The outstanding gunsmith Semyon Vladimirov managed to combine the rate of fire of a conventional heavy machine gun with the armor-piercing power of an anti-tank rifle, providing the new weapon with the ability to fight both manpower located in light shelters and lightly armored targets and enemy fire weapons. Moreover, the KPV coped well with the task of covering units from low-flying aircraft, also as an anti-aircraft machine gun.
The most powerful mass-produced machine gun in the world can safely be called the Soviet KPV - the Vladimirov heavy machine gun (GAU Index - 56-P-562), which was developed in 1944 by the outstanding Soviet small arms designer Semyon Vladimirovich Vladimirov. The new 14.5 mm mounted heavy machine gun KPV was put into service already in 1949.
The muzzle energy of the KPV machine gun reaches 31 kJ (for comparison, the American 12.7 mm Browning M2HB machine gun has only 17 kJ, and the Soviet 20 mm ShVAK aircraft gun has about 28 kJ). Along with the German MG 151, Czechoslovak ZB-60 and Chinese QJG-02 machine gun, the Vladimirovna heavy machine gun is one of the most powerful machine guns on the planet ever mass-produced and used directly by the armed forces for combat operations.
KPV (PKP) on a Kharykin wheeled machine
At the very beginning of its operation, the Vladimirov machine gun was also called PKP (large-caliber infantry machine gun) and was installed on Kharykin’s wheeled machine; already at that time it was the most powerful machine gun on the planet!
KPV 14.5 mm heavy machine gun in the Museum of Russian Military History in Padikovo, Istrinsky District, Moscow Region
Nowadays it is quite rare to find photographs of this version of the KPV on the Internet, but domestic small arms museums still contain similar examples of the most powerful machine gun in the world!
KPV machine gun trigger (@ Yuri Pasholok yuripasholok.livejournal.com)
KPV machine gun on Kharykin's wheeled machine (@ Yuri Pasholok yuripasholok.livejournal.com)
Such a copy of the KPV on a Kharykin wheeled machine is exhibited at the Museum of Russian Military History in the village of Padikovo, Istrinsky district, Moscow region, which can be reached from Moscow along the Novorizhskoe highway.
ZGU-1 - KPV in anti-aircraft design
ZGU-1 consists of a modernized 14.5-mm KPVM machine gun, a lightweight carriage and sighting devices. This anti-aircraft gun is designed to destroy air targets flying at speeds of up to 200 m/s at a range of up to 2000 and an altitude of up to 1500 m.
ZGU-1 - 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun mount
During the war in Afghanistan, it was used by both sides against air targets and ground targets (lightly armored vehicles, vehicles, manpower). To control the fire of the ZGU-1, the VK-4 anti-aircraft collimator sight is used.
ZGU-1 - Soviet anti-aircraft single mountain-pack machine gun mount during the war in Afghanistan
Cartridge 14.5×114
| 14.5×114 |
The 14.5×114 mm caliber cartridge was developed in the USSR in 1938 by a design team consisting of G. F. Andreev, G. A. Kasatkin, S. I. Pankov, V. A. Legostov, I. N. Nikolaev, L. N. Koshkina, V.M. Tanygina, V.I. Kuznetsova.
14.5x114 (left) .50 BMG (right)
The cartridge was created for use in anti-tank rifles and against armored targets up to light and medium tanks, as the Soviet 12.7 mm cartridge was found to have insufficient armor penetration.
In 1941, the cartridge was officially adopted and its mass production began.
Until 1944, only anti-tank rifles were produced chambered for 14.5×114.
The cartridge was used for firing from anti-tank rifles of the Degtyarev system - PTRD (single-shot) and the Simonov system - PTRS (five-shot with automatic reloading).
The nomenclature of bullets also corresponded to the purpose of the weapon.
In 1941, a cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 and a brass sleeve was adopted.
In the same year, a cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-41 (with a hardened core) was developed, and a little later - cartridges with armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullets BZT and BST (with a hardened core) and a cartridge with an incendiary-targeting bullet ZP.
At one time, as an experiment to increase the effectiveness of the ammunition, a capsule with the irritating substance CAF (chloroacetophenone) was placed in the bottom part of the BS-41 core. The bullet, called “armor-piercing-incendiary-chemical,” after penetrating the armor, created an intolerable concentration of tear gas in the space behind the armor and incapacitated the enemy personnel located there. A similar effect was used by the Germans for their own anti-tank rifle PzB-39.
Strengthening the armor of tanks undertaken by the warring parties during the Great Patriotic War reduced the effectiveness of anti-tank rifles to such an extent that they actually became only a means of fire support on the battlefield. Attempts to increase armor penetration by increasing the charge - the 14.5-mm BNS (high initial velocity) cartridge, obtained by recompressing a 23-mm cartridge case from the VYa-23 gun, did not yield a significant increase in efficiency.
| 14.5×114 |
Also, the ballistics of the 14.5 mm cartridge were suitable not only for fire support and destruction of lightly armored targets, but also for combating air targets at low altitudes. And with the advent of the Vladimirov heavy machine gun - KPV - at the end of the war, the 14.5-mm armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT-44 was adopted.
Cartridges for domestic 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles PTRD and PTRS were produced exclusively with brass sleeves. This is largely due to the fact that with manual reloading of the PTRD, extraction of the steel cartridge case would be almost impossible. And with a brass cartridge case, reloading was often difficult.
At the end of the Great Patriotic War, a large-caliber 14.5-mm Vladimirov machine gun was developed. The brass casing in machine gun ammunition is being replaced by varnished steel, as it is cheaper to produce and does not cause delays when firing from an automatic weapon.
In the 1950-1960s, 14.5 mm machine guns practically replaced 12.7 mm weapons in the USSR ground forces. To solve new problems, 14.5 mm cartridges with ZP and MDZ bullets, structurally similar to 12.7 mm cartridges, are being adopted. The BS bullet receives a tracer and becomes a BST. The brass sleeve was replaced with a cheaper steel one, coated with green varnish.
In 1989, a team led by R. F. Sazonov created a cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS (with a hardened core).
