Development of automata in the USSR
Since the middle of the 20th century, the main small arms of the armed forces of the Russian Federation (RF) have been the Kalashnikov assault rifle. After the adoption of the Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1947 (the same AK-47) for the intermediate cartridge 7, 62x39 mm, its design was continuously improved, primarily in terms of improving the manufacturability of the design. Soon after the adoption in the US of the M16 rifle chambered for the low-impulse intermediate cartridge 5, 56x45 mm, the USSR adopted the Ak-74 assault rifle under the similar low-impulse intermediate cartridge 5, 45x39 mm.
In addition to improving the design of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, other models of small arms were considered in the USSR, which could presumably replace the Kalashnikov assault rifle in the ranks of the Soviet armed forces.
No less actively, the Soviet Union considered the possibility of using various types of ammunition in promising small arms, including those with arrow-shaped sub-caliber bullets. Nevertheless, none of the ammunition being developed was brought into service and mass production, and at the time of the collapse of the USSR, the same low-impulse cartridge of 5, 45x39 mm caliber remained the main ammunition for small arms in the USSR.
Systematic work on the new machine gun was carried out in the USSR since 1978 within the framework of research work (R&D) "Flag", and then, since 1981, within the framework of development work (ROC) "Abakan". The main requirement of the ROC "Abakan" can be considered an increase in the accuracy of fire from a machine gun in automatic mode. Eight prototypes took part in the competition for a new machine gun, with several versions - TKB-0111 by designer G. A. Korobov, TKB-0136 Afanasyev N. M., TKB-0146 Stechkina I. Ya., AKB Kalashnikov V. M., APT Postnikova I. A., AEK-971 Koksharova S. I. and Garev B. A., AEK-978 Pikinsky P. A., AS Nikonova G. N.
The TKB-0146 submachine guns of Stechkina I. Ya. And ASM Nikonova GN, in which a scheme with a shift in the recoil momentum was used, providing a significant increase in the accuracy of fire in short bursts, reached the final of the ROC "Abakan".
Stechkin I. Ya. TKB-0146 assault rifle, made according to the bullpup scheme, was rejected. Partly, the reason could be a certain conservatism of the military in terms of the bullpup layout, but one cannot fail to note a significant drawback of this machine - the need for double chambering of the cartridge (the cartridge is fed into the barrel through an intermediate feeder by two twitches of the bolt handle).
The Nikonov assault rifle, G. N. ASM, was put into service under the designation AN-94, but in fact, it was not purchased in significant quantities. It is believed that this happened due to the collapse of the USSR and the lack of appropriate funding, but in fact the AN-94 is an extremely complex and specific weapon that does not have radical advantages over the AK-74 in caliber 5, 45x39 mm.
Development of machines in the Russian Federation
In Russia, the choice of a new machine gun for the armed forces began in 2012 as part of the creation of a promising military equipment for a serviceman (ROC "Ratnik"), carried out by order of the Ministry of Defense (MO). The scale of the competition for the selection of a machine gun within the framework of the ROC "Ratnik" was clearly not comparable to the ROC "Abakan" of the Soviet period. In fact, information is known about the choice between the modernized Kalashnikov assault rifle by NPO IZHMASH, issued under the code AK-12 in caliber 5, 45x39 mm and AK-15 in caliber 7, 62x39 mm, A-545 and A-762 assault rifles (modernized AEK-971), respectively, also in calibers 5, 45x39 mm and caliber 7, 62x39 mm, developed at the plant. Degtyarev and automatic machines 5, 45A-91 and 7, 62A-91 in the bullpup layout, developed by the branch of JSC "KBP" - "TsKIB SOO". AK-12 / AK-15 and A-545 / A-762 came out as finalists, and at the first stage of the competition, the automata of the plant named after V. Degtyarev showed themselves better than the automatic rifles of NPO IZHMASH.
There was no talk about new ammunition, and it was not possible to finally decide on the choice between ammunition of caliber 5, 45x39 mm and 7, 62x39 mm, so they decided to leave both. The caliber 5, 45x39 mm is still considered the main one, but from time to time there is information that the option of returning to the cartridge 7, 62x39 mm as the main caliber of small arms is being considered.
Meanwhile, the new Kalashnikov assault rifles, having undergone significant transformations, entered the second part of the competition. As the "optimization" progressed, the new Kalashnikov assault rifles lost their futuristic appearance and some of the previously announced functions - bilateral controls, slide delay, quick barrel replacement.
The competition ended in a rather specific way. It seems like the AK-12 / AK-15 series submachine guns won, but the A-545 and A-762 submachine guns with balanced automatics will also be purchased for special units. The main reason for choosing the AK-12 / AK-15 assault rifles is their lower cost, only several times (two or three?) Higher than the cost of the AK-74, while the cost of the A-545 and A-762 assault rifles presumably exceeds the cost of the AK-74 is about ten! once. The contract provides for the delivery of one hundred and fifty thousand AK-12 and AK-15 assault rifles within three years. It is planned to supply fifty thousand machines each in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In what proportion will be delivered AK-12 and AK-15 is not reported. It is also unknown how many A-545 and A-762 assault rifles will eventually be purchased. However, it can be assumed that in the end both factories will get their own piece of the budget pie.
