As it became known, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered the development of a new machine gun for battles in the city. A machine gun chambered for 5, 45x39 mm must have a combined power supply, i.e. the ability to use both a machine-gun belt and standard magazines from the AK-74 / RPK-74. The weapon must have a high density of fire at short and medium ranges.
For a long time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has used and will continue to use standard single machine guns of the PKM / Pecheneg type under the powerful rifle cartridge 7, 62x54R. Over the years of service in battles, these machine guns have proven their high reliability and efficiency, but they also have a drawback: a rather large mass of the machine gun itself and ammunition for it. In some cases, it is preferable to have a weapon that is more mobile and with a large ammo wearable and to sacrifice the effective range of fire.
Disputes about the effectiveness of the 5, 45 mm cartridge have not subsided since its inception. He is often criticized for low bullet energy, increased tendency to ricochet, low bullet penetration. Part of the criticism of the cartridge is true in relation to the ammunition of the Soviet release. Cartridges with 7N6 bullets had a low penetration ability, although higher than the armor penetration of the American analogue 5, 56 M193. Modern Russian cartridges are devoid of this drawback, tk. the armor penetration of some 5, 45 mm cartridges is almost equal to the much more powerful 7, 62x54R. At the same time, the mass of the ammunition load is twofold. The cartridge of caliber 5, 45 mm has a fairly flat trajectory and high accuracy, high penetration and lethality of the bullet, low recoil momentum, low weight. Therefore, the creation of a machine gun for it looks like a completely logical decision.
Attempts to create a full-fledged machine gun for this cartridge were made back in the USSR, but there was a problem with equipping machine-gun belts. The designer then could not create a reliable Rakov machine, and without it, the belt feed of the machine gun does not make sense. The project remained at the level of prototypes and was forgotten for a while. At the same time, the Belgian Minimi machine gun of 5, 56 mm caliber began to enter service with the armies of the NATO countries. Later, they began to copy it in other countries. The machine gun received a combined power supply and a replaceable barrel, which sharply distinguished it from the Soviet twin brother RPK-74. The RPK-74 is actually an assault rifle with a reinforced receiver, a longer and thicker barrel and a different butt. From his progenitor, he inherited the simplicity of design, high reliability, but had innate disadvantages of the machine - a small store capacity and the inability to conduct a long fire due to overheating. The effectiveness of the weapon was sacrificed in favor of the simplicity and low cost of production, because the unification with the machine gun was more than 70%. The USSR remained without a full-fledged light machine gun chambered for a low-impulse cartridge.
In my opinion, the new machine gun should be similar to its Belgian counterpart while maintaining the reliability of the PKM. It should receive interchangeable barrels of various lengths, the ability to use modern sights, tape feed with loose tape, fire from an open bolt, have a rate of fire of about 1000 V / min, automation based on the removal of powder gases (no semi-free breeches). The ability to shoot solo is not required for these weapons. It is desirable to have an open sector sight for ease of shooting in the dark and quick transfer of fire to another target. This will make it possible to obtain a mobile and effective weapon for firing at a distance of up to 600 m with a sufficiently large ammo.
Let's hope that the new development will be put into service in Russia and will take its rightful place on the Russian arms walk of fame. The main task is to choose the most successful sample and eliminate the "childhood" diseases that will certainly be present. Russian weapons have always been famous for their simplicity, mass character, highest reliability and efficiency. May this tradition continue in the future.
