Brief Operational History

As the Cold War intensified in the 1950's the Soviet Army began rearming with the AK-47 assault rifle.  The weapon was simple, effective, and easy to produce.  For these reasons the Soviets issued a requirement for a light machine gun based on the Kalashnikov action to replace the Degtyarev RPD light machine gun already in service.

Kalashnikov returned with a weapon that was essentially a lengthened version of his AK-47 design.  The major differences were in the longer heavy barrel fitted with a bipod which was better suited to sustained automatic fire.  The new barrel also increased the muzzle velocity to 745 m/s.  Other changes were made to the rear sight of the weapon which could now be adjusted for varying wind conditions.  The stock followed the RPD pattern, which proved comfortable to shoot from the prone position.

Since the weapon was expected to lay down sustained fire larger ammunition magazines were required.  The first was a 40-round box magazine, while the second was a 75-round drum.  These were also interchangable with the 30-round box magazines of the AK-47.

The weapon was designated the RPK and accepted by the Soviet Army in 1961.  It entered service in 1964 and was carried by troops during the 1966 May Day parade.  A folding stock variant called the RPKS was later produced for use by airborne troops and commandos.  In this version the stock folds onto the left side of the receiver.

Over the years many thousands of RPK's were shipped to Communist fighters around the world.  The RPK saw combat in both Vietnam and in the African brushfire wars of the 1960's and 1970's.  It was first used by Soviet forces during the border clashes with China during the 1960's.  Soviet motor rifle troops also used the RPK during the Afghanistan war.  

The RPK was a great success on the export market during the Cold War and can still be found in use today by terrorists, guerrilla movements, and by many third world nations.

Tactical Use and Limitations

RPK light machine guns are is issued at the level of one per infantry squad.  Together with the platoon's PKM these weapons give the unit a high volume of fire.  Airborne units using the RPKS follow a similar tactical doctrine.  In the attack the soldier using the weapon is to use the 75 round drum magazine and advance on the objective along with his squad members while firing.  In this way he would help to overwhelm the enemy by fire as they advanced.  In the defense the weapon is positioned and used like a light machine gun.  Reconnaissance troops operating from M-1972 motorcycles are also known to use the RPK for self protection.

The RPK shares the advantages of all the Kalashnikov weapons.  It is rugged and reliable under all conditions.  The weapon is also very easy to operate and rarely jams.  When there is a problem the RPK is easy to repair and maintain as it shares many of the parts found in AK-47 service rifles.  The magazines of the RPK are interchangeable with those used in the AK-47.  It can also be fired from inside vehicles like the BMP without any modifications.  The weapon can also be equipped with the NSP-2 infrared night sight.  

As with all weapons the RPK has several limitations that reduce its effectiveness in combat.  The first is that it fires from a closed bolt and lacks a quick change barrel.  This means that the rate of fire must be kept down to around 80 shots per minute or the cartridges will become dangerously hot and 'cook off' as soon as they are chambered.  Barrel damage from overheating is another consideration.  The weapon also lacks a gas regulator that limits its flexibility when the weapon is dirty.  These disadvantages are mitigated somewhat by the fact that the weapon is very reliable under all conditions and has a low enough rate of fire that barrel heating can be managed by careful fire discipline.

Even so, the weapon can only feed from box magazines which greatly restricts the amount of ammunition that can be carried.  It also limits the amount of sustained fire that the gunner can place on a target, but since Soviet doctrine states that all members of the squad advance while placing automatic fire on an objective this may not be a significant problem.

Method of Operation

The RPK is a simple gas operated automatic weapon that fires from a closed bolt.  When a round is fired, some of the gases that are produced from the burning of the powder enter a small gas port and push on a series of small pistons.  This forces the bolt back.  As the gas pressure drops, the bolt is then pushed forward by a spring.  It then strips another round from the magazine and is ready to fire again.  It can be fired in either semi- or fully-automatic mode.

Deployment Chronology

The RPK was part of a family of weapons developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov.  The Soviet Army adopted these weapons because they were both easy to produce and maintain.  It proved to be a very reliable weapon and was the standard light machine gun of the Soviet Army until the late 1970's when it was phased out of service.  Here you can see what weapons the RPK light machine gun replaced and what weapons eventually replaced it.  You can find out more about each weapon by clicking on the links below.

Sources Cited

It is not easy to find good information about the RPK light machine gun.  In many cases it is simply treated as a footnote with only a few statistics mentioned.  Here are some of the better sources that give solid information about this weapon system.  You should be able to find some of these books at your local library or book store, we hope you can find them as useful as we have.

• Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition, by Ian V. Hogg and John S. Weeks, Copyright 2000 by Ian V. Hogg, published by Krause Publications, Iola WI, 2000

• Soviet Small-Arms and Ammunition, by D.N. Bolotin, published by Finnish Arms Museum Foundation, 1995

• AK-47: The Complete Kalashnikov Family of Assault Rifles, by Duncan Long, Copyright 1988 by Duncan Long, published by Paladin Press, Boulder CO, 1988

• The Soviet Army, FM-100-2-3, published by Headquarters Department of the Army, Washington D.C., 1984

• Russian Military Power, Edited by Ray Bonds, Copyright Salamander Books 1980, published by Bonanza Books, New York, New York, 1982