| PU-21 / ПУ-21 (Пулемёт с унифицированной подачей) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Yu.K. Aleksandrov M.E. Dragunov V.M. Kalashnikov |
| Manufacturer | TsNIITochMash |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 5.7 kg |
| Length | 1060 mm (41.73 in) |
| Barrel length | 590 mm (23.2 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.45×39mm |
| Caliber | 5.45 mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 750 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 960 m/s (3150 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1000 m (1094 yds) |
| Feed system | 20- or 45-round box magazine 200-round belt |
| Sights | Iron |
The PU-21 (Russian: ПУ-21 Пулемёт с унифицированной подачей) is a 5.45×39mm machine gun designed by V. M. Kalashnikov and M. E. Dragunov between 1972 and 1977.
History
[edit]Russian (at the time Soviet) military forces have not fielded a squad-level, intermediate caliber, belt-fed machine gun since the retirement of the RPD in the early 1960s.[1]
Official Soviet doctrine from the 1960s onward dictated that squad-level suppressive fire would be provided by the RPK, while PK machine guns would be issued at the company level to provide heavier fire.[2]
The Soviet military moved from the 7.62×39 mm round to the 5.45×39 mm cartridge for its rifles and light machine guns.
Therefore, it considered adopting a dual-feed light machine gun in the new caliber to replace the RPK, similar to the FN Minimi in Western armies.
This resulted in the development of the PU-21 light machine gun.
Design
[edit]The PU-21 can be fed from either a 45-round magazine or a 200-round belt. Its sights are graduated to distance of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).[3][4]
Aftermath
[edit]The PU-21 prototypes were thoroughly tested by the Soviet Army in Leningrad, but military experts did not see convincing arguments for replacing the RPK and RPK-74 with the PU-21 design.[5]
According to the Soviet military, the design was too complex compared to other weapons then in service, and failed to enhance combat effectiveness.[6][7]
The PKM machine gun, the modernised PK variant, was adopted instead.[8]
See also
[edit]- List of machine guns
- List of dual-feed firearms
- Ares Shrike 5.56
- RPK-74
- RPL-20, a similarly belted 5.45 machine gun, drew some inspiration from this project
- PKM
- FN Minimi
- QJY-88
- List of Russian weaponry
References
[edit]- ^ "Degtyarov RPD". Modern Firearms. 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ^ The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization, and Equipment. United States Department of the Army. 1991.
- ^ Пулемет ПУ (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ Отечественные пулеметы с унифицированной подачей (in Russian). Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 13 Jun 2012.
- ^ "Отечественные пулеметы с унифицированной подачей (Тема "Поплин") | LiveGuns". 2010-12-06. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ^ "Kalashnikov RPK". Modern Firearms. 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ^ The Russian Way of War. Foreign Military Studies Office, United States Department of Defence. 2016.
- ^ "PK / PKM". Forgotten Weapons. 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
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