caliber was discontinued, it was replaced by 9 × 19 mm.
In appearance, the models practically did not differ from each other. Initially, the development of "Cedar" was based on the materials of the Soviet gunsmith E. F. Dragunov — a design by Evgeny Dragunov.
Russian submachine guns are constantly being modified not only on the territory of the country itself, but also abroad. For example, in the Polish People’s Republic (NDP) from 1948 to 1955 the production of weapons designated as PPS wz.1943 / 1952 was carried out, which was based on the design of PPS-43.
The first assault rifles in Russia and not only
The world's first assault rifle was picked up by a man back in 1916 when testing a new model of a rifle by the Russian imperial army. The soldiers had an indescribable delight because the gun fired a burst.
The Fedorov rifle was subjected to severe tests: it was kept in water for a long time, subjected to prolonged exposure to dust, and then shot. The brainchild of Fedorov successfully passed the test, but it was still not automatic. Attempts to improve new weapons continued, innovative cartridges were developed. But suddenly a world war began, and work had to be postponed.
At that time, the ranks of the troops lacked weapons and had to be content with deliveries of such from other countries. These were Italian, French and American rifles. As well as carbines "Arisaka" from Japan, with 6.5 mm caliber designed for them. At that time, this caliber was made at the cartridge factory in Petrograd. And Fedorov decided to adapt his brainchild to Japanese bullets.
In 1916, Fedorov shortened the barrel of his brainchild, provided the weapon with a box-shaped mechanism for 25 rounds and a handle for manual shooting. The result was the world's first automatic assault rifle, firing bursts.
PPF at war
This weapon was used until 1940. The last mention of it is found during the Russo-Finnish war. Partisan enemy units, armed with Suomi submachine guns, deliberately lured the Red Army units to the distance of the shot, and retreated after a short shootout. In view of such realities, the Red Army command decided to return to service the recently decommissioned RPMs (Degtyarev submachine gun) and, accordingly, the brainchild of Fedorov.
After the Russo-Finnish war, the PPD was not used, although historians are of the opinion that it was used in individual units during the Battle of Moscow during the Second World War.
The war thundered under the shots of PPSh, MP-40, Thompson and other weapons. Only in 1944, Hugo Schmeisser released his brainchild of StG-44 (SturmGewehr 44 - translated from German as “assault rifle”), and already in 1947 the number one assault rifle appeared - Kalashnikov’s invention. Submachine guns are gone, and machine guns prevail.
Turner and Cord
Machine guns "Turner" and "Cord" (modernized) were presented in 2013 at the factory show to military representatives. Responsible for the development is the design bureau of the V. A. Degtyarev Kovrov Plant. According to the design documentation (cd), the “Turner” should be presented with a light machine gun with tape and magazine supply systems similar to Western models such as 5.56 mm M249 FNMinimi (USA) and 7.62 mm IWINegevNG7 (Israel).
Description of the new machine gun
Details are strictly classified, only a small description is known. The assault machine gun “Turner” will weigh about 6.5 kg, the length with a folded butt and an elongated barrel will be 900 mm, with a shortened one - 700 mm.
It is possible to adjust the length of the butt, as well as the presence of Picatinny rails for mounting optical sights and other additional devices. According to the tactical and technical requirements, the machine gun will have a variable rate of fire at 550–650 and 900–1,000 rounds per minute, as well as an interchangeable barrel, designed for 15,000 rounds.
New weapons for the National Guard
On April 25, 2016, unexpectedly, the Ministry of the Interior announced a competition for development work on the creation of the Turner-2 model. It was stated that in addition to the aforementioned Degtyarev plant, the Kalashnikov concern will also develop.
It is difficult to say why the Tokar assault machine gun is being finalized. There are no reviews as such, because even the model’s photos are difficult to find, because the project is classified. You can only turn to the tactical and technical requirements presented to the new model “Turner-2”.
