Old but up to date. Heavy machine gun Vladimirov KPV

Infantry checkpoint on Kharykin's machine. Photo Modernfirearms.net

At the end of the forties, a heavy machine gun designed by S.V. was adopted by the Soviet army. Vladimirova - CPV. This weapon in various modifications has become widespread and has become one of the main models in the system of armaments of the ground forces. Despite its considerable age, the CPV is still in service and is used on a number of platforms. The successful combination of the main characteristics and other factors contributes to the continuation of its operation.

Way to success

The development of a promising heavy machine gun for combating light armored vehicles chambered for a 14,5x114 mm anti-tank rifle began in 1942. Several variants of such weapons were proposed, and in 1944 the project of S.V. was considered the most successful. Vladimirova. In the same year, the new machine gun passed the first tests and was recommended for mass production.

The first production of KPV was mastered by the Tool Plant No. 2 (Kovrov). The machine gun was produced in a small series and entered into separate units. In parallel, the design was fine-tuned, and new versions of the machines were created. These works were seriously delayed, and the final version of the machine gun for the infantry entered the training ground only in 1948. Based on the results of the tests, the CPV was officially put into service the following year.

BTR-80 with KPVT and PKT machine guns. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Simultaneously with the launch of a full-fledged series, the development of tank version of the machine gun under the designation KPVT. It was adopted in 1955 and put into production in the same way. Serial machine guns in one configuration or another and with a different composition of additional funds were sent to the troops, as well as to tank and shipbuilding plants.

According to known data, the Kovrov Plant named after. V.A. Degtyareva still continues to produce KPV(T) machine guns and supplies them to the Russian army. The machine gun is still used by the troops as part of the weapons systems of various ground armored vehicles, boats and ships. In addition, the Vladimirov machine gun was widely used abroad. Foreign armies and armed formations use both original Soviet checkpoints and licensed Chinese or Romanian products.

The KPV(T) is firmly taking its place in the system of armaments of various branches of the armed forces, and so far they are not going to give it up. Even within the framework of modern conflicts, incl. during the operation in Ukraine, this machine gun regularly shows its strengths and confirms its high potential.

Technical features

KPV(T) is an automatic weapon chambered for a powerful 14,5x114 mm cartridge, originally designed for anti-tank rifles. The machine gun is designed to combat lightly armored vehicles, various buildings, low-flying aircraft and helicopters, etc. The use of manpower or unprotected equipment is possible, but redundant.

BRDM-2 with a unified machine-gun turret. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net

The body of the machine gun has a length of approx. 2 m, of which 1,35 m falls on the trunk (relative length - 93 klb). Product weight - 49 kg. The shutter, reciprocating mainspring and trigger are located in a cylindrical receiver. On top of the latter there is a box-shaped casing of the tape feed mechanism. The barrel is placed in a protective casing and is replaceable.

Machine gun automation uses the recoil energy of the barrel during its short course. The shot is carried out from the rear sear. The shutter is made swivel and when fired, it engages with the breech of the barrel with the help of lugs in the form of thread segments. Food is provided from tapes for 40 or 50 rounds; connection of separate tapes is allowed. The technical rate of fire of the CPV is 600 rds / min. The initial speed of the bullet, depending on the type of cartridge, reaches 1050 m / s.

The KPV does not have built-in fire controls. In the case of the infantry version, handles and a trigger on the machine are used for this. The tank modification is equipped with a remote-controlled electric trigger.

On different media

Together with the CPV, two variants of the machine for use in the infantry were adopted by the ground forces. The first was Kharykin's wheeled machine. This product weighing 105 kg had mounts for mounting the body of a machine gun and fire controls, as well as a pair of metal wheels and sliding beds. A stand was provided for mounting the sight. Such a machine made it possible to transport and tow a machine gun almost like an artillery piece.

Turret part of the installation for armored personnel carriers and armored personnel carriers. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The infantry also received a tripod designed by Baryshev. This product received three support frames for installation on the ground. They were equipped with a holding device for a machine gun with the possibility of aiming in two planes. The weight of the tripod was only 39 kg.

Tank modification of the KPV, equipped with a remote control, was intended for use on various armored platforms. As a machine gun coaxial with a cannon, the KPVT was used only on a few experimental tanks. Serial tanks and self-propelled guns of a number of models received such weapons on anti-aircraft installations for mounting on a tower / wheelhouse.

Starting with the BTR-60, domestic armored personnel carriers were equipped with the so-called. a turret machine gun mount with a KPVT heavy machine gun and a PKT product of normal caliber. Similar towers were used on vehicles of other classes and types, incl. on foreign. A number of turret carriers with KPVT are still in service in large numbers. For example, the BTR-80 is still one of the main vehicles of Russian rifle units.

KPVT was also used as part of several types of anti-aircraft installations. One such product was installed on the ZGU-1 mining rig. Towed products ZPU-2 and ZPU-4 carried two and four machine guns, respectively.

