RPD (weapon)
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| RPD | |
|---|---|
 RPD |
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1945–present |
| Used by | USSR, Members of the Warsaw Pact, Vietnam |
| Wars | Vietnam War, Afghanistan, various Middle East conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1944 |
| Produced | 1944–1960s |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 7.5 kg (16.5 lb) empty 8.9 kg (19.6 lb) w/ 100-rd drum |
| Length | 1,037 mm |
| Barrel length | 521 mm |
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| Cartridge | 7.62 x 39 mm M43 |
| Caliber | 7.62 mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 650 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 735 m/s |
| Feed system | 100-round drum |
The RPD is a belt-fed machine gun formerly manufactured in the Soviet Union and in China.
The name stands for Ручной Пулемет Дегтярева (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyareva) (Degtyaryov light machine gun).
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[edit] Overview
The RPD was developed for the Russian military in 1944 for use as a squad automatic weapon (SAW), and entered service during the 1950s. It can be fired from a prone position with the built-in bipod, or from the hip with the aid of a sling. It is fed by refillable non-disintegrating links. The RPDM is a product-improved and modernized version which was introduced in the mid 1950s.
In China, the RPD was manufactured with minor internal modifications and was named Type 56 LMG and was even exported to Sri Lanka[1]. The Type 56 LMG saw widespread use in the hands of VPA and NLF forces in the Vietnam war. The RPD was replaced by Soviet Army in the late 1960s by the RPK, much to many infantry soldiers dismay, though was still used in the reserves for some years. Today the RPD is still widely used by many guerrilla organizations around the world, notably the Tamil Tigers[citation needed].
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[edit] External links
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