KPV HEAVY MACHINE GUN

The 'KPV heavy machine gun' (Krupnokaliberniy Pulemyot Vladimorova - rus. Крупнокалиберный Пулемет Владимирова - КПВ) is a Soviet designed 14.5×114 mm-caliber heavy machine gun, which first entered service as an infantry weapon (designated ''PKP'') in 1949,later in the 60s the infantry version was taken out of production because it was too big and heavy. It was later redesigned for anti-aircraft use,because it showed excellent results as an AA gun against low flying planes on a distance of 1500m and was used in the ZPU-4, ZPU-2 and ZPU-1 anti-aircraft guns. Its size and power made it a useful light anti-armour weapon on the BTR series of vehicles and BRDM-2 scout car. The version for use in armoured vehicles is called the ''KPVT'' (''tankoviy'', 'tank').

Contents

Mechanics

Ammunition

References

Mechanics

The development of the machine gun began in 1944. The cartridge can be used with HEIT or API bullets, and they have approximately twice the energy as a normal 12.7 mm (.50 BMG) projectile. The KPV is air-cooled and fitted with a chromed barrel. It uses a short recoil operation system with gas assistance and a rotary bolt. It can be fed with the 40-round belt from both left and right side.

Ammunition

★ B-32 - Armor-piercing incendiary full metal jacket round with a tungsten-carbide core. Projectile weight is 64.4 g and muzzle velocity is 976 m/s. Armour penetration at 500 m is 32 mm of RHA at 0 degrees.

★ BZT - Armor-piercing incendiary tracer full metal jacket round with a steel core. Projectile weight is 59.56 g and muzzle velocity is 1,005 m/s. Tracer burns to at least 2,000 m.

★ MDZ - High-explosive incendiary bullet of instant action. Projectile weight is 59.68 g.
Rounds are also produced by Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Poland, and Romania.

References

★ Illustrated Guide to Combat Weapons, , Jan, Suermondt, Grange Books, ,