Anti-aircraft installations with KPVT. In the foreground - ZPU-4, on the left - ZPU-2. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Several installations under KPVT have been developed for fleet. The simplest is the MTPU naval pedestal machine gun mount - it includes the pedestal itself and a movable machine gun machine with controls and a sight. Also, on different media, paired installations of several types were installed. Products 2M-5 and 2M-7 were pedestal turrets with horizontal and vertical placement of two machine guns. The 2M-6 turret mount carried two machine guns side by side and was equipped with full armor.

There was also "folk art". In conditions of armed conflicts, incl. in remote regions, KPV(T) machine guns were used both with serial and handicraft machines, carriers, etc. Particularly in the Middle East and Africa, pickup trucks are the most popular carriers of CPVs. A combat vehicle of this kind has obvious advantages over analogues with other weapons.

Obvious advantages

The future CPV was created as a means to combat enemy armored vehicles. This task was successfully solved, and the Soviet army received a new heavy machine gun with special characteristics. As it is now clear, the successful ratio of technical appearance and characteristics provided a uniquely long service life. KPV(T) is still in service, and they are not going to abandon it. Moreover, it firmly occupies its niche, and a replacement for it is not even planned.

Marine pedestal installation MPTU. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

A promising machine gun was originally designed for a powerful cartridge of 14,5x114 mm. It was the ammunition that determined the characteristics of the future KPV (T), and also had a decisive influence on its prospects. The fact is that the initial velocity of a 14,5-mm bullet exceeds 1000-1050 m / s, and the muzzle energy reaches 31 kJ. In this regard, the Vladimirov machine gun at the time of its appearance surpassed even larger caliber systems. By today's standards, the characteristics of the CPV also remain at a high level.

The KPV can use 14,5x114 mm cartridges with several types of bullets. In all cases, the bullet has a large mass (more than 60 g) and has a hardened armor-piercing core. At a distance of 100 m, such bullets are capable of penetrating 40 mm of homogeneous armor when hit along the normal. At 500 m, penetration is reduced to 30-32 mm, at 800 m - to 20-21 mm. When firing at "soft" targets, a sufficient penetrating and lethal effect of the bullet is maintained at distances up to 7-9 km.

It is easy to see that with such firing characteristics, the KPV(T) machine gun is quite capable of hitting a wide range of modern and old armored combat vehicles of light and medium class. Depending on the distance, its bullets can penetrate side or even frontal armor. In addition, a bullet or its fragments can cause serious damage to the external equipment of an armored vehicle, leaving it without means of observation or weapons. The same applies to well-protected targets - the lack of through penetration does not exclude additional damage.

Both in the past and now, 14,5-mm machine guns of Soviet / Russian armored vehicles are considered by NATO as one of the typical threats. So, in the STANAG 4569 standard, which sets the requirements for armoring vehicles, the resistance to the B-32 bullet of a 14,5x114 mm cartridge is designated as level 4 of protection. The next level of threat are already 30-mm automatic guns.

Installation 2M-5 for ships and boats. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

It should be noted that the positive qualities of the KPV(T) are not limited to high fire performance. This machine gun is quite simple to manufacture, operate and maintain. In addition, a successful design provides integration with various weapon systems and allows the machine gun to be used on a variety of platforms. All these factors complement the combat qualities of the weapon and increase its overall effectiveness.

Honored and up-to-date

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Vladimirov machine gun by the Soviet army. Despite the great age, products of this type remain in operation and solve the assigned tasks. KPVT are still in service with motorized rifles and the fleet, although in other areas they have been replaced by other large-caliber systems.

In fact, the KPV was not the first or last domestic heavy machine gun. However, due to its special characteristics, it created an important niche in the army's weapons system and firmly entrenched itself in it. The machine gun copes with its tasks and is effectively used in different conditions, and replacement is not yet required for it. This means that the operation of the KPVT will continue in the foreseeable future.

However, the CPV itself determined its prospects. The widespread use of such weapons has affected the level of protection of equipment of a potential enemy. Now, to combat it, systems of a larger caliber are required, and therefore it can be expected that in the future the Vladimirov machine gun will still give way to other weapons. But a large number of available carriers of such a machine gun suggests that this will not happen soon.

Comments

[Uncle lee]

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Vladimirov machine gun into service with the Soviet Army.

And the Browning M-2 is 90 years old .... Actual weapons, so far!

[Ross xnumx]

I remember there was one on the armored personnel carrier. I had to shoot him.
Some problems when loading, when "sticking", cleaning and changing the barrel ...

[Moore]

As written in the instructions, you need to retract the shutter "vigorously". Almost "energetic" - get the ejection of the cartridge, sticking and all the charms of getting the ammunition thrown out of the combat larva ..
Unloading an unfinished cartridge with a screwdriver and a hammer did not add enthusiasm ...

