Naval Systems

12.7mm Utes-M

Also known as
  • 12.7 mm Utes-M
  • 12.7-mm Utes-M
  • Utes-M
  • Utyos-M
  • Утес-М
  • Утьос-М
  • TKB-095
  • 12.7 mm turret-bashennaya ustanovka Utes-M

The 12.7mm Utes-M is a Soviet twin naval machine-gun turret built around two NSV Utes heavy machine guns. Public sources identify it as a one-person, manually aimed shipboard or hovercraft mount with all-round traverse, high elevation for close air-defense use, and carrier fits on Project 1400M/ME Grif patrol boats and several Soviet air-cushion vehicles.

12.7mm Utes-M, Twin 12.7 mm naval machine-gun turret, Naval Systems
Image source: Wikimedia Commons: Boat U170 Skadovsk 2012 G1
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Twin 12.7 mm naval machine-gun turret
Service note
Entered service in 1976 and remained visible on Soviet-designed patrol craft and air-cushion vehicles
Designer
TsKIB SOO design team identified in Russian small-arms references
Designed
1970-1975 development period; tactical-technical requirement approved in 1970 in Ukrainian Wikipedia's sourced summary
Produced
1975-2000s in open-source summaries
Number built
At least dozens according to WeaponSystems.net
Developed from
NSV Utes heavy machine gun

Specifications

Armament
Two 12.7 mm NSV Utes heavy machine guns
Factory index
TKB-095
Crew
One operator in the room directly below the turret
Traverse
360 degrees
Elevation
-15 to +85 degrees in WeaponSystems.net data
Traverse rate
25 degrees/second
Elevation rate
16 degrees/second
Fire-control sight
PZU-6 sight, described for aerial targets up to 300 m/s
Ammunition feed
100-round belt per gun; WeaponSystems.net lists 1,000 rounds total
Rate of fire
700-800 rounds/min cyclic per gun; 1,400-1,600 rounds/min combined
Range
Up to 2,000 m against ground targets and 1,500 m against air targets in open-source technical summaries
Weight
630 kg without ammunition or spares
Deck penetration
About 1.01 m below deck or parapet
Carrier fit
Documented on Project 1400M/ME Grif patrol boats, Project 1206 Kalmar/Lebed air-cushion craft, and Project 1209 Omar/Utenok air-cushion vehicles
Variants

Open sources treat Utes-M as a mount around standard NSV guns rather than as a separate machine-gun variant; carrier pages sometimes list equivalent Utes-M or Utes-2M wording for the twin 12.7 mm naval fit.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
TKB-095Factory index

GunRF and WeaponSystems.net both identify TKB-095 as the factory index associated with the armored Utes-M turret installation.

Sources: GunRF: NSV-12.7 Utes, WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-M

Utes-2MCarrier-listing designation

RussianShips.info uses Utes-2M in Project 1400M armament listings, while other carrier references describe the same Project 1400M/ME twin NSV naval turret as Utes-M.

Sources: RussianShips.info: Project 1400 Grif, WeaponSystems.net: Project 1400 Grif

Installed Guns

Utes-M is primarily a turret installation: its weapon effect comes from the two NSV Utes guns carried side by side in a naval mount.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
NSV, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsNSV12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun

WeaponSystems.net identifies the Utes-M ordnance as two 12.7 mm NSV heavy machine guns, and GunRF describes the mount as an armored turret installation built around NSV-12.7 guns.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-M, GunRF: NSV-12.7 Utes

Ammunition Fired

Because the mount uses NSV guns, its ammunition relationship follows the Soviet 12.7x108 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge family.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
12.7x108mm cartridge, 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge, Munitions12.7x108mm cartridge12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge

The Utes-M sources identify the installed guns as NSV/Utes weapons, and the cataloged NSV and cartridge records document NSV compatibility with 12.7x108 mm ammunition.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-M

Carrier Platforms

Public carrier evidence is strongest for small Soviet-designed patrol craft and air-cushion vehicles rather than for a standalone conflict-use record.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Project 1400M Grif / Zhuk-class patrol boat, Coastal patrol boat / border guard patrol craft, Naval SystemsProject 1400M Grif / Zhuk-class patrol boatCoastal patrol boat / border guard craft