A number of sources question the advisability of purchasing AK-12, AK-15, A-545, A-762 assault rifles. For the AK-74 / AK-74M assault rifles, products of the type "Modernization kit - Kalashnikov assault rifle" (KM-AK) have been developed according to the ROC "Obves", which make it possible to improve the ergonomics of these weapons and provide the possibility of installing additional equipment. The ergonomics of the AK-74 / AK-74M in the "body kit" practically does not differ from the ergonomics of the AK-12, AK-15, A-545, A-762 assault rifles, while the increase in their efficiency hardly justifies the purchase with a price of two to ten times higher than the cost of the AK-74 / AK-74M, despite the fact that the latter are in huge quantities in warehouses. It is possible to create a similar "body kit" for AKM assault rifles of caliber 7, 62x39 mm, thereby completely closing the line of assault rifles for the armed forces in calibers 5, 45x39 mm and 7, 62x39 mm.
There is also an opinion according to which Kalashnikov assault rifles produced in the seventies and early eighties are superior in quality to those that are produced now, but there is no reliable information to what extent this information corresponds to reality and in what condition these weapons are in storage warehouses.
What can be assumed for sure is that kits of the type "Body kit" cost much less than new weapons, and for manufacturers the supply of "body kits" to the armed forces is an order of magnitude less attractive than the supply of new weapons. Although it is possible that the best solution for the armed forces would be to purchase 300-500 thousand "Body kits" than to purchase 150,000 assault rifles with conditionally improved characteristics. However, apparently, this is already a question of the past tense.
NGSW program and its consequences for the RF Armed Forces in case of success or failure
When the United States started talking about the transition to a new cartridge of 6, 5-6, 8 mm caliber, it was widely believed that cartridges such as 6, 5x39 mm Grendel or 6, 8x43 mm were considered as the new main ammunition of the US armed forces. Remington SPC. In extreme cases, something new, for example, the same telescopic cartridge Textron Systems 6, 8CT / 7, 62CT, but with approximately the same energy of 2200-2600 J. However, judging by the latest information about the NGSW program, a new cartridge of caliber 6, 8 mm is supposed to be made with an energy of the order of 4000-4600 J, which is more than the existing rifle cartridges 7, 62x51 mm 7, 62x54R.
As mentioned in the previous article, due to the high estimated power of the promising 6, 8 mm cartridge, the American armed forces may face the same problems that pursued them in Vietnam with the M14 rifle chambered for 7, 65x51 mm.
Based on this, we can consider two scenarios for the implementation of the NGSW program:
1. Participants of the NGSW program will not be able to to create a weapon that simultaneously provides a significant increase in range and high armor penetration, combined with a sufficiently low recoil and an acceptable mass of weapons.
In this case, weapons created under the NGSW program will occupy a limited niche in the US military. The largest acquisition of the US Armed Forces in this case will be the NGSW-AR machine gun chambered for the new 6.8 mm cartridge, which is being considered instead of the M249 SAW machine gun chambered for 5, 56x45 mm caliber. The NGSW-R rifle, being developed to replace the M4, will most likely occupy the niche of the Marksman weapon, displacing the aforementioned M14 rifle from it.
As for the bulk of the American military, they will either have to be content with weapons chambered for 5, 56x45, or its analogue, but under any of the mentioned cartridges of type 6, 5x39 Grendel or 6, 8x43 Rem SPC. If a new weapon is developed for the promising telescopic cartridge Textron Systems 5, 56CT / 6, 8CT / 7, 62CT, then its energy will not be at the level of 4000-4600 J, but at the level of all the same 2200-2600 J, most likely quite achievable in the cartridge 7, 62x39 mm.
2. Participants of the NGSW program will be able to to create a weapon that simultaneously provides a significant increase in range and high armor penetration, combined with a sufficiently low recoil and an acceptable mass of weapons.
In this case, the US armed forces will carry out a phased transition to new weapons. First, they will be armed with special operations forces (MTR), then, the most belligerent units, and then all the rest.
Possible retaliatory decisions of the armed forces of the Russian Federation to the NGSW program
In the event of scenario 1, when weapons sold under the NGSW program receive limited distribution, retaliatory measures may cost the Russian Armed Forces "little blood".
A single Pecheneg machine gun chambered for 7, 62x54R or its modernized version can be considered as a weapon opposing the promising American NGSW-AR machine gun of 6, 8 mm caliber. Potentially inferior to the promising American machine gun in terms of the mass of the weapon itself, the mass of ammunition and the flatness of the trajectory, it will traditionally surpass it in reliability. The Pecheneg machine gun can be upgraded to reduce its mass, but the main means of increasing its effectiveness should be the development of modernized ammunition of 7, 62x54R caliber with increased accuracy and armor penetration.
The situation is similar with the Marksman rifle. As it can act as a modernized version of the SVD rifle caliber 7, 62x54R, and promising models of weapons such as the Chukavin sniper rifle (SHF).
