The DShKM is the Soviet postwar Model 38/46 modernization of the DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, retaining the DShK family's anti-aircraft, infantry-support, and vehicle-mount roles while replacing the earlier feed system. Sources document the DShK-1938/46 in Vietnam War anti-aircraft use, DShK-M capture and employment in the Soviet-Afghan War, DShK-M use by Ukrainian defenders, and DShK/DShKM variants in Islamic State's Iraq-and-Syria arsenal.
The U.S. Air Force museum identifies the DShK-1938/46 as a Southeast Asia War Gallery weapon used by communist forces against low-flying aircraft, while American Rifleman describes DShK-family guns in Viet Cong and North Vietnamese helicopter ambushes.
American Rifleman reports that Afghan mujahideen obtained modernized DShK-M (DShK 38/46) guns and Chinese Type 54s, including weapons captured from Afghan army and Soviet forces.
Amnesty International's Islamic State arms report lists DShK and DShKM heavy machine-gun variants among weapons in use across Syria, including by Islamic State.
Role detailsAmnesty International's Islamic State arms report lists DShK and DShKM heavy machine-gun variants among weapons in use across Iraq, including by Islamic State.
Ukraine's International Legion described DShK-M machine guns as weapons used by defenders in fighting across Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Belgorod regions; Business Insider separately reported Ukrainian mobile air-defense teams using DShK heavy machine guns with searchlights against Russian Shahed drones.
Role detailsAmnesty International documented DShK and DShKM heavy machine-gun variants in Islamic State's Iraq-and-Syria arsenal during the anti-IS campaign.
Role detailsThe Model 38/46/DShKM modernization is best separated from the wartime DShK-38 by its feed system rather than by caliber or broad role. Sources describe the family as a 12.7x108 mm gas-operated, belt-fed heavy machine gun used on ground, vehicle, and anti-aircraft mounts.
Model 38/46 and DShKM refer to the postwar improved DShK-family gun.
The 38/46 pattern replaced the earlier rotary-feed arrangement with a simplified shuttle or slider-type belt-feed system.
The same 12.7 mm gun family appears on tripod, wheeled, vehicle, and anti-aircraft mounts, including improvised vehicle installations.
This entry treats DShKM as the postwar Model 38/46 branch of the wider DShK family, with the wartime DShK-38 and later DShK-pattern copies separated below.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Original 1938 family weapon | The original DShK-38 used the earlier rotary feed arrangement; the postwar Model 38/46/DShKM replaced it with a more conventional shuttle or slider-type feed. Sources: Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun, Modern Firearms DShK and DShKM 12.7 |
| Type 54 | Chinese DShKM-pattern copy | American Rifleman identifies the Chinese Type 54 as a Model 38/46-pattern heavy machine gun, and Small Arms Survey lists it among DShK close derivatives. Sources: Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun, Small Arms Survey DShK Identification Sheet |
| MGD-12.7 | Iranian DShK-pattern derivative | Small Arms Survey lists MGD-12.7 among close DShK derivatives in its identification sheet. |
DShKM is a 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun, and Yugoimport lists DShK, DShKM, NSVT, and related systems as compatible with its 12.7 mm x 108 DShK ammunition line.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Cartridge family | The DShKM fires the Soviet 12.7x108 mm cartridge; Yugoimport's ammunition sheet identifies DShK and DShKM among compatible systems. Sources: DShK-1938/46 Heavy Machine Gun, Yugoimport DShK ammunition PDF |
WeaponSystems.net documents DShKM fittings on Soviet wheeled armored personnel carrier families, including occasional BTR-40 and BTR-152 installations.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | Weaponsystems.net notes that the BTR-40 family could occasionally be fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun. Sources: BTR-40 | Weaponsystems.net |
 | Wheeled armored personnel carrier | WeaponSystems.net says some BTR-152 vehicles were fitted with a 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun as main armament. Sources: DShK - Weaponsystems.net, BTR-152 | WeaponSystems.net |
Modern Firearms traces the DShK-38 to Shpagin's belt-feed conversion of Degtyarov's earlier DK heavy machine gun.
The Model 38/46, also known as DShKM, introduced the postwar feed-system modernization that separates it from the earlier DShK-38.
Amnesty International's 2015 arms report listed DShK and DShKM variants among the heavy machine guns in Islamic State's Iraq-and-Syria arsenal.
