Tag: GPMG

Rare M60 Appearances in Ukraine

There are a lot of different types of general purpose machine guns in use in Ukraine and one of the most surprising to appear so far is the M60. The first appearance of an M60 in Ukraine came in September 2024, when the 23rd Mechanised Brigade shared an album of training photos which included an individual firing an M60D.

A month later the same brigade shared another photograph of the M60D. The M60D is usually mounted on helicopters as a door gun and as such it has been adapted with no stock or traditional rear sight, instead it has a pair of rear spade grips and a large ring sight. It’s unclear how many M60Ds are in Ukraine or where the guns originated from as a number of potential donor countries operate M60Ds as door guns. It may be the case that a donor nation provided the gun aboard a donated helicopter, we have previously seen French AANF-1 GPMGs appear in Ukraine – likely supplied with VAB APCs. Alternatively, the gun(s) may simply have been provided by a donor for whom it was surplus to requirements and ready for disposal.

Another sighting of an M60D came in May 2025, when the 65th Mechanized Brigade shared a series of photographs of a machine gun team training with one of the guns. Sadly, no markings are visible to confirm if this might be the same gun as previously seen with the 23rd Mechanised Brigade.

The M60D is not the easiest variant to utilise in a ground role with the absence of a stock to shoulder the weapon making it somewhat difficult to aim and keep on target while firing. It does have a folding carry handle but it also had an exposed trigger linkage which is far from ideal for ground use. The best use for this variant would probably be as a pintle-mounted an anti-air gun.

Most recently a new variant of the M60 was seen in a photo posted, on 18 July, by the 20th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems “K-2”. The gun appears to be either an M60E3 or an M60E4, with what appears to be a 22 inch barrel, the first ground role variant to be seen in-country. As with the M60Ds it is unclear where this M60 may have originated from, there are only a small number of nations which operate the weapons which may have donated it. Elements of the Czech Republic’s special operations forces operate E4s in small numbers but its unclear if this is the source of the gun seen in the recent photo.

It remains unclear just how many of the various variants of M60 are on the ground in Ukraine and where they came from but it is one of the weapons that I’ll continue to track, if you spot any let me know!

Update 12/10/25:

Serhii Filimonov, a member of the 1st Assault Regiment (Da Vinci Wolves), has shared several photos that appear to include an M60E4.

There is also a short video of him firing the weapon. Below is a still from the video.

Update – 17/11/25:

On 14 November, Raven Group, affiliated with the Ukrainian Directorate of Intelligence, shared a serious of range photos featuring an M60E4 (in what appears to be the Mk43 Mod 0 configuration). [H/t to Praise the Steph].

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Is Russia Using North Korean Type 73s?

On 7 November, photographs began circulating on Russian telegram channels of North Korean Type 73 general purpose machine guns said to be in Russia. The appearance of the photographs led to suggestions the weapons are now in Russia service. This claim is somewhat supported by the appearance of Russian E.M.R. camouflage in the top right corner of one of the photographs.

A North Korean Type 73 complete with magazine (via Russian social media)

The Type 73 is a fairly rare weapon though it has surfaced in conflicts areas such as Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon over the years. Thought to have entered service in the early 1970s, it is a somewhat unusual machine gun, it is gas-operated, using a long-stroke gas system, it fires from an open-bolt and is chambered in the long serving 7.62x54mmR cartridge. It is derived from the PK-pattern machine gun and as such feeds from standard Russian metal non-disintegrating belts but also is able to feed from proprietary box-magazines (which look a little like over-sized AK magazines). The magazine is dual stack, single feed which is designed to allow the Type 73’s bolt to pull cartridges out of its rear. Check out Forgotten Weapons’ video on the weapon for a better look at the action. The dual-feed design appears to have been influenced by the Czech vz.52/57. The Type 73 has a longitudinal fluted barrel with its front portion, ahead of the gas block, machined as a spigot to enable it to fire rifle grenades, it comes with a removable barrel shroud which acts as a muzzle device. Also visible in the photographs are the segments of cleaning rod which sit in channels in the weapons’ bipod.

