Back in the First World War, a fundamentally new and terrible weapon appeared on the battlefield - heavy machine guns. In those years, there was no armor that could protect against them, and shelters that were traditionally used by infantry (from the ground and wood) generally made their way through with heavy bullets right through. Even today, heavy machine guns are an excellent means to destroy enemy infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and helicopters. In principle, even planes can be knocked out of them, but modern combat aircraft is too fast for them.
The main disadvantages of all such weapons are its weight and dimensions. Some models (together with the bed) may well weigh more than two centners. Since its calculation most often consists of only two or three people, there is no need to talk about any kind of quick maneuvering. However, heavy machine guns can still be quite mobile weapons. This was first confirmed during the same World War I, when they began to put on jeeps and even small trucks.
DShK
In 1930, the famous designer Degtyarev began to develop a fundamentally new machine gun. Thus began the story of the legendary DShK, which to this day is in service in many countries of the world. The gunsmith decided to design it under the new at that time cartridge B-30 with a 12.7 mm bullet. The notorious Shpagin created for the new machine gun a fundamentally different system of tape power. Already in early 1939 he was adopted by the Red Army.
Shpagin improvements
As we said, the initial version of the weapon was developed in 1930. Three years later, serial production began. Despite many positive features, he had two very serious drawbacks: the rate of fire was only 360 rounds per minute, and the practical rate of fire was even lower, since the original design meant the use of heavy and uncomfortable stores. And therefore, in 1935, a decision was made to stop the serial production of a machine gun, which did not correspond to the realities of its time.
To rectify the situation, the legendary Shpagin was involved in the development, who immediately suggested using a drum power scheme with a tape supply of ammunition. Having introduced the swinging lever into the weapon system, which converted the energy of the powder gases into the rotation of the drum, he got a perfectly functioning system. The advantage was that this alteration did not imply any serious and expensive modifications, which was fundamentally important for the young Soviet Republic.
Re-adoption
The machine gun was re-adopted in 1938. It is especially good thanks to the multi-purpose machine with which the DShK turns into a universal weapon: it can easily be used to suppress enemy ground forces (including the destruction of fortifications), destroy helicopters and low-flying aircraft, as well as to immobilize lightly armored vehicles. To destroy airborne objects, the machine unfolds with the simultaneous lifting of the support bipod.
Due to its highest combat qualities, the DShK enjoyed deserved popularity in almost all military branches. At the very end of the war, the machine gun underwent minor modifications. She touched on some of the components of the power mechanism and the bolt assembly. In addition, the method of mounting the barrel was slightly changed.
The last modification of the machine gun, adopted in service in 1946 (DShKM), uses a slightly different principle of automation. Gunpowder gases are removed from the barrel through a special hole. The barrel is non-replaceable, ribs are provided for cooling it (like a radiator). For leveling strong returns muzzle brakes of various designs are used.
The main difference between the two modifications of the machine gun is in the device of the feeding mechanism. So, in DShKM the system of slider type is used, while in its predecessor - drum. However, the machine tool of the Kolesnikov system has remained completely unchanged since 1938, since it is not possible to change anything fundamentally in it. The machine gun on this bed weighs 160 kilograms. Of course, this does not affect the usability too well. However, this weapon is most often used as an anti-aircraft gun, and is also used to combat light enemy armored vehicles, which makes the use of a heavy machine necessary.
Modern use of DShK
During the years of World War II, about nine thousand machine guns of this model were made at the factories of the USSR. However, after the war, the DShK was very popular all over the world. So, its modification, DShKM, still continues to be produced in Pakistan and China. There is also information about the stocks of these machine guns in the reserve warehouses of the Russian army. This weapon of Russia is very popular in conflicts in Africa.
Veterans recall that the turn of this weapon literally cuts down thin trees and completely pierces the trunks that are very decent in girth. So against the poorly armed infantry (which is found in those parts) this "old man" acts perfectly. But the main advantage of the machine gun, which is especially in demand in the case of poorly trained troops, is its amazing reliability and unpretentiousness in operation.
