Infantry Weapons

DShK

The DShK is a Soviet 12.7 mm heavy machine gun designed by Vasily Degtyaryov and refined with Georgy Shpagin's belt-feed system. Built for anti-aircraft, anti-vehicle, and infantry support roles, the weapon remains relevant in Ukraine because inherited DShK and DShKM guns can be adapted for trench support or mounted in mobile air-defense teams against slow Russian drones.

Russia-Ukraine WarUkraine

Conflict side: Ukraine
Built by: Tula Ordnance FactorySoviet state arsenals
Built in: Soviet Union

DShK, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons

Profile

Type: 12.7 mm heavy machine gun
Conflict side: Ukraine
Origin: Soviet Union
Service note: Introduced in 1938; modernized DShKM pattern entered service after World War II and remains in use

heavy machine guncrew-servedair defenseanti-drone

Service History

In service: 1938-present
Used by: Ukrainian Armed Forces
Wars: Russia-Ukraine War

Production History

Designer: Vasily Degtyaryov; Georgy Shpagin
Designed: 1930s; DShK-38 accepted before World War II
Built by: Tula Ordnance FactorySoviet state arsenals
Built in: Soviet Union
Produced: 1938 onward, with postwar DShKM modernization and foreign licensed or derivative production
Variants: DShK-38, DShK 38/46 / DShKM, Type 54

Specifications

Caliber: 12.7x108 mm
Operation: Gas-operated automatic heavy machine gun
Rate of fire: Approximately 600 rounds per minute
Effective range: About 1,100 yards cited by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force; Ukrainian support-gun use is reported around 500-1,000 m depending on optics and crew
Feed: Belt-fed; DShKM/38-46 pattern uses metallic-link belts
Mounting: Tripod, wheeled, vehicle, and improvised infantry or anti-drone mounts

Conflict Usage

Russia-Ukraine War: Side: Ukraine
Used by Ukrainian forces as a crew-served heavy machine gun, including adapted infantry-support guns from the Donbas fighting and mobile air-defense teams pairing DShKs with searchlights against Russian Shahed-type drones.

DShK Images

DShK, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - view 1

DShK, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - view 2

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Sources

DShK-1938/46 Heavy Machine GunPublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Supports DShK/DShKM background, anti-aircraft role, gas operation, effective range, and cyclic rate. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 DShKPublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Collection record identifying a DShK heavy machine gun and listing Tula Ordnance Factory, Tula, USSR as creator for a 1945 example. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine GunPublisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports design history, Degtyaryov and Shpagin roles, belt-feed development, DShK-38 and 38/46 context, and 12.7x108 mm technical background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Ukrainian DShK as Infantry Support WeaponPublisher: Forgotten Weapons | Note: Supports Ukrainian adaptation of inherited DShK heavy machine guns into infantry support weapons during the Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Ukrainians with cellphones and machine guns are forcing Russia to change how it launches its drone attacksPublisher: Business Insider | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use: Ukrainian mobile air-defense teams using Soviet-designed DShK heavy machine guns paired with searchlights against Russian Shahed drone attacks. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Ukrainian forces rig machine gun networks to down Russian dronesPublisher: Defense News | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use: Ukrainian heavy-machine-gun mobile air-defense teams linked to sensor networks and Russian drone attacks. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 A soldier with the Ukrainian Land Forces fires a Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Caliber heavy machine gunPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing record for the primary image, sourced from DVIDS/U.S. Army and marked CC0 on Commons. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Soviet DSHK Model 1938 12.7mm Heavy Machine GunPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing record for gallery image of a DShK Model 1938, marked CC0 on Commons. | Accessed: 2026-06-20