Three North Korean Type 73s complete with magazines and belt boxes (via Russian social media)

The dates and locations of when the photographs were taken is unclear and various Russian telegram channels are claiming a range of explanations varying from – the weapons were brought along with the North Korean troops who have reportedly arrived in Russia in recent weeks, to – they were provided to Russia as part of the military aid being provided by the DPRK. However, the photographs may also have been taken during a past exercise involving Russian and North Korean troops. The environmental conditions in the photographs do, however, correlate with the photographs being taken recently.

The photographs of the Type 73 emerged as a series of, as yet unverified, videos and photographs of North Korean troops in Russia have surfaced in recent days. Intriguingly, it was reported that the Ukrainian GUR had claimed that North Korean troops in Russia would be equipped with Russian small arms and light weapons including: AK-12s, RPK and PKM pattern machine guns, and RPG-7 shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket launchers.

Top view of a Type 73 (via Russian social media)

The available imagery shows three Type 73s together in one photograph and then three detail photographs of another weapon on its own. The visible serial numbers on the guns include ‘904023’, ‘905012’ and a partially visible serial number which appears to read ’904032′ is seen in another photograph. Which places these three weapons relatively close to each other in the serial number range. Intriguingly, the typical star and model number aren’t visible in the above photograph.

If these images are verified and we see more evidence of their use it is extremely intriguing to see these weapons appear in Russia. It raises questions as to why Russia needs North Korean GPMGs – is Russia suffering from a shortage? The presence of some RPD light machine guns appearing in imagery of Russian forces training may also support this.

Left-side view of a Type 73 (via Russian social media)

The origins of the guns is also unclear, while the obvious source would be North Korea themselves, if so it is interesting that they would choose to supply Type 73s rather than their own straight copy of the PKM, the Type 82. If these guns are to be used for training purposes, or indeed in the field, then it would make more logistical and operational sense to acquire Type 82s so troops have commonality and familiarity with Russian PK-pattern machine guns. An another alternative potential origin for the guns is Russia’s other ally -Iran. Iran is reported to have acquired large numbers of Type 73s during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) and has since provided them to their proxies and allies. It may be that Iran has provided a shipment of these machine guns as part of their aid to Russia.

It remains to be seen if the Type 73 will enter service with Russian troops or indeed if we will see evidence of any other North Korean small arms.

Update 22/12/24: A short video appeared Russian telegrams of a Russian combatant examining a North Korean Type 73.

Update – 15/1/25:

A North Korean Type 73 GPMG mounted on a Russian motorbike & sidecar. No North Korean's in view. Interesting.More on the Type 73 in #Ukraine here: armourersbench.com/2024/11/17/i…#UkraineRussiaWar #SALW

— Matthew Moss – Armourer's Bench (@matthewmoss.bsky.social) 2025-01-15T12:32:48.413Z

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Bibliography:

North Korean Small Arms, SADR, H. Hong, D. Shea, (source)

North Korean Small Arms and Light Weapons, Small Arms Survey, M. Schroeder (source)

North Korean Type 73, Forgotten Weapons, (source)

North Korean Type 73 GPMGs in Iraq, Syria & Yemen, ARES, A. Richter, (source)

French Machine Guns In Ukraine

Since February 2022, France has provided Ukraine with a wide range of weapon systems and military equipment including self-propelled artillery, armoured personnel carriers, anti-tank guided missiles, hand grenades and air defence systems. In this article/video we’ll look at the rarely seen machine guns which France has provided.

In the summer of 2022 France announced the transfer of armoured personnel carriers and AMX-10 RC armoured fighting vehicles. The APCs appear to have largely consisted of Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé (VAB)s, a wheeled 4×4 which entered French service in the late 1970s and is set to be replaced by the VBMR Griffon. The VABs are largely operated by the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade and the 47th Mechanised Brigade and have been seen in action since July 2022.

A French FN MAG mounted on a VAB (46 OAeMBr)

The majority of the VABs in Ukrainian service appear to be equipped with 12.7x99mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns, however, some have been seen equipped with 7.62x51mm general purpose machine guns. Most intriguingly, in late May 2023 a photograph of a Ukrainian soldier holding an AANF1 emerged. An earlier video, shared in July 2022, of a VAB in the field may have been mounted with an AANF1 but due to low resolution it is difficult to be definitive. The later May 2023 photograph, however, confirms that France has supplied an unknown quantity of GPMGs. It is likely that the AANF1 was provided along with a VAB, notably the weapon is without its bipod. At the time of writing there have been no further sightings of AANF1s.

