Rare Sightings of Heckler & Koch G36 & HK433s in Ukraine

In mid-August there began to be sightings of small numbers of interesting Heckler & Koch rifles with Ukrainian special operations units. We’ve previously seen HK416s in use with a variety of units, check out our earlier article/video on those. However, it now appears that alongside H416s there are now a limited number of G36s and HK433s in use in Ukraine.

The first image of these appeared on 12 August, when Assault Bastards, a team affiliated with Ukraine’s Intelligence Directorate’s (the GUR) Kraken regiment, shared a photograph of a combatant with a suppressed G36KA4 at the range. On the 18 August, shybenyk.squad, a team associated with the Kraken Operations Unit, posted a team photo with the caption “GUR MOrning. Kill & travel”, with one combatant on the far right seen holding an HK G36KA4. The rifle has an HKey forend, HK’s proprietary mounting system, and is equipped with an Aimpoint RDS and a 3X-C magnifier and an Ase Utra DUAL556-S-BL suppressor.

On 23 August, shybenyk.squad shared a group photo posing in front of a signpost for the village of Lyptsi in the Kharkiv oblast. In the photo we can make out a pair of G36KA4s. Intriguingly both appear to be loaded with STANAG pattern polymer magazines rather than HK’s translucent magazines. This would indicate that either some of the rifles were shipped with magazine well adapters or were shipped with them.

Shortly after these photos emerged a member of the Kraken regiment shared a close up photo of one of the G36KA4s with my colleagues at StreakingDelilah. It has an HK translucent magazine and is fitted with an Aimpoint T2 RDS and Aimpoint 3X-C magnifier and an Ase Utra DUAL556-S-BL [Correction: DUAL QM-2] suppressor. This appears to be the common setup and likely how the rifles were shipped. On the HKey forend we can see a short rail segment has been attached for mounting a light or laser aiming device. The rifle looks in great condition, appearing as if new out the box.

shybenyk.squad shared another group photo alongside the Assault Bastards group on the 24 August. The photo again features two previously seen G36KA4s. Speaking to Shybenyk.squad they noted that they only received a couple of the rifles.

On the 26 August another member of Kraken shared photographs of himself firing a G36KA4 at a range. The rifle has the usual accessories and is loaded with an HK translucet 30-round magazine. On 30 August, shybenyk.squad shared another image of a combatant with an G36KA4 again fitted with Aimpoint optics and an Ase Utra suppressor. The rifle has been painted up and is seen loaded with a polymer MAG (what appears to be a Mission First Tactical Extreme Duty Magazine). Again indicating magazine well adaptors are in use.

But there may have been some earlier sightings dating back to 2023. In mid-June 2023, Tysk shared a series of three photos of a Ukrainian serviceman with a G36K with a railed forend. The rifle doesn’t have any optics mounted and the folding back-up iron sights are deployed. Tysk noted that they had been sent the photos by a serving subscriber but there was no further detail on where the photos were taken – be it in Ukraine or during training abroad.

Several months later in October, a member of the 12th Assault Brigade (Azov) shared a photograph of another G36K series rifle, again with no optics and a paint job similar to the earlier rifle. The combatant who shared the photograph noted that it wasn’t his rifle but claimed that a number of them were in his unit’s armoury for a time. In early November, a German colleague DEAidUA, contacted the BMVg (German MoD) who stated to him that they had “no knowledge of the transfer of these weapons to Ukraine.” Additionally, there has been no mention of the rifles on the German government’s extensive list of aid to Ukraine. The only small arms mentioned include a number of pistols, some MG3s and the HK MG5s we’ve examined in a previous article/video.

HK433

In addition to the G36s yet another Heckler & Koch rifle has appeared in Ukraine recently – the HK433. The first sighting of an HK433 in Ukraine actually predates the recent sightings of G36s. At the very end of July a member of Kraken posted a photograph featuring an HK433 equipped with a Aimpoint T2 RDS, an Aimpoint 3X-C magnifier, a Magpul RGV front grip, a Steiner DBAL A2 laser aiming module and a Norwegian A-TEC ‘A-Flow’ suppressor. The combatant who shared the photo stated that his platoon had received 10 of these rifles for testing and evaluation purposes, though he did not state if they had been provided directly by HK. On speaking to the combatant about the rifles he noted that they had performed well but that they had not yet been used in combat but they had been taken out on operations.

It was over a month before another image of the HK433s surfaced, on 18 September four HK433s, three with Aimpoint Micro T2s and magnifiers and one with an EOTECH XPS and a magnifier, they all appear to have the A-TEC suppressors. The photo appears to be of a recce squad and was shared by Kraken’s 3rd assault company.

The most recent photo of an HK433 to surface was shared on Telegram with a caption noting the combatant that submitted the photo was part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and operating in the Kharkiv oblast. The combatant is possibly part of the National Guard’s 12th Assault Brigade.

It would seem that Ukraine has received small numbers of G36s and HK433s and that these have been issued to teams associated with. the Kraken regiment and the 12th Assault Brigade. The source of these rifles is unclear, while the G36KA4s may have come from one of the Baltic nations the HK433s are newer, less common rifles and have not yet been adopted by any militaries in the 5.56x45mm configuration. This may indicate that the rifles were provided by Heckler & Koch themselves, its unclear if the G36s may have been included in the same batch.

Update – 5/10/24: Another G36 with magazine adapter and PMAG. (Source)

Update – 6/10/24: The hammer insignia would suggest the combatant is from the same unit as the rifle pictured above.

Update – 7/10/24:

A couple of additional images of HK G636s in Ukrainian service shared by Ukrainian Special Military on IG. Again the rifles are seen evidently using magazine adapters. The rifle on the right has an unusual magazine adapter, which I’ve so far been unable to ID. It seems to be either in-the-white or, perhaps more likely, 3D printed.

