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PKP Pecheneg



Overview


Pecheneg

Left side view of Pecheneg machine gun.
Source: KardeN - © Copyright lies with original owner

Origin
Russia
Type
Machine gun
Entered service
2001
Status
In service
Development
1995 - 1999
Developer
Russia - TsNIITochMash
Production
1999 - present
Producer
Russia - ZiD
Designations
PKP / Pulemyot Kalashnikova Pekhotny
Russian for "Kalashnikov infantry machinegun"
Pecheneg (nickname)
6P41 (GRAU index)
Notable users
Russia

Description


Introduction

The PKP Pecheneg is a machine gun of Russian origin. It was developed in the 1990's to replace the RPK-74 and PK with a design that was better suited for the infantry role. When compared to the RPK-74 the Pecheneg delivers much more firepower. Even though the Pecheneg was developed only for ground use it has also been fitted to several light vehicles. The Pecheneg is also known as the PKP, which is a aggregation of the PK machine gun it was derived from and the name Pecheneg.

Firepower

The Pecheneg is a belt fed weapon that fires the Russian 7.62x54mm round. The only fire mode is fully automatic and the cyclic rate of fire is 650 rpm. The effective range is 400 m against point targets and 800 m against area targets. At longer ranges the Pecheneg is claimed to be 1.7 to 1.9 times more effective than the PK.

Design

The Pecheneg is a modified version of the PK machine gun. There is about 80% parts commonality. The Pecheneg is gas operated and uses the same long stroke gas piston mechanism as the PK. The main difference lies in the barrel. A very thick ribbed barrel with forced air cooling is fitted within a shroud that reduces hot air mirage. The new barrel is not a quick change barrel design, but can handle firing 600 rounds in short burst before heating up too much. The forward position of the bipod allows for better long range accuracy but limits the arc of fire and makes it harder to fire from any other position than the prone position.

Users

The main user of the Pecheneg is the Russian army. The Pecheneg is to replace the RPK-74 and PK. It will take many years before these older designs are replaced and at the moment the Pecheneg is only in limited use compared to the older designs. The Pecheneg is also available for export.

Variants


Pecheneg

Russian paratrooped with vehicle mounted Pecheneg machine gun.
Source: www.mil.ru - © GNU Attribution Share Alike license

List of Pecheneg variants

PKP Pecheneg
Baseline model of the PKP machine gun. GRAU index is 6P41.
PKP Pecheneg-N
Variant of the PKP with mounting rails for night vision sights. GRAU index is 6P41N.
PKP Pecheneg-S
Variant of the PKP intended to be used on the lightweight Stepanov 6T5 tripod.
PKP bullpup variant
Around 2013 a bullpup variant was developed for special forces use. It was produced in limited numbers for trails. Design dropped in favor of development of Pecheneg-SP.
PKP Pecheneg-SP
Special lightweight model for special forces use. Introduced in 2017. GRAU index is 6P69.

Details


Facts PKP
General
Origin
Russia
Type
Machine gun
Caliber
Caliber
7.62x54mm Russian
Feed system
Belt fed, clip-on box for 100 rounds
Barrel length
640 mm
658 mm including flash hider
Rifling
4 grooves, right hand twist
Muzzle velocity
825 m/s
Operation
Action
Gas operated, long stroke gas piston
Locking
Rotating bolt
Fire selector
0 - F
Rate of fire
650 rpm
Dimensions
Stock type
Fixed
Length
1.155 mm
Weight
8.7 kg empty
12.7 kg on infantry tripod
Sights
Mechanical
Iron sights
Range adjustment
Up to 1.5 km
Optics
Optional
Acccessories
Bipod
Fixed folding bipod
Quick change barrel
No

Media


Related articles


Kalashnikov PK

The Pecheneg was developed as a variant of the PKM to achieve increased effectiveness at longer range when fired from the bipod. There is an 80% parts commonality with the PKM.