Ukrainian combatant with an AANF1 (via social media)

The AANF1 is the 7.62×51mm variant of AA-52, a lever-delayed blowback operated belt-fed machine gun introduced in the 1950s. Since the 2010s, the AANF1 has slowly been superseded by the FN MAG. French FN MAGs have been seen in use with members of the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade. They have been seen both mounted and dismounted from the VABs. While a significant number of MAG-patterned guns have been provided to Ukraine by numerous countries including the US (M240), Sweden (Ksp 58) and the UK (L7A2) the French MAG 58s are identifiable by the their railed top cover and a handguard attached to the gas tube which provides additional rail space.

A dismounted French FN MAG (46 OAeMBr)

In early November 2022, a video showed the best part of a mechanised battalion equipped with VABs, which are armed with a mix of M2 heavy machine guns and GPMGs. Later in November the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade shared photos of troops training including several photos of French MAG 58s mounted on VABs. In late January 2023, the Brigade shared a photo of the guns being used in the dismounted role while conducting urban warfare training. Several days later another photo was shared of a dismounted French MAG at a range. Another training photograph of a MAG mounted on a VAB was shared in March 2023.

The French MAGs haven’t been seen in use with any other Ukrainian units so far. But with significant numbers of French armoured vehicles its possible we’ll see further MAGs and AANF1s in the future.

Update 21/10/23:

Update – 10/3/24: The French government has released an updated document listing the equipment and some of the quantities provided to Ukraine. The document states that 210 ‘Mitrailleuse 7.62mm’ (the pattern of gun is not stated) and 710 ‘Mitrailleuse 12.7mm’ (likely M2 Brownings) have been provided between 1 March, 2022 and 1 May, 2024.

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Sources:

Model 1958 general support machine gun – MAG 58, French Ministry of Defence, (source)

NATO automatic weapon model F1 caliber 7.62 mm (AANF1), French Ministry of Defence, (source)

Joint declaration of France and Ukraine, Élysée, (source)

Arms For Ukraine: French Weapons Deliveries To Kyiv, Oryx, (source)

Thank you to Recon UAV on twitter for flagging the French MAGs and to Ukraine Weapons Warfare for bringing the AAFN1 to my attention. Special thanks to Dragonists Society for insights.

Sweden’s KSP-58 Machine Guns In Ukraine

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February we’ve seen a number of FN MAG variants appear in use with Ukrainian forces. By far the most common appears to be the US M240 series. However, in recent months we’ve also seen a number of Swedish KSP-58s appear in imagery from the field.

Sweden has long supported the Ukrainian war effort providing a shipment of 5,000 Pansarskott m/86 anti-armour weapons (perhaps better known as the AT4) back in late February. The transfer of an additional batch of 5,000 m/86s was announced on 2 June. Most recently on 30 June it was reported that Sweden would provide a fresh batch of light anti-armour weapons and also machine guns as part of a transfer worth $49 million. When delivery of this aid was made is unconfirmed but the KSP-58s are reported to have been in theatre possibly as early as July – August.

While the type of machine gun was not confirmed, since the beginning of September we’ve seen imagery of a number of KSP-58 GPMGs appear in theatre. Easily identified by their wooden stocks, grey-green-coloured receiver finish and enclosed front sight. Sweden was one of the earliest adopters of the FN MAG and the Kulspruta 58 or KSP-58 entered service with the Swedish armed forces in the late 1950s and was originally chambered in the 6.5×55mm Swedish round. The KSP-58B was introduced following the adoption of 7.62x51mm. The guns were made under license from FN at the Carl Gustav Stads rifle factory in Eskilstuna.

A KSP-58B in use with Ukrainian troops c. September 2022 (via social media)

These have been seen in the hands of International Legion units and also regular Ukrainian Army units centred around Mykolaiv and Kherson. All the the examples of the weapon sighted appear to be KSP-58Bs, none of the guns seen have the Picatinny rails seen in the KSP-58F. 

