A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled,usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered for various fully powered cartridges such as the 7.62×51mm NATO,7.62×54mmR,7.5×54mm French,7.5×55mm Swiss and 7.92×57mm Mauser,and be configured for mounting to different stabilizing platforms from bipods and tripods to vehicles,aircraft,boats and fortifications,usually as an infantry support weapon or squad automatic weapon.
A squad automatic weapon (SAW),also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW),is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling this role can be light machine guns,or modified selective-fire rifles fitted with a heavier barrel,bipod and a belt/drum-fed design.
The SVD,GRAU index 6V1,is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle/sniper rifle chambered in the 7.62×54mmR cartridge,developed in the Soviet Union.
The 7.62×54mmR is a rimmed rifle cartridge developed by the Russian Empire and introduced as a service cartridge in 1891. Originally designed for the bolt-action Mosin–Nagant rifle,it was used during the late tsarist era and throughout the Soviet period to the present day. The cartridge remains one of the few standard-issue rimmed cartridges still in military use,and has one of the longest service lives of any military-issued cartridge.
The Degtyaryov machine gun or DP-27/DP-28 is a light machine gun firing the 7.62×54mmR cartridge that was primarily used by the Soviet Union,with service trials starting in 1927,followed by general deployment in 1928.
The PK is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun,chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.
The RPK,sometimes retroactively termed the RPK-47,is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s,in parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army,where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun. The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and certain African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria,Hungary,Romania,and Serbia.
The Type 99 light machine gun was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. It was similar in design to the earlier Type 96 light machine gun,but designed to fire the new and more powerful 7.7×58mm Arisaka cartridge,which improved energy by over 50%. Other improvements included the omission of the oiling mechanism which resulted in a better all-round weapon. The Type 99 never fully replaced the previous models of Japanese light machine guns,and served alongside the Type 11 and Type 96 until 1945.
A medium machine gun (MMG),in modern terms,usually refers to a belt-fed machine gun firing a full-powered rifle cartridge,and is considered "medium" in weight. Medium machine guns are light enough to be infantry-portable,but still cumbersome enough to require a crew for optimal operational efficiency.
The ShKAS is a 7.62 mm calibre machine gun widely used by Soviet aircraft in the 1930s and during World War II. The ShKAS had the highest rate of fire of any aircraft machine gun in general service during WWII. It was designed by Boris Shpitalniy and Irinarkh Komaritsky and entered production in 1934. ShKAS was used in the majority of Soviet fighters and bombers and served as the basis for the ShVAK cannon.
The ZPU is a family of towed anti-aircraft guns based on the Soviet 14.5×114mm KPV heavy machine gun. It entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide.
The Type 67 is a general-purpose machine gun,chambered in 7.62×54mmR formerly used by the People's Liberation Army.
The Type CQ is an unlicensed Chinese variant of the M16 rifle manufactured by Norinco. According to the Norinco website,the rifle is officially known as CQ 5.56.
The RPD is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun developed in the Soviet Union by Vasily Degtyaryov for the 7.62×39mm M43 intermediate cartridge. It was created as a replacement for the DP machine gun chambered for the 7.62×54mmR round. It is a precursor of most squad automatic weapons. It was succeeded in Soviet service by the RPK.
The AKM is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It was developed as the successor to the AK-47 adopted by the Soviet Union a decade prior.
The Type 80 is a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) manufactured by Norinco in China,based on the Soviet PKM. The machine gun was certified for design finalisation in 1980 and entered the PLA service in the mid-1980s,specifically in 1983. The Type 80 was intended as a successor to the Chinese independently developed Type 67,doing well in tests conducted in the Chengdu Military Region before it was dropped and instead,opted to keep the Type 67 GPMG in use.
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century,especially during World War II,the Korean War,and the Vietnam War. The M1919 saw service as a light infantry,coaxial,mounted,aircraft,and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S and many other countries.
The 7.62×51mm NATO is a rimless,straight walled,bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries.
The U-5TS tank gun is a 115 mm-calibre weapon that was fitted almost exclusively to the Soviet Union's T-62 main battle tank. It was the first smoothbore weapon designed for tanks,and heralded the change in main armament from rifled cannons.
Conflict Armament Research (CAR) is a UK-based investigative organization that tracks the supply of conventional weapons,ammunition,and related military materiel into conflict-affected areas. Established in 2011,CAR specializes in working with governments to find out how weapons end up in war zones,and in the hands of terrorists and insurgent groups.