Note
However, some military experts are skeptical of the DShK and even the DShKM. The fact is that this weapon was developed under the realities of the Second World War. At that time, our country had practically no normal gunpowder, and therefore experts took the path of enlarging the liner. As a result, the ammunition has considerable weight and not too high power. So, our cartridge is 12.7x108 mm. NATO uses a similar ammunition from Browning ... 12.7x99 mm! And this is provided that both cartridges have approximately the same power.
However, this phenomenon has a positive side. Domestic ammunition of both 12.7 and 14.5 mm caliber is a real storehouse for modern gunsmiths. There are all prerequisites for creating more powerful cartridges that retain their mass-dimensional characteristics.
NSV "Utes"
Back in the 70s, the Soviet army began in droves to switch to the machine gun designed by Nikitin, Volkov and Sokolov - "Utes". The weapon, which was abbreviated as NSV, was adopted in 1972, but to this day remains the main heavy machine gun of the Russian army.
One of its distinguishing features is its extremely low weight. The heavy machine gun NSV weighs only 41 kilograms together with the machine! This allows the calculation to really quickly change its deployment on the battlefield. If we compare the new machine gun with the same DShKM, its simple, concise and rational design is immediately evident. The arrester on the barrel has a conical shape, by which you can immediately "recognize" the "cliff". This weapon is known for a completely different reason.
"Antisniper"
The NSV became famous for the fact that at a distance of one kilometer (!) The radius of dispersion of bullets does not exceed one and a half meters, which for this type of weapon is almost an absolute record. During both Chechen campaigns, the light machine gun received the respectful nickname "Anti-sniper". In many ways, this specificity of its use is due to the relatively weak return, which allows you to put on it almost all modern modifications of powerful sights for this type of weapon.
There is also a tank version, which has the abbreviation NSVT. It is installed on tanks, starting with the T-64. The flagship of domestic armored vehicles, the T-90, also has it in service. Theoretically, NSWT on these machines is used as an anti-aircraft weapon, but in practice it is used just to suppress ground targets. It is theoretically possible to shoot down a modern combat helicopter (not to mention aircraft) from an anti-aircraft machine gun, but for these purposes, Russian missile weapons are much better suited.
CORD
CORD stands for "Kovrov Gunsmiths-Degtyarevtsy". Work on its creation in Kovrov began immediately after the collapse of the USSR. The reason is simple: the production of "Cliffs" by that time was in Kazakhstan, which did not meet the strategic interests of the country.
The main designers of the new project were Namidulin, Obidin, Bogdanov and Zhirekhin. The classic NSV was taken as the basis, but the gunsmiths did not limit themselves to its banal modernization. Firstly, the light machine gun finally got a quick change barrel. Almost a whole scientific research institute was piling over its creation, but the result was worth it: it was made using a special technology that provides the most uniform cooling of the material when firing. Just because of this particular feature, accuracy and accuracy (in comparison with the NSV) almost doubled! In addition, CORD was the first machine gun for which there is an “official” version under the NATO patron.
Finally, this weapon is the only one in its class that allows effective fire from bipods. Its weight is 32 kilograms. Not a feather, but the two of them can be dragged away. Sighting range at ground targets is about two kilometers. What other large-caliber machine guns are there in Russia?
KPV, KPVT
And again the brainchild of Kovrov. He is the most powerful representative of the class of heavy machine guns in the world. This armament is unique in its combat power: it combines the power of an anti-tank gun and machine gun. After all, the cartridge of the KPV heavy machine gun is “the very one”, the legendary 14.5x114! In the recent past, with its help it was possible to knock out almost any combat helicopter or light armored vehicles of a potential enemy.
