At the international presentation of weapons “Army-2016”, held in September 2016, the RPK-16 machine gun, the brainchild of Russian gunsmiths, was demonstrated. It will be discussed in this article.
The new domestic Kalashnikov light machine gun
RPK-16 was created with the goal of potentially replacing the RPK-74 machine gun both in conventional combat arms of Russia and among special forces.
Without departing from the traditional scheme for the construction of weapon models (machine gun or automatic machine) of Kalashnikov, the designers realized all the achievements obtained during the creation of the model of the AK-12 assault rifle. All the same automatic exhaust system with a long stroke, a lockable bolt, firing from a closed bolt.
Mounting an additional body kit on the Picatinny rail is provided . Drawing an analogy with the latest innovations of domestic weapons, it should be indicated that the RPK-16 with an interchangeable barrel is presented. It is possible to install a shortened barrel for firing at short range or in a confined space, as well as a long one for fighting in open areas. The kit also includes a quick-release muffler for special operations.
RPK-16 machine gun is capable of using any stores from AK-74M or RPK-74. Also specially designed for this model is a drum magazine with 96 rounds.
Rifle machine gun
In the conditions of warfare, in our time it is always necessary to have at hand a weapon capable of adapting as much as possible to the conditions in which the battle proceeds. This is precisely the goal that the Kalashnikov concern pursued, creating a new RPK-16 machine gun.
To create a weapon that combines a machine gun and an assault rifle is far from the first attempt. It is enough to recall the Israeli Galil assault rifle, the development of Israel Galili based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle. An attempt to combine these types of weapons was unsuccessful.
Another thing is the Singapore model Ultimax 100, created by a team of engineers James Salivan. A similar model is still in demand. For this reason, the concern was tasked with creating such weapons that would not only be in demand as weapons for military units or special forces, but would 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 environments. Power is produced by 5.45x39 mm caliber cartridges. It is believed that the Russian National Guard and special services will be interested in the new product.
- Due to its low weight, the RPK-16 with an interchangeable barrel is convenient to use. The drum store allows you to forget about frequent reloading.
- There is no need for a selection of ammunition, because the classic widespread caliber cartridge from the AK is used.
- The RPK-16 light machine gun has a low recoil ratio, thereby increasing accuracy and accuracy of fire.
Of the negative sides of the new weapon, only the assumptions of a number of skeptics regarding whether this weapon will be justified. If the already established Pecheneg was created with the aim of maintaining control over the territory, the new RPK-16 was created more likely for lightning attacks.
However, a capacious magazine with 96 rounds and the possibility of installing an elongated barrel make it clear that the possibility of using it for the same purpose as the mentioned Pecheneg is still present.
Ultimax 100 vs RPK-16
A machine gun, TTX and other information about which has been kept secret for a long time is of interest to many. But at the moment there are no official sources to draw conclusions about the existing characteristics of the new weapon.
However, if we assume that the concern's intention is to squeeze the Ultimax 100 out of the world market, then we should consider the characteristics of this weapon in order to get an idea of ​​what the RPK-16 is primarily a machine gun.
The characteristics of the Ultimax 100 make it possible to identify that the machine gun was designed for 5.56 caliber power and has 1,024 millimeters in length from the beginning of the butt to the end of the barrel. In this case, the barrel itself was 508 mm long.
4 kilograms and 900 grams is the weight of the gun without cartridges. Accordingly, the rate of fire varies from 400 to 600 rounds per minute. With a magazine capacity of just 100 bullets, you won’t shoot much. Sighting range covers 800 meters. The characteristics of the most common model Mk 3, produced in series since the second half of the 1980s, are presented.
Compared to Ancestor
Speaking about the new Kalashnikov RPK-16 light machine gun, we should also mention its predecessors.
The RPK model was adopted in 1961 to replace the obsolete machine gun Degtyarev RPD-44. The novelty was almost a third lighter than its predecessor and has proven itself in the ranks of Soviet motorized rifles, paratroopers and marines.
Models with a folding stock were also developed, which were called RPKS, later, after modernization, it became 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 field of the domestic defense industry, because the Soviet military received the machine gun and machine gun of similar designs the 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.
TTX RPK
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 |
| Empty weight | 4,900 kg |
| Weight with 75 rounds drum magazine | 7.140 kg |
| Weight with 40-round carob | 5, 860 kg |
| Total product length | 1040 mm |
| Trunk | 591 mm |
| Bullet speed | 745 m / s |
| Store capacity | 40, 75 rounds |
| Rate of fire | 600 rpm |
| Sighting range | 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 about 19 countries around the world to this day. In 1964, an assault rifle under the code Model K was adopted by the army of the German Democratic Republic. 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 modernized 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 assault rifle, the next step was to create a machine gun, which would be powered by a new caliber.