[IVZ]

I dealt with him both in production and in testing. If it were not for the unique characteristics of the ammunition, the machine gun would never have been adopted. The most problematic sample of the SPV of the USSR and the Russian Federation. More than 800 parts processed by metal cutting. machine tools, difficult and even dangerous to operate, incl. when loading - unloading and eliminating by no means rare delays, sensitivity to dusting and overheating - 70-80 shots and barrel replacement - in the BRDM (in 6MA) this is still the Kama Sutra. But the cartridge is magnificent, almost a projectile, but legally a small arms cartridge. For the cartridge, they forgive him everything. And what is characteristic, the issue of developing something new has never been particularly raised, there were sluggish attempts that did not arouse much interest from the Customer.

[Soldatov V.]

And if the tolerances on this machine gun are applied, how will it be better on a Kalashnikov assault rifle? How do you think?

[novel66]

Over 800 parts

Maybe 80, though?

[IVZ]

Maybe 80, though?

No matter how. 800. CD album should have been seen. The only sample in my memory where some parts are attached with specially designed pins.

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

And with the design of machine gun installations, not everything is in order. The BPU-60 turret mounted earlier on the BTR-70/80/1 is almost the limit of primitivism and limited design thought. There, the tape is of short length, the absence of an electric drive and the low angle of elevation of the barrel on the early models of the armored personnel carrier and BRDM. The same strange and primitive product is the marine installation of MPTU. I can’t understand how it is possible to shoot from the deck of a ship while standing from an unstable position, and into sea rolling.

[Bad_gr]

"Object 777", developed (50s) in SKB-2 of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant, assumed to have a KPVT on the tower in a remotely controlled installation. Such a thing, in a modern version, would not be superfluous on any tank.

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

In a modern version, you need a turret with the ability to detect and destroy drones. That is, you need an optical module for detection and guidance with appropriate weapons. Instead of a machine gun, a grenade launcher with a high angle of elevation of the barrel and buckshot or shrapnel grenades is more suitable.

[Wildcat]

In a modern version, you need a turret with the ability to detect and destroy drones. That is, you need an optical module for detection and guidance with appropriate weapons. Instead of a machine gun, a grenade launcher with a high angle of elevation of the barrel and buckshot or shrapnel grenades is more suitable.

Truly so!
All universal turrets (7,72/12,7/40mm) are made with this feature against drones. The air grenade detonation is especially good, it is also good against infantry behind shelters.
examples:



Oh yes, there is one country that does not even do this on remote turrets, probably once.

[SergioPetrov]

I can’t understand how it is possible to shoot from the deck of a ship while standing from an unstable position, and into sea rolling.

shoot in that direction

[Oleg812spb]

70-80 shots and barrel replacement

- Indeed?

[IVZ]

70-80 shots and barrel replacement

This is even written in the Manual.

[Oleg812spb]

It looks like you misunderstood something. KPVT barrel resource - 12000 shots. Continuous firing (burst length), duration of firing without barrel cooling is another. Like his damage.

[IVZ]

Quote: Oleg812spb

Continuous firing (burst length), duration of firing without barrel cooling is another. As well as damage.

I'm talking about something else. 70-80 shots and the barrel wedges in the casing. The guide sleeve of the barrel, expanding from heating, does not allow the barrel to move inside the barrel casing, and the automatic machine gun - the recoil of the barrel during its short stroke. To continue shooting, the barrel together with the casing (the entire assembly) must be replaced. In BM packings, a replaceable barrel is transported. In principle, changing the barrel in such cases is provided for in almost all machine guns.

[Oleg812spb]

It seems that you do not quite understand what you are answering. The rate of fire is technical, practical and combat. And these are different things. Now you are writing about the elementary overheating of the barrel, which must not be allowed in order to avoid the failure of the weapon. And in the stowage, the barrel is transported as a spare part in case of its failure, including, in case of damage.

[IVZ]

It seems that you do not quite understand what you are answering.

Yes, of course you are right. Health to you.

[Oleg812spb]

You are simply confusing a replacement barrel with a spare one, which is an aggregate assembly for the KPVT / KPV.

[Oleg812spb]

For an example, just look at this:

Here and your "70 - 80" are mentioned, only in a different context.

[SergioPetrov]

Here and your "70 - 80" are mentioned, only in a different context.

There is an even smaller picture, otherwise I can still read some words?

[Oleg812spb]

Quote: SergioPetrov

There is an even smaller picture, otherwise I can still read some words?

If this is your problem, then a big picture will not help.

[Doctor]

The same misunderstanding as artillery with caliber 122.
There are 12.7 DShK-UTYOS-KORD. The question is, why do we need another large-caliber one with a difference of 1.8 mm? To complicate logistics?

[Jorg-2]

Familiarize yourself first with the characteristics of these ammunition. And what about the difference in calibers? Projectile weight, case length (power), etc.

[Doctor]

Familiarize yourself first with the characteristics of these ammunition. And what about the difference in calibers? Projectile weight, case length (power), etc.

I got acquainted. The KPV ammunition has all the characteristics higher. If you make a machine gun for 16,3 caliber, it will be even more powerful.

[IVZ]

If you make a machine gun for 16,3 caliber, it will be even more powerful.