The talented gunsmith Vladimirov took up its development back in 1943, on an initiative basis. The designer took the aircraft gun V-20 of his own design as the basis. It should be noted that shortly before this, she lost to the ShVAK at the State tests, but still her device was quite simple and reliable for the purpose set by Vladimirov. Let's get a little distracted. The gunsmith was able to fully realize his plan: his large-caliber machine guns (the photos of which are in this article) today are known to every tanker who served in Soviet tanks!
When designing, Vladimirov used the classic scheme with a short stroke of the barrel, which has proven itself well in Maxim. Automation machine gun allows only automatic fire. In the infantry version, the CPV is used in the easel version, resembling a light gun. The machine was repeatedly modernized, and during the course of hostilities, soldiers often did this on their own, in accordance with the nature of the battle. So, in Afghanistan, all parties to the conflict used the CPV with a artificially mounted optical sight.
In 1950, the development of a tank modification of well-proven weapons began. Soon, the heavy machine gun of Vladimirov began to be installed on almost all tanks produced in the USSR. In this modification, the weapon is seriously modified: there is an electric trigger (27V), there are no sighting devices, instead of which optical tank sights are used at the workplace of the gunner and commander.
In Africa, these Russian heavy machine guns are terribly popular with everyone without exception: they are used by both official troops and whole hordes of motley gangs. Our military advisers recall that the soldiers in the UN forces were very afraid of the CPV, as it easily dealt with all light armored vehicles that were everywhere armed with Western troops in those parts. Now almost all of the "light" armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles of a likely enemy are well protected from this heavy machine gun. In any case, the frontal projection is completely “closed” for him.
However, all the heavy machine guns of Russia (the USSR at that time) were extremely popular among the mujahideen of Afghanistan. It is believed that about 15% of Soviet Mi-24s lost for military reasons were shot down precisely from these weapons.
Comparison table of the characteristics of domestic heavy machine gunsTitle | Rate of Fire (rounds per minute) | Cartridge | Sighting range, meters | Weight, kg (machine gun body) |
DShK | 600 | 12.7x108 | 3500 | 33.5 |
NSV | 700-800 | 12.7x108 | 2000 | 25 |
CORD | 600-750 | 12.7x108 | 2000 | 25.5 |
CPV | 550-600 | 14,5x114 | 2000 | 52.3 |
Heavy machine guns of NATO
In the countries of the NATO bloc, the development of these weapons largely went in the same directions that were characteristic of our country (for example, machine gun calibers are almost the same). The soldiers needed a powerful and reliable machine gun, with equal success, hitting both the infantry behind the parapet and the light armored vehicles of the enemy.
However, there are cardinal differences between the two weapons schools. So, the German Wehrmacht heavy machine guns generally were not in service. And therefore, NATO uses mainly a single M2NV, which we will talk about now.
M2NB Browning, USA
The US Army is famous for the fact that it prefers to quickly change used weapons to newer and more promising ones. In the case of M2NV, this rule does not work. This "grandfather", developed by the legendary Browning, has been in operation since 1919! Of course, the MG-3 machine gun, which is in the arsenal of the Bundeswehr and is a modernized copy of the MG-42, the Hitler’s saw, can be compared with the ancient pedigree, but it uses the NATO caliber 7.62x51.
The machine gun entered service in 1923. In 1938 it was modernized by adding an elongated barrel. In fact, in this form it still exists. Since then, the "old man" has been repeatedly tried to write off, constantly holding contests to replace him, but so far there is no adequate alternative to well-proven weapons.
The history of its development is very interesting. The American army urgently needed a large-caliber machine gun that would provide a reliable defeat for enemy aircraft (the order came from General Pershing, who commanded the expeditionary forces). Browning, which was running out of time, acted simply and elegantly.
Since the basis of any weapon is a cartridge, and the Yankees did not have an adequate machine-gun caliber in those years, he simply took a cartridge of 7.62 of his own design and doubled it. This measure was considered temporary, but the solution turned out to be amazingly successful: almost all large-caliber machine guns in the West use this particular ammunition.