Speaking to Kaiser [frontline_view_kaiser] a German volunteer with the Ukrainian Army, he said his unit encountered a “a brand-new, never used KSP with original factory delivered Box and all accessories untouched”. His colleague Yuri [nucking_futs_yuri] has shared some videos filmed in late-August, during a training session he ran on FN MAG variants for various Ukrainian units. Yuri said their were about 20 guns on the range during the training session, with the majority being KSP-58s. Yuri shared a video in mid-September firing a through a KSP-58B, from the hip, filmed after the training session had been completed. 

Yuri with a KSP-58B c. September 2022 (nucking_futs_yuri)

While we can’t confirm that the KSP-58s came directly from Sweden it seems likely. Another potential origin for the weapons may be the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). Sweden gifted an unconfirmed number of KSP-58s to the Baltic States in the 1990s. Today, the guns remain in service with the Latvian Army and National Guard, the Estonian Army and Estonian Defence League and the Lithuanian Army and National Defence Volunteer Force. Both Estonia and Lithuania began searching for a replacement for the KSP-58 in mid-2021. Given the Baltic states’ support for Ukraine the guns may potentially have originated from there, rather than Sweden itself. We have already seen the Baltic States have transferred former Swedish equipment including the PV-1110 recoilless anti-tank gun which were given to the Baltic states in the early 1990s.

It remains to be seen if we’ll see more of the KSP-58s in the field but in future articles/videos we’ll look at other FN MAG variants are in use in Ukraine.

Update 16/1/24: A maritime element of Ukraine’s Border Guards shared photos of them familiarising with what appears to be a KSP-58.

Update – 5/6/24:

Update – 15/10/24: A video of a KSP-58 in action somewhere in Ukraine, date unknown, recently shared online.

If you enjoyed this video and article please consider supporting our work here. We have some great perks available for Patreon Supporters – including custom stickers and early access to videos! Thank you for your support!

Bibliography:

Thank you to Kaiser and Yuri for their input – definitely check them out on their social media!

Kulspruta 58, Forsvarsmakten, (source)

KSP-58, Soldf.com, (source)

Sweden to boost military aid to Ukraine, Politico, 29 Aug. 2022, (source)

Sweden to send military aid to Ukraine, Reuters, 27 Feb. 2022, (source)

Sweden assists Ukraine with the Robot 17, SVt.se, 2 June 2022, (source)

Sweden to send more anti-tank weapons and machine guns to Ukraine, Reuters, 30 June 2022, (source)

Estonia to acquire new weapons for EDF, Defense League, ERR, 18 Nov. 2022, (source)

Lithuania buys machine guns for EUR 34 million, Defence 24, 20 Aug. 2022, (source)

X11 Belt-Fed Bren Derivative

At the end of the Second World War the British Army had two primary infantry machine guns: the Bren light machine gun and the Vickers medium machine gun. These weapons had proved their worth, the Bren was especially well liked and the venerable Vickers continued to be a reliable workhorse.

In the late 1940s, the British Army recognised the Soviet threat to Western Europe. In 1947, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the newly appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff wrote a paper outlining rearmament plans based on intelligence estimates of how quickly the Soviet Union was likely to be ready for another full-scale war. Montgomery believed that Britain had just 10 years to develop new weapons and begin rearmament before the Soviet Union had recovered enough to launch an invasion of Western Europe. As such the British Army felt that rearmament needed to be complete by the late 1950s.

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Two Vickers medium machine guns in action in Wesel, 1945 (IWM)

A number of large budget programmes were launched while small arms projects were also undertaken. These included the Infantry Personal Weapon programme which sought to develop a new intermediate calibre infantry rifle – the IPW programme later yielded Stefan Janson’s EM-2, a bullpup chambered in .280, which was briefly adopted as the Rifle No.9. The FN FAL was later adopted due to changes in political circumstances – a long, fascinating story for another article. The companion to the IPW programme was the development of a Sustained Fire Machine Gun also chambered in .280.  The TADEN, a belt-fed derivative of the Bren firing the new .280 round, was designed by Harold Turpin (‘T’), the Armament Design Establishment (‘AD’) and Enfield (‘EN’). With the abandonment of the IPW the TADEN was also abandoned but its design greatly influenced the later X11 developments.