So RPK-74 was born. This model suffered the same fate - a folding version of RPKS-74 and variations with optical sights RPKN-74 and RPKSN-74 appeared.
It was mentioned above that the new Russian RPK-16 machine gun should come to replace the RPK-74. For a better understanding, consider the performance of the predecessor machine gun.
| Manufacturer | Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, Tula Arms Plant |
| Caliber | 5.45 x 39 mm |
| Mass with a full store | 5.46 kg |
| Weapon length | 1060 mm |
| Barrel length | 590 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | 960 m / s |
| Store capacity | 45 |
| Rate of fire | 600 rpm |
| Sighting range | 1000 m |
Obvious flaws
With the spread of RPK-74, the question of the advantages and disadvantages of the new model began to develop widely.
The 45 round magazine has a not very convenient design in terms of both use and transportation in military uniforms. Foreign counterparts at that time already had a much more convenient tape-box ammunition. Because of this, I had to use stores from AK-74, designed for 30 rounds.
Another drawback common to all world machine guns, developed on the basis of an assault rifle or assault rifle, is the fixed barrel. Subjected to wear and tear, the muzzle of the machine gun over time begins to have a negative impact on the rate of fire.
These long-identified shortcomings formed the basis for the task of creating a new RPK-16 5.45 mm. These oversights should have been avoided.
Advantages
These should include the most obvious advantages based on the identity of the machine gun and machine gun from one manufacturer. This is the undoubted presence of interchangeable components and elements.
An innovation in the design of the RPK-74 was a chrome barrel with a thick wall, which allows for the most intense firing, and folding bipods were installed on the machine gun for firing lying down or from shelter.
Compared with the PKK, the butt was repeatedly strengthened. The new Russian light machine gun RPK-16 has incorporated all the best from its predecessor.
Tape or store?
Returning to the global arms market, special attention should be paid to the fact that simultaneously with the advent of the PKK in the 70s, there was an increasing interest in replaceable power weapons. And here you can not get past the Belgian machine gun FN Minimi, which has proven itself at that time.
The power supply of the Minimi system consists of a small caliber NATO cartridge. It is worth noting that the developers abandoned the idea of ​​bringing the machine gun model to uniformity with the weaponry range of assault rifles produced by the same company. That is, FN Minimi was created from scratch and has a unique design.
What this is fraught with, what risks the designers went to find the necessary parts (if replacement is necessary), we can assume without going into a detailed study of the design documentation. The risk has come true.
The main feature of Minimi is the replacement power supply. The choice between ribbon and store-based is the subject of long-standing discussions among weapons designers around the world. More than a dozen children and more than a dozen people worked on this issue. And each time one of the parties prevailed in the discussion, while the other remained with its opinion and on its path of development. As a result, various weapon models with different types of ammunition were created. That is, machine guns and assault rifles (with a magazine type separately), machine guns.
On the one hand, the links of the belt weigh extremely little, equipped with cartridges - they conveniently fit into machine gun boxes of any shape, which allows you to carry a significant amount of ammunition. On the other hand, the details of the tape are easily susceptible to corrosion, which, falling into the system of sending a cartridge in a machine gun, can lead to a misfire or even disable a weapon. Not to mention the fact that with such a system for supplying cartridges, dirt, dust and sand can also get into the chamber, which will definitely lead to a halt in the operation of the weapon, if not immediately, but after a certain time.
Shops greatly simplify this task. This implies the use of an assault rifle magazine, which is very convenient, but this way of feeding badly affects the amount of ammunition and transportation, which does not go into an appropriate match with the carry weight.
Loose machine gun belt, designed for 200 rounds, is placed in a plastic box. The flax feed compartment is located on the left side of the product. In this case, the box with cartridges is attached from the bottom. This functionality was implemented on the Soviet RPD long before the advent of FN Minimi.
If the tape ends, but the other is not at hand, the use of an assault rifle magazine with the same cartridges is provided. It is this principle that the new RPK-16 has incorporated.
Weapons conclusion
If we take into account all of the above samples that designers intend to surpass by creating RPK-16 weapons, and also remember that in addition to this machine gun, the Tokar assault machine gun is also being developed as part of the equipment of the “Soldier of the Future” called “Warrior”, the brainchild The domestic arms industry should make a real splash in the world market.
Progress does not stand still, the need to create advanced types of weapons that meet modern combat realities and objective global integration processes, requires constant improvement of both the economic and defense industries. Products of 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 RPK-16 light machine gun, as it will prove itself, will be known very soon.