Intriguingly, in photograph on the right the rifle’s serial number and markings are visible. With an ’84’ serial number prefix and a ‘DE’ marking visible. It’s pictograph selector markings (rather than S-E-F) are also visible.

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RPG-FPV – Rocket Launcher Drones in Ukraine

In a recent video/article I mentioned that the Ukraine-aligned Georgian Legion had mounted an RPG-7 on an drone and successfully tested it. Several days later video of another drone equipped with disposable RPG was shared. Posted on 10 September it shows a Queen Hornet FPV equipped with an RPG-18 anti-armour weapon. The drone is seen taking off at a range and hovering. The short clip does not show the RPG-18 being fired.

This isn’t the first time a drone with a disposable RPG mounted on it has been seen in Ukraine. In January 2023, a photograph surfaced of a heavy-lift DJI Agras T-30 armed with a gimbal mounted PK-pattern machine gun and a Bulgarian Bullspike anti-armour weapon. The photo has since been shared regularly but with no further context. One post claimed it was associated with a GUR unit (Solnyshko DRB).

Still showing Bulava’s RPG-FPV (via Wild Hornets)

On 13 September, the Wild Hornets (a Ukrainian drone manufacturing organisation) shared a video of another RPG-FPV. The 56 second video, soundtracked by music from Terminator 2, showed a Queen Hornet drone equipped with what appears to be a Bulgarian Bullspike-AT. The efforts to develop an RPG-FPV based on the Queen Hornet appear to be lead by the Bulava drone team, part of the 3rd battalion of the Separate Presidential Brigade. The Bullspike-AT is produced by VMZ and fired a PG-22 pattern warhead, it has an effective range of 500m and can penetrate up to 400mm of armour. It weighs in at around 3.4kg, which is well within the Queen Hornet’s 9.5kg (21lbs) payload. The video shows the RPG-FPV take off and fire at a target down range. The drone can be seen pitching down to aim and then returning level before landing. This appears to have been a test of the assembly of the system to confirm the concept. In the photographs at the beginning of the video it appears that the weapon is fired by a servo arm which depresses the weapon’s trigger.

The Bulava RPG-FPV was again briefly seen in a fundraising video shared by the unit on 15 September. A close-up of the drone shows an RPG being attached to the drone with a zip-tie and the servo arm trigger mechanism is again visible.

On the 17 September, Wild Hornets shared another short video from the Bulava team, claiming that the team had been working on ‘calibrating the drone grenade launcher’ leading to the ‘shots [becoming] more accurate.’

RPG-FPVs are something that Russia has also begun developing with one showcased at the recent ARMY 2024 defence exposition. The drone appears to consist of a ‘Gortensia’ quadcopter armed with an RPG-26 anti-armour weapon. The drones was developed by Гортензия (Gortensia) and has a range of 10km and a payload of up to 6kg. On an info sheet shared at ARMY 2024 the company claims they are developing a system that allows the drone to jettison the empty RPG tube once it has fired. Images from ARMY 2024 show a dovetail-type attachment with a cradle attached to the RPG’s tube. On 18 August, the company shared two videos of test launches of the RPG-armed Gortensia drone. The videos show the drone take off and then the drone pitches down to aim and then fires. On firing the RPG’s tube detaches from the drone, seemingly using the weapon’s recoil to jettison it. In the second video, the drone travels further down range and fires on the target at a flatter trajectory, again the tube detaches from the drone.

‘Gortensia’ quadcopter with an RPG-26 (via social media)

In mid-September Russian government organisation People’s Front shared a short video showing a octocopter armed with an RPG-22 being tested at the range. The RPG-22 is mounted on its side The long body of the extended RPG-22 body, at 850mm long, seems to somewhat impact the balance of the drone. Despite this the test fire appears to be successful, it’s unclear if this is a development by a drone company or a Russian unit.

While the RPG-FPV has more firepower than the gun-armed drones which have begun to emerge they are still a concept in development. The major positive of the RPG-FPV is the use of an anti-armour weapon which means that the drones aren’t a part of the munition, as in the case of the kamikaze/one-way FPVs, and can be reused. Similarly, the firing of the RPG’s warhead means the drone does not have to be directly over its target as with a bomber drone. This means the RPG-FPV can engage at stand-off distance and has increased survivability. The difficulty, as we’ve seen with the gun-armed drones, is aiming the launcher accurately. It’s still unclear if the drone operators are using the FPV’s primary camera to aim the weapon, this would mean the aiming process might be impacted by latency, the lack of a reticle and poor feed quality. One way to increase hit probability might be to mount the RPG vertically as Nammo did in their tests of an M72-armed drone back in late 2021. The technology and doctrine for RPG-FPVs is still developing so it will be interesting to see how these drones evolve and are employed tactically.

Update 22/9/24:

A video of an RPG-FPV, developed by an unspecified manufacturer, was shared by MASH with the caption (machine translated):

“Meet the new product in the SVO zone – the flying RPG-26. The drone has already passed tests and will soon delight the military on the front lines.

According to our information, the request for the device came from the Ugledar direction, since ours went on the offensive. The first batch of fighters is preparing for flights.

Features: stabilization mode, which does not throw the drone back after firing. On the contrary, the drone returns to the base to replace the grenade launcher. It is equipped with an RPG-26 with armor penetration of 440 mm (and the prospect of installing a “Shmel” flamethrower). It carries up to 12 kg, rises to 800 meters, flies 30 km at a speed of up to 60 km / h. The miracle costs about 600 thousand rubles, the footage shows winter tests.”

Update – 14/1024: A Wall Street Journal article (by Isabel Coles) featured photographs of one of the Ukrainian RPG-FPVs pictured during assembly and range testing.

Update – 8/11/24: An ArmyInform video looking at the Bulava RPG-FPV. It appears to show the same test launch featured in earlier videos.

