The core of firepower output, the infantry's right-hand man - machine gun, has always been the focus of attention in military circles. Recently, some "military enthusiasts" on the Internet have discussed China's new 7The development of the 62mm general-purpose machine gun was even attributed to the lack of light machine guns on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. There are actually quite a few misunderstandings about this statement. Actually, 7The 62-mm machine gun has always been present in the military equipment of our country and is not a recent development. Before we take this point of view, let's first understand the development of general-purpose machine guns in our country.
In the past few decades, China has been equipped with three types of machine guns, including the Type 67-2 general-purpose machine gun, the Type 80 general-purpose machine gun and the Y-88 general-purpose machine gun, of which only the Y-88 general-purpose machine gun is not 762 mm machine gun. And the Type 80 universal machine gun is still in service with some special forces of our army to this day. Therefore, the claim in the opinion that "our country abandoned medium-caliber universal machine guns for half a century" does not correspond to the real situation. In addition, about "**Y-201 type 7The epoch-making significance of the 62-mm universal machine gun for the fire structure of the squadron **", it also needs to be clarified.
* Y-201 Type 7The 62 mm general-purpose machine gun is not the first attempt of a new medium-caliber general-purpose machine gun, but a continuation and improvement of the development of medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns in China. It appeared not because of Russia's lessons on the battlefield in Ukraine, but because of the continuous progress and improvement of our technology. In modern warfare, machine guns, as the main means of fire support for infantry, are crucial to the strength of the army. Therefore, China's strengthening of the research and development and improvement of medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns is the inevitable result of military progress, rather than being affected by external factors.
For the Type 80 universal machine gun and **Y-201 Type 7With the use of 62 mm general-purpose machine guns, we can see that our country has been constantly improving the research and development and equipment of medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns. This continuous technological progress is the embodiment of the continuous enhancement of our strength. Compared with small-caliber general-purpose machine guns, medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns have stronger firepower and firing range to a certain extent, and can better meet the needs of modern warfare for fire support, so their status and role in army equipment are irreplaceable. To sum up, China has developed a new type of 7The 62-mm universal machine gun does not originate from the lessons of Russia, but is the result of the continuous progress and refinement of our technology.
The position and role of medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns in modern warfare are irreplaceable, and China has been constantly strengthening and improving this equipment. This continuous technological innovation and progress will provide strong support for the improvement of our strength. The Type 80 general-purpose machine gun is in use by the Marine Corps, while the Type 80-1 general-purpose machine gun and the Type 67-2 general-purpose machine gun, which have been modified by the Type 80 general-purpose machine gun experience, have been in service since 1982. About "762 mm machine gun" whether the lesson comes from the Russian army, in fact, the Russian army retains the PK PKM universal machine gun and adds the PKP universal machine gun, they all use Russian-made 762*54mm flange bullet.
Therefore, the use of medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns by both Russia and Ukraine in the so-called "special military operation" is not enough to be called a "lesson in the blood of the Russian army". Historically, the "theory of the extinction of medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns" originated in the 70-80s of the last century in NATO countries, they believed that after the popularity of large-caliber heavy machine guns increased, medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns were useless, and the US military even believed that infantry squad machine guns could be part-time general-purpose machine gun tasks. The firepower equipment of the infantry squad of the US army has always attracted much attention, and in the actual combat from the 90s of the 20th century to the present, the small-caliber general-purpose machine gun M249 has not completely replaced the medium-caliber general-purpose machine gun M60, because the range and suppression ability of small-caliber machine guns are still problematic, especially in environments where vehicles cannot enter.
The U.S. military quickly realized this problem in real combat and reintroduced the medium-caliber universal machine gun M240 to compensate for the lack of firepower. In our country, although there was also a tendency to cancel medium-caliber machine guns, fortunately, our military industry and defense departments did not blindly follow the trend, but on the basis of retaining medium-caliber general-purpose machine guns, they were equipped with small-caliber general-purpose machine guns in parallel, and this decision appeared to be more sensible. After all, military equipment needs to be formulated according to the needs of real combat, and it cannot blindly follow the trend. A large number of real combat case data, summaries of studies on NATO and Russia, conclusively show one point: the role of machine guns in modern warfare is crucial. However, there are huge differences in the armament of machine guns in different countries.
The American M240E6 lightweight general-purpose machine gun, the Russian PKP "Pecheneg" general-purpose machine gun, and the Chinese 67-2 Type 762mm heavy machine guns, what exactly are their characteristics and performance?It is necessary to understand the advantages and disadvantages of these machine guns from several angles, as well as how they will behave in real combat. First, let's focus on 67-2 Formula 7 in China62mm heavy machine gun. This machine gun is designed with portability and firing stability in mind, as well as ease of use and maintenance. Its high rate of fire and powerful penetration played a decisive role in the exchange of fire. However, like all ** equipment, it has some shortcomings.
For example, it is necessary to dissipate heat in time after continuous firing to avoid malfunctions caused by overheating. In addition to this, due to the characteristics of heavy machine guns, carrying, setting up, and using require a certain amount of physical strength and skill. Next, let's take a look at the Russian PKP "Pecheneg" universal machine gun. As the main fire support equipment of the Russian army, this machine gun has excellent reliability and durability, and can operate normally in extremely harsh environments. Its unique air-cooled design allows it to maintain excellent stability and accuracy even when firing continuously. However, the PKP machine gun also had some problems, such as its large weight and relatively slow rate of fire, which affected its mobility and ability to deal with unexpected situations.
Finally, let's focus on the American M240E6 lightweight general-purpose machine gun. This machine gun maintains a strong firepower while fully considering the problem of reducing the burden on soldiers. Its lightweight design greatly improves the mobility and combat efficiency of soldiers, while also reducing fatigue. However, some consider the M240E6 to be slightly inferior to the PKP in terms of firepower and rate of fire, especially in the case of long-term sustained firing. To sum up, each machine gun has its own characteristics and advantages, and there are also certain shortcomings. In actual combat, how to give full play to the advantages of these machine guns in order to maximize their combat effectiveness is a problem that requires in-depth study and consideration.
It is hoped that there will be more research and practice in the future, and the performance and adaptability of machine gun equipment will be continuously improved and improved, so as to make greater contributions to ensuring the survival of soldiers and soldiers.