Profile
- Type
- Squad automatic weapon / light machine gun
- Conflict side
- Russia-aligned forces
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- RPK introduced in the early 1960s; RPK-74 entered Soviet service in 1974 and remains in post-Soviet inventories.
Infantry Weapons
RPK/RPK-74
The RPK and RPK-74 are Kalashnikov-pattern squad automatic weapons that extend the AK family with a longer, heavier barrel, bipod, and higher-capacity magazines for sustained fire by infantry sections. The 7.62 x 39 mm RPK paralleled the AKM, while the 5.45 x 39 mm RPK-74 followed the AK-74; both remain relevant in the Russia-Ukraine War because legacy Soviet and Russian stocks continue to appear in front-line small-arms holdings.
- Conflict side
- Russia-aligned forces
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
Service History
- In service
- RPK from 1961; RPK-74 from 1974; RPK-74M modernized variant from the post-Soviet period.
- Used by
- Soviet Army, Russian armed forces, Russia-aligned armed formations in Ukraine
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Mikhail Kalashnikov
- Designed
- RPK: 1959-1961; RPK-74: early 1970s
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
- Produced
- RPK-74 family from 1974; RPK-74M production followed in the 1990s.
- Number built
- Produced in large numbers for Soviet and Russian service.
- Variants
- RPK, RPKS, RPK-74, RPKS-74, RPK-74M
Specifications
- Caliber
- RPK: 7.62 x 39 mm; RPK-74/RPK-74M: 5.45 x 39 mm
- Feed system
- RPK-74 uses a 45-round detachable box magazine and can use 30-round AK-74 magazines.
- Barrel length
- About 590 mm for RPK-74 variants.
- Rate of fire
- About 600 rounds per minute cyclic for RPK-74/RPK-74M.
- Sighting range
- RPK-74M rear sight graduated to 1,000 m.
- Weight
- RPK-74 about 4.58 kg empty; RPK-74M about 5.15 kg with empty magazine.
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russia-aligned forces
Conflict Armament Research documented one 7.62 mm RPK and three Molot-built 5.45 mm RPK-74 light machine guns in Ukraine during 2018-2019; Ukrainian authorities reported that the traced RPK-74s had not been in Armed Forces of Ukraine service.
RPK/RPK-74 Images
Related Weapon Systems
AKMSFolding-stock 7.62x39mm assault rifleThe AKMS is the under-folding-stock variant of the Soviet AKM assault rifle, retaining the AKM's stamped receiver, gas-operated selective-fire action, and 7.62x39mm chambering while giving airborne, vehicle-mounted, and compact-carry users a shorter folded profile. In the Russia-Ukraine War, ARES documented a specific AKMS seized by Ukrainian police from an alleged Russian saboteur, illustrating how older Kalashnikov-pattern rifles still appear alongside newer small arms.
PKM/PK7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PK and lighter PKM are Soviet-designed, belt-fed 7.62x54R general-purpose machine guns used from bipods, tripods, vehicles, and improvised mounts. Their low weight for the class, non-disintegrating belt feed, quick-change barrel concept, and wide Warsaw Pact distribution make the family a common infantry fire-support weapon in the Russia-Ukraine War, where Ukrainian units continue to operate PKM-pattern guns alongside newer and foreign-supplied machine guns.
PKP Pecheneg7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PKP Pecheneg is a Russian 7.62x54mmR belt-fed machine gun derived from the PKM but built around a heavier forced-air-cooled barrel and forward bipod for sustained squad fire. It remains a Russian infantry support weapon and has also appeared in Ukraine, including separatist use reported during the Donbas phase of the war and later Ukrainian use of captured examples.
AK-125.45 mm assault rifleThe AK-12 is a Russian 5.45x39 mm assault rifle developed by Kalashnikov Concern as a modernized service weapon with improved ergonomics, accessory rails, optical-sight compatibility, and an adjustable folding stock. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a Russian frontline small arm, while captured examples became visible in Ukrainian hands during the opening phase of the 2022 invasion.
AK-74M5.45 mm assault rifleThe AK-74M is the modernized Russian production model of the AK-74 family, chambered for 5.45x39 mm ammunition with black polymer furniture and a left-folding stock. In the Russia-Ukraine War it remains a baseline infantry rifle for Russian regular units, even as AK-12 rifles supplement it and older AKM rifles appear among mobilized troops.
AKM7.62x39mm assault rifleThe AKM is the stamped-receiver modernization of the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle, chambered for 7.62x39mm and built around a long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt. Its lower production burden, broad Warsaw Pact and licensed manufacture, and large legacy stocks keep it visible in the Russia-Ukraine War, where Ukrainian personnel have trained with AKM rifles and CAR documented AKM examples recovered from Russian-backed formations in eastern Ukraine.Sources
RPK-74MPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export listing supporting RPK-74M role, magazine capacity, range, weight, rate of fire, and muzzle velocity. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Kalashnikov RPK-74Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports RPK-74 family background, Molot producer attribution, variants, and baseline specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Kalashnikov RPKPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports 7.62 mm RPK background and specifications for the earlier member of the RPK/RPK-74 family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Weapons of the War in UkrainePublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use by documenting one RPK and three RPK-74 light machine guns in Ukraine and recording Ukrainian trace responses for the RPK-74s. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File:Soviet RPK-74.JPEGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain U.S. government image provenance for the primary RPK-74 image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File:AK-74 RPK-74 DA-ST-89-06612reversed.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain U.S. military image provenance for the gallery comparison image showing an AK-74 and RPK-74. | Accessed: 2026-06-20