Update – 29/12/24: A Russia RPG-FPV fires on a building.

A Russian FPV hits a building with a rocket launcher, possibly an RPG-18.The rocket motor burns out completely in the launch tube, so the FPV isn’t hit by backblast.

— Roy (@grandparoy2.bsky.social) 2024-12-29T03:59:36.520Z

Update – 15/2/25: Russian with RPG-FPV, no further information available. (Source)

Update – 28/2/25:

Ukraine’s Presidential Brigade shared a video showcasing the work of its drone teams. In the video an AK-FPV is highlighted.

Update – 13/5/25:

WildHornets have shared what they report is the first combat use of their RPG-armed drone.

Additional footage from WildHornets gives us a closer look at the drone:

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Russian Recoilless Gun Drone

What is old is new. On 12 September, Russian journalist Alexander Kots shared a photograph of a recoilless gun mounted on a drone on his Kotsnews telegram channel channel. The idea certainly isn’t a new one. The use of a recoilless gun on aerial platforms dates back to the 1910s with the development of a series of recoilless guns by Commander Cleland Davis (US Navy) which were experimentally mounted on a variety of early military aircraft.

While the Davis Gun was abandoned shortly after the end of World War One, it was influential and its principle of operation was utilised in later recoilless guns. Essentially it worked along the premise of Newton’s Third Law of Motion, that all things have an equal and opposite reaction – as such Davis connected two guns back to back, with the backwards-facing gun firing a counter-weight.

Fast-forward over a century and the concepts is again revisited in miniature and mounted on a quadcopter drone. Kots described the recoilless gun in his post [machine translated]: “Large pellets are loaded in the front, and an equal counterweight is loaded in the back. Thus, a lightweight drone becomes capable of hitting small air targets without the risk of falling into a tailspin from the recoil.” The image shared appears to show a smoothbore weapon attached to the drone with plumbing clamps with several electrical wires running to it, likely for ignition of the charge.

The developer of the drone, the chief engineer of Russian company BRT, shared Kots’ post commenting [machine translated]: “Our BUBUKA hit the news. I made it, taught it to shoot, and gave it to our FPV players… – I don’t fly myself, it’s not my thing,” lamenting that “since then – no response, no greetings. I’m not even sure they tried to test it.”

The engineer followed this up by posting footage of a test of the recoilless gun, explaining [machine translated]:

“The principle is fully functional. And it was used more than 100 years ago, on plywood planes.
On the FPV, as I see it, for its use, you need to solve 2 main problems: –
– aiming at the target.
– correct ballistics of shot ammunition (dispersion, mass of shot charge, etc.).”

In the video the engineer exclaims that ‘both ways [fired] just fine’ with the grass in front of both barrels clearly impacted by the test. It’s unclear what kind of shot the recoilless gun is designed to use likely a buckshot-style round able to spread on leaving the barrel and sufficiently damage a drone to down it.

It appears that the ‘Bubuka’ may not yet have been tested or used in the field but it is an interesting design mitigating one of the major factors of firing a weapon from a drone – recoil. However, the recoilless gun has a number of drawbacks too. While the gun allows the drone to engage another drone kinetically without having to fly into it, the gun only has one shot which magnifies the difficulty of scoring a hit when aiming is difficult. It’s clear, however, that the evolution of drone warfare in Ukraine is continuing at pace with recent efforts by both sides to mount AK-pattern rifles to drones and the increasing number of drone vs drone engagements occurring.

Update 28/12/24: It appears that a Ukrainian team has also developed a recoilless gun-armed drone. Several videos were shared of an FPV drone equipped with a pair of barrels which are likely electrically initiated and have counter-weight charges as the earlier Russian drone did. The videos show a series of successful drone vs drone engagements.

Update – 3/1/25: A telegram associated with BRT has posted additional photos of their recoilless gun drone developed in early 2024 and expressed Thier frustration that a similar Ukrainian drone has had operational success.

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Gun-Armed Drone in Ukraine

Drone warfare has evolved massively in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February, moving from commercial drones spotting enemies and dropping grenades to First Person View (FPV) drones capable of taking out a tank. One branch of the possible evolution of drones which hasn’t seen a great deal of development or practical use is the mounting of small arms on them. 

On 4 September, Wild Hornets, a Ukrainian drone manufacturing initiative, shared footage of what they claim is the first use of their gun-armed drone in combat. The video was shared with the caption [machine translated]: “this time, the first combat deployment was carried out—targeting a position with Russian forces. This test indicated the direction in which this project should move forward.”

The grainy footage from an FPV drone’s camera shows the barrel of an AK-74, mounted tilted to the right, at the bottom center of the frame. It is seen firing several full-auto bursts towards the ground but it’s difficult to see at what exactly. The drone is believed to be operated by the Bulava (Mace) drone team, which is believed to be attached to the Ukrainian Presidential Brigade.

Wild Hornets note that the rifle is mounted on one of their largest FPV drones, a Queen Hornet. The Queen Hornet FPVs can reportedly carry up to 9.5kg (21lbs) of payload so an AK-74 with a loaded magazine (even a 40-round RPK-74 magazine) would be no issue. The drone also has to contend with the rifle’s recoil and from the video it appears that on firing the drone’s flight is only slowed momentarily. The Queen Hornet was unveiled in March 2024, and began to appear on the frontline in July and have been used not only to drop munitions but to also deliver smaller drones downrange – acting as a carrier, and also as signal repeaters to enable other drones to travel further from their operators.  

The gun-armed FPV was first seen in a video shared on 16 August. Wild Hornets shared a video showing a Queen Hornet returning to Ukrainian lines with an AK-74 hanging below it – Wild Hornets claim that the rifle was a Russian AK salvaged with a magnet. A montage then shows the salvaged rifle being mounted on a Queen Hornet, with its stock removed to save weight, and test fired. The rifle appears to be held onto the drone with zip ties and a small grey box encloses the trigger – likely containing a servo to pull the trigger.

