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Just as the RPK is the squad machine gun version of the AKM, the RPK-74 is a
machine gun version of the AKM-74, firing the same ammunition. The RPKS-74 is a
folding-stock version of the weapon. Instead of the prominent muzzle brake used
on the AK-74, the machine gun has a short flash supressor. The magazine is
longer than that normally used with the AK-74, but the magazines are
interchangable. The RPK-74 has a bipod.
The 5.45-mm round of the RPK-74 has a considerably higher muzzle velocity
than the 7.62-mm round of the RPK. However, both weapons probably have the same
maximum range (2,500 meters) and effective range (800 meters). Unlike the RPK,
the RPK-74 is compatible with the front firing ports of the BMP.
Since its introduction in the late 1970s, the RPK-74 has become the standard
squad machine gun in Soviet motorized rifle units. It is replacing both the RPK
and PKM 7.62-mm weapons. Airborne squads also employ the RPKS-74.
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