In addition, there are training and blank cartridges of 14.5x114 mm caliber.
The cartridge case 14.5x114 is steel or brass. The bullet casing is steel, clad with tombac.
On the bottom of the cartridges there is a marking indicating the factory and year of manufacture of the cartridges.
The cartridges are packed in 42 pieces in galvanized metal boxes. Two metal boxes are placed in a wooden cartridge box. There are 84 rounds in the box.
Currently, 14.5x114 cartridges are used in KPV and KPVT heavy machine guns and their variants. In this case, cartridges with a steel case and bullets are most often used: armor-piercing incendiary B-32, armor-piercing incendiary tracer BZT and fragmentation incendiary MDZ.
Over the entire period of its existence, the production of 14.5x114 cartridges, in addition to the USSR (Russia), was also established in Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Hungary, Iraq, North Korea, Poland, Romania and the former Czechoslovakia.
In addition, in the middle of the Great Patriotic War, a cartridge for 23 mm guns was created based on the 14.5 mm cartridge case.
| 14.5×114 |
ZPU-2 - twin KPV in anti-aircraft design
The ZPU-2 14.5 mm anti-aircraft twin mount was put into service in 1949, its serial production was launched at Plant No. 525.
ZPU-2 (GAU index - 56-US-562) - Soviet twin anti-aircraft machine gun in stowed position
The 14.5 mm ZPU-2 can be used to engage air targets (airplanes, helicopters, drones, as well as enemy airborne units), as well as it can be used to fire at lightly armored vehicles and concentrations of manpower.
ZPU-2 14.5 mm - Soviet twin anti-aircraft machine gun mount in combat position
The relatively light weight and the presence of a pair of wheels allows this anti-aircraft gun to be moved over short distances by a crew consisting of 6 people.
ZPU-4 - quad anti-aircraft KPV
ZPU-4 is a quad 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mount, which is designed to engage air targets at an altitude of up to 1,500 meters and a range of up to 2,000 meters. The weight of the ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun is 2100 kilograms. The total rate of fire is 2400 rounds per minute, 600 rounds per minute per barrel of KPV machine guns.
ZPU-4 - quad 14.5-mm anti-aircraft machine gun mount for KPV machine guns
The ZPU-4 installation was actively used during the Korean War (by North Korean and Chinese troops), as well as during the Gulf War (by the Iraqi armed forces). Currently, ZPU-4, installed in the back of trucks, is used by the Syrian government army against terrorist groups.
ZPU-4 - quad 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mount in firing position
In the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, ZPU-4 anti-aircraft mounts have been replaced by more powerful twin ZU-23-2 artillery mounts, 23 mm caliber.
MTPU - 14.5 mm naval machine gun mount
The 14.5-mm MTPU naval pedestal machine gun mount is designed to combat surface, coastal and airborne lightly armored targets - a fairly powerful weapon for the defense of small ships.
The MTPU is installed on the decks of warships and boats on a carriage, and ensures the destruction of surface and coastal targets at ranges of up to 2000 m at an altitude of up to 1500 m. For firing, the MTPU uses 14.5 mm cartridges with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32, armor-piercing - BZT tracer bullet and MDZ instant incendiary bullet.
Large-caliber machine gun cartridges. 14.5 mm heavy machine gun cartridges
In the mid-1930s, a serious problem unexpectedly arose before the high command of the Red Army. With the adoption of large-caliber DK machine guns, it was not possible to completely solve the problem of infantry fighting enemy tanks. The power of the new heavy machine guns turned out to be completely insufficient to penetrate tank armor, the thickness and quality of which was constantly growing. In this regard, the issue of creating a sufficiently powerful and at the same time simple and relatively cheap type of weapon for the infantry - an anti-tank rifle, which had a number of advantages over anti-tank artillery: light weight, high maneuverability on the battlefield and the possibility of good camouflage in relation to to the area.
The removal from service in 1935 of 37-mm dynamo-rocket anti-tank rifles of the Kurchevsky system, which were in fact the first Soviet hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, essentially left the Red Army infantry without a reliable means of defense. The danger of this situation was very well understood by many Soviet military commanders, so already in March 1936 a competition was announced for the design of anti-tank rifles. M. N. Blum, S. V. Vladimirov, S. A. Korovin and others took part in it. Before 1938, they presented to the Art Committee of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army 15 samples of anti-tank guns of various systems and calibers, from 12.7 mm and up to 37 mm, and with a weight of up to 70 kg. But since there were no sufficiently strict specifications for the new weapons, none of these anti-tank rifles met the army's requirements. And only based on the results of the 1936–1938 competition, the GAU developed the main criteria for an anti-tank rifle that meets all the requirements of modern maneuverable combat. With high service and operational qualities, the PTR was supposed to destroy 20-mm tank armor at distances of up to 500 m. However, the creation of a truly advanced anti-tank weapon was hampered by the lack of a cartridge with high destructive qualities. In 1934–1938, specialists from the small arms research range (NIPSVO) in the village. Shchurovo, Moscow region, created a new model of a 14.5-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet weight of 64 grams, and a high initial speed of 1012 m/s, which ensured armor penetration of any armored vehicle at that time.
The live cartridge consisted of a cartridge case, a bullet, a powder charge and an igniter primer. The mass of the cartridge was about 200 grams.
The cartridge case has: a body, inside of which a powder charge is placed; the barrel into which the bullet is inserted; a ramp with which the cartridge is fixed in the chamber; a flange (rim) that serves to grip the cartridge case in order to remove the cartridge from the receiver and the spent cartridge case from the chamber by the bolt.
At the bottom of the cartridge case there is a socket for the igniter primer, an anvil on which the igniter primer is broken by the firing pin, and two seed holes through which the flame from the igniter primer is transferred to the powder charge.
The igniter capsule consists of a brass cap with a percussion compound pressed into it and a foil circle covering the percussion compound.
