The Russian army wants to get ribbon machine guns. Yesterday, on September 22, the general designer of the Kalashnikov concern, Sergey Uzhumtsev, in an interview with RIA Novosti, told about the beginning of testing of a new 5.45 mm hand machine gun.
"Currently, we have reached the stage of testing prototypes. They are conducted in order to confirm their compliance with the requirements of the tactical and technical task, " said Uzhumtsev.
Promo video of RPL-20
The Kalashnikov Concern began developing a new model after conducting experimental military operation of the Kalashnikov light machine gun (RPK-16). Probably, the military was not satisfied with the store-bought supply of weapons, even with the use of 96-charge "drums". Now the RPL-20, a follower of the RPK — 16 with tape power, has been released for testing.
Kalashnikov light machine gun of the 2016 model (RPK-16)
Image source: kalashnikov.com
The prototype of the RPL-20 (a hand-held tape machine gun of the 2020 model) was first shown at the Army-2020 forum. It is equipped with replaceable barrels of various lengths (the base one is 59 cm). The total weight of the weapon is about 5.5 kg. According to the developers, the RPL-20 is a new design, and not a derivative of the widespread series of Kalashnikov assault rifles. This is a fully automatic hand-held machine gun with a belt-powered, open rotary shutter and a gas piston with a long stroke.