The RPK is a Soviet light machine gun and squad automatic weapon designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and adopted by the Soviet Army in 1961 as part of an effort to standardize infantry small arms around a single Kalashnikov-pattern action, sharing most of its internal mechanism with the AKM assault rifle it was designed alongside. Compared with the AKM, the RPK has a longer, thicker barrel intended to withstand sustained automatic fire without overheating as quickly, a bipod for stable firing, and a reinforced wooden buttstock, while still firing the same 7.62x39mm intermediate cartridge from box or drum magazines rather than a belt. It replaced the earlier RPD machine gun in Soviet service, was manufactured in large numbers and exported or license-built across the Warsaw Pact and allied states, and variants of it remain in frontline use with numerous armed forces and irregular groups around the world into the twenty-first century.
Facts
Weapon Classsquad automatic weapon, light machine gun 2 Introduced Year Introduced Year Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) FAQs
Can the RPK use the same magazines as the AKM?
Yes. RPK and AKM magazines are interchangeable.
Yes. The RPK shares its magazine interface with the Kalashnikov assault rifle in the same caliber, so RPK and AKM magazines are interchangeable. The standard RPK magazines are of extended capacity, most commonly a curved box magazine holding 40 rounds.
Connections
Operated By
Source Wikipedia: RPK
Used In
Source Wikipedia: RPK
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Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Wikidata: RPK
Sources
1. Wikipedia: RPK
WikipediaInfobox: service
1961-present
Infobox: cartridge
7.62×39mm M43
Caliber attribute (rpk)
Compared with the AKM, the RPK has a longer, thicker barrel intended to withstand sustained automatic fire without overheating as quickly, a bipod for stable firing, and a reinforced wooden buttstock, while still firing the same 7.62x39mm intermediate cartridge from box or drum magazines rather than a belt.
Operated By: Hezbollah, Operators
Hezbollah
In Group: Light Machine Guns, Lead sentence
The RPK (Russian: РПК; Ручной пулемёт Калашникова, romanized: Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, lit. 'Kalashnikov's hand-held machine gun') is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun/squad automatic weapon that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifle.
Used In: Iraq War, Article text
United States: Used during the Iraq War.
Used In: First Chechen War, Article text
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria - Used by Chechen forces during the First Chechen War
View the Source 2. RPK, Modern Firearms
opening section, heading line
RPK squad automatic weapon (machine rifle / light machine gun)
main body, development paragraph
In 1961, Soviet army has chosen the Kalashnikov system, comprising of a modified AKM assault rifle and RPK squad automatic weapon.
View the Source3. Wikidata: RPK
Wikidata Q741087, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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