WeaponSystems.net describes Project 1400M/ME Grif boats as carrying one bow Utes-M turret, with many export Project 1400ME boats adding a second aft turret; the local Project 1400M record also documents Utes-M/Utes-2M armament context.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net: Project 1400 Grif, RussianShips.info: Project 1400 Grif

Mounting Context

Utes-M is best treated as a carrier mount, not as an independent conflict-use entry. The same NSV gun family appears on ground tripods, tank mounts, improvised vehicles, and naval installations, but the Utes-M designation specifically points to the enclosed twin naval turret.

Gun arrangement

The turret places two NSV 12.7 mm guns horizontally on a common moving base, giving a combined cyclic rate listed at roughly 1,400-1,600 rounds per minute.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-M; Ukrainian Wikipedia: Utes-M.

Aiming and crew

Open-source summaries describe manual aiming, a PZU-6 sight, one operator below the turret, and all-round traverse with high elevation for close self-defense against surface or aerial targets.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-M; Ukrainian Wikipedia: Utes-M.

Carrier boundary

The sourced carrier list covers Project 1400M/ME Grif patrol boats and Project 1206/1209 air-cushion vehicles. This page does not copy the conflict history of those carriers unless a source directly identifies Utes-M use in that conflict.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-M; WeaponSystems.net: Project 1400 Grif.

Timeline

12.7mm Utes-M Key Events

  1. Naval mount requirement approved

    The Ukrainian Wikipedia article, citing an archived Russian reference, states that the Soviet Navy approved the tactical-technical assignment for the Utes-M shipboard turret on January 23, 1970.

    Sources: Ukrainian Wikipedia: Utes-M

  2. Experimental TKB-095 built

    The same source summarizes a 1972 experimental Utes-M installation under the TKB-095 factory index, using two serial NSV-12.7 guns on a common moving base.

    Sources: Ukrainian Wikipedia: Utes-M

  3. Accepted for naval and air-cushion craft

    GunRF states that the armored Utes-M turret was accepted in 1976 for air-cushion vessels, ekranoplans, and boats.

    Sources: GunRF: NSV-12.7 Utes

Media

12.7mm Utes-M Images

12.7mm Utes-M, Twin 12.7 mm naval machine-gun turret, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons: Boat U170 Skadovsk 2012 G2
12.7mm Utes-M, Twin 12.7 mm naval machine-gun turret, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: Wikimedia Commons: Ukrainian Project 1400M boats
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Sources

WeaponSystems.net: 12.7mm Utes-MPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Utes-M identity, Soviet origin, service entry, production context, TKB-095 designation, twin NSV armament, technical data, platform list, and image/copyright context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06GunRF: NSV-12.7 UtesPublisher: GunRF | Note: Supports NSV background and Utes-M mount context, including TsKIB SOO/KBP design attribution, TKB-095 factory index, and 1976 acceptance for air-cushion vessels, ekranoplans, and boats. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Ukrainian Wikipedia: Utes-MPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline terminology and sourced summary for Utes-M history, TKB-095 prototype context, two-NSV gun layout, PZU-6 sight, and key technical figures. | Accessed: 2026-07-06WeaponSystems.net: Project 1400 GrifPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Project 1400M/ME carrier context for Utes-M, including the bow turret on Project 1400M and second aft turret common on Project 1400ME export craft. | Accessed: 2026-07-06RussianShips.info: Project 1400 GrifPublisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports Project 1400M carrier armament context and the Utes-2M naming seen in ship-list data. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons: Boat U170 Skadovsk 2012 G1Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the primary Project 1400M Grif-M/Zhuk carrier image; George Chernilevsky released the file into the public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons: Boat U170 Skadovsk 2012 G2Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for an additional Project 1400M Grif-M/Zhuk carrier view released into the public domain by George Chernilevsky. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons: Ukrainian Project 1400M boatsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a Ukrainian Border Guard Project 1400M/Zhuk gallery image used to show carrier context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06