Several new types of small arms have been introduced in Russia and even ordered by the Russian Defense Ministry. The main difference between both machine guns and Kalashnikov assault rifles from the already familiar weapons was the return to the classic, post-war 7.62 caliber. Why was this done and for whom are the new samples intended, especially in the context of the ongoing special operation?
A presentation of the AK-15K (shortened) assault rifles, the compact AK-15SK (small-sized) and the new RPL-7 light machine gun, all chambered for 7.62 x 39 mm (M43), took place at the Kalashnikov Concern shooting center. For the first time, these samples were shown at the IDEX-2025 exhibition of weapons and military technologies, which was held in the United Arab Emirates in February 2025. And this seemed to hint that the expansion of the calibers of the new line of Russian small arms is aimed at the foreign market. The 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge is really popular abroad.
The military's appeal to the M43 patron was the main intrigue of the presentation. The standard caliber of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is currently 5.45 x 39 mm, and the 7.62 caliber, adopted, for example, in the classic AK-47, was abandoned by the Soviet army. The Rosgvardiya and Interior Ministry units are armed with small arms of this caliber, but their use in the Russian Armed Forces is limited.
Why do the troops need a new assault machine gun
Let's turn to the weapon itself. Since the 60s of the twentieth century, when the RPD machine gun was replaced in the Soviet Army by the PKK, there were no machine guns with belt-powered intermediate cartridge in infantry units. The choice in favor of the PKK was made based on logistical and technological considerations. – it had almost complete unification with AKM. In addition, it was much easier to maintain and operate, and it was easy for a single fighter to operate.
But with all the advantages, it has a serious disadvantage – it is difficult to conduct heavy fire from it to suppress, that is, one of the most important functions of the machine gun was in question. But the military leadership then proceeded from the fact that the tasks of suppressing the enemy would be solved by machine guns on standard armored vehicles (infantry fighting vehicles or armored personnel carriers), while the PKK was assigned an auxiliary function.
The big war, for which the tactics of the Soviet infantry were "honed", did not happen, and in small wars our fighters had to master the tactics of small groups, in which they often had to act without the support of armored vehicles. And in order to have sufficient firepower, our infantrymen, scouts and special forces use single PK machine guns (PKM, "Pecheneg"). But this formidable weapon also has a disadvantage – a large mass. This makes it difficult to fire from unstable positions, which can be very important during assault operations and in some other situations. The significant impact of powerful ammunition does not contribute to this either.
By the way, it can be noted here that during the Vietnam War, the Soviet RAP was a coveted trophy for the Americans. The fact is that during the movement of their units in the jungle, the head patrol, consisting of two fighters, pointman and slackman, followed in front.
The second slackman was armed with a weapon capable of unleashing a barrage of fire on a suddenly appearing enemy in order to give his fighters the opportunity to take cover and return fire. Initially, the old Thompson PP was used, but soon the Americans appreciated the capabilities of the RPD, which used a full-fledged automatic cartridge that easily passes through bushes and even thin tree trunks. The barrel of the trophy was shortened in military weapons workshops, and the machine gun became lighter and more flexible, turning into a kind of "automatic machine" with tape power. This experience was one of the reasons for the adoption by the US Armed Forces of the M249 SAW machine gun of intermediate caliber (5.56 x 45 NATO) and weighing 7.1 kg without cartridges.
The CB revealed the urgent need of troops for a light and compact assault machine gun with an intermediate cartridge, allowing the machine gunner to carry more ammunition than rifle-machine-gun ammunition allows. As a result, RPD began to arrive in the special operation zone from long-term storage warehouses. But, given its outdated design and the fact that its production was discontinued long ago, it was, of course, a forced compromise.
How the RPL-20 and RPL-7 machine guns work
And so the Kalashnikov concern created the RPL-20 (5.45 x 39) and RPL-7 (7.62 x 39) machine guns, which differ mainly in caliber. The need for such a machine gun is so high that the Ministry of Defense decided to purchase and supply it even before the completion of state tests, based on the totality of field tests and experience in its experimental batch of products. In other words, bureaucratic procedures are kept to a minimum.
