The Kalashnikov Concern expects to start mass production of the new RPL-20 belt machine gun after its adoption and testing in the military, said the general director of the concern Dmitry Tarasov.
"At the moment, the RPL-20 is at the stage of a technical project. The power supply of the RPL-20 machine gun will be exclusively tape, the use of magazines is not provided for in the technical specification. There are directive deadlines for the completion of the ROC, which are not subject to disclosure," he said at the IDEX defense exhibition in the UAE.
"Mass production of the machine gun will be launched after the adoption of the RPL-20 into service, after successful pilot operation," Tarasov said.
According to him, the RPL-20 was the development of the project to create a light light machine gun RPK-16, writes Interfax.
"A batch of machine guns was delivered to the Russian Defense Ministry for experimental military operation, in which the machine gun was tested, including in combat conditions in Syria. The pilot operation helped the customer to clarify the requirements for a modern light machine gun, which resulted in a tactical and technical task for the development of the RPL-20 machine gun, " Tarasov said.