There have been efforts to mount firearms on drones outside of Ukraine and there is also some earlier evidence of Ukrainian drone teams attempting to mount guns on the large Baba Yaga heavy drones earlier with imagery appearing in April of a large, possibly gun-armed, drone being filmed from above. In May, footage of what could also lay claim to the first use of a gun-armed drone in combat was shared. The footage was shared by the 74th Battalion of the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade and shows a Baba Yaga drone equipped with a firearm, again firing bursts, the weapon appears to have a sighting post attached to allow the weapon to be aimed using the drone’s camera. The footage of the drone firing on Russian positions was reportedly filmed northwest of Marfopil, in Zaporizhzhia.

There is also evidence that the Russians have experimented similarly with gun-armed drones with Russian drone company Molot Aero sharing a video of their Vatya X8 drone equipped with a suppressed AK-74 in June. There is no evidence currently available to suggest this configuration has yet been used in the field. Photographs of the drone show a similar configuration to that assembled by Wild Hornets with a stock-less AK-74 mounted on its side on the underside of the drone. The footage shows the Molot Aero drone hovering over a range successfully shooting several balloon targets at relatively close range before it lands.

Most recently, in direct response to Wild Hornets’ video the Georigian Legion, a unit composed of volunteers from Georgia fighting for Ukraine, shared a short video of a drone armed with an RPG-7. The footage appears to show the launcher being tested but on speaking with the Georgian Legion they confirmed that the RPG-FPV has been used during combat operations. They have reportedly used it against vehicles, fixed positions and infantry but are looking to improve the design with better optics and increased engagement range.  

One key reason we probably haven’t seen more gun-equipped drones is that mounting a firearm is a relatively poor use of a heavy lift drone. These larger, more powerful drones can be better utilised as bombers carrying large payloads over significant distances. Bombs dropped on vehicles and defensive positions have more impact than a drone equipped with a rifle-calibre firearm. It is likely very difficult to accurately aim the weapon and the magazine capacity is limited. To aim effectively the drone will probably have to fly lower than it would when bombing, thus making it more susceptible to fire from the ground.  

Update – 11/9/24:

Update – 14/10/24: A Wall Street Journal article (by Isabel Coles) featured a photograph of a drone mounted with a suppressed AK74.

Update – 22/11/24:

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Ukraine’s Newest Grenade Launcher – UKROP UGL-40

We have looked at a range of grenade launchers being used in Ukraine including standalone adaptations of GP-25s, the Ukrainian RG-1, the Russian DP-64, and a whole range of launchers that use the NATO standard 40x46mmSR rounds like the LMT M203 and the FN40GL.

In mid-August a new Ukrainian-produced 40mm launcher appeared, the UKROP UGL-40. This isn’t the first Ukrainian manufactured 40mm launcher, the Fort 600 has been in service for over a year and will be the topic for a future article/video of its own.

The UGL-40 is manufactured by UKROP, which is associated with Zbroyar. Intriguingly, in some of the available imagery of the UGL-40, LMT markings are clearly visible on the left side of the weapons receiver. It’s unclear if the launchers are imported from LMT, if they’re simply licensed on the LMT design or if a portion of the parts are manufactured by LMT and assembled by UKROP. While the barrel length and receiver design are very similar to that of the LMT M203 the stand-alone stock design differs. [H/T  – CaliFlori for spotting the markings.]

Update – February 2025: Having spoken to LMT representatives at SHOT 2025, it appears that after buying a significant number of LMT’s M203s Ukraine also bought all available components to assemble further launchers in-country. This included tubes, receivers and assorted components. These parts were combined with a chassis developed by UKROP, creating that UGL40.

LMT markings on a left side of the UGL-40’s receiver (via 12th Special Operations Brigade)

UKROP are best known for producing the UAR-10 and UAR-15 rifles used by elements of the Ukrainian armed forces. Sources suggest that the UGL-40 has a barrel length of 224mm, shorter than that of the M203 it’s based on, and in the under-barrel configuration it probably weighs around 3lbs (1.36 kg). The launcher is typically seen with a tangent sight attached to the left side of the weapon.

In retrospect and after some digging the earliest possible sighting of a UGL-40 I’ve seen dates from 20 March, in a photograph of a pair of members of Foxtrot Group with carbines equipped with under-barrel grenade launchers. Foxtrot Group, who are believed to be part of Ukraine’s SSO, posted two more photos of a team member equipped with an M4 carbine mounted with a UGL-40.

UGL-40 in standalone configuration (Western Savages)

The grenade launchers were next seen in an Instagram post on 5 July, by crab_zol, a member of the 3rd Assault Brigade, which showed him firing a UGL-40 from a trench. The launcher is seen attached to a UAR-15 rifle as an under-barrel grenade launcher.

On the 12 August, a photograph of the UGL-40 in its standalone configuration was shared online. Some sources suggest the image originated with personnel from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade. The UGL-40 and UKROP markings can be clearly seen. The launcher appears to slot onto a rail of a stand-alone adaptor. The adaptor has a collapsing stock and a full length Picatinny top rail. A UGL-40 in the stand-alone configuration also appears in a kit photograph, the source of which I haven’t been able to confirm. It has been painted up and matches the UAR-15 seen below it.

UGL-40 mounted on a UAR-15 (Rubizh Brigade)

A week later on 19 August, Western Savages, a Separate Special Purpose Unit with “OMEGA” West, part of the Ukrainian National Guard’s special forces wing, shared a montage video on their new instagram page which included footage of the UGL-40 being fired during training. Speaking to Western Savages they noted that they’d received the UGL-40 a couple of months ago and had previously used the Fort-600. They noted the differences between the two launchers are negligible but the Fort-600 is a little heavier. This may suggest that the UGL-40 with its stock is slightly lighter than the Fort-600’s 2.20kg (4.85lbs). They described the UGL-40 as ‘accurate and reliable’ but have not yet used it on operations.