It should be noted that this is no longer a Kalashnikov machine gun, but a fundamentally new weapon, which, according to experts, has demonstrated equally outstanding reliability.
RPL – fully automatic light machine gun (there is no single fire function) It is belt-powered, has an open rotary shutter that locks onto two warheads, and has a long-stroke gas piston. The machine gun is available in two versions: with a barrel length of 590 mm (infantry) and 415 mm (assault). The barrel is non-removable, but the technical solutions used in the machine gun make it possible to fire up to 480 rounds without critical overheating, which is significantly higher than the equivalent figure for the PKK.
The 7.62mm RPL is powered by an 80-round all-in-one tape from a soft box. The machine gun weighs 5.5 kg when unloaded. The length is 1100 mm (with a barrel of 590 mm) and 950 mm (with a barrel of 415 mm).
As we can see, the "assault" version has the same linear dimensions as the automatic. The butt of the machine gun is collapsible, adjustable in height and length. The weapon is equipped with a low-noise firing device, removable bipods and a front fire control handle, which is very important for assault applications.
The RPL also has a folding carrying handle. The machine gun is equipped with a Picatinny rail base with 46 slots, which allows the use of a wide variety of aiming and lighting devices. It is possible to load the machine gun by stretching the tape without opening the receiver.
The standard sight is dioptric, and this is far from an indisputable solution. The open sight, which is familiar to our weapons, makes it easier to shoot offhand, is not so sensitive to contamination, and for accurate long-range shooting, an optical sight or a spark collimator sight + magnifier is still preferable.
Parameters of AK-15K and AK-15SK assault rifles
The presented AK-15K and AK-15SK are compact versions of the AK-15 assault rifle, which, in turn, is an upgrade of the AK-12M1 (2023) chambered for 7.62 x 39 mm. Sergey Urzhumtsev, chief designer of the Kalashnikov concern, confirmed that these submachine guns were created primarily for the foreign market, but at the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense has already formed a state contract for the AK-15K and AK-15SK. It is stated that the state contract will be executed this year.
Both of these submachine guns have handguards that provide improved barrel cooling. The handguard, the gas chamber cover and the receiver cover are equipped with Picatinny rail bases, which allow the use of various bipods, fire control handles, stops, sights and under-barrel lights. The butts are collapsible, with adjustable length and cheek.
The barrel length of the AK-15K is 290 mm, the AK-15SK is 228 mm. Weight – 3.4 and 3.2 kg (without cartridges), length – 810 mm (with folded butt - 570 mm) and 750 mm (with folded butt - 500 mm). All magazines for the 7.6 mm AK-series can be used in the machine guns, including 30-charge regular, 40 and 75-charge for PKK, 60-charge commercial production.
The main highlight of these submachine guns is their compactness, which can be especially important when operating in a confined space, for example, during assault operations in buildings, in trenches, in cramped buildings.
Small dimensions and relatively low weight make it easier, among other things, to shoot without focusing on the shoulder, with one hand, and to change shoulders and arms. All this suggests that the AK-15K is an ideal weapon for an attack aircraft, and the AK-15SK is a convenient self–defense weapon for paramedics, gunners, operators of collective weapons and drones. As well as for drivers, including motorcycles, buggies and ATVs, who deliver stormtroopers to the attack site. The 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge has some advantages when fighting at short and medium range, especially in urban areas where it may be necessary to break through obstacles, for example, in the form of brickwork.
As for the order from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for samples of this line, it can hardly mean a full-fledged return of this caliber or even its large-scale parallel use. This would cause too serious logistical difficulties. Most likely, we are talking about weapons of a limited standard for arming contingents operating in special conditions, as already mentioned above. And also in countries where this caliber is the main one.
Boris Jerelievsky