Subsequently, a modified large-caliber cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a steel core B-32 (index 57-BZ-561 and 57-BZ-561 C) and a new cartridge of increased armor penetration with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-41 with a special carbide metal-ceramic carbide core tungsten (index 57-BZ-562) formed the basis on which most Soviet anti-tank rifles were designed.
14.5 mm cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 mod.
1941 and with a brass sleeve. The new bullet, in addition to the usual cartridge with the B-32 bullet, was adopted by the Red Army in 1941 to fully realize the armor penetration potential of the cartridge. Such a core was much harder and heavier than a steel core. The BS-41 bullet was twice as armor-piercing as the conventional B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet, which penetrates a 30-mm armor plate from a normal distance of 500 m. A 14.5-mm BS-41 bullet with a tungsten carbide core pierced a plate of armor steel up to 50 mm thick from a distance of 500 m. In addition to these cartridges, the ammunition of anti-tank rifles also included a cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet BZ-39. In addition, before the Great Patriotic War in the USSR, work was carried out on the design of a 14.5-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary chemical bullet BZKh, which was a BS-41 bullet with a capsule filled with tear gas lachrymator (chloroacetophenone), which was supposed to provide a certain impact on the crew when a bullet hits the fighting compartment of an armored vehicle, forcing tank crews to evacuate from a gas-filled vehicle with an intolerable concentration of tear gas outside, under targeted fire from German infantry.
During the Great Patriotic War, 14.5 mm cartridges were used to fire Degtyarev PTRD single-shot anti-tank rifles and Simonov PTRS self-loading repeating anti-tank rifles. The high power of the cartridge and the high penetration ability of the bullet significantly surpassed existing foreign models and again made the idea of creating an anti-tank heavy machine gun promising. Therefore, the 14.5-mm heavy machine gun of the Vladimirov system (KPV) mod. 1944 owes its outstanding firepower, combining the rate of fire of a heavy machine gun with the armor-piercing effect of an anti-tank rifle, to the 14.5 mm cartridge with a bullet weighing 64 grams and an initial speed of 1012 m/s, for which it was created.
14.5-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary chemical bullet BZH and with a brass sleeve.
The experience of the Great Patriotic War convincingly proved that infantry needs weapons more powerful than large-caliber DShK machine guns to combat light armored targets, machine gun and artillery nests and live enemy force, especially since one of the main elements of the “ammunition-weapon” complex - the 14.5-mm cartridge, used for firing from anti-tank rifles and having a very high penetrating ability, was created even before the war. In 1943, Kovrov KB-2 began designing a machine gun chambered for a 14.5 mm cartridge. KB-2 designer S.V. Vladimirov began designing a similar machine gun. Together with him, V. A. Ryzhkov, A. I. Bulanova, P. P. Protasov, A. P. Finogenov, V. V. Kalinin worked on the creation of new weapons. They took as a basis a system of automatic operation that had practically never been used in Soviet automatic weapons—the recoil of the barrel with its short stroke. This decision was facilitated by a thorough study of the latest small arms, including captured German MG.34 machine guns; MG.81; MG.131; MG.151, which successfully used a similar operating principle. The bolt in the Vladimirov machine gun was locked by turning the combat cylinder directly with the barrel coupling using a copier-type accelerator. The feed mechanism is double-sided, slider, designed for the use of metal non-loose machine gun belt for 40 rounds. To compensate for the significant recoil force, the machine gun was equipped with a bolt buffer mounted in the butt plate. The trigger mechanism was designed to conduct only continuous fire. The weapon turned out, despite the use of such a powerful cartridge, to be surprisingly light - only 39.6 kg. However, its combat characteristics were impressive: with a rate of fire of 500–550 rounds/min, the machine gun developed an initial bullet speed of 1030 m/s. When fired at a distance of up to 500 m at an angle of 90 degrees, it penetrated armor 32 mm thick. In 1944, a 14.5-mm machine gun under the designation “KPV-44” (Vladimirov heavy machine gun model 1944) went into small-scale production at the Kovrov plant. The KPV immediately established itself as the most powerful machine gun at that time, with high combat and fairly good service and operational qualities, reliable and trouble-free operation, as well as a very easy-to-maintain and repair model. The KPV-44 was immediately conceived for use not only as an infantry anti-tank machine gun, but also as a very effective air defense weapon for combating enemy aircraft at low altitudes. The machine gun could be mounted on a single wheeled infantry machine, twin and quadruple machine guns, which made it possible to fire in the ground and anti-aircraft position. After many years of refinement, the KPV/KPVT machine guns entered service with the Soviet Army in 1949, first in the infantry version (PKP; SKP), and subsequently in numerous anti-aircraft machine guns (ZPU-1; ZPU-2; ZPU-4) and tank installations. They still serve as machine gun weapons for tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Among other small arms systems, the 14.5 mm Vladimirov heavy machine gun has no equal in firepower on the battlefield. A quadruple anti-aircraft installation of KPV machine guns, with a total rate of fire of 2400 rounds/min, if necessary, transferred to the position for firing at ground targets, can, in a few seconds of dagger fire, turn a three-axle army truck into a flaming destroyed shell, sagging into a dark oily puddle. The muzzle energy of a machine gun is 32,000 J, and a hit to any part of the human body is almost always fatal, and any hit to a limb leads to its separation. This is a legendary weapon, recognizable by its silhouette, by the sound of firing.
To fire the Vladimirov KPV/KPVT machine gun, cartridges with the B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet can be used; armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-41; armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT and its modernized versions BZT-44, BZT-44 M (with a steel core) (indices 7-BZT-561, 57-BZT-561 S and 57-BZT-561 SM); armor-piercing incendiary-tracer special bullet BST (with a carbide core) (indices 57-BZT-562 and 57-BZT-562 C); with a sighting-incendiary (explosive) bullet ZP (index 57-Z-561 M), instantaneous incendiary bullets MDZ (indexes 57-Z-564 and 57-Z-564 S) and MDZM (index 7-Z-6). In 1989, the BS-41 bullet with a special core was modernized and received the designation BS. It is designed similarly to the 12.7 mm BS armor-piercing incendiary bullet of the 1974 model. Cartridges with different bullets are fired from KPV/KPVT machine guns with the same sight settings.