Centrefire automatic machine gun - Experimental SFMG
.280 TADEN SFMG mounted on a tripod (Royal Armouries)

Another major small arms programme at the time was the search for a new machine carbine (or submachine gun). This saw the testing of designs from Sterling, BSA and Madsen – with the Sterling finally adopted as the L2.

The other major small arms project was the programme to find a new section level machine gun. The German MG34 and MG42 had impressed the Allies during the war, so much so the US went as far as to clone it with the T24. After the abandonment of the EM-2 and TADEN machine gun the British issued a new specification for a lightweight sustained fire machine gun, chambered in the 7.62x51mm round recently adopted by NATO, in the mid-1950s.

t24mg5-794x1024
US T24, MG42 clone, complete with US-pattern bipod (Springfield Armory)

The design team at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield developed a belt-fed derivative of the Bren light machine gun. The X11 series of prototypes sought to convert the Bren’s proven design into a weapon capable of sustained fire. The X11 made a number of changes to the Bren included the addition of a detachable butt/grip/trigger assembly which could be swapped for a pair of spade grips and a paddle trigger for static sustained fire from a tripod. This resulted in the pistol grip being located much further back than the traditional Bren’s.

Centrefire automatic machine gun - Experimental SFMG (about 1956)
The X11E2 set up for the sustained fire role on a tripod with the spade grips and an optical sight similar to the UNIT sight. (Royal Armouries)

It appears that during the mid-1950s British military parlance described the General Purpose Machine Gun as a Sustained Fire Machine Gun (SFMG). From the available photographs it appears that the L4 and X11 use the same barrel with its distinct flash hider. The receivers of all the prototypes appear to be milled to attach the optical long range sight seen above.

The main drawback with the X11 was its feed mechanism. The feed slide was indexed by a rotating vertical feed shaft which was driven by the gas piston’s recoil. This created a considerable amount of friction within the action. It had the effect of causing failures to feed during adverse conditions testing and elevated firing tests. A series of four X11 prototypes were developed with Harold Turpin (co-designer of the STEN gun and later TADEN) working on the new gun. Each prototype appears to have a sightly different trigger configuration. The most interesting of these is a two-finger double-crescent trigger reminiscent of the MG-34’s – from the photographs it appears that the conventional selector lever, used in the X11E2, was replaced with a fire-selector system similar to the MG-34’s (upper crescent – semi-auto, lower crescent – full-auto). However, the trigger of the example of the X11E4 examined by Vic (serial number #11) was fully automatic only, despite its crescent shape.

Below are photographs of examples of the three types held at the Royal Armouries:

1
X11E2, note the large cutout in the receiver in front of the trigger group (Royal Armouries)

Belt fed Bren 1
X11E3 (Bren Gun Saga, Dugelby)

Centrefire automatic machine gun - SFMG Experimental Turpin X11E4
X11E4, note double-crescent trigger (Royal Armouries)

The X11 was tested against the M60, French AA-52, Swiss MG51, Danish Madsen-Saetter, German MG-3, and the Belgian FN MAG. The FN MAG, designated the X15E1 by the British, fared best in the trials with the X11 coming second due to its feeding issues. In January 1958, the British abandoned the X11 and moved to adopt the X15E1 general purpose machine gun, negotiating a license for its manufacture. The weapon was finally adopted as the L7A1 in 1961, with production at Enfield beginning in 1963. It seems that the Birmingham Small Arms Company were a latecomer to the competition having developed the another belt-fed Bren gun derivative known as the X16.

The Bren did continue in service after the switch to 7.62x51mm. In 1954, before beginning work on the X11, Enfield had developed the X10E1. Taking a Canadian manufactured 7.92x57mm Bren breech block and converting it to cycle the new round. The X10E1 was formally adopted as the L4. The L4 remained in service, alongside the L7, into the early 1990s. The L7 GPMG continues to be used by the British Army.

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Bibliography:

The Bren Gun Saga, T. B. Dugelby (1999)