Machine guns at the time of their appearance were not accidentally classified as artillery: the power of such weapons still strikes. Moreover, heavy "looms" even allow mounted fire, so that they can be assigned to artillery systems, even with tension, even today. As well as possible, this thesis is confirmed by the legendary NSVT machine gun, aka “Utes”.
Basic information and purpose
Belongs to large-caliber trunks (12.7 mm). It was created for the following purposes:
- Suppression and destruction of firing points, as well as lightly armored vehicles.
- Work on accumulations of light equipment and enemy manpower at a distance of one and a half to two kilometers.
- The ability to use as a means of air defense, to destroy targets flying at an altitude of up to one and a half kilometers.
The powerful Soviet 12.7x108 cartridge made it possible to carry out a whole gamut of various tasks, as it was produced in different variations (including standard and armor-piercing bullets as well):
- Armor-piercing incendiary.
- Tracer-armor-piercing incendiary.
- Special incendiary, instant action.
How was this machine gun created?
Work on the creation of a new machine gun was begun in the early 60s of the last century, since by that time there was a complete need to completely replace the outdated DShK (DShKM). By the way, later the team of authors took part in the competition for the creation of a single machine gun of 7.62x54 caliber, but then Kalashnikov defeated.
By the way, where does the name come from: "NSVT-machine gun"? The decryption is simple, as this is an abbreviation made up of the first letters of the names of the creators of this weapon: Nikitin, Sokolov, Volkov. The “T” index means “tank”, but the infantry variant is often called that.
Especially for the production of new weapons from scratch, a plant was built in the city of Uralsk. Many workers moved there, moreover from the “weapon” cities: Tula, Izhevsk and Kovrov. Together they managed to create a completely unique technology for creating weapons, which until that day was not used anywhere:
- Rifling was obtained by electrochemical, rather than mechanical, processing. This made it possible to minimize the likelihood of microscopic damage to the trunk and increase its useful life by several times.
- Thermal tempering was carried out in a vacuum chamber, which allowed achieving uniform quenching, without defects.
- Jet chrome plating of the entire barrel channel also greatly increased its combat survivability.
In the process of construction and the first field tests, the design of the "Cliff" was made many changes, most of them aimed at increasing the combat survivability of weapons, as well as its maximum simplification.
Places of production
In addition to the USSR, the NSVT machine gun was produced in India, Bulgaria and Poland. By the way, the license for the "Cliff" was transferred to them along with the right to manufacture the T-72 tank. It is known that Iran also received a similar permit, but, apparently, it was not possible to establish complex production of machine guns on its territory.
Combat use
For the first time, the NSVT machine gun was successfully tested in Afghanistan. In the first months of the war, both sides of the conflict used exclusively DShK (among the Dushmans it was Chinese copies). But soon our troops began to move en masse to the Cliffs. Its enormous advantage was a simple fire control system, accuracy and accuracy.
If our soldiers spotted the Afghans approaching the outpost, their plans changed dramatically, since it was unrealistic to approach the range of aimed fire from the machine gun to the checkpoint on which the NSVT machine gun stood. Initially, a tank version was used on the machine for these purposes, but later a purely infantry modification also went into the troops.
Soon, these weapons were firmly rooted in all types of Soviet tanks, self-propelled guns, and other armored vehicles. They fell in love with the NSVT (machine gun) and in the Navy, where it was massively mounted on patrol boats as a simple and effective means of self-defense, including from low-flying enemy aircraft.
Main advantages
In both Chechen campaigns, the machine gun also showed its best side. Moreover, it was there that the “Cliff” acquired the nickname “anti-sniper”. Since this weapon allows you to fire at a distance of up to two kilometers without any problems, militant snipers were simply milled along with shelters. But our fighters even more appreciated this technique when the troops finally began to deliver normal sights:
- Standard, brand SPP.
- Night NSPU-3.
- A unique radar sight, which made it possible to fire with exceptional accuracy even in complete darkness, when ordinary "night lights" become almost useless due to exposure.
Of course, at the end of the 80s, the need for replacing the Cliff with something more modern was already urgently needed, but it is still in service with our army. But the change in the machine gun is really worthy - "Cord" produced by the legendary Kovrov arms factory. What was so good from a constructive point of view of NSWT? This machine gun is a whole "collection" of unique technical developments, which in many respects are ahead of their time.