The 12th Special Operations Brigade “Azov” shared a video on 21 August, which featured a member of the brigade’s reconnaissance detachment discussing his kit. He shows a UAR-15 equipped with a UGL-40 along with a bandolier for carrying 40mm grenades.

UGL-40 mounted on a UAR-15 (3rd SABr)

Most recently, on the 23 August, photographs of members of the Neptune reconnaissance group were shared with one of the operators pictured holding a rifle equipped with a UGL-40. On the same day the Rubizh Brigade also posted photographs showing personnel equipped with the new grenade launchers attached to UAR-15 rifles. One of the photographs of a soldier, wearing what appears to be a reconnaissance platoon patch, also gives a good look at the launcher’s markings.

It seems that the UGL-40s have so far been issued to a mixture of units including those from both the Ukrainian Army and the National Guard. Unsurprisingly they have only been seen paired with AR-15/M16 pattern rifles and are most typically seen in the under-barrel configuration rather than as a standalone. From confirmed sightings it appears that the UGL-40 has been in service since at least Spring 2024.

Update – 2/10/24:

A photo submitted to Ukrainian military page, Ukrainian_Special_Military of Members of 12th Special Operations Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard operating in the forests of Luhansk region. One individual has a UAR-15 with what is likely a UBL40.

Update – 29/10/25:

A photo of a member of 1st combat group of the special purpose intelligence squad of the 12th Brigade NGU with a nicely painted up standalone UGL-40 and a UAR-15.

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RPL-20 – Russia’s New Light Machine Gun

I’m excited to share this collaboration with firearms researcher Deni Almaskhanov, of Just Guns. Deni had the chance to attend the Army 2024 exposition in Moscow earlier this month. He has very kindly shared some great video and information about the latest version of Kalashnikov Concern’s RPL-20 light machine gun. 

The RPL-20 at ARMY 2024 (Deni Almaskhanov)

The Russian armed forces haven’t used belt-fed LMGs since 1959 when the RPD was replaced by the RPK. The RPK-74M has been considered obsolescent since 2011. Kalashnikov Concern began exploring an RPK replacement in the 2010s with the RPK-16. The RPK-16 failed to satisfy the military due to issues with overheating and the reliability of its 96-rounds drum magazines. The RPL is a direct follow-up to the ‘Kipchak’ program during which the now extremely rare RPK-16 was trialed. 

The RPL-20 was initially unveiled four years ago during the Army 2020 exposition but was stated to still be in development. 

RPL-20 in its 2023 iteration (Kalashnikov Concern)

The RPL is a belt-fed light machine gun, chambered in 5.45×39mm, it feeds from metal non-disintegrating belts, carried in 100- or 200-rounds textile boxes, with a quick attach/detach mechanism. It fires from an open bolt but does not have a quick change barrel, although it is possible to replace the barrel during the disassembly of the weapon. This aligns the RPL with the simultaneously emerging Western concept of the light assault machine guns like the FN EVOLYS and the Knight’s Armament LAMG amongst others.

Russian patent diagram for the RPL-20 (Russian Patent Office)

Deni explains that the lower receiver is “fixed with a pin in the front end and a latch in the rear end… the latch is pressed, unlocking the pivoting movement of the lower receiver. Such a design was chosen to address the common requirement for all the modern firearms – a continuous top Picatinny rail that would allow for reliable mounting of accessories and aiming devices.” The receiver can be opened this way to reload, however, a faster and more expedient method of reloading the RPL-20 is to simply push a new belt through the firearm’s feed block and pulling the starter tab until the first round seats. 

The RPL-20’s pistol grip and selector (Deni Almaskhanov)

The RPL-20 has a 2-position adjustable gas block mounted onto the barrel. Kalsashnikov Concern’s chief-designer Sergey Urzhumtsev describes the action of the machine gun as ‘an upside-down PKM’, but there are some important mechanical differences, such as the fact that the RPL-20 uses a push-through belt, unlike the PKM which pulls each cartridge backwards from the belt before chambering it. 

On the right side of the receiver, the RPL has a non-reciprocating T-shaped charging handle mounted onto a strong coil spring that is intended to prevent the charging handle from bending the weapon’s receiver or breaking the handle in the event of a heavy strike against it.

There are selector switches on both the left and right sides of the receiver only and the weapon fires in fully automatic fire only. The pistol grip and the buttstock are the same as those being also used on the 2nd and 3rd generations of the AK-12. The buttstock differs slightly in that it has an adjustable cheek rest and a foldable shoulder rest that can be flipped up over the shoulder. The gun on display was also seen with a cant-adjustable vertical front grip attached to the 6 o’clock rail.

The RPL-20’s charging handle (Deni Almaskhanov)

There is a small Picatinny rail at the muzzle end of the barrel intended for attaching the bipod in the forward position. With an alternate position on the handguard giving the user some tactical flexibility.
The handguard is not a separate piece but a continuation of the upper receiver and it is connected to the barrel via the gas block. The weapon has a threaded muzzle device to allow the fitting of suppressors.

There are some notable external changes from the earlier iteration of the RPL. The weapon now has fixed front and rear sight protectors rather than folding iron sights. It also has some changes to the receiver geometry with the receiver no longer having a step but a slope ahead of the breech and more, angled, ventilation holes in the receiver.  

RPL-20 as introduced in 2020 (Kalashnikov Concern)

The RPL-20 is reportedly undergoing state trials this year, so its remains to be seen if the light assault machine gun concept is one which the Russian MoD wishes to pursue. The nature of the war in Ukraine means that urban fighting and trench clearing have become increasingly important, perhaps this is a niche into which the RPL would fit.