A variant of the AK-308 assault rifle chambered for 7, 62x54R can also be developed, which will be able to claim the same niche as the FN SCAR-H and HK-417 rifles of 7, 62x51 mm caliber.
The most difficult task will be deciding on the final choice between calibers 5, 45x39 mm and 7, 62x39 mm, in the event of the transition of most of the US military to weapons chambered for type 6, 5x39 Grendel, 6, 8x43 Rem SPC with 2200-2600 J.
The question of the expediency of switching from cartridge 7, 62x39 mm to cartridge 5, 45x39 mm and vice versa is periodically raised both in the press and, apparently, in the armed forces. At the beginning of 2019, in the thematic collection "Missile-technical and artillery-technical support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - 2018", information from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation again appeared that the issue of refusal of the armed forces from small arms of caliber 5, 45x39 mm was being considered. and a complete transition to caliber 7, 62x39 mm. It can be assumed that these throws are associated, among other things, with information about the transition to a larger caliber of the US Army.
By the way, the transition from cartridge 5, 45x39 mm to cartridge 7, 62x39 mm can send almost all new weapons purchased under the Ratnik program to warehouses, which confirms the haste of decision-making on this program.
The declared advantages of cartridges 5, 45x39 mm in comparison with cartridges 7, 62x39 mm are largely due to the fact that modern cartridges of caliber 7, 62x39 mm are not developed or produced. It can be assumed that in the case of the development of a promising armor-piercing cartridge in 7.62x39 mm caliber, with design solutions similar to those used in the 7N39 Igolnik cartridge of 5, 45x39 mm caliber, then the characteristics of a promising 7.62x39 mm armor-piercing cartridge with an initial energy of 2200- 2600 J will exceed not only the characteristics of the 7N39 cartridge, but also the promising American cartridge based on 6, 5x39 Grendel or 6, 8x43 Rem SPC. In a promising 7.62x39 mm armor-piercing cartridge, modern solutions can also be used to reduce the mass of the cartridge, in order to prevent a significant reduction in the weight of the wearable ammunition compared to that for weapons of 5, 45x39 mm caliber.
As a basis for the development of weapons for a promising armor-piercing cartridge of caliber 7, 62x39 mm, with an initial energy of 2200-2600 J, we can consider the RPK-16 light machine gun, implemented in caliber 7, 62x39 mm. The advantage of this weapon is its heavy, quickly replaceable barrel, which should increase the accuracy of shooting and ensure prompt replacement of the barrel when its resource is exhausted (which is important for cartridges with increased initial energy and bullet velocity). The mass of the RPK-16 in the version with a short barrel is 0.8 kg more than the mass of the AK-12 assault rifle, which can be considered acceptable, given that the mass of the AN-94 assault rifle adopted for service was 3.85 kg.
An important addition to a promising weapon of caliber 7, 62x39 mm based on the RPK-16 can be a silencer designed to reduce recoil and partially reduce / distort the sound of a shot, similar to the way it is implemented in the American NGSW program.
Instead of chrome plating, barrel carbonitriding technology may be considered to increase barrel survivability. The carbonitriding process consists in the diffusion saturation of the surface layer of the treated channel with carbon and nitrogen, as a result of which the surface layer acquires hardness up to 60 HRC, increased wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Unlike chrome plating, carbonitriding does not change the geometric dimensions of the barrel, therefore carbonitriding does not affect the accuracy and accuracy of the weapon, which makes this technology a more progressive method of protection. According to the manufacturers, the life of a carbonitrided barrel should be at least 10-15 thousand shots.
Thus, the Russian response to the NGSW program "in case of its partially successful implementation" (scenario 1) may look like this:
1. Upgraded machine gun "Pecheneg" caliber 7, 62x54R with reduced weight.
2. Upgraded SVD rifle or Chukavin's sniper rifle, caliber 7, 62x54R, or a variant of the AK-308 assault rifle with increased accuracy and accuracy of fire chambered for 7, 62x54R cartridge.
3. New cartridge of caliber 7, 62x54R with increased accuracy and armor penetration.
4. A new cartridge of 7, 62x39 mm caliber of increased accuracy and armor penetration with an initial energy of 2200-2600 J.
5. An assault rifle of caliber 7, 62x39 mm based on the RPK-16 light machine gun with a supersonic silencer and carbonitriding of the barrel.
As for the second scenario, in which the participants of the NGSW program will be able to create weapons that simultaneously provide a significant increase in range and high armor penetration, in combination with a sufficiently low recoil and an acceptable mass of weapons, in this case it will not be possible to get rid of "little blood"
It will require complex and expensive research and development and development work, intensive testing, as well as costly rearmament of the RF Armed Forces with a new cartridge and weapons for it.
According to information provided by the director of the cluster of conventional weapons, ammunition and special chemistry of Rostec, Sergei Abramov, to the TASS news agency, the state corporation Rostec is developing small arms in new calibers. What kind of calibers we are talking about is not specified. It is reported that in August 2019, the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH JSC) received a patent for the invention of modular firearms. Presumably, these works were activated just as a response to the American NGSW program.
