NSV machine gun
The NSV (Cyrillic: НСВ, initialism for Никитина-Соколова-Волкова, Nikitin-Sokolov-Volkov) "Utyos" (Russian: Cliff), is a Soviet heavy machine gun chambered in 12.7×108mm. It is named after the designers, G. I. Nikitin, Y. М. Sokolov and V. I. Volkov. It was designed to replace the DShK machine gun and was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1971.
| NSV | |
|---|---|
NSV heavy machine gun | |
| Type | Heavy machine gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1971–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Soviet–Afghan War First Nagorno-Karabakh War Gulf War Afghan Civil War War in Afghanistan Lebanese Civil War Iraq War Russo-Georgian War Syrian Civil War Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) Russo-Ukrainian War Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designer | G.I. Nikitin, Y.М. Sokolov, V.I. Volkov |
| Designed | Central Design Bureau of Sports and Hunting Weaponry, Tula, 1969 |
| Manufacturer | "Metallist", Uralsk, Kazakh SSR |
| Produced | 1971–present |
| Variants | NSVT |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 25 kg (55.12 lb) (gun only) 41 kg (90.39 lb) on tripod 11 kg (24.25 lb) (50-round belt) |
| Length | 1,560 mm (61.4 in) |
| Cartridge | 12.7×108mm (For Polish WKM-B) |
| Caliber | 12.7 mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 700–800 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 845 m/s (2,772 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1500 m vs. air (maximum) 2000 m vs. ground targets |
| Feed system | 50-round belt |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The NSV was manufactured at the Metallist plant in Uralsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union. The vehicle-mounted NSVT variant is used on the T-72 T-64 and T-80 battle tanks. Like many Soviet weapons, the NSV was also licence produced by Yugoslavia as the M87. Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia began development on the Kord heavy machine gun, while Belarus, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Vietnam all introduced their own copies of the NSV.
The NSV weighs 25 kg (55 lb), has a rate of fire of 700–800 rounds per minute, and an effective range from 1,500 m (1,600 yd) to 2,000 m (2,200 yd) against airborne and ground targets, respectively. A loaded ammunition belt with 50 rounds weighs 11 kg (24 lb).