My special thanks again to Deni for sharing this brilliant footage and information with me so I can bring you guys this video. Please do check out Deni’s pages – Telegram, Instagram, Youtube.

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Who Let the Dogs Out: Robot Dogs in Ukraine

Since the February 2022 invasion the war in Ukraine has been characterised by the use of drones and remote systems. While we’ve seen aerial drone use expand and evolve extremely rapidly and naval drones have proven themselves very effective, ground based drone use has been much slower to evolve with unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) seeing some limited use delivering explosive charges, mines and taking on logistical roles.

One unmanned ground system which I didn’t expect to see is the use of ‘robot dogs’ (робот-собака). These quadrupedal, remotely operated systems were seen for the first time earlier this month, most notably with Ukraine’s 28th Mechanised Brigade.

A Unitree Go-2 robot dog being tested in Ukraine (via social media)

The first footage of the robot dogs in Ukraine was shared by members of Kurt & Company (a unit with the 28th Mechanised Brigade) on 2 August, it shows one of the dogs being demonstrated in a field navigating though fields and woodland, through brush and righting itself when it got stuck trying to climb over a fallen branch.

Another video appeared on 5 August, with the robot dog seen moving along a bombed out residential street and being carried by its operator, a member of Kurt & Company. The footage does not show the dog operating inside any buildings. The post claims the footage was filmed in Toretske, Donetsk.

On the 8 August, France24, published an article based on a demonstration of one of the robot dogs during which the model of dog was referred to as “BAD 1” and a second model “BAD 2” was referenced but described as more advanced and “could not be shown for security reasons”. The article also noted that if one of the dogs ever fell “into Russian hands… an emergency switch allows the operator to erase all its data.” AFP shared a short video from the demonstration which noted that the drones were provided by BRIT Alliance, a UK-based security company which specialises in deploying drone systems. Interestingly, some articles describe the robot dogs as ‘British built’, however, they actually appear to be Chinese Unitree Go-2 robot dogs. The Unitree name can be seen below the dog’s camera sensor in the AFP video, as well as a Kurt & Company sticker on its right side.

Ukrainian troops of the 28th Mechanised Brigade with a Go-2 robot dog (via social media)

The Unitree Go-2 has a number of interesting features including the ability to map areas using LIDAR scanning, an AI mode that helps it navigate complex terrain and a live camera feed. Unitree’s site lists them as available from $1,850 for a Go-2 air and $3,050 for a Go-2 Pro. The Go-2 Pro model weighs around 15kg, has an 8kg payload, a battery life of up to 2 hours and a top speed of just under 8mph. Intriguingly back in 2022, Russia displayed the M-81, a robot dog armed with an RPG-26, at the Army 2022 defence exposition. The M-81 was actually based on Unitree’s Go-1 robot dog.

A further video was shared on 12 August, the drone is seen camouflaged with what may be a Ukrainian digicam shirt. In the same video the word ‘B.A.D.2.’ can be seen stenciled on the body of the dog.

On the 14 August, Kurt & Company shared a series of photos of a robot dog and operator with the caption [machine translated] “Better to buy robots than lose soldiers”. In several of the photos the dog has a backpack and radio strapped and taped to its back. On examination of the images this dog appears to be of a different design and resembles the DeepRobotics Lite3 Venture model, DeepRobotics are another Chinese manufacturer. This model weighs in at 12.2kg and has a 2 hour endurance.

A DeepRobotics Lite3 Venture demonstrated in Ukraine, August 2024 (via Ukrainian Army)

The same day the brigade’s official telegram page shared another video of the robot dog being demonstrated with the caption [machine translated]:

“Asymmetric responses are effective against the enemy’s numerical superiority in manpower, and they are possible thanks to technologies and innovative approaches in the conduct of hostilities.
As an example – this robot dog at the service of “Kurt&Company”.
He has many talents and a wide potential for use on the battlefield. Just as drones once changed warfare, so our four-legged robotic friends will influence the course of hostilities.”

The short video included clips of the dog on the move, doing backflips, and walking along a bombed out residential street.

Also on the 14 August, Ukrainian Army social media channels also shared the same photographs previously shared with a caption quoting the commander of Kurt & Company as saying: “Such a dog should be in every unit”.

Left: DeepRobotics Lite3 Venture
Right: Unitree Go-2

It’s unclear how many of the robot dogs might be in use in Ukraine, or if they’ve been used on operations yet. A BILD article published on 14 August, claimed that as many as 30 have been deployed but there’s no further evidence to support this. A Новини ФАКТ article stated they had been used operationally in Toretsk but this remains unconfirmed.

While the quadrupedal design of the robot dogs means they are, in theory at least, more capable of climbing stairs than tracked or wheeled UGVs their utility remains to be seen. They have less capability to carry payloads and its unclear if they’ll be used in a one-way role with explosive payloads – though given every other unmanned system in Ukraine has, it is probably a just matter of time. Unlike some of the simpler tracked and wheeled UGVs the Go-2 robot dogs are probably more expensive, harder to maintain and have a larger profile making them more vulnerable to enemy fire. It has been noted that they will also likely be utilised in reconnaissance of enemy trenches ahead of assault teams but again evidence of this has not yet surfaced.

A Unitree Go-2 robot dog being tested in Ukraine (via social media)

It seems that the role the dogs would be best used for is reconnaissance in urban areas where aerial drones can’t easily navigate inside structures, removing the need to send troops to recce buildings to locate the enemy. It seems that this is the role that the Ukrainians have in mind for the dogs. While China, the US and a range of other militaries have tested robot dogs, including the mounting of small arms and even light anti-armour weapons, if they are utilised in combat in Ukraine this will represent a battlefield first for this type of system.

Update – 20/8/24: An another video of one of the Chinese Robot Dogs, a Unitree Go-2, in Ukraine posted on 19 August.

Update – 8/9/24: Some additional video featuring both models of robot dog previously identified.