14.5 mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BST and a steel case with a phosphate-varnish coating
14.5 mm cartridges with B-32, BS-41, BST, BZT, BZT-44 and BZT-44 bullets M are designed to destroy lightly armored and unarmored ground targets, fire weapons and manpower located behind light shelters at ranges up to 1000 m, vehicles and cargo vehicles - up to 2000 m, and air targets - at altitudes up to 1500 m and at ranges up to 2000 m. Thus, when firing from a KPVT machine gun with cartridges with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32, their penetrating effect is at least 80% when firing at an armor plate 20 mm thick, installed at an angle of 20 degrees to the vertical, at a distance of 300 m, and the incendiary effect - at least 80% on paper soaked in gasoline and covered with an armor plate 20 mm thick, at a distance of 100 m. A cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullets BZT and BZT-44 has a penetration effect of at least 80% when firing at an armor plate 20 mm thick , installed at an angle of 20 degrees to the vertical, at a distance of 100 m, and the incendiary effect is at least 80% for gasoline (for BZT-44 M - at least 90%) covered with an armor plate 20 mm thick, at a distance of 100 m.
In addition, cartridges with BZT, BST and ZP bullets are intended for fire adjustment and can be used for target designation. The tracking range of BST and ZP bullets is at least 1500 m, BZT and BZT-44 - at least 2000 m. The BZT-44 M bullet is also used for target designation and fire adjustment with a distance of the beginning of bullet dispersion - at least 2100 m. BS-41 bullets and BST have better armor-piercing ability than B-32 and BZT bullets. When armor-piercing incendiary bullets B-32 and BS-41 hit an obstacle (armor), the core of these bullets pierces the armor, causing damage with fragments formed from the bullet and the pierced armor. When firing at fuel protected by armor, the bullet core pierces the armor; the incendiary composition ignites when a bullet hits the armor; the flame penetrates the hole punched by the core in the armor and ignites the fuel. B-32 and BS-41 bullets also provide ignition of flammable objects and fuel located in thick-walled containers not protected by armor (in tanks, railway tanks, gas stations, gas storage facilities, etc.) at ranges up to 1500 m.
The BZT and BST bullets have a number of advantages compared to the BS-41 bullet, including greater armor-piercing and incendiary ability, as well as the presence of a tracer. The mechanism of armor-piercing and incendiary action of BZT and BST bullets is the same as that of B-32 and BS-41 bullets. When fired, the ignition composition of the bullet tracer is ignited by the action of powder gases. After the bullet leaves the barrel, the igniter composition ignites the tracer composition, due to the ignition of which a red path is formed during the flight, visible day and night.
14.5-mm cartridge with an incendiary-sighting bullet (explosive) ZP and with a brass sleeve
When fired, when the incendiary bullet ZP is in the barrel bore and receives high acceleration, the oncoming cap, under the influence of inertia force, settles on the firing pin, while the tip of the firing pin pierces the bottom of the advancing cap, due to which the bullet flies out of the barrel with the firing pin cocked. When it encounters an obstacle, the speed of the bullet drops sharply, the firing pin, under the influence of inertial force, continues to move forward and pierces the igniter capsule with its sting, which, when pinned by the firing pin, is triggered and ignites the incendiary composition. The incendiary composition can also ignite due to deformation of the cap and rapid compression of the composition that occurs when the bullet encounters an obstacle. The target is ignited by the flame formed when the incendiary composition of the bullet is ignited. The formation of a path during the flight of ZP bullets occurs in the same way as with BZT and BST bullets.
The 14.5 mm machine gun cartridge with an instantaneous incendiary bullet MDZ is similar to the 12.7 mm machine gun cartridge with an instantaneous incendiary bullet MDZ, but with one belt on the leading part.
Currently, modernized MDZM bullets are produced with a ledge in the leading and tail parts and with a phosphate coating. Cartridges with the MDZ bullet are designed to destroy low-flying air targets (airplanes and helicopters) at distances up to 2000 m, as well as to defeat manpower located behind light shelters, and unarmored combat and auxiliary equipment (tractors, ATGMs, anti-aircraft and missile launchers, vehicles , oil terminals, etc.). The MDZ bullet, having a high-explosive fragmentation and incendiary effect, ensures the destruction or damage of air targets by fragments or a blast wave, as well as the ignition of flammable liquids located in tanks with wall thicknesses from 2 to 8 mm, at ranges from 100 to 1500 m. When hit MDZ bullets into the barrier explode the explosive material and the resulting fragments, and the blast wave hits the target and ignites the fuel. For a cartridge with an instant-action incendiary bullet MDZ, the incendiary and explosive effect of the bullet when firing at a flammable liquid protected by a 2 mm thick sheet of aluminum alloy grade D16 AM at a distance of up to 1500 m is at least 90%, and for a cartridge with an MDZM bullet the incendiary effect of the bullet when firing at jet fuel TS, TS-1, TS-2 (which powers the engines of ground combat and aircraft vehicles), protected by a 2 mm thick sheet of aluminum alloy D16 AM, at a distance of up to 1500 m it is at least 80%. When an MDZ/MDZM bullet hits the engine, instantaneous ignition of the fuel occurs, since the flame temperature ranges from 2500 to 3500 degrees (Celsius). The flash from the explosion of MDZ/MDZM bullets is noticeable at a distance of up to 2000 m. A machine gun belt equipped with 14.5 mm cartridges with a modernized MDZ-M instant incendiary bullet with a steel sleeve.
Structurally, the 14.5 mm armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 is similar 12.7 mm B-32 bullet, but has one leading belt and ledges in the leading and tail parts. The B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet consists of a brass-plated steel shell, a lead jacket, a hardened steel core made of U12 A, U12 XA steel and an incendiary composition. The head of the B-32 bullet is painted black with a red belt.
The BS-41 armor-piercing incendiary bullet consists of a steel bimetallic shell, a lead jacket, a cermet core made of tungsten carbide (RE-8 alloy) and an incendiary composition. The top of the BS-41 bullet is painted black, the rest of its surface up to the edge of the cartridge case is painted red, the igniter primer is coated with black varnish.