Design features
Firstly, its weight. Only 25 kilograms! For machine guns of this caliber, this is today the minimum attainable weight, despite all the achievements of materials science. Cliff automation is classic, based on the removal of powder gases. The barrel is locked by means of a wedge bolt, and its earring hits the striker at this time. Such an elegant and simple solution has greatly simplified the design of weapons.
The trigger mechanism is also as simple as possible and allows only automatic fire. At the same time, a “block” can be connected to the weapon either with a trigger or with an electric drive (on tanks). There is no reload handle.
Almost all moving internal parts are equipped with rollers designed to minimize friction. To increase the survivability of mechanics, a “fat” cadmium coating is applied to it. Thanks to a well-thought-out assembly and disassembly scheme, the barrel replacement could be easily carried out directly in the field, in the shortest possible time. For ease of replacement, a handle is provided on the barrel. At the muzzle there is a flame arrester of a characteristic conical shape, which was borrowed from the DShK.
Are there any differences in the "armored" NSVT? The machine gun tank in its design is no different from a simple infantry variety, with the exception of the
launching device. Its role is played by a simple coil with a winding and a sliding rod. When current is supplied to the device, the latter begins to move, pressing on the "trigger". Since the construction is simple to primitivism, it is extremely reliable, because there is nothing to break.
The shutter frame with a gas piston and shutter are pivotally connected. Ammunition - through metal tapes, left and right feed options are possible. An exceptional feature of the "Cliff" is the front ejection of spent cartridges, which allows you to use this weapon to create coaxial machine gun installations. In particular, such at one time released in Tula. The effectiveness of the paired "Cliffs" is not inferior to that even of Shilka, although the rate of fire of the latter is, of course, higher.
Aiming mechanisms and machine gun ammunition
As sights there is a front sight and a folding bar, marked up to a distance of two kilometers. There was also a front sight folding, but practice has shown that there is no use in such a design.
Ammunition from tapes with the type of coupling "crab". Each piece of it consists of ten links. The design is such that it is possible to assemble a tape of any arbitrary length (but not less than ten rounds, respectively). It is collapsible, if necessary, the pieces are quickly disengaged. A white stripe is applied along the longitudinal edge of the castle joints, so in combat conditions you don’t have to think long about where to attach additional pieces.
Machine
In the embodiment for infantry, the NSVT Utes machine gun is used from a 6T7 machine gun. The machine is thought out, provides excellent positional adaptability, allowing targeted fire from various positions. For the convenience of the shooter, a spring-loaded shoulder rest is intended, which significantly softens the recoil.
The infantry machine is not intended for anti-aircraft shooting. Thanks to this, its design is as simple as possible, and its weight is 18 kilograms. In the transport position of 12.7 mm, the NSVT machine gun is removed from it, and the machine itself develops and can be carried on hand.
Modifications
The main modification is precisely the NSVT, which was put on all Soviet tanks, starting with the later versions of the T-64, as well as other armored vehicles and coast guard boats . It was on the basis of these weapons that the Utes-M naval turret was created.
An interesting fact: the 12.7 mm heavy machine gun NSV at one time was actively used by the Finns, who put it on their armored personnel carriers operating as part of UN missions in North Africa. They liked the reliability, simplicity and tremendous lethal force of the "Cliff". Whether the NSV is currently in service with the Finnish army is unknown. However, this is quite possible, since a huge number of trunks could remain in Ukrainian warehouses, from where the "Cliffs" at one time massively dispersed around the world.
Why is the army moving to Kord today?
Why is it that recently our troops have switched to Kord? After all, the main performance characteristics of the NSVT / Kord machine gun are almost the same:
- Caliber 12.7 mm.
- The range of targeted shooting at ground targets is from one and a half to two kilometers.
- For air targets - up to one and a half kilometers.
- Rate of fire - 700-800 rounds per minute.
There is a simple explanation for this. The fact is that after the collapse of the USSR, plants for the production of these weapons remained on the territory of Ukraine and Kazakhstan. For this reason, it was decided to develop their own machine gun "Cord". He retained all the strengths of his predecessor, but significantly surpassed him in many respects.