Russia turns to north Korean arms amid equipment crisis
Due to increasing equipment shortages, Russia is importing more solutions from North Korea. One example is the Type 73 machine guns, which help the Russians mitigate the shortage of PK/PKM machine guns. Here is what the Russian PK looks like after modifications inspired by Czechoslovakia.
It seems that Russia has run out of PK/PKM machine guns using the 7.62x54 mm R cartridge, forcing them to rely on North Korean Type 73 machine guns. Due to their unusual design, these are not well-received among the Russians.
The design has been described as unconventional, featuring unusual elements and weighing approximately 33-35 pounds, which has drawn criticism. In one recording, a Russian individual expresses reluctance to work with it.
Type 73 - when the Russian PK meets North Korean fans of Czech weapons
The Type 73 was developed in the 1970s to replace the RP-46 machine gun, a belt-fed version of the WWII-era DP-28. As Ian McCollum, a well-known firearms expert, mentioned in one of his materials, Kim Il-sung, who was then ruling North Korea, was a big fan of Czechoslovak firearms designs.
He was particularly inspired by the Czechoslovak vz.52/57 rifle, which could be fed from both stripper clips and magazines. A similar dual-feed system became a requirement for North Korea, and their engineers modified the Soviet PK for this purpose. As a result, a machine gun emerged using the 7.62x54 mm R cartridge, which can be fed from both a belt and interchangeable magazines.
The idea was that the Type 73 would have only an interchangeable magazine inserted from above during the journey to the firing position. At the same time, the belt box would be attached only when needed or to provide suppressive fire. In theory, this was supposed to facilitate weapon transport because, for example, the PK/PKM box, along with the 100-round belt of 7.62x54 mm R cartridges, weighs nearly 9 pounds. A steel magazine containing 20 or 30 rounds is incomparably lighter.
However, adapting the weapon to dual feeding also required additional components, so the weight reduction might have been less than anticipated. Moreover, this necessitated the side-mounted sight, which was already a relic from the weapons of the World Wars era. Another unusual feature is the ability to launch rifle grenades or use a muzzle brake (interchangeable element).
It is a strange weapon, but it was eventually replaced in North Korea by the more Russian PK-like Type 82, designed in the 1980s. This seems like another example of an attempt to clear North Korean warehouses of antiquities that no one but a desperate Russia is willing to take.