Laugh if you like. But in the 80s, it seems, "Pribor" developed a 16,5mm cartridge with a sub-caliber Br. bullet. I do not know the details of the design and performance characteristics. It didn't reach us. Then all sorts of games began with restriction agreements. We agreed that the BMP - with a gun, i.e. over 20mm., and a smaller caliber - a machine gun and an armored personnel carrier. Well, the 16,5mm monster and the 50th Browning ... in general, at the request of the Yankees, the work was turned off.

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

In urban battles, explosive bullets are also needed. And in caliber 16,5 mm, explosive ones will be even more effective than in 14.5 mm. They are even used for 12,7, and for 14,5 it is generally desirable in the city through one in a tape with armor-piercing.
Although, for purely practical reasons, it would be worth considering switching immediately to 23 mm from the ZU-23-2, they even offered the Crossbow module with it. And on an armored personnel carrier, a 23-mm caliber would look better than 14.5 and even 30-mm in some cases, although 30-mm is still preferable.

[Doctor]

Although, for purely practical reasons, it would be worth considering switching immediately to 23 mm from the ZU-23-2, they even offered the Crossbow module with it. And on an armored personnel carrier, a 23-mm caliber would look better than 14.5 and even 30-mm in some cases, although 30-mm is still preferable.

What is it about. The race for calibers is an endless process. You need to have a series with a normal change step, and holding 2 machine guns with a difference of 1,8 mm is stupidity. Of course, the next caliber after 12,7 should be around 20mm.
I was always touched by the presence on the first battleships of 2 anti-mine calibers 37 and 47. What does the inertia of thinking and monkeying mean.

[tatarin1972]

For what? When a bullet hits 12,7, not to mention 14,5, it tears off the arms of the legs into the body, when it hits the torso, the body breaks.

[Scaffold]

He does not know the elementary dependence of area on diameter. A victim of the exam, what will you take.

[vvvjak]

Quote: Arzt

The question is, why do we need another large-caliber one with a difference of 1.8 mm?

The answer is in the article. The KPV machine gun was developed under the 14,5 mm caliber cartridge for the PTRD and PTRS. A lot of cartridges were produced, and PTRs lost their relevance, therefore KPV (T) appeared. So, by the way, the most powerful machine gun in the world.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: vvvjak

The answer is in the article. The KPV machine gun was developed under the 14,5 mm caliber cartridge for the PTRD and PTRS.

Vice versa. PTRD and PTRS were developed under the 14,5-mm cartridge for a heavy machine gun, which the Red Army had been asking for since the late 20s, and in the mid-30s they finally decided on the TK.
And the caliber was determined by the requirements for armor penetration, which it was impossible to fulfill in the 12,7-mm caliber:

According to the terms of reference, it was required to create a machine gun with a caliber of 12,7 mm with an initial bullet speed of 1300–1400 m/s and a bullet weight of 50–60 g. that existing gunpowder does not make it possible to achieve a given speed with a caliber of 12,7 mm.
After this, the requirements were revised closer to reality - according to the new TTT project, the machine gun had to have a caliber of no more than 16 mm and provide penetration of 20 mm at a distance of 600 m, at an angle of 20 °.
NIPSVO KA decided to stop at the caliber 14,5 mm.

© Ulanov

[Oleg812spb]

Everything is correct. In the 30s, many promoted the idea of ​​​​a single heavy machine gun / small-caliber automatic gun for solving air defense and anti-tank weapons. As the armor of the BTT grew rapidly, the 12,7 mm no longer met the requirements.

[vvvjak]

If you don’t like it, the word “was developed”, “got a start in life thanks to the cartridge ......”, will it work?

[militarist63]

Vice versa. PTRD and PTRS were developed under a 14,5-mm cartridge for a heavy machine gun, which the Red Army had been asking for since the late 20s, and in the mid-30s they finally decided on the TK

и

Seriously? Actually, this anti-tank rifle was developed under the cartridge of a heavy machine gun.
The history of the 14,5 mm machine gun has been going on since the late 20s.

Seriously?! And be so kind as, in addition to these mythical statements of yours, tell us a list of these very 14,5-mm machine guns that actually existed (adopted for service) in the Red Army and fired these same 14,5-mm cartridges, so that this cartridge could be classified as a machine gun ?!
At the same time, with your quoted excerpt from the history of the creation of the Simonin machine gun, you yourself put yourself in a puddle! For in 1936, according to the original TOR, it was required to create a machine gun of 12,7 mm caliber! We did not have larger machine-gun calibers then. Further, the designers, "dancing with a tambourine" ..., determined that it was unrealistic to implement the characteristics requested in the technical specification with a 12,7-mm cartridge. Then they began to think about increasing the caliber. In those same years (literally in parallel, since 1936), work was underway in the USSR to create and PTR. And in the same way, then, as in the case of the aforementioned machine gun, they determined the caliber of the PTR ... And when in 1938 they developed the first sample of a 14,5-mm cartridge for the PTR, then in the Simonin machine gun they decided to take this as a basis cartridge . In 1939, the first PTR of the Rukavishnikov system was adopted by the Red Army. In 1941, the PTRD and PTRS were adopted by the Red Army. And your 14,5 mm machine gun remained in experimental development! Most importantly, the 14,5-mm cartridge was adopted by the Red Army in 1941 and began to be mass-produced EXACTLY AS A CARTRIDGE OF ANTI-TANK GUN, and not some mythical machine guns, which were not born then !!!

