KPV heavy machine gun

KPV heavy machine gun
KPV as used in ZGU-1 mountain anti-aircraft mount
TypeHeavy machine gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1949–present
Used bySee operators
WarsKorean War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Cambodian Civil War
Rhodesian Bush War
Western Sahara War
Angolan Civil War
South African Border War
Soviet–Afghan War
Libyan–Chadian conflict
Iran–Iraq War
Gulf War
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
Russo-Georgian War
Iraq War
Lebanese Civil War
First Libyan Civil War
Syrian Civil War
War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Russo-Ukrainian War
Second Libyan Civil War
Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
Saudi–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present)
Production history
DesignerSemyon Vladimirov
Designed1944
ManufacturerDegtyarev Plant
Produced1949–present
VariantsKPVT
Specifications
Mass49 kg (108.03 lb)
Length1,980 mm (78.0 in)
Barrel length1,346 mm (53.0 in)
Width162 mm (6.4 in)
Height225 mm (8.9 in)
Cartridge14.5×114mm
Caliber14.5 mm
ActionShort recoil operation
Rate of fire600 rpm
Muzzle velocity1,005 m/s (3,297 ft/s)
Effective firing range3,000 m (9,800 ft)
Maximum firing range4,000 m (13,000 ft)
Feed system40-round belt
Sightsiron or optical

The KPV heavy machine gun (Russian: КПВ, romanized: KPV, an initialism for Крупнокалиберный пулемёт Владимирова, Krupnokaliberny pulemyot Vladimirova, 'Vladimirov's Large-Caliber Machine Gun') is a Soviet designed 14.5×114mm-caliber heavy machine gun, which first entered service as an infantry weapon in 1949. In the 1960s, the infantry version was taken out of production because it was too large and heavy. It was later redesigned for anti-aircraft use, as it showed excellent results as an AA gun against low flying aircraft, with a range of 3,000 m (9,800 ft) horizontally and 2,000 m (6,600 ft) vertically. It was used in the ZPU series of anti-aircraft guns. Its size and power also made it a useful light anti-armour weapon on the BTR series of vehicles and the BRDM-2 scout car.

Mechanics

The KPV was a heavy machine gun developed by S. V. Vladimirov. It was developed in 1944 and adopted in 1949. It combines the rate of fire of a heavy machine gun with the armor-piercing capabilities of antitank rifles and was designed to combat lightly armored targets, firepower and manpower of the enemy located behind light cover, as well as to be an anti-aircraft machine gun. The muzzle energy of the KPV reaches 31 kJ. For comparison, the 12.7 mm Browning M2HB machine gun has up to 19 kJ (14,000 ft⋅lbf) with a 660 gr (43 g) bullet traveling at 3,080 ft/s (940 m/s) manufactured by PMC, the 20 mm ShVAK aircraft mounted gun has about 28 kJ (21,000 ft⋅lbf). It is one of the most powerful machine guns ever used by the Soviet and later Russian armed forces. The development of the machine gun began in 1944. The 14.5×114mm M41 cartridge can be used with high explosive incendiary - tracer (HEI-T) or armor-piercing incendiary (API) bullets. The KPV is air-cooled and fitted with a barrel with a hard chrome plated bore. It uses a short recoil operation system with gas assistance and a rotary bolt. It can be fed with the 40-round metallic belt from either the left or right side. The barrel can be removed by turning the prominent latch on the forward end of the receiver and pulling on the barrel's carrying handle.

Rear view of a captured KPV machine-gun crudely modified for use as an anti-aircraft weapon on display at the headquarters of the 2-135 General Support Aviation Battalion at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. It is missing its feed tray cover and entire upper receiver.

Versions

KPVT

The version for use in armored vehicles is called the KPVT (Russian: КПВ танковый, romanized: KPV tankovy, lit. 'Tank-Mounted KPV'). KPVT is used for armored vehicle installations, boats, movable and stationary mounts and various antiaircraft mounts. It features a shorter receiver and a heavier barrel jacket. The KPVT also uses a 50-round belt instead of the original 40-round belt. KPVTs are the primary armament of the wheeled BTR-60PB/70/80 series armored personnel carriers and BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance vehicles. It is intended for fighting against lightly armored targets, weapons systems and light shelters at the distances of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft), as well as air targets at distances up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

The distance at which the bullet retains lethal force is 8 km (5.0 mi). The maximum flight range of the bullet is 9 km (5.6 mi).

The naval twin mount had several versions:

The single mount was called the "14.5 mm MTPU" (Russian: 14,5-мм МТПУ, an initialism for 14,5-мм морская тумбовая пулемётная установка, '14.5 mm Naval Machine Gun Column Mount'). The 14.5 mm MTPU is intended for combat against armored surface, coast and air targets. It is mounted on decks of boats and can defeat surface and coast targets with a range of 3,000 m (9,800 ft) horizontally and 2,000 m (6,600 ft) vertically against low flying planes.

ZPU

The ZPU (Russian: ЗПУ, an initialism for Зенитная пулемётная установка, 'Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Mount') is a towed anti-aircraft gun based on the KPV. It entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide.

  • ZPU-1 single-barreled mount.
  • ZPU-2 twin-barreled mount.
  • ZPU-4 quadruple-barreled mount.

Mountain version

  • ZGU-1 single-barreled pack mount (Russian: ЗГУ, romanized: ZGU, an initialism for Зенитная горная установка, 'Mountain Anti-Aircraft Mount').

Remote weapon stations

The Emirati remote weapon station IGG-RWS14 uses the KPV machine gun.

Ammunition

These rounds are also produced in Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Poland, and Romania.

Operators

Former operators

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Francesco Palmas (2012). "Il contenzioso del sahara occidentale fra passato e presente" (PDF). Informazioni della Difesa (in Italian). No. 4. pp. 50–59.
  2. 1 2 3 Campbell, David (30 November 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 9781472817648.
  3. 1 2 "Syrie: l'EI inflige un revers aux FDS dans l'est, mais reste acculé". France Soir (in French). 25 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "KPVT large-calibre tank machine-gun". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "КПВ — крупнокалиберный пулемёт Владимирова | Армейский вестник". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "MTPU 14.5mm marine pedestal machine gun mount". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "[DSEi 2017] Vehicle Mounted Remote Control Weapon Station Round up -". 6 October 2017.
  8. ↑ Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey (ed.). Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.
  9. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Albania". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 445.
  10. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Benin". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 948.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Gander, Terry J. (4 May 2001). "14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. pp. 3732–3734.
  12. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Cambodia". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 1134.
  13. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Cameroon". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 1135.
  14. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Congo". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 1441.
  15. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Guinea-Bissau". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 2361.
  16. ↑ "OFT develops Gen-X weapons". Oneindia. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  17. ↑ de Tessières, Savannah (April 2012). Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale (PDF) (Report). Special Report No. 14 (in French). UNDP, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and Small Arms Survey. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2012.
  18. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Malawi". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 3094.
  19. ↑ "KPV".
  20. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (4 May 2001). "ROMARM machine guns". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. p. 3407.
  21. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, São Tomé and Príncipe". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 3849.
  22. ↑ "World Infantry Weapons: Sierra Leone". 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.[self-published source]
  23. ↑ Engelbrecht, Leon (17 December 2009). "Fact file: Special Forces main equipment". defenceweb.co.za.
  24. ↑ Nash, Ed; Searle, Alaric (2021). Kurdish Armour Against ISIS. Osprey Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 9781472847584.
  25. ↑ Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Togo". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 4569.
  26. ↑ "Google Sites".

Further reading

External videos
video icon KPV in Libya