Comparing the design documentation of these samples, we can conclude that the new assault machine gun "Turner" will not have a variable rate of fire. Apparently, this item has led to a complication of the design of weapons and, as a result, to an increase in weight or something else, which you can only guess. The barrel requirements have also changed: according to the new requirements, it should be designed for 10,000 shots, while the earlier figure was 15,000. Is this due to model optimization due to the cancellation of the requirement for a variable rate of fire or at the Degtyarev plant simply simply problems with the resources of the trunks for the assault machine gun, one can only guess. For reference, the barrel of the RPK-74 machine gun is designed for 25,000 rounds. Turnovers on the development of stores for 90 rounds also slowed down, instead of them there will be 60 rounds on the Tokar-2. The outcome of the competition between two domestic arms developers will be known in December 2017.
"Turner" and "Warrior"
It is necessary to tell a little about where the machine gun "Turner" will find application. This weapon is being developed as part of the “Warrior” project - a model of the “soldier of the future” equipment. The Kalashnikov Concern (Izhmash Plant) also developed an AK-12 assault rifle for Ratnik equipment. The 2012 Kalashnikov assault rifle is the same AK-74M, but with a significant ergonomic upgrade. The submachine gun retained its classic appearance; improvements touched systems for improving accuracy and accuracy.
The competitors of the concern - the Degtyarev plant - presented the AEK-971 submachine gun, the development of which was carried out as far back as the 1980s. According to some reviews, it is ahead of the AK-12. A distinctive feature of the new weapon is the balancing system. It is known that when firing a weapon, the recoil is retracted upward and away from the line of sight, which negatively affects accuracy and accuracy when firing in short bursts. The Kovrov plant solved this problem by installing an innovative balancer and bolt frame design, which, when oncoming, reduce barrel bend.
As a result, recoil is reduced, trunk withdrawal is reduced, due to which accuracy and accuracy are increased. But the creation of the Kalashnikov concern does not have such a system. However, the operation and mass production of AEK will come out much more expensive than AK.
Rivals?
What will result in the “confrontation” of the two enterprises of the domestic arms-production complex, will become known in December 2017. However, it can already be argued that the improvements called “Turner-2” were made with an eye to previous mistakes and shortcomings.
It is known that the development of any project depends not only on the efforts of the developer himself, but also on how correctly, thoughtfully and carefully the technical task is drawn up. In this case, its role is played by the tactical and technical requirements for the product. Without a doubt, the compilation of such is most important for the further process of working on innovative models of domestic weapons. Therefore, minor flaws made at this stage can grow into more errors on subsequent ones. Whether this is so or still it was decided to develop this model in a slightly different direction, is still unknown.
To summarize
In conclusion, a few words should be said about the Tokar-2. In the tactical and technical requirements for this assault machine gun, the accuracy of firing is stated to be much lower than that of the same RPK-74, by almost 40%. These characteristics are acceptable for conducting short-range battles in confined spaces. But then the question remains unanswered about why a replaceable long barrel is needed for the Turner.
The declared weight is not more than 6.5-7 kg. On the one hand, it is 2 kg heavier than the RPK-74, on the other hand, at the level of the American M249 Para - a lightweight short-barreled machine gun. Increasing the rate of fire to 800–900 rounds per minute remains not entirely justified, because the domestic standard of 600–650 rounds has long established itself.
A lot of questions arise about the development of a store for 60 rounds, because the horn for the RPK-74 with a volume of 45 has proved its worth. Moreover, this is a belt machine gun. The requirements stated telescopic stock for six positions, although already created one for two or three positions. But here we can talk about an individual "fit" under the physique of a soldier.
The conclusion is as follows: it is obvious that there is a need to develop this type of weapon (assault machine guns are needed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs), but most likely, December 2017 will not be a decisive moment in this matter. Time will tell. But it’s not finally decided when the Tokar assault machine gun will go into mass production. It is likely that OCD will be announced at Turner-3.