[Oleg812spb]

The same misunderstanding as artillery with caliber 122.
There are 12.7 DShK-UTYOS-KORD. The question is, why do we need another large-caliber one with a difference of 1.8 mm? To complicate logistics?

To increase the headache of opponents

[Zaurbek]

Everything is fine in the armament left from the USSR. But ammunition needs to be updated, and this applies to all calibers. At the same time, armor penetration will rise a couple of times.

[Owl]

At the department of fire training (OrdzhVOKU), in the hall, there was a KPV on a wheeled machine, we (the cadets) were afraid to get a standard for assembling KPVT at the state, they didn’t shoot very often with an armored personnel carrier, the BMP-2 was considered the main vehicle, we shot ourselves later, after graduation, from 1994 to 2002, fought vedaliko from the School ...

[Alexey RA]

The development of a promising heavy machine gun for combating light armored vehicles chambered for a 14,5x114 mm anti-tank rifle began in 1942.

Seriously? Actually, this anti-tank rifle was developed under the cartridge of a heavy machine gun.
The history of the 14,5 mm machine gun has been going on since the late 20s. Vladimirov made the first KKP under 14,5 mm before the war (and he is not alone).

Several variants of such weapons were proposed, and in 1944 the project of S.V. was considered the most successful. Vladimirova. In the same year, the new machine gun passed the first tests and was recommended for mass production.

Recommended?
In 1944, an order was issued for the checkpoint with the production date of the first batch - 15.06.1944/XNUMX/XNUMX.

By the decision of Comrade Beria dated April 14, 1944 according to the report of your deputy comrade Ryabikov on the timing of the manufacture of a series of 14,5 machine guns designed by Vladimirov, plant No. 2 was instructed to produce:
By June 15, 1944 - 20 pcs. machine guns.
By June 1, 1944 - 30 pcs. machine guns on anti-aircraft single installations

© Beg. GAU
And the plant solemnly broke these deadlines.

The senior military representative of the GAU KA at the factory number 2 reported that the factory number 2 to the manufacture of a series of 14,5 mm machine guns Vladimirova did not start, having lost 20 days from the time of your order to manufacture a series of machine guns by July 1944, XNUMX, considering this work secondary.
In addition, contrary to your report, comrade Beria, on the manufacture of a series of Vladimirov machine guns by July 1944, 2. (the deadline was agreed by you with the artillery marshal T. Yakovlev) the chief engineer of factory No. 2 informs me that the series cannot be made by factory No. 1 by June 1944, 1 and that it can only be expected by August 1944, XNUMX.

© Deputy early GAU
And the next ones too. And the next ones too. In the end, the GAU resigned itself to the inevitable.

I am forced to agree with the deadline for the commissioning of KPV-44 at anti-aircraft installations, as defined by you on January 1, 1945.
However, there are fears that this period by Plant No. 2 will not be fulfilled as well as the previously appointed dates.
Inspection at the factory number 2 found that not all the installation details have been launched into production and the assembly of plants is extremely sluggish.

© Beg. GAU.

By the way, pay attention - by whose decision the checkpoints were made and who determined the terms. And on whose orders the plant scored. Marshals, generals, a whole general commissar of state security - and the terms are still determined by the chief engineer of the plant.

[Wildcat]

There was also, it seems, a post-war discussion about whether another heavy machine gun was needed.
It was decided that it was needed. IMHO, the wording "anti-tank machine gun capable of hitting armored targets in a burst" was used.

[abc_alex]

Quote: Wildcat

Seriously? Actually, this anti-tank rifle was developed under the cartridge of a heavy machine gun. The history of the 14,5 mm machine gun has been going on since the late 20s. Vladimirov made the first KKP under 14,5 mm before the war (and he is not alone).

No. The 14,5x114 mm cartridge was created in the late 30s. Anti-tank guns began to be developed in the USSR from the beginning of the 30s. True, there was no agreement in the minds: an infantry rifle or an ultralight cannon on a wheelless carriage is being made. And therefore there was no understanding in the caliber of ammunition. Therefore, as a result, a "hybrid" appeared - a 14,5x114-mm cartridge. In it, the sleeve was taken from the German cannon "2-cm Rheinmetall cannon" purchased in 1930 and put into service in the USSR as a 20-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun 2-K of the 1930 model and a rifle armor-piercing incendiary bullet, enlarged to the desired size.

And Vladimirov really created a sample for this cartridge. But it was not a machine gun, but a rifle.

[abc_alex]

The development of a promising heavy machine gun for combating light armored vehicles chambered for a 14,5x114 mm anti-tank rifle began in 1942. Several variants of such weapons were proposed, and in 1944 the project of S.V. was considered the most successful. Vladimirova. In the same year, the new machine gun passed the first tests and was recommended for mass production.

