US Plans to Build PKMs and NSVs Angers Russia

[Path-Finder]

Russia has responded to the suggestion that US manufacturers made copies of their small arms designs for use by Special Operations Command and the US’ allies. With US-Russian relations at a low, recent press attention surrounding the US’ desire for American-made Russian small arms has stoked tensions.


Following an article from National Interest on a US SOCOM request for information regarding establishing a domestic production base for various Russian weaponry published last week, the Russian government has condemned the idea. The SOCOM solicitation was released last summer, the thinking behind the idea is explained on its SBIR solicitation page:

TASS reported that Kalashnikov had been unaware of US plans to clone Russian small arms noting, however, that they were not surprised and that it “highlights once again the reliability and quality of our weapons.” Kalashnikov Concern’s parent company Rostec, State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production, and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Product Rostec responded saying:

If someone wants to carry out this work legally, obeying all the rules, they should approach Rosoboronexport [Russia’s state arms exporter] and discuss it. Otherwise, this would amount to the illegal copying of Russian innovations or theft, simply speaking.

Several days later TASS reported that Viktor Bondarev, former Commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force and current Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on Defence and Security, responded to the prospect of the US cloning Russian weapons:



Several countries hold licenses for manufacturing Russian machine guns of this model, but the US is not among them. Of course, we should prevent any attempts to use Russian weapons developments without our permission. If US intentions evolve into real actions, if they start making concrete steps in an effort to use our technologies without permission, if they start re-engineering and manufacturing our heavy machine guns on the US territory, then we should react decisively and promptly.

How Russia might respond if PKMs and NSVs are reverse engineered in the US is open to speculation. Sadly, we haven’t been able to ascertain the progress of US SOCOM’s ‘Foreign Like Weapon Production Capability’ programme or whether it even left the Phase I feasibility study stage.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/10/22/american-pkms-russian-rage/

few months old but incredibly interesting.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Following an article from National Interest.

From Russia with Bullets: Why U.S. Special Forces Want Russian Machine Guns

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/b...pecial-forces-want-russian-machine-guns-32956

More specifically, USSOCOM wants American companies to explore whether it is feasible to “reverse engineer or reengineer and domestically produce the following foreign-like weapons: 7.62×54R belt fed light machine gun that resembles a PKM (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovany), and a 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun that resembles a Russian-designed NSV (Nikitin, Sokolov, Volkov).”

Why would U.S. special forces want to manufacture Russian machine guns?

Just watch any video of a conflict such as Iraq and Syria, and the answer becomes clear. Many of the combatants are using Russian or Soviet weapons, or local copies thereof, from rifles to rocket launchers to heavy machine guns mounted on pickups. Which means that when U.S. special forces provide some of these groups with weapons, they have to scrounge through the global arms market to buy Russian hardware as well as spare parts.

So U.S. Special Forces Command, which oversees America’s various commando units, has an idea: instead of buying Russian weapons, why not build their own? That’s why USSOCOM is asking U.S. companies to come up with a plan to manufacture Russian and other foreign weapons.

The goal is to “develop an innovative domestic capability to produce fully functioning facsimiles of foreign-made weapons that are equal to or better than what is currently being produced internationally,” according to the USSOCOM Small Business Innovation Research proposal .

More specifically, USSOCOM wants American companies to explore whether it is feasible to “reverse engineer or reengineer and domestically produce the following foreign-like weapons: 7.62×54R belt fed light machine gun that resembles a PKM (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovany), and a 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun that resembles a Russian-designed NSV (Nikitin, Sokolov, Volkov).”


Applicants for the research project must produce “five fully functional prototypes, to include firing of live ammunition, of a foreign-like weapon that resembles the form, fit, and function of a Russian-designed NSV 12.7×108mm heavy machine gun.”

However, USSOCOM won’t make the process easy by providing assistance such as technical drawings. Interested companies will have to make their own drawings of foreign weapons, acquire the appropriate parts and raw materials, and create a manufacturing capability.

Companies will also have to “address the manufacture of spare parts to support fielded weapons.” In addition, they must be prepared to start up and shut down production as needed, as well as provide varying quantities of weapons.

USSOCOM also emphasizes that foreign weapons must be strictly made in America. Manufacturers “will employ only domestic labor, acquire domestically produced material and parts, and ensure weapon manufacture and assembly in domestic facilities.”

Though USSOCOM is starting with a pair of Russian machine guns, the research proposal speaks of foreign-made weapons in general. “Developing a domestic production capability for foreign-like weapons addresses these issues while being cost effective as well as strengthens the nation’s military-industrial complex, ensures a reliable and secure supply chain, and reduces acquisition lead times."

One wonders whether there could be a copyright issue with producing Russian weapons in America without a license, though Russian and Chinese spies haven’t been reticent about helping themselves to U.S. technology. Either way, it seems like a sensible and economical idea to produce foreign weapons in America, rather than having to procure them from unreliable or unsavory international arms merchants.

 

[nahtanbob]

it is one of the smartest (or dumbest) ideas

 

[Damir877]

PKM is the best machine gun in the world(for me at least),so no issues there.NSV on the other hand is kind of surprising considering most groups US plans to arm use dshk.Another weird thing is Russian reaction to this,having in mind that NSV producing rights now belong to Kazakhstan and not Russia which is the main reason Russians developed KORD machine gun.
If US companies wanted they should have no problems obtaining license from Kazakhstan,Poland,Romania,Bulgaria or many other countries which produce slightly modified versions of these machine guns.

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

PKM is the best machine gun in the world(for me at least),so no issues there.NSV on the other hand is kind of surprising considering most groups US plans to arm use dshk.Another weird thing is Russian reaction to this,having in mind that NSV producing rights now belong to Kazakhstan and not Russia which is the main reason Russians developed KORD machine gun.
If US companies wanted they should have no problems obtaining license from Kazakhstan,Poland,Romania,Bulgaria or many other countries which produce slightly modified versions of these machine guns.

Kord is way better than NSV.

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

Why would the US want to copy a design? That too for it's elite Spec Ops units?

Don't you think the US would, at the minimum, require some improvement?

 

[Damir877]

Kord is way better than NSV.

I agree.Whats that have to do with this thread btw?

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

I agree.Whats that have to do with this thread btw?

NSV has way worse accuracy than Kord. It's not even close.

 

[Damir877]

NSV has way worse accuracy than Kord. It's not even close.

Once again I agree.Once again,whats that have to do with this topic?

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Once again I agree.Once again,whats that have to do with this topic?

It means if Americans want to copy an inferior design then go ahead.

 

[Damir877]

It means if Americans want to copy an inferior design then go ahead.

Oh,ok.I am sure your approval means a lot to them.

 

[nahtanbob]

It means if Americans want to copy an inferior design then go ahead.

this is not for use of regular US military forces

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

this is not for use of regular US military forces

Then it's even worse. No special forces should use crappy NSV.

 

[Damir877]

Then it's even worse. No special forces should use crappy NSV.

So you are saying Soviets made crappy weapons?

 

[Sharpshooter12]

Then it's even worse. No special forces should use crappy NSV.

Sir please at-least read the article before commenting on a thread. Plan is to have the ability to manufacture Russian weapons that can be provided to groups backed by US around the world e.g in Syria. Currently they buy these weapons from black market so having domestic production does make sense.