In this episode, we're taking a look at the PKP Pecheneg. The Pecheneg is one of the available light machine guns in Modern Warfare 3, and is a new weapon to the series. It's Russian in origin, hailing from TsNII Toch Mash: a Russian design bureau responsible for many small arms designs of the Russian military. The Pecheneg is a modern LMG design, based on Kalashnikov's earlier PK machine gun. The PK was first introduced in 1961, replacing the earlier RPD light machine gun and SG-43 Goryunov medium machine gun in service. The PK design was modernised in the 1969 PKM variant: a more lightweight, generally improved version. The Pecheneg is a further evolution of the design: rather than a replaceable barrel common to many machine gun designs, the Pecheneg instead opts for a heavier barrel better designed for heat dispersion via air-cooling. In addition, the flash suppressor is improved - and the bipod is positioned much closer to the muzzle, improving the stability of the weapon. Similar to the Pecheneg is the AEK-999 - a slightly less conventional design with integral suppressor: reducing noise levels, and eliminating muzzle flash, making the weapon ideally suited for nighttime combat. The Pecheneg enetered service in 1999 with Russian military units, notably Spetznatz units operating in Chechnya. It fires the venerable 7.62 by 54mm rimmed cartridge - the oldest cartridge still in regular service, originally developed for the Mosin-Nagant rifle in 1891. The Pecheneg is a belt-fed weapon, and is typically fed from a detachable box containing 100, 200 or 250 rounds. Under fully automatic fire, it will dispense these at a rate of around 650 rounds per minute, and will do so for a considerable amount of sustained fire. The Pecheneg design is heavier than the earlier PKM due to its heavier barrel, weighing in at 8.7 kilograms with bipod configuration - some 1.2 kilos difference. Overall length is a little over 1.1m, with the barrel measuring 658 millimetres - near identical to its parent design. The PKP Pecheneg has already seen combat use, having been employed in the Second Chechen War, and the South Ossetian War of 2008 - and will likely see continued use in the future. The original PK design is currently far more ubiquitous, however - with the PKM seeing use by over 50 nations, and enduring service with many today. In Modern Warfare 3, the Pecheneg serves as a more modern stand-in for the go-to Russian LMG, the RPD - although despite using a more powerful cartridge, the PKP doesn't quite live up to the RPD's in-game damage. Nevertheless, it's a weapon capable of sustained fire, and when employed in a strong defensive position may turn the tide on your enemy. The PKP Pecheneg is unrelenting, rugged, and capable of defending the harsh terrain of Central Asia's steppes - just like the tribe it's named for.

• published: 24 Jun 2012
• views: 294533