Hmm... No. The CPV was developed as an anti-aircraft. Not anti-tank.
The history there is somewhat different. It began with the fact that they tried to increase the bullet speed of the DShK in order to create an infantry anti-aircraft gun at its base. By 1942, it turned out that the 12,7 cartridge was too weak for this, and an attempt to re-barrel the DShK to the next most powerful massive 14,5 mm cartridge was impossible. No wonder. The Soviet 14,5 cartridge is a recompressed cartridge from a German 20mm cannon. He quickly rendered useless both the barrel and the automation.
Accordingly, Vladimirov took an automatic cannon as a basis for a cannon cartridge. His own 20-mm V-20 aircraft gun. He began development in 1943. At that moment, it would never have occurred to anyone to consider even a 20-mm gun as anti-tank. Not to mention the 14,5mm machine gun.
The main purpose of this weapon has already been designated as counteraction to low-flying ground attack aircraft. As well as the shelling of group unarmored and lightly armored targets at ranges up to 1500 m.
In 1944, the machine gun entered the test. In general, an order was accepted and was in the amount of 50 pieces in anti-aircraft and infantry versions. But it was adopted in service in 1949. In the form of three anti-aircraft installations ZPU-1, ZPU-2, ZPU-4 with 1, 2 and 4 machine guns. And an infantry machine gun on a Kharykin wheeled machine. But he did not take root in the infantry - he turned out to be too heavy. But in the form of anti-aircraft installations, it was widely sold both in our troops and abroad.
And once again - the CPV was not created to fight with armored vehicles. This is an anti-aircraft gun. Yes, like any anti-aircraft system of that time, it had a good armor-piercing effect, especially since it used the 14,5 family of cartridges, which were created specifically as anti-tank ones. But the irony is that the KPV / KPVT acquired its modern "infantry" properties already in the form of anti-aircraft installations. The only exception is for the KPVT itself, which is installed on armored vehicles.

The machine gun copes with its tasks and is effectively used in different conditions, and replacement is not yet required for it.

The paradox is that he did not cope with the assigned tasks :)
In 1949, he could no longer be considered an effective means of destroying armored vehicles. And in the 50s, it quickly lost its anti-aircraft properties. BUT! Thank God that it never occurred to anyone to dispose of this miracle of Soviet technology. In the 60s, helicopters entered the battlefield, and after the 90s, the concept of all kinds of "light" infantry units "in jeeps" became widespread. It turned out that the development of military equipment "caught up" with the outdated model on a new round. :)

[quaric]

KPVT.
I don't like writing bad things about guns. But alas, it was rather influenced by army experience.
Let me remind you that a 14,5 mm cartridge is a cartridge case from a 20 mm gun compressed to 14,4 mm ..
To the post above - an excursion into history: in 1942, the Vladimirov V-20 gun (a prototype of the KPVT with a 20 mm projectile) lost the competition to replace the ShVAK - the Berezin gun - B-20). That is, even then it was clear that the removal of gases makes weapons simpler, more reliable, lighter ..... And while the war was going on, there was not even a question of promoting this underdevelopment. And then, Vladimirov becomes the chief designer of the Tula plant, and it is not clear how he manages to push his offspring through .. And this "shit" is adopted, which they will regret more than once. How many fighters and commanders were injured due to the KPVT - history is silent, but the chief designer Vladimirov himself died on July 12, 1956, having received a fatal injury while "dismantling the spring-loaded parts of a machine gun of his own design" !!!!!!!!!!!!! The result, a heavy machine gun - 52 kg. (for comparison, the NSVT - 25 kg, the NR-23 air gun with a projectile that weighs three times as much - 29 kg !!!!!), incredibly difficult disassembly, assembly and cleaning, injury hazard, delays and sticking due to increased sensitivity to pollution ....
There are no analogues? Of course not .. and will not, but who needs it?

[IVZ]

chief designer Vladimirov died on July 12, 1956, having received a mortal injury while "dismantling the spring-loaded parts of a machine gun of his own design

Not spring-loaded, but moving. I did not know anything about Vladimirov, although he worked with his son in the same design bureau. And there was an accident similar to the one you described on ZiD. Yes, tragic.

[militarist63]

Let me remind you that a 14,5 mm cartridge is a cartridge case from a 20 mm gun compressed to 14,4 mm ..

However! It was you who dreamed such nonsense in a dream! Can you name this 20-mm gun, with such sleeves for crimping, for us ?!

[IVZ]

Can you name this 20-mm gun, with such sleeves for crimping, for us ?!

I don't remember that either. another thing is the cartridge AM-GSh 23mm. Here her sleeve is made on the basis of the sleeve 14,5x114. Bottoms, grooves are exactly the same. At one time, he took advantage of this when developing a variant of the KPVT chambered for AM-GSh. The shutter larva did not have to be modified.

[Oleg812spb]

Have you heard about the experimental PTR RES caliber 20mm? A 20 mm projectile was used there in a re-compressed and shortened sleeve from a 45 mm PTO!