By the way, in this place it is worth making a digression. You have probably noticed that the cartridge used by domestic and western weapons of this category is almost the same. We have already talked about the causes of this phenomenon, but we will say a few words. If you look closely at the comparative tables, you will see the complete absence of 14.5 mm rounds among NATO heavy machine guns.
This, again, is explained by the difference in military doctrine: the Yankees suggest (not without reason) that the old ammunition developed by Browning perfectly copes with the tasks of this type of weapon. Everything that has a larger caliber, according to the Western classification, already refers to "small guns", and therefore it is not a machine gun.
Machine gun "Browning M2 HQCB" (Belgium)
Despite the fact that the classic brainchild of Browning turned out to be marvelously successful, not all Western armies were satisfied with its characteristics. The Belgians, who were always famous for high-quality weapons, decided to conduct an independent modernization of the American machine gun. Actually, initially Herstal intended to do something of its own, but because of the need to reduce the cost of the process and maintain continuity with old developments, specialists were forced to compromise.
However, this did not affect the improvement of weapons in any way. Belgian gunsmiths equipped him with a heavier barrel with a simplified mechanism for its "hot" replacement. This greatly improved the combat qualities of the weapon. In the early versions of the "purebred" American "deuce" to replace the trunk required at least two people, and the work was extremely dangerous. Many calculations anti-aircraft modifications M2NV lost fingers during it. Naturally, they loved this weapon a little. For this reason, the Browning machine guns of the anti-aircraft modification were largely replaced by Oerlikon guns, which were not only much more powerful, but also did not have such a drawback.
In addition, improved chromium plating of the barrel’s inner diameter was added, which sharply increased its survivability even in conditions of intense battle. Shooting from a machine gun of this kind is good because only one person is required to replace the barrel, the number of preparatory operations is minimized, and there is practically no risk of burns.
Oddly enough, but it was the chrome plating that made the machine gun cheaper. The fact is that before this, trunks with stellite spraying were used. It was much more expensive, and the service life of such a barrel is at least half that of analogs coated with chrome. To date, the Belgians produce various upgrade kits, thanks to which any old M2NV can be turned into an M2 HQCB by regimental specialists.
Machine gun L11A1 (HMG)
And again, before us is the “same” Browning. True, in the English version. Of course, much modernized and improved. Many experts consider it the best among the entire line of "offspring" M2VN.
Among the innovations is “soft fasteners”. If we discard the lyrics, then this is a system for damping recoil and vibration, thanks to which a heavy machine gun becomes a very, very accurate weapon. In addition, His Majesty's gunsmiths presented their version of the quick-change barrel system. In general, it is largely similar to the scheme proposed by the Belgians.
Comparison table of the characteristics of the western heavy machine guns
Title | Rate of Fire (rounds per minute) | Cartridge | Sighting range, meters | Weight, kg (machine gun body) |
M2NV Browning | 450-550 | 12.7x99 NATO | 1500-1850 | 36-38 (depending on the year of manufacture) |
Browning M2 HQCB | 500 | 1500 | 35 |
Machine gun L11A1 (HMG) | 485-635 | 2000 | 38.5 |
Some conclusions
If you compare the data from this table with information about domestic heavy machine guns, it becomes clear that this class of weapons is largely similar. The difference in the main technical characteristics is small, the differences are noticeable in mass. Western heavy machine guns weigh significantly more. This is due to the fact that their military doctrine practically does not imply their infantry use, providing for the installation of such weapons on military equipment.
The most common in the armies of the NATO bloc are 5.56 and 7.62 machine guns (of their standard, of course). The insufficient firepower of the units is compensated by the large number of well-trained snipers and the covering of units operating in a combat situation by aviation groups and / or armored vehicles. And in fact: one large-caliber tank machine gun has tens of times more powerful combat power, so this approach has the right to life.