Update – 15/1/25:

RoboCopDog.A robot dog with what appears to be a thermal camera with the Rapid Operational Response Unit (KORD) of the Ukrainian National Police.More on these robot dogs in #Ukraine here: armourersbench.com/2024/08/16/w…

— Matthew Moss – Armourer's Bench (@matthewmoss.bsky.social) 2025-01-15T12:27:16.637Z

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Walk Around: M3 Stuart Tank

A couple of weeks ago at the excellent We Have Ways Festival I spotted one of my favourite tanks, an M3 Stuart. The Stuart’s wartime service is pretty fascinating, seeing extensive use across every major theatre. It entered service in 1941 and nearly 23,000 were manufactured by 1944.

The Stuart is a light tank and the M3A1 variant, seen here, was equipped with a .30 calibre Browning bow gun, an M6 37mm gun and another co-axial Browning M1919 .30 calibre machine gun. Powered by a Continental W-670 radial engine it could travel at speeds up to 35 mph (on the road) and 18 mph (off-road) and weighed in at 15.2 metric tons (16.7 US/short tons). Its hull is riveted while the turret is welded, in terms of armour protection the M3 has rolled face-hardened steel armour 1 inch (22mm) thick on its sides and rear and 1.5 to 1.75 inch (38-44mm) on its front glacis.

Right-Front quarter: M3 Stuart (Matthew Moss)

By 1942 it was largely fulfilling a cavalry scout/armoured reconnaissance and infantry support role. Unable to go toe-to-toe with heavier German tanks it continued in the aforementioned recce and support roles but found a niche in the Far East and Pacific theatres. It was also provided to the Soviet Union as Lend-Lease aid. This meant that the Stuart equipped armoured units in allied armies including: the US, UK, the USSR, Commonwealth nations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India. They were also used by Free Polish and Chinese forces and the Free French Army.

A look at the Stuart’s Continental W-670 radial engine (Matthew Moss)

The tank at the Festival was badged up with the battle axe insignia of the 1st Australian Armoured Brigade Group which was operational from August 1943, after the 1st Australian Armoured Division was disbanded. I believe its part of the Tanks-Alot collection and they have some video of the tank on the move, but I didn’t have a chance to speak to the owners – they do have an interesting YouTube channel.

Front: M3 Stuart (Matthew Moss)

Just a short article/video looking a pretty cool light tank that’s often forgotten alongside the M4 Sherman and M3 Lee. It’s not everyday you get to have a close up look at a cool tank on a beautiful day.

Special thanks to my friend Adam Blackmore-Heal for some additional footage of the Stuart on the move, check out his channel here, he is a phenomenal videographer.

Support Us: If you enjoyed this video and article please consider supporting our work here. We have some great perks available for Patreon Supporters – including early access to custom stickers and early access to videos! You can also find us on the History of Weapons & War app. Thank you for your support!

Bibliography:

M3 & M5 Stuart Light Tank 1940-45, S. Zaloga (1999)

Light Tank M3 Stuart, Tank Encyclopedia (source)

Ukrainian Marines Deploy RBS-17/Hellfire Shore Defence Missiles

The RBS-17 has been in Ukrainian service for quite some time with Sweden announcing in June 2022, that they would provide the missiles. The RBS-17 was a development of the AGM-114 Hellfire, entering service in the the early 1990s. It is a man-portable missile which weighs 48kg in addition to the launcher, firing system and laser targeting module. It is typically operated in the field by a five man team – two operating the laser targeting system and three on the weapon itself.

Check out our earlier video on the RBS-17 in Ukraine here

We first saw the RBS-17 in use in the field in a video posted in October 2022, by a page called ‘Bigcats’, the lo-res clip shows the launch of a pair of missiles. In December 2023, the Swedish government published an article and video about Ukraine’s use of the RBS-17 and the training the Swedish armed forces provided on the system. Most recently in May 2024, a clip of an Armenian volunteer unit, NEMESIS, showed a team operating an RBS-17. The video shows NEMESIS team members carrying a missile to the launcher, this gives an indication of just how ‘man portable’ they are. They load the missile and then take cover in the nearby tree-line. We can then see one man manning the control unit and the missile is launched.

It is worth noting that Norway has also provided it’s Hellfire Shore Defense System, which is externally very similar in appearance to the RBS-17. Some of the missiles in use are likely Norwegian HSDS.

Since then we have had a series of excellent clips which are amongst the most detailed so far. The clips were posted to various TikTok accounts and show a team, which appears to be attached to one of the Ukrainian Marine brigades, operating the missile system.

My colleague Weapons_Illustrated shared a series of videos he found on a Ukrainian serviceman’s Tiktok channel which were posted in summer 2024 but have since largely been removed. One simply shows a launch of a missile filmed relatively close to the launcher. Another pans along a missile body showing a message scrawled on the casing and also the missile’s lot number ‘98001’. While slightly blurred one Bofors sticker appears to read ‘Norwegian Hellfire Shore Defense Missile ‘ The video concludes showing a night launch across a body of water before cutting to a thermal camera showing an impact downrange. Another video shows the missile control system before cutting to showing a missile launch and then a clip of a strike on a large building which has its roof blown off. A video posted by the same channel on 20 July included a new launch video showing a missile being fired before cutting to a screen showing the destruction of a building near a large body of water. The landscape visible may suggest the footage was filmed along the Dnieper River, possibly near Krynky.

With further research I came across another affiliated account which had a number of videos showing the launch of RBS-17s dating back to January 2023. The first video posted on 3 January shows a launch of an RBS-17 with a picture-in-picture video of the operator at the launch control terminal. On the 5 March another video was posted from the same position, when the videos were actually filmed is difficult to confirm, this time the video also concluded with a clip of the impact of the missile on a target, a large building, downrange. On 13 May, a short video of the RBS-17s control terminal lit up was shared. A video posted by the account on 23 October, includes a slowed down clip of a launch and a clip showing a missile hit a target building.