[Oleg812spb]

I remember that in one office there were solid table lamps with a heavy shade on a pantograph with a clamp. And the pantograph had an internal spring compensator. One lamp was somehow turned wrong, something clicked in it and the pantograph jammed. We decided to repair, began to disassemble, pulled out the cotter pin and cracker with a spring flew out with a whistle. There was a big dent in the plasterboard on the wall. Lucky no one got hit...

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

It's useless on wheels. In the Navy, where the weight is not so critical, in principle, it took root normally ...

[Ezekiel 25-17]

Quote: Arzt

The same misunderstanding as artillery with caliber 122.
There are 12.7 DShK-UTYOS-KORD. The question is, why do we need another large-caliber one with a difference of 1.8 mm? To complicate logistics?

It was created to fight tanks, when they did, there was no longer such a task; but lightly armored targets remained. And now, when it is, what's the point of removing it if there are heaps of cartridges and they are being produced. As for armor penetration: it is much more effective than the same Kord.

[Pavel57]

Where did the 14,5mm cplibre come from. Not 15, not 13.

[SergioPetrov]

Legacy of non-metric measurement systems?
From series 76mm/3in gun vs 75mm

[Fangaro]

Quote: Uncle Lee

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Vladimirov machine gun into service with the Soviet Army.

And the Browning M-2 is 90 years old .... Actual weapons, so far!

... Stone. Sling. Onion. Crossbow. There are many things to fight.
And you can not fight, too, a lot of things. Agree. For "together". Or "against".

[Grits]

Now it has become fashionable to put 30 mm on all armored vehicles. cannon. Sometimes it looks awkward, for some cars it is cumbersome and redundant. Moreover, the armored car is still not an infantry fighting vehicle and, in part, not an armored personnel carrier. So why not equip it with the same KPVT?

[IVZ]

So why not equip it with the same KPVT?

Even if we do not take into account the service characteristics of the KPVT, the 30 cannot be compared with a machine gun. To hit a target, a bullet must hit it, and the projectile can be placed nearby, and due to the fragmentation action, which is not weak for this caliber, the target will still be hit. The use of even MDZ bullets does not give such an effect.

[abc_alex]

Quote: Gritsa

So why not equip it with the same KPVT?

I think the point is not only in combat effectiveness, but also in design. 2A42 is highly automated and "deserted". On the Mi-28, it is generally installed outside the case. And all operations with it are performed remotely. And KPVT, apparently, does not imply such "desertion"; it requires manual operations. I agree with you that a certain 14,5-mm hypothetical KPVT-M on "jeeps" would look more logical than "30-mm turrets", but for this it needs to be heavily modernized, in fact, redone.

[decimalegio]

there are not so many alternatives among weapons for jeeps.
Nexter mg 151 20x82 mm,
Nexter P20 20x102mm,
Taiwan T75 20x102mm,
M230LF 30x113mm,
AEI Systems Alexis 20x102 mm,
Venom AEI Systems 30x113 mm finally
AEI Systems AE-VM2 20x110 mm. In my opinion, for Russian weapons, an alternative to KPVT, if high-explosive action is preferred, then the caliber could be 23x115 mm.

[Hitriy Zhuk]

And why did they stop putting them on tanks?
What a power this is!

[abc_alex]

Quote: Hitriy Zhuk

And why did they stop putting them on tanks?

It was put on tanks for self-defense from the air. Well, you don’t think that the same T-55 lacked firepower so much that the tank commander needed to get out and how in a bad Korean movie to fire a machine gun at the infantry. :)
But over time, the speed of aviation increased so much that it became impossible to hit the plane aiming manually. At one time, helicopters "rescued". They were slow-moving, unarmored and poorly armed. But now the shock Mi-28 holds 20 mm, can attack a tank from 5 km and flies at a speed of under 300 km / h. Its counterparts are the same.
There were simply no targets left for the KPVT on the battlefield. Against infantry, he is an overkill, and 7,62 is enough there, and 12,7 for the eyes. Armored vehicles (any) will be disassembled by the tank with the main caliber. So why would a tank commander get out?

[Tim666]

Quote: Zaurbek

Everything is fine in the armament left from the USSR. But ammunition needs to be updated, and this applies to all calibers. At the same time, armor penetration will rise a couple of times.

Not everything is so simple, otherwise let's say Browning would have caught up with the KPVT, but for some reason this does not happen right? You can increase armor penetration either by increasing the energy of the cartridge or improve the characteristics of the bullet using tungsten carbide or depleted uranium cores. For KPV, there is already a BS-41 cartridge with a tungsten carbide core. It seems to be not so difficult to make a more powerful cartridge in the same dimensions, use more energy-intensive gunpowder, and the trick is in the bag, but here problems come up. At one time, slightly more powerful extra cartridges were made for SVD, as a result of very rapid wear of the barrel and other parts, automation failures, that is, weapons for more powerful cartridges need to be finalized, the production technology of barrels and other parts needs to be changed, and it’s not a fact that the output will not work new sample. Plus, if a sniper rifle can be shot under a new cartridge, then the tape is often stuffed into the machine gun differently and the ballistics of the bullets will be different. podash. Not to say that the problem cannot be solved, but for the military it is probably easier to switch to a larger caliber.

[decimalegio]

I must say that this is the first article by Mr. Raibov Kirill, in which the usual final sentence is not needed. I am a fan of the 14,5 cartridge. True, in Russia it was eclipsed by the caliber 12,7 in armament of the vehicle. However, in many other countries it is used and appreciated. Comparison with the western 20x102, this one with a large explosive effect, 14.5 with a large penetrating effect. The problem is that Russia has not invested in new weapons of this caliber. Remotely controlled turrets with CPV are offered by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye. Finally, the best for me is the Chinese 14,5mm Type CS/LM16 Gatling gun. I have also seen a North Korean Gatling model of the same caliber, but I have no information on this weapon or how it works.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

And why gatling in such a caliber? It will obviously be heavier and have less ammo than the same YakB 12,7, and where weight is not important, for example, in the navy, there are multi-barreled 30mm machine guns that have excellent range and power at a huge rate of fire ... Su-24 and Mig-31 carry 23 and 30 mm multi-barrel guns ... Where do you propose to put the 14,5 gatling and how it will be better, for example, the 23 mm Zu-23-2 double-barrel gun, and it will be comparable in weight ...

[decimalegio]

To be honest, I can't find the weight of this Chinese Gatling. However, judging by the photo, the weapon does not seem huge to me. Probably a large battery / ammo. But it is necessary to compare not with ZU-23-2, but with ZPU 2 or ZPU 4, one weighing 620/640 kg, the other about 1800 kg. At first glance, the Chinese Gatling appears to be suitable for a ground vehicle installation. But in the absence of information about the weight and dimensions, I can be wrong. Finally, I don't know if it can be used over javi (ship). The other weapon you mentioned I have never seen in use on land vehicles.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

There is a Russian gatling, weight 45-60 kg, it's not much, you can put it anywhere practically.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

On wheels, it is completely useless - too heavy and uncomfortable. But on equipment, on a rack or as a KPVT - a completely normal topic ...
There are no drones, but a turntable, some kind of mi-8 thread can get it ...

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

Kpvt are interesting for light robotic systems, such as a marker or even smaller uraniums, where the installation of automatic guns is impossible due to dimensions, while there is enough space to carry a sufficiently long tape.
I really still think that it’s more interesting to install YakB in order to also get the opportunity to work on slow aviation systems (small UAVs, turntables). But kpvt also have a place to be. The cartridge there is more powerful than 12,7, which means you can work on light equipment from a greater distance ... It will be able to effectively fire at some armored personnel carrier-70/80 from a distance of a kilometer and a half, or even more ... And if you introduce sub-caliber bullets (copy from the Poles (seemingly) banal), then you can take more protected equipment ...
For everything that is larger, I think it is necessary to put the Zu-23-2, but only with a remote control.
The system is simple and effective, and most importantly, it does not compete with 30mm guns for modern infantry fighting vehicles / armored personnel carriers.

[Altmann]

I liked the way the article was written. I don’t know the weapon personally, but friends, your discussion confused me a lot .. I would say that the weapon is of high quality, but its use should be visible, unfortunately, I understand that you are specialists, but how did you not praise the weapon, or I don’t right?

[UltraRed]

Normal weapons for equipping vehicles. As an "infantry" of course - too heavy.
Complicated? Yes. But with proper operation, knowledge and work skills, it is quite reliable.
Unfortunately, not in all VUZs - it was "given" with high quality.
Therefore, many officers were "afraid" to disassemble it.
After LenVOKU I never had any problems with it.
Including field conditions in combat services and conducting a b / d.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

KPV is not bad on some kind of carrier, the same boats, well, or in a pillbox / bunker. Just like an easel machine gun in the field - so-so. Very heavy and not manoeuvrable. In response to the fire, a copter will fly to the crew or the AGS / mortars will cover the firing point, and it is simply impossible to quickly change the place.
In this regard, CORD, which can even work from a bipod and in this case is easily transferred by a calculation of 2 people, is much more interesting. Because you can covertly move, including over rough terrain or in the city, work out and immediately run away, this will not work with a heavy checkpoint.
But that technique or there at the checkpoints, it still has a place to be.

[Altmann]

Very interesting and effective weapon. Unfortunately, I personally have never shot this gun, although I would like to try. Weapon parameters are well known:

Soviet quad machine gun - ZPU-4 Vladimirova - KPV. The machine gun itself weighs 49 kg, the total length is 1980 mm, the barrel length is 1346 mm. Caliber 14,5x114mm. The barrel frequency is 600 rounds / min. The bullet has an initial velocity of up to 1005 m/s. Effective range - 3000 meters. A maximum of 4000 meters. The supply of ammunition is carried out from a tape for 40 rounds. The machine gun has been produced since 1949 - to the present day. He first fought during the Korean War and last fought on the Saudi-Yemeni border during the conflict in 2015.