PKP "Pecheneg"

Pecheneg "6P41" machine gun
A Pecheneg on display with a bipod
Type	Medium machine gun General purpose machine gun
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	2001–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	War on Terror Second Chechen War 2008 South Ossetia war Russo-Georgian War Syrian civil war Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation War in Donbass
Production history
Designer
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	8.2 kg (18 lb) without a bipod 8.7 kg (19 lb) with a bipod 12.7 kg (28 lb) with an infantry tripod mount
Length	1,200 mm (47 in)
Barrel length	658 mm (25.9 in)
Cartridge	7.62×54mmR
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	600–800 RPM
Muzzle velocity	825 m/s (2,707 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1500 m
Feed system	Belt Feed: 100, 200, 250-round

External video

Video of Pecheneg Bullpup being fired

The Pecheneg (Russian: Печенег), also referred to as the "PKP" is a Russian 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun. It is a further development and modification of the PK machine gun, hence the PKP name, as in PK Pecheneg. It is said to be more accurate than all its predecessors due to a heavier, non-removable, forced-air-cooling barrel with radial cooling ribs and a handle which eliminates the haze effect from hot gases and keeps the barrel cooler, making the weapon more reliable. Furthermore, the weapon is capable of having a telescopic sight or other sights mounted on it, increasing its accuracy and effective range.

The GRAU index of the Pecheneg is 6P41 or 6P41N (Pecheneg-N) when fitted with a mounting rail for a night vision sight. It is currently in use by Russian Army Spetsnaz and other troops in significant numbers. Even though it was developed mainly for infantry use, it also has been fitted to several light vehicles.

The Pecheneg is a standard 7.62×54mmR PKM machine gun without the rapid barrel-change option, and intended for use from an integral bipod as a squad support weapon. It can provide more sustained firepower than the standard-issue RPK-74, and the 7.62×54mmR cartridge offers a longer effective range and better penetration of light structures and improvised covers in urban and forest environments.

The Pecheneg is named for the Pecheneg people, a warlike tribe of Turkic origin who lived in what later became steppes of Southern Russia and Ukraine.

The Pecheneg medium machine gun can be considered as a modification of the PKM machine gun, but it is built for only one tactical role; that is, as a true general-purpose machine gun for mechanized infantry and Spetsnaz troops. Its key difference from the parent design is the barrel, which is not a "quick-change" barrel, meaning that it is not intended to be replaced in the field, although it can be removed for inspection and maintenance. The barrel is somewhat heavier than that of the PKM, and has radial cooling ribs. This is enclosed in a steel jacket, which runs up to the muzzle to provide forced air cooling, similar to the distinctive Lewis machine gun designed during the World War I era. Cooling air enters the jacket through oval windows at the rear of the jacket, and exits at the muzzle, propelled by the pressure differential created by the high-velocity gun gases escaping from the muzzle. Whereas early versions of the Pecheneg had a standard PKM-type flash suppressor, resulting in significant muzzle blast once the gun had warmed up, current production version guns have a special flash suppressor that eliminates the issue. The rear of the barrel-encasing steel jacket features a permanently attached carrying handle with a characteristic elongated profile, as it is also intended to protect the line of sight from mirages generated by convection of air heated up by the barrel.