The most recent video, posted on 11 December, features the launch of an RBS-17 filmed with multiple camera angles. One shows the video from the launch control station with a picture-in-picture view of the operator at the controls as well as a show showing the missile leaving the launcher, which has been positioned on a road. The video concludes with some overwatch drone feed footage of an impact on a building.

Update – 15/08/24:

One of the accounts which previously shared launch videos also recently shared a new video of a missile being launched from the edge of a field. Given earlier videos posted by the same individual showed HSDS markings this missile may also be a Norwegian HSDS.

Update – 8/9/24: New footage, shared in mid-August by Ukrainian marines operating a RBS-17/Hellfire SDS, geolocated to the Kherson region.

Special thanks to my colleague Weapons Illustrated who found the initial recent videos of the RBS-17 in action. Check out his project tracking various weapon systems seen in Ukraine here.

Support Us: If you enjoyed this video and article please consider supporting our work here. We have some great perks available for Patreon Supporters – including early access to custom stickers and early access to videos! You can also find us on the History of Weapons & War app. Thank you for your support!

Ukraine’s Rare RG-1 Grenade Launcher

Way back in October 2022 video of the extremely rare Ukrainian RG-1 circulated online thanks to Yuri, an American member of the Ukrainian armed forces (known as Nucking_Futs_Yuri, best known as for his combat footage of him manning an M2 Browning and firing numerous AT-4s from a HMMWV). Yuri and his colleague Kaiser, a German volunteer, very kindly shared their videos of the RG-1 filmed when they had the chance to fire the weapon during some range time. As far as I can tell those videos remain one of the few occasions that the weapons have been seen during the ongoing fighting following Russia’s invasion. Since October 2022, I’ve been holding off on making a video about the RG-1 in the hopes more imagery might appear – there have only been two more sightings.

Yuri with an RG-1 at the range, October 2022 (via Yuri)

The RG-1 “Piston” (РГ-1 “Поршень”) was developed as a cost effective force multiplier, to provide the firepower of an AGS-17 in a man portable package. Information on the weapon is scarce and I’ve had to dig through a number archived Ukrainian news articles and other sources to pull together some of the story of the RG-1.

A 2014 article from UkraineIndustrial.info suggests the project to develop the RG-1 was launched in 1999 and continued until 2007.  It was reportedly developed by the Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant. A.M. Makarov with the design team including Alekseev Yury Sergeevich, Serbin Vladimir Viktorovich, Zagreba Alexander Ivanovich, and Mezhuev Nikolay Nikolaevich

RG-1 grenade launcher with red dot sight mounted on quadrant sight bar (Yuzhmash)

The RG-1 is a self-loading grenade launcher which fires 30×29mm VOG-17-pattern grenades. Some sources refer to specially made, lighter grenades made for the RG-1. Numerous sources also refer to a training round and a round designed for use against light armoured vehicles. The ammunition was reportedly developed by the Pavlograd Mechanical Plant, which is run by Yuzhmash. The RG-1’s relatively long barrel allows it to engage targets at ranges out to around 800m. The weapon does not appear to have a gas piston and it’s barrel is fixed suggesting it isn’t recoil operated. It may be gas blowback operated, though it’s unclear if it has any sort of bolt delaying system in place. The weapon has a large main spring soaking up the recoil as well as a large top-ported muzzle brake.   

The weapon’s weight is reportedly around 12kg (26.45lbs) loaded and 10.8kg unloaded. It has a 30cm (11.8in) barrel, has an integral bipod and feeds from a five round box magazine. The box magazine rocks forward to lock into the receiver, with the paddle magazine release located forward of the magazine (the reverse of the standard AK position). To load the weapon the bolt has to be pulled to the rear, but with no bolt hold open device it has to be held to the rear manually. There is a quadrant sight on the left side of the weapon’s receiver with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics. The buttstock has a rubber pad and from the available imagery there appears to be two designs of stock. 

Uprom.info reported in 2018, that as of Spring 2017, the RG-1 was not in full-scale production but prototypes had been undergoing field trials with the 79th Airmobile Brigade during fighting in Donbas, as early as 2016.

30×29mm VOG-17-pattern grenades in RG-1 magazine (via Yuri)

Speaking to Yuri in 2022, he noted that his unit didn’t bother using the RG-1 as they had plenty of 40mm grenade launchers in inventory, including then-newly arrived M320s. Yuri explained that “the RG-1 was a stop-gap weapon to give the average man the capability to fire VOGs without having to get an AGS into position.” The low velocity 40mm grenade launchers are smaller, lighter, easier to carry and, according to Yuri, have better range an accuracy than the RG-1.  

A second sighting of an RG-1 came in mid August 2023, when another video of the weapon being fired on a range was shared. The most recent sighting came in October 2023 when a curious photograph of General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, was published showing an RG-1 in the corner of his office. 

Gen. Budanov poses with Joker paining next to an RG-1 (via social media)

The RG-1 is an extremely interesting weapon. Designed to fulfil a tactical niche between the common GP-25 single-shot under-barrel grenade launcher and the heavy AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher. Essentially the RG-1 was intended to be light enough for the operator to manoeuvre and act as an integral support element within the squad. However, in the current phase of the war the proliferation of low velocity 40mm grenades has largely rendered the RG-1 unnecessary. If you’ve seen other imagery of RG-1s in use please do let me know.

Specifications for the RG-1 [assorted sources]:

Calibre – 30×29mm
Rate of fire – 30 RPM
Effective firing range – 800 meters
Weight (unloaded) – 10.8kg
Length – 905mm
Barrel length – 300mm
Initial grenade speed – 185m/s

Update – 20/11/24: Tysk shared a photo of a 3rd Assault Brigade member posing wth an RG-1, date unknown.

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