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| RPKB | |
|---|---|
| Name | RPKB |
| Caption | RPKB light support weapon |
| Origin | Soviet Union / Russia |
| Type | Light support weapon |
| Service | 1970s–present |
| Used by | Soviet Army, Russian Ground Forces, Special Air Service, People's Liberation Army, Syrian Arab Army, Iraqi Armed Forces, Afghan National Army |
| Designer | Mikhail Kalashnikov, Vladimir Zlobin |
| Design date | 1970s |
| Manufacturer | Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, Kalashnikov Concern |
| Production date | 1974–present |
| Weight | 4.5 kg (empty) |
| Length | 980 mm |
| Cartridge | 7.62×39mm |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate | 600 rpm (cyclic) |
| Feed | 30-round detachable box magazine, 40-round magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights, optical mounting rail |
RPKB is a squad automatic weapon developed in the Soviet Union to provide sustained fire at company and platoon level while remaining lightweight and compatible with assault rifle logistics. It combines elements of earlier designs to deliver increased durability, ammunition compatibility, and simplified maintenance for frontline infantry, paratroop, and motorized rifle formations. Widely exported, it saw service in multiple conflicts and underwent iterative modernization to meet NATO and export market requirements.
The designation RPKB follows Soviet and Russian naming conventions similar to RPK and AK-47 families, reflecting lineage from the Kalashnikov series and the addition of features inspired by the PK machine gun and experimental squad weapons developed at TsNIITochMash. Early development documents referenced projects at Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and proposals from engineers associated with Mikhail Kalashnikov and Vladimir Zlobin. Alternative names used in export catalogs included designations favored by state export house Rosoboronexport and client states such as the People's Liberation Army and various Warsaw Pact-era armed forces.
Initial conceptual work began in the 1970s as part of a broader Soviet effort to modernize light support weapons alongside projects at Tula Arms Plant and trials involving the PKM and RPD. Prototypes underwent comparative trials at ranges near Mytishchi and in Arctic conditions tested by units in Murmansk Oblast and formations stationed around Leningrad Oblast. Acceptance trials involved personnel from the Soviet Army, units attached to the Northern Fleet, and airborne formations from VDV schools. Export patterns mirrored those of other Soviet small arms through agreements brokered by Interpolitex and bilateral military aid programs with countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Vietnam.
The RPKB uses a gas-operated, rotating bolt system derived from the AKM and reinforced components influenced by the PKM design philosophy. The receiver is reinforced and the barrel is heavier and chrome-lined for increased heat resistance, akin to barrels used in RPD and PK family weapons. It accepts standard 7.62×39mm magazines used by AKM and AK-74 derivatives and features a bipod and progressively improved muzzle devices seen on prototypes from Tula. Sight options include standard iron sights with compatibility for mounting optics produced by Zenit-BelOMO and export optics from Schmidt & Bender in modernization kits. Materials and heat-treatment processes were developed at TsNIITochMash and production methods standardized at Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and later by Kalashnikov Concern.
Deployed to mechanized infantry and airborne units, the RPKB filled a niche between assault rifles like the AKM and general-purpose machine guns such as the PKM and MG42 derivatives in export arsenals. Units in Afghanistan (1979–1989 Soviet war in Afghanistan) and later in Chechnya employed the weapon for base defense and patrol firebases. Training and doctrine adaptation involved manuals issued by the Soviet Ministry of Defence and later updated by the Russian Ministry of Defence for motor rifle and airborne regiments. Export users integrated it into combined-arms exercises with systems from T-72 battalions and infantry fighting vehicles like the BMP-2.
Variants include a paratrooper model with folding stock influenced by designs fielded by the VDV, a vehicle-mounted version adapted for turret use on BTR series APCs, and an updated polymer-stock modernization kit distributed by Kalashnikov Concern. Specialized kits incorporated night-vision mounts from Rosoboronexport and suppressor-ready muzzle devices used in trials with Spetsnaz units. Export variants were tailored to fit magazines and optics preferred by users in India, Egypt, and Cuba and often bore export markings consistent with contracts negotiated by Rosoboronexport.
Field evaluations compared the RPKB to the RPK-74 and PKM in reliability, weight, and sustained-fire capability. Results emphasized improved barrel life relative to contemporaneous light support weapons and better controllability in automatic fire than general-purpose machine guns when operated at squad level. Tests conducted at ranges used by NIPSMVO and evaluation centers in Perm Krai measured rates of fire, mean rounds between failure, and accuracy out to typical engagement distances for 7.62×39mm weapons. Comparative assessments influenced procurement decisions in post-Soviet states and export adopters seeking a compromise between AKM logistics and increased sustained-fire performance.
The RPKB has appeared in military-themed publications and visual media depicting Cold War and post–Cold War conflicts, including documentary sequences produced by RT and archival footage released by the Russian State Documentary Film Studio. It is referenced in memoirs of veterans from Afghanistan (1979–1989 Soviet war in Afghanistan), accounts by journalists from BBC News and Reuters, and features in wargaming catalogs published by firms collaborating with Wargaming.net and historical reenactment groups in Belarus and Poland.
Category:Small arms