The armor-piercing incendiary-tracer bullet BZT consists of a steel brass-plated or bimetallic shell, a lead jacket, a hardened steel core made of steel grades U12 A, U12 XA, an incendiary composition and a tracer cup, inside of which the ignition and tracer compositions are pressed. The head of the BZT bullet is painted purple with a red belt.
The BST armor-piercing incendiary-tracer bullet consists of a brass-plated steel shell, an aluminum jacket, a metal-ceramic core made of VK-8 alloy, an incendiary composition and a tracer cup, inside of which the ignition and tracer compositions are pressed. The top of the BS-41 bullet is painted purple, the rest of its surface up to the edge of the cartridge case is painted red.
14.5-mm cartridges with an incendiary bullet ZP are designed to destroy open ground targets, ignite wooden buildings, haystacks, straw and other flammable objects, fuel located in tanks and tanks unprotected by armor, at ranges up to 1500 m. The ZP bullet has a tracer . The route is red, visible day and night. Tracing range is up to 1500 m. The sighting and incendiary bullet ZP consists of a brass-plated or bimetallic steel shell, a tombak cap, a lead jacket, an incendiary composition, a cup with a striking mechanism and a lead gasket located in it, and a tracer cup, inside of which the ignition and tracer compositions are pressed. The impact mechanism consists of a capsule sleeve with an igniter primer, a running cap that acts as a fuse against premature firing of a bullet, a striker with a sting and a fabric gasket. The top of the ZP bullet is painted red.
The MDZ instant incendiary bullet consists of a brass-plated steel shell, a lead jacket, a glass with an explosive contained in it, a gasket and an explosive device. The top of the MZD bullet is painted red to the edge of the cartridge case.
Due to the presence of igniter caps and detonator caps in ZP and MDZ bullets, as well as soft tombak tips, it is prohibited to remove these cartridges from loaded belts by focusing on metal or hardwood objects. Ammo boxes can serve as a stop for this purpose.
14.5 mm blank cartridge
14.5 mm training cartridges (index 57-N-561-UCH) are intended for training in loading, unloading and firing techniques, as well as for studying the operation of automatic machine guns. They have a sleeve with longitudinal grooves on the body. In training cartridges, the igniter primer is broken (cold), there is no powder charge in the cartridge case, and the bullet is only a bullet casing that does not contain other elements of the bullet.
14.5 mm blank cartridges (index 57-X-561) are designed to simulate combat shooting and consist of a cartridge case with an igniter primer, a powder charge and a cardboard cap. To hold the cap, the muzzle of the cartridge case is slightly compressed.
The greatest shooting efficiency is achieved when using various cartridges interspersed. When firing at air and ground armored targets, it is advisable to alternately use cartridges with B-32, BZT, BS-41 bullets or with BST, B-32 and BZT bullets.
When firing at unarmored ground targets, cartridges with B-32, BZT-44 M and MDZM bullets are used interspersed.
When shooting at air targets, it is necessary to use the following combination of large-caliber cartridges with B-32, BZT-44 M and MDZM bullets.
The ratio of cartridges in a machine gun belt for firing at specified targets is used in accordance with the approved ammunition.
Sergey Monetchikov Photo from the author’s archive
KPVT - for installation on armored vehicles
KPVT (GRAU index - 56-P-562T) is a modified version of the infantry heavy machine gun of the same name for arming armored vehicles. The KPVT tank machine gun can be used both for firing at ground (armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-tank artillery) or surface targets (boats and light-engine vessels), and for hitting low-flying enemy aircraft, helicopters and UAVs.
In the KPVT large-caliber machine gun, the automation implements the principle of using recoil energy with a short barrel stroke, that is, using the recoil of a movable barrel, with which the bolt is firmly coupled during the shot. In this case, when fired, not just the bolt is thrown back, but the barrel along with the bolt.
3D model of the KPVT machine gun on the T55 tank (@ Live Resin 3D)
The KPVT machine gun provides effective destruction of targets at a distance of up to 2 kilometers, but experienced shooters can fire quite effectively at targets at a longer distance (after all, 14.5 × 114 mm ammunition retains lethality at a range of up to 4,000 meters), depending on the level of skill, the quality of the ammunition used and the degree of wear of the machine gun barrel.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the KPVT 14.5 mm machine gun
The Vladimirov Tank Heavy Machine Gun has truly impressive performance characteristics and is rightfully considered the most powerful machine gun in the world:
- History of production and service - Developed: 1944 - Designer: Vladimirov, Semyon Vladimirovich - Adopted for service: 1949 - Manufacturer: Degtyarev Plant (Kovrov), (Kuibyshev)
- KPV machine gun weight - 52.3 kg (without ammunition)
- Machine gun dimensions - Length, mm: 2000 - Barrel length, mm: 1346
- The caliber of the KPV machine gun is 14.5 mm
- The rate of fire of the KPV machine gun is 550-600 rounds/min.
- Bullet speed - 976-1005 m/s
- The sighting range of the KPV machine gun is 2000 meters (1500 for air targets)
- Operating principles: - short barrel stroke, rotary bolt
- Type of ammunition: - 40-round belt
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KPVT machine gun
A bullet from a 14.5-mm Vladimirov heavy machine gun (KPV), which has a tungsten carbide core, pierces a plate of armor steel up to 50 mm thick from a distance of 500 m. Among other small arms systems, the Vladimirov machine gun has no equal in firepower on the battlefield. A quadruple anti-aircraft installation of KPV machine guns, with a total rate of fire of 2400 rounds per minute, if necessary, transferred to the position for firing at ground targets, can, in a few seconds of dagger fire, turn a three-axle army truck into a flaming destroyed island, sagging into a dark oily puddle. The muzzle energy of a machine gun is 32,000 J, and a hit to any part of the human body is almost always fatal, and any hit to a limb leads to its separation. This is a legendary weapon, recognizable by its silhouette, by the sound of firing.
The KPV machine gun was developed in 1944. It can be used as an infantry, anti-aircraft and tank (armored personnel carrier) machine gun. The infantry version of the machine gun was adopted for service in 1949, on a wheeled machine, under the designation PKP (large-caliber infantry machine gun). In 1955, the wheeled machine was replaced by a lighter and more advanced tripod. The tank version of the machine gun, designated KPVT (Vladimirov tank heavy machine gun), is equipped with an electric trigger and a pulse shot counter. The barrel casing is expanded to facilitate maintenance of the machine gun.
Initially, the KPVT machine gun was installed on domestic T-10 heavy tanks, where it was located in the turret, coaxial with a 122-mm cannon. Since 1965, the KPVT has been the main weapon of domestic wheeled armored personnel carriers, starting with the BTR-60PB model, as well as the 2nd model BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicle. In the armored personnel carrier (BTR-60PB, BTR-70, BTR-80) and BRDM-2, the KPVT is installed in a unified rotating conical turret, along with a coaxial 7.62-mm Kalashnikov PKT machine gun. As an anti-aircraft machine gun, it is used in single (ZPU-1), twin (ZPU-2, ZU-2), quadruple (ZPU-4) anti-aircraft installations and in a single mountain installation ZGU-1. As noted by the famous researcher D.N. Bolotin, the first deliveries of ZGU-1 mining units were carried out to Vietnam. Which, we note, also served as a testing ground, which made it possible to comprehensively test the strength of weapons in real combat conditions and harsh natural and climatic conditions.
The KPV machine gun is also used to arm combat boats on the MTPU pedestal mount. Since the mid-1950s. Only a tank version is produced - KPVT, which, for the purpose of unification, is used in various installations, along with the base model.
The automatic machine gun uses the recoil energy of the barrel during its short stroke. Rate of fire - 550-600 rounds/min. The machine gun is powered by a non-scattered metal link tape with a closed link, made up of pieces of 10 links. The pieces are connected to each other by a cartridge when the tape is loaded, and fall apart during shooting. Thus, the ammunition load is determined by the capacity of the cartridge boxes. In the infantry version, the box capacity is 40 rounds, the armored personnel carrier's ammunition capacity is 500 rounds. The tape feed is double-sided, it can be changed from left to right and vice versa. Fire mode - continuous. The body weight of the machine gun is 7.5 kg, the weight of the PKP machine gun with the machine is 161.7 kg. The target direct fire range is 2000 m. The machine gun is used to combat lightly armored ground targets (such as armored personnel carriers), firing points and targets located behind light field-type shelters, low-flying aircraft and helicopters.
The KPV machine gun owes its outstanding firepower, combining the rate of fire of a heavy machine gun with the armor-piercing effect of an anti-tank rifle, to the cartridge for which it was created. This cartridge was developed in 1938 for domestic anti-tank rifles and put into service in 1941 with the B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a steel core. During the Second World War, it was used to fire Degtyarev PTRD single-shot anti-tank rifles and Simonov PTRS self-loading repeating anti-tank rifles. The high power of the cartridge and the high penetration ability of the bullet significantly exceeded existing foreign models, and made the idea of creating an anti-tank machine gun promising.
The 13.94-mm cartridge (550 caliber) PTR Boyce (England) had a bullet weight of 60 g and an initial bullet speed of 750 m/s, a 15-mm cartridge of the German bicaliber 15-mm/20-mm aviation machine gun MG-151/15 - respectively 50 g and 700 m/s, the cartridge of the 13.2 mm French Hotchkiss machine gun is 50 g and 800 m/s. The domestic cartridge has a bullet weighing 64 g and an initial bullet speed of 1012 m/s. Thus, the 14.5 x 114 cartridge (cartridge designation according to the international system) was one and a half to two times more energetic than other large-caliber cartridges in service, including the domestic 12.7 mm cartridge (12.7 x 108) for a machine gun DShK arr. 1938
To fully realize the armor penetration potential of the cartridge, in 1941, in addition to the usual one, a special armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-41 was adopted, which had a carbide (metal-ceramic) armor-piercing core made of tungsten carbide. This core is much harder and heavier than a steel core. The BS-41 bullet's armor penetration is twice that of the conventional B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet, which penetrates a 30-mm armor plate from a normal distance of 500 m. For firing a machine gun, cartridges with an armor-piercing incendiary-tracer bullet BZT (with a steel core), an armor-piercing incendiary-tracer special bullet BST (with a carbide core), a sighting-incendiary (explosive) bullet PZ and an instantaneous incendiary MDZ bullet can also be used. In 1989, the BS-41 bullet was modernized and designated BS.
Soviet weapons survived the ideological assault that had sunk into oblivion, suppressing consciousness and shaping the necessary way of thinking and understanding of reality. With this, a lot of myths collapsed, developing in detail the general idea of how “everything Soviet is the best.” And against the new background, it turned out that our weapon - perhaps the only one that, in fact, ensured its rating on its own, and without ideological “crutches” - did not waver at all.
For half a century, the CPV has been used in local conflicts and wars around the globe, passing the test of strength in all climatic zones. But the most important thing is the trust of the fighter - the gunner and his assistant, which no one has ever managed to bribe with anything other than the reliable reliability and outstanding combat qualities of the weapon.
AMMUNITION
But let's return to the basis of any weapon - the cartridge. For firing from the Vladimirov machine gun, at first, already produced 14.5x114 cartridges with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 and a BS-41 bullet were used, as well as a version adopted with the machine gun with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT, intended for firing at low-flying targets, lightly armored vehicles, group targets, shooting adjustments.
The B-32 and BZT variants became the main ones, but the tasks for which the Vladimirov machine gun served required an expansion of the family of 14.5 mm cartridges. In the 50-60s, cartridges with a sighting-incendiary bullet PZ and an instant-action incendiary bullet MDZ were adopted (for hitting air targets and unarmored weapons and military equipment). There are, of course, both blank and practice cartridges. Already in 1989, a 14.5-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS with an aluminum jacket, a carbide core and increased armor penetration was developed.
A cartridge with a modernized MDZM bullet was also adopted, and in 2002 a cartridge with a modernized BZT-M bullet was adopted. It is characteristic that its main innovation was the ignition of the tracer at a distance from the muzzle, which dazzles the shooter less and reduces the illumination of night sights. The 14.5 mm cartridge (the most powerful of commercially produced small arms ammunition) will apparently remain in service for a long time.
14.5x114 BS-41 - armor-piercing incendiary with a metal-ceramic core, similar in design to 12.7 mm bullets.
14.5x114 BST - armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet
14.5x114 ZP - incendiary bullet
Bullets of old cartridges 14.5 x 114 mm: 1 - jacket; 2 — incendiary mixture; 3 — armor-piercing core (alloy); 4 - lead jacket; 5 - aluminum jacket; b — tracer bushing; 7 — tracer composition; 8 — tip; 9 — igniter primer; 10 — drummer; 11 - bushing.
14.5x114 B-32 is an armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a steel core, similar in design to 12.7 mm bullets.
14.5x114 BZT - armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet.
14.5x114 MDZ - instant incendiary bullet.
Cartridge bullets 14.5 x 114 mm: 1 - jacket; 2 - lead jacket; 3 - armor-piercing core; 4 — fragmentation insert; 5 — incendiary mass; 6 — tracer bushing; 7 — tracer composition; 8 — tip; 9 — bushing; 10 — igniter primer; 11 - base; 12 - explosive; 13 - incendiary mixture.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS KPVT
Cartridge 14.5×114 Machine gun body weight, without cartridges 52.5 kg Length: - machine gun body 2000 mm - barrel 1350 mm Muzzle velocity 990-1000 m/s Range: - aimed shooting at ground targets 2000 m - direct shot at targets with a height of 2.7 m 1050 m - aimed shooting at air targets 1500 m Rate of fire 600-650 rds/min Combat rate of fire 70-90 rds/min Belt capacity 50 rounds
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Range of 14.5 × 114 mm cartridges for the KPV / KPVT machine gun
The first version of the 14.5 mm cartridge (with an armor-piercing bullet with a steel core and a brass sleeve) was developed in the USSR back in 1938 as ammunition for the Rukavishnikov anti-tank rifle.
Serial production of the modified 14.5 mm cartridge began in 1941, and on July 16, 1941, the modified cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a hardened steel core was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “14.5 mm B-32 cartridge.” On August 15, 1941, the second version of the cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a carbide-metal-ceramic core was adopted for service under the name “14.5-mm cartridge with a BS-41 bullet.” Nomenclature of cartridges for the KPV / KPVT machine gun
| Cartridge | GRAU index | Note |
| 14.5 B-32 hl | 57-BZ-561 | cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 with a steel core and a brass sleeve |
| 14.5 B-32 gs | 57-BZ-561S | cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 with a steel core and a steel sleeve |
| 14.5 BZT hl | 57-BZT-561 | cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT-44 with a steel core and a brass sleeve |
| 14.5 BZT gs | 57-BZT-561S | cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT-44 with a steel core and a steel sleeve |
| 14.5 BZT-M gs | 57-BZT-561SM | cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT-M with a steel core and a steel sleeve |
| 14.5 BS-39 | cartridge with armor-piercing bullet BS-39 with a steel core | |
| 14.5 BS-41 | 57-BZ-562 | cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-41 with a metal-ceramic core (tungsten carbide) |
| 14.5 BST | 57-BZT-562 | cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BST |
| 14.5 MDZ gl | 57-З-564 | cartridge with instantaneous incendiary bullet MDZ and brass sleeve |
| 14.5 MDZ gs | 57-З-564С | cartridge with instantaneous incendiary bullet MDZ and steel sleeve |
| 14.5 MDZ | 7-З-1 | cartridge with instantaneous incendiary bullet MDZ |
| 14.5 MDZ-M | 7-З-6 | instantaneous incendiary bullet cartridge MDZ-M |
| 57-З-561М | cartridge with sighting and incendiary bullet ZP | |
| 57-N-561UCH | training cartridge | |
| 57-Х-561 | blank cartridge |
In 1943, a number of technological processes for the production of cartridges of this caliber in the USSR were automated, which made it possible to significantly increase the production of 14.5-mm cartridges for PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles, which were still a relevant means of combating enemy armored vehicles on the battlefields of the Second World War.
Chuck dimensions 14.5 × 114 mm for KPV (KPVT)
In 1944, the 14.5 × 114 mm cartridge became ammunition for the new KPV heavy machine gun and its modification KPVT, which were installed on Soviet armored vehicles (from the BRDM-2 and BTR-60PB to the later BTR-80), and were also used in twin and quad anti-aircraft machine gun installations.
Machine gun belt equipment for KPV (KPVT) 14.5 mm
After the end of World War II, this large-caliber cartridge was adopted by the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries and its production was established in the USSR and Bulgaria. At the end of the 20th century, the development of large-caliber sniper rifles with special power and armor penetration, capable of hitting targets even inside lightly armored vehicles and behind cover, began with the 14.5x114 mm cartridge. Until now, the KPVT is the most powerful machine gun of all mass-produced on the planet!
Russian cartridges
14.5×114 mm large-caliber cartridges
The appearance of a 14.5 mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet dates back to the late 1930s. Its development was prompted by the need to create powerful anti-tank rifles (ATR)5 that would penetrate the armor of light tanks and armored vehicles. However, by 1943, when the tanks of the main opponents received shell-proof armor, anti-tank rifles lost their importance as an anti-tank weapon and were withdrawn from service by the end of the war.
Interest in the 14.5 mm cartridge was revived again with the creation of the Vladimirov heavy machine gun in 1944. This powerful automatic weapon became the basis for the creation of a number of anti-aircraft machine gun mounts, as well as machine gun mounts for armored personnel carriers, tanks and even heavy machine guns.
14.5 mm cartridges are used for firing from Vladimirov KPV5 heavy machine guns mounted on armored personnel carriers BTR-60, 70 and 80, as well as from anti-aircraft machine gun mounts ZPU-1, ZPU-2, ZU-2 and ZPU-4. Currently, several types and modifications of cartridges are in production, designed to perform various firing tasks.
14.5×114 cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary bullet - 14.5 B-32 (57-BZ-561 S)
Cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary bullet - 14.5 B-32 (57-BZ-561 S)
The 14.5-mm cartridge with the B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet is designed to destroy lightly armored targets, live targets and fire weapons located behind light cover, as well as low-flying targets. It is the main one for 14.5 mm machine guns.
The B-32-14.5-mm cartridge, adopted for service in 1941 along with the PTRD and PTRS anti-tank rifles, received its name because its design, like the 12.7 B-32 cartridge, is similar to the 7.62- mm rifle cartridge with the B-32 bullet, adopted for service in 1932.
The bullet has a bimetallic shell and a steel, heat-strengthened, pointed core. An incendiary composition is placed in the head of the bullet.
A B-32 bullet weighing 64 g ensures penetration of 20 mm armor installed at an angle of 20° to the vertical at a distance of 300 m. When penetrating armor at all firing ranges, the light fuel located behind the barrier is ignited.
The head of the bullet is black with a red belt.
Armor-piercing incendiary bullet cartridge 14.5 B-32
Main characteristics of the 14.5 B-32 cartridge
Cartridge mass, g: 191 Bullet mass, g: 63.9 Cartridge length, mm: 156 Initial bullet speed, m/s: 988
14.5×114 cartridges with armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullets - 14.5 BZT (57-BZT-561S) and 14.5 BZT-M (57-BZT-561SM)
Cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet - 14.5 BZT (57-BZT-561S)
The 14.5 BZT and 14.5 BZT-M cartridges are used for firing in conjunction with 14.5 B-32 cartridges and are intended to engage low-flying air targets, lightly armored vehicles, vehicles and group live targets, as well as to adjust fire and target designation. They can also be used to start fires.
The modernization of the 14.5 BZT cartridge was carried out at FSUE TsNIITOCHMASH in the early 1990s. The new cartridge was put into service in 2002 and was named the 14.5-mm cartridge with a modernized armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT-M. In the modernized bullet, the ignition of the tracer is placed at a distance of 50-120 m from the muzzle of the barrel. This makes it difficult for the enemy to detect the firing position, does not blind the shooter and reduces the illumination of night sights.
Bullets from 14.5 BZT and 14.5 BZT-M cartridges penetrate 20 mm thick armor plates at a distance of 100 m and ignite the fuel behind the armor.
The pointed core of the bullet is made of heat-strengthened tool steel. The incendiary composition is located in the head of the bullet in front of the core. The tracer is pressed into a cup and is located behind the core.
The head of the bullet is purple with a red belt.
Armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet of the 14.5 BZT cartridge
Main characteristics of the 14.5 BZT cartridge
Cartridge mass, g: 185 Bullet mass, g: 60.5 Cartridge length, mm: 156 Initial bullet speed, m/s: 995-1005
14.5×114 cartridges with instant incendiary bullets - 14.5 MDZ (7-3-1) and 14.5 MDZM (7-3-6)
Cartridge with instant incendiary bullet - 14.5 MDZ (7-3-1)
The 14.5 MDZ and 14.5 MDZM cartridges were developed at the Ulyanovsk Cartridge Plant. They are designed to destroy low-flying aircraft and helicopters, as well as unarmored weapons and military equipment. These cartridges can also be used to start fires.
When a bullet hits a target, an explosive charge is initiated. Bullet fragments and explosion products pierce the skin of an airplane or helicopter. A sheaf of fire and shrapnel falls into the resulting hole, hitting equipment and personnel. If it gets into fuel tanks, incl. with heavy fuel such as aviation kerosene (TS, TS-1 and TS-2), instantaneous ignition of the fuel occurs, since the flame temperature is 2500-3500 ° C. Penetrating the skin of an airplane or helicopter at a distance of 1 s5 km, the bullet forms a hole with a diameter of 20-40 cm.
The production of 14.5 mm cartridges with instant incendiary bullets has been established by the Ulyanovsk Cartridge Plant.
The color of the bullet is red up to the point where the sleeve is crimped.
Instant incendiary bullet cartridge 14.5 MDZ
Main characteristics of the 14.5 MDZ cartridge
Cartridge mass, g: 184 Bullet mass, g: 58.5 Cartridge length, mm: 156 Initial bullet speed, m/s: 1000-1008
Blank cartridge - 14.5 blank (57-X-561)
Blank cartridge - 14.5 blank (57-X-561)
Blank cartridges are designed to create the sound effect of firing from heavy machine guns when training personnel.
To fire blank cartridges, a device for blank firing is used (a bushing, an insert in the machine gun receiver and a blank cartridge extractor from the belt), which ensures the operation of the moving parts of the weapon's automation. The shot is accompanied by sound, a flash of flame and smoke.
A blank cartridge differs from a combat cartridge in the absence of a bullet and the barrel of the cartridge case, which is given a hemispherical shape in the front part to ensure chambering of the cartridge into the chamber. The cartridge case is closed with a cap made of special cardboard. The blank cartridge is shorter than the live cartridge, its length is 117 mm. Blank cartridges are produced with a steel sleeve.
Training cartridge - 14.5 UC (57-Ch-561uch)
Training cartridge -14.5 UC (57-Ch-561uch)
The training cartridge is intended for teaching the rules of handling cartridges, equipping machine gun belts, methods of loading weapons and firing a shot.
The 14.5 UC cartridge is made using the main parts of the 14.5 B-32 or BZT8 cartridge but does not contain a powder charge or pyrotechnic compositions and has a cooled igniter primer. The cartridge is produced with a varnished steel sleeve. Increasing the strength of the bullet fastening in the cartridge case, in order to prevent it from falling out during training for loading weapons, is ensured by additional core punching of the barrel along the bullet.
The training cartridge bullet does not have a distinctive color, but the cartridge case has four symmetrically located longitudinal grooves.
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