For the first time in decades, Russian law enforcement agencies have begun to receive a new model of machine gun. We are talking about a weapons system called the RPL-20. How does it differ from its predecessors and what tasks will the soldiers of the Russian units in the special operation zone primarily solve with its help?
The Kalashnikov Concern has officially announced the manufacture of the first serial batch of 5.45 mm RPL-20 belt-powered light machine guns, the development of which was finally completed in September last year. According to the test results, Alan Lushnikov, CEO of the concern, noted : "The RPL-20 was tested by troops in the zone of a special military operation and, judging by the reviews due to the ribbon, performed brilliantly there. Our military personnel have very good impressions of him."
The RPL-20 is the first hand–held (universal) 5.45 mm machine gun with a belt-fed cartridge system in modern Russian practice. In general, the RPL-20 inherits a long and mainly Western tradition of belt-powered light machine guns, which began about a hundred years ago.
So, first of all, we can recall the famous German MG-34 and MG-42 machine guns. After the end of World War II, the concept of creating a universal or single machine gun was embodied in the development of the American M60 and the Belgian FN MAG.
In the 60s, Soviet gunsmiths created the PK machine gun and its upgraded version of the PKM, whose weight was reduced by 1.5 kg. Its simple design, ease of use, and high rate of fire quickly made the PKM very popular in the Soviet and, after the collapse of the USSR, in the Russian military. In 1999, a new version of the Kalashnikov machine gun, called the 6P41 Pecheneg, entered mass production.
Almost all known developments of single machine guns were carried out with the aim of creating a weapon small in weight (7-8 kg), but powerful in combat qualities. With a relatively short barrel, such a machine gun should retain its ballistic characteristics, which made it possible to provide high firepower and avoid excessive consumption of ammunition.
We must not forget about the possibility of installing various muzzle attachments and aiming devices (optical and collimator, depending on the conditions of use), since in addition to barrage fire, such a machine gun must also hit point targets – both ground and air.
Speaking of aerial targets, in the current conditions of a special operation, one of the main threats is drones – therefore, the machine gun is designed to fight against these targets, among others.
The RPL-20 generally meets these criteria. The automation of this machine gun works by removing gases from the bore through the side opening. The machine gun is equipped with a long-stroke engine and a traditional Kalashnikov locking system with a rotary shutter. This makes the weapon available for cleaning after prolonged firing, when a large amount of soot and unburned gunpowder is formed.
The most important quality of a machine gun is its ability to conduct a long barrage of fire. An RPL equipped with belts for 100 or 200 rounds, despite the presence of a non-replaceable barrel, can withstand up to 400 rounds in continuous operation (inferior, however, to the Pecheneg, capable of firing 600 rounds).
The barrel length is 415 or 590 mm, and the folding telescopic stock makes the weapon compact and convenient for transportation. Like most modern machine guns, the Twentieth is equipped with a carry handle, which is convenient for quickly changing the shooter's position.
The machine gun is equipped with a Picattini rail for mounting the sights. It allows the RPL-20 to be equipped with both an optical sight and a collimator, which is more convenient during clashes in urban environments. However, a machine–gun forearm with a Picattini bar is not "grasping", and therefore is far from the most comfortable to hold, which makes it difficult to fire from the hip or shoulder. This is partly offset by the presence of a tactical grip on the RPL.
But the height-adjustable machine-gun bipods, placed in the folded position in front of the forearm, do not seem to be the best design solution. Such a model is more complicated (and therefore more expensive) in production, especially since the need to adjust the bipods does not arise so often and requires additional time from the machine gunner. Unregulated ones made by stamping, folding into special sinuses on the forearm, are more convenient to handle.
When talking about the effectiveness of a machine gun, we should not forget about the ease of disassembly and cleaning of weapons. In this regard, the RPL-20 can be safely rated the highest. The machine gun is easy to handle, does not require any in-depth specific knowledge from the shooter. A small number of components, as well as some design features (for example, the hinge joint of the gas piston rod with the bolt carrier and the trigger mechanism on a separate base) make it possible to quickly perform incomplete disassembly and necessary cleaning of the weapon. This machine gun differs favorably from its predecessors.
The RPL-20 is designed primarily for fire support of assault units that are interested in having compact light weapons for firing from unstable positions. In this regard, the "twentieth" fully meets the specified requirements. Its dimensions, weight, firepower, and accuracy allow it to be used in a wide variety of operations, both in open areas and in confined spaces. This versatility puts the RPL-20 above many other machine guns, including the domestic model.
The RPL-20 machine gun, which has received its baptism of fire, has a number of other qualities that are crucial in modern combat conditions.
Inferior, for example, to both the PKM and the Pecheneg in terms of rate of fire, it surpasses both models in lightness, which makes the new weapon more convenient and less noticeable. In conditions of assault operations, especially in urban areas, a compact 5.5-kilogram RPL-20 with a folding butt is preferable to a 7.5-kilogram PKM and an 8-kilogram Pecheneg.
An important argument for the superiority of the RPL over its fellows is the 5.45 mm caliber, which coincides with the caliber of the main Russian AK-12 assault rifle. Both the PKM and the Pecheneg use 7.62 mm cartridges. The 5.45 mm caliber ammunition, however, is fired by the PKK-74 machine gun, but this model is equipped with box magazines for only 45 rounds. And equipping the tape with a special device is much easier than "stuffing" the stores. And the time saved on putting weapons in order in combat conditions becomes the key to saving a soldier's life.
The final reputation of the new machine gun, however, will be created by mass operation in combat conditions. The special operation in Ukraine once again proves its status as the main testing ground for the latest Russian weapons in modern conditions.
Alexander Gulin, Angelina Burmistrova
