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UKM-2000
UKM-2000P
TypeGeneral-purpose machine gun
Place of originPoland
Service history
Used byPoland
WarsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
Designed2000
ManufacturerZakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów
VariantsUKM-2000P, UKM-2000D, UKM-2000C, UKM-2000CL
Specifications
Mass8.4 kg (18.52 lb) (P)
8.9 kg (19.62 lb) (D)
10.7 kg (23.59 lb) (C/CL)
Length1,203 mm (47.4 in) (P/D)
1,098 mm (43.2 in) (C/CL)
Barrel length547 mm (21.5 in) (P/D)
636 mm (25.0 in) (C/CL)
Width91.5 mm (3.60 in)
Height212 mm (8.3 in) (P/D)
117 mm (4.6 in) (C/CL)
Cartridge7.62×51mm NATO
ActionGas-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire700-850 rounds/min
Practical: 250 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity840 m/s (2,756 ft/s) (P/D)
850 m/s (2,789 ft/s) (C/CL)
Effective firing range1,500 m (1,640 yd)
Feed systemDisintegrating M13 belt 100 or 200 (P/D) or 250-round ((C/CL)) in ammunition boxes

The UKM-2000 (Uniwersalny Karabin Maszynowy, "Universal Machine Gun") is a 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun designed and manufactured by Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów in Tarnów, Poland.

Development

On March 12, 1999, Poland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A problem arose with modifying the weapons of the Polish Army to use the standard NATO ammunition. A decision was made to develop a new general-purpose machine gun. The construction was based on the design of the successful PKM machine gun that was previously produced under licence in Poland.

To use the common NATO ammunition, the feeding method of the machine gun had to be fundamentally modified. The metallic disintegrating link specifically designed for ammunition belt-fed firearms and rimless 7.62×51mm NATO rounds used by NATO is a push-through design. The UKM machine gun extracts 7.62×51mm NATO rounds from open-M13 links by pushing them forward out of the link directly into the chamber for firing. The non-disintegrating closed-link metallic belt type used in the PKM machine gun is a pull-out design, which extracts the rimmed 7.62×54mmR rounds by pulling them rearward out of the link. In the second stage, the rimmed rounds are pushed forward into the chamber for firing. The 7.62×54mmR machine gun feed pawl mechanism is radically different than that of 7.62×51mm NATO chambered machine guns based on the MG 42 machine gun feeding method, using a small, simple pivoting arm pushed out to the right side by the bolt carrier, rather than a much larger (and therefore much heavier) articulated feed cam, lever, and pawl assembly.

The UKM-2000 is a primary general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) on most vehicles used by Polish Forces in Afghanistan (Cougar H, MaxxPro Dash, M-ATV, Humvee) and is a coaxial machine gun in KTO Rosomak and Polish-modernized BRDM-2.

There is a proposal to modernize the Polish UKM-2000 GPMG fed by 7.62×51mm NATO to the new UKM-2013 standard. The upgraded GPMG will be equipped with a new folding and telescopic buttstock with a cheekpiece and additional grip/pod, the integrated Picatinny rail with iron sight and 3-rail forehand attached to the gas tube, a new grip, a new cocking handle, a new safety switch selector, a new 440-mm barrel (as an option) plus some additional internal changes. The Polish Army is interested in this machine gun fed from the 100-round soft ammo bag instead of a steel box. Because of external similarity to the Russian PKM GPMG chambered to the 7.62×54mmR some elements like a buttstock, a grip or a forehand with rails will be able to be used with the Kalashnikov design.[1]

Variants

The L in a coaxial version denotes the ammunition is fed from the left instead of from the right.

Operators

Map with UKM-2000 users in blue
UKM-2000P in Polish service

References

  1. ^ "Polish Modernised UKM-2013 Machine Gun - The Firearm Blog". The Firearm Blog. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Polish Modernised UKM-2013 Machine Gun -". 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Zmodyfikowany UKM-2000M od 2015? - Altair Agencja Lotnicza". Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  4. ^ "MSPO 2015: Modernized UKM-2000P For The Polish Army | Defence24.com". Archived from the original on March 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "Polish Armed Forces upgrade PKMs". The Firearm Blog. 2015-09-08. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  6. ^ "e-RAPORT MSPO 4/2016 - Nigeryjskie sukcesy polskiej zbrojeniówki - Altair Agencja Lotnicza". www.altair.com.pl. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  7. ^ Oryx. "A European Powerhouse: Polish Military Aid To Ukraine". Oryx. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved 2022-09-13.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to UKM-2000.
General-